How many rounds before it NEEDS a cleaning?

I imagine there's lots of AKs out there that have never seen a drop of oil let alone a brush and solvent. They seem to work fine.:eek:
 
I usually run my guns untill a FTF/FTEs occur on a regular basis... then I clean them.

Truth be told. My guns arent for "home defence" so why bother maintaining it like the world will end tomorrow.

I dont like the idea of cleaning my guns after shooting 10 rounds through it either, if I wanted to do that I'd join the army.

They are meant to be shot. And only the "picky few" are meant to be cleaned like there is no tomorrow.

Unless storing dirty 'might' cause extensive damage, I wouldnt stress about it too much.

And unless they wont get fired for a while as well (as in a month or two) then clean as well.

And yes it all depends on rifle/tolerances/ammo used. Reall no good "number" of rounds.

Luke
 
2500 rounds over 6 months on my MR223 with no maintenance other than loading the magazines. No malfunctions of any kind and still groups well.

Don't get me started about my 1992 Glock 17.
 
I have run several thousand through the tavor with no cleaning. I have yet to clean my swiss arms carbine. I clean a fun gun when it either looks nasty or starts to falfunction. I put away clean all those guns I expect to rely on.
 
When you lightly handle the rifle and it leaves black-gunky marks on your clothes and hands... it needs cleaning. :)

When I first got into guns I'd detail-field strip after each range trip.
Well, I think I put more wear on the guns by doing that than leaving them be.

The only time I clean after each range trip now is if corrosive ammo is used.
Think about .22lr's, you don't clean those until a few thousand are shot through them... why should a center-fire be any different

Aside from running a bore snake through them after a range session, I wouldn't worry about cleaning them beyond that.

~Cheers ;)
 
The one I rely on shoots corrosive and gets cleaned every time it shoots corrosive. If I shoot 20 rounds of non, then I do not bother.

10/22 gets a spray of oil wherever I can stick the nozzle once it begins acting up. My mossberg 500 has never been cleaned, and has never malfunctioned.
 
My AR's? Once or twice a year, so basically every thousand rounds or so. My highest used AR got about 1800-2000 rounds before it stovepiped for the first time (regular lube schedule).

My XCR? Once when I opened the box, and then once again after about 1500 rounds (after it stove piped). I did not add extra lubrication, only CLP graciously the first day I owned it.

M14's? Every 500 rounds or so. I don't shoot as often, but I like to clean my guns at least twice a year.
 
My SKS is the only firearm I own that gets cleaned every time I shoot it to remove corrosive primer residue. Everything else gets cleaned when I notice functional problems, accuracy drops off, or it just plain looks nasty. When you shoot a lot, you can end up spending a lot of time cleaning guns if you clean them every time you fire them.

If CCW were an option, I would likely own duplicates of my carry gun: one for daily carry and one for training/spare, which would cut down on the frequency of cleaning required.

Given non-corrosive ammunition and adequate lubrication, obsessive compulsive cleaning to a "white glove" standard serves no useful purpose.
 
tjhaile said:
My SKS is the only firearm I own that gets cleaned every time I shoot it to remove corrosive primer residue. Everything else gets cleaned when I notice functional problems, accuracy drops off, or it just plain looks nasty. When you shoot a lot, you can end up spending a lot of time cleaning guns if you clean them every time you fire them.

If CCW were an option, I would likely own duplicates of my carry gun: one for daily carry and one for training/spare, which would cut down on the frequency of cleaning required.

Given non-corrosive ammunition and adequate lubrication, obsessive compulsive cleaning to a "white glove" standard serves no useful purpose.
Click to expand...
:agree:
With the proper lube cleaning should be a once a year thing but then again can you ever truly get an DI firearms clean? Dosn't DI also stand for dirty internals!?!
 
jdman said:
I hope all the lazy fockers with more money than brains need to rely on their gun someday, and it jams.:slap: :p
Click to expand...

Not that it will ever come to that, but I'd bet my life that the MR223 will go bang when I pull the trigger with a working cartridge in the chamber and the safety off just the way it is.

Back to your solvents now. I recommend better ventilation.
 
Personally, I enjoy the process of cleaning after shooting, and take pride in having a nice shiny firearm. For the most part, it's not necessary though, just my preference.
 
I don't mean to sound flippant, I'm not. Here's what I do: I clean my guns when they get dirty. No sooner. Just because some OCD guys clean more frequently doesn't mean that they SHOULD. My Remington 700 in 260 is still a tackdriver and I can't recall when it was cleaned last; certainly more then 10 deer ago. Gun still looks new and sighting in last fall it still shot into 3 inches at 200 yards, which is as good as I can do. My 375 gets hunted harder and it gets cleaned sometimes once a year, sometimes more.
 
Barrel fouling causing accuracy issues will crop up before the actual gun needs to be cleaned.

I've run over 5k thru a suppressed 11.5" gun here without any additional lube (no not a piston).
However accuracy went from 3/4" to over 3MOA with BlackHills 70gr BrownTip ammo from start to end.

I run 4,200rds thru a SR-25 Carbine over 3k suppressed with no additional lube -- accuracy went from 1/2" to over 4"

Copper fouling of the bore will cause more issues than anything else.

You can add lube and run the gun till the gas port erodes and causes issues (Pat's BMC Middy) - but accuracy will go to #### long before that.
 
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