How often should I clean my guns?

Furync

Furync

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I went shooting about a month ago... didn't have time to go back since. I didn't clean my 2 rifles that I shot either, they just went back in the safe. I only shot about 1 box with them. Am I making a mistake by not cleaning them? I'll be using them (I hope) in a week for moose.

How often should a rifle be cleaned? If I go to the range and shoot just one shot, should I clean it when I get home? Or should I clean only after a few hundred, or thousand shots? Is there a rule of thumb or something that I should follow?

Since I'm posting this... would the same go for shotguns?

Thanks
 
It seems that everyone does it different.

I clean my gun after every shooting or outing.
It's an easy and cheap way to protect your investment.
 
I clean them at the enf of hunting season.

If i'm hunting for a period of time in really nasty conditions, I may give it a mid week rub down.
 
A million guys will give you a million answers. I shoot moly coated bullets, the last barrel I had on my .308 target rifle was still going strong at 900 rounds. When I cleaned it I had to go about 200 rounds to get it back to where it was. The barrel I have now shoots better clean or less then 100 rounds:(
Every barrel is different when the groups open up it is time to clean.
 
my dad and i clean all the rifles wether they were shot in the time or not about once a season. (spring summer fall winter). spring and winter are sometimes skipped as we never shoot in those times.

as others have said. everyone is different.

the only guns we clean right after use is our blackpowder guns.
 
Furync said:
I went shooting about a month ago... didn't have time to go back since. I didn't clean my 2 rifles that I shot either, they just went back in the safe. I only shot about 1 box with them. Am I making a mistake by not cleaning them? I'll be using them (I hope) in a week for moose.

How often should a rifle be cleaned? If I go to the range and shoot just one shot, should I clean it when I get home? Or should I clean only after a few hundred, or thousand shots? Is there a rule of thumb or something that I should follow?

Since I'm posting this... would the same go for shotguns?

Thanks
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Center fire: The most important thing is to prevent corrosion. If you are not going to shoot it for some time, you must clean out the powder residue to prevent mosture attracting to it. So even if you shoot one shot at that deer, you have to clean or at least give it an oil patch thru at end of season befor storing. It also depends on humidity where you live.

Rimfire: shoot till it doen't group. The lube protects the barrel very well.

Shotgun: Clean after you are done for season, and if it gets wet, dry and oil right away.
 
The military teaches 3-cleanings-over-3-days for small arms. First cleaning removes the obvious physical carbon and fouling buildup. Then the two successive cleanings remove chemicals that leach out of pores and crevices, and are floating in the thin coating of oil you leave behind.

The only trouble with this method is most units don't go back into the weapons vaults every few days, and the weapons soon look like they need a full detailed cleaning. And most military weapons suffer from over cleaning rather than over use.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
The military teaches 3-cleanings-over-3-days for small arms. First cleaning removes the obvious physical carbon and fouling buildup. Then the two successive cleanings remove chemicals that leach out of pores and crevices, and are floating in the thin coating of oil you leave behind.

The only trouble with this method is most units don't go back into the weapons vaults every few days, and the weapons soon look like they need a full detailed cleaning. And most military weapons suffer from over cleaning rather than over use.
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The military is well known for over cleaning firearms and over maintaining most things. Rifles and LMG's that have been cleaned to the point of destroying them are not unheard of. I wouldn't use the military as a great measure of much in terms of maintenance. Maintenance in the military is very often a make work project for peacetime soldiers nobody knows what to do with. And lets not forget that we have the military to thank for corrosive ammo!

When to clean depends on so much, particularly humidity and conditions of use. If your rifle only goes to the range in nice weather and you live in low humidity, once a year or every 500 rounds will do. If you live by the sea, not nearly enough. Fire corrosive ammo - clean after shooting each time. Just spent a week moose hunting on a river with sandbars in the rain - detail strip and clean once you get home, etc. You've really got to get a feel for it I think. Not real practical advice, but you will get to the point when you know when to clean and when not.
 
Every time I shoot.
I keep my guns clean and covered in oil that I hand wipe on every surface. I clean it off before shooting, and clean/re-oil after shooting.

overboard? maybe.

but it gives me peace of mind.
 
I am a handgun shooter that also shoots Cowboy Action Shooting. I have a Marlin lever action rifle (44 magnum) and a break action double barrel shotgun. Typically a match will see me shoot about 50 rounds of rifle (lead) and 25 of shotgun. This year we have eight matches. 8 x 50 = 400 rifle and 8 x 25 = 200 shotgun. I have not cleaned them this year yet and I don't expect to until our last match later this month. I have not experience any problems due to the lack of cleaning.
 
I clean mine just to re aquaint myself with my friends as often as I feel the need, even if it's just a rub down, a little massage so to speak, some tender loving care. Sh-t I'm sounding like a deviant !!!!!!!!!!!
 
Winchester-1897 said:
I clean mine just to re aquaint myself with my friends as often as I feel the need, even if it's just a rub down, a little massage so to speak, some tender loving care. Sh-t I'm sounding like a deviant !!!!!!!!!!!
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LOL
We're talking about guns here.... :p


So if I shoot in relatively dry weather, and once in a while, I should pretty much just clean it when I take them out in the rain, till then, just pass an oil patch before storing it in the safe? Maybe even 1 or 2 pass of the brush to remove crud? meh... may aswell clean em at that point. :D

Anyone else would like to give their input? :p
Thanks everyone!
 
I typically clean mine about every 100 rounds, but never during hunting season. Once my load is worked up and zero confirmed I don't touch a thing until December unless something weird happens.

The off-season is for practise and to make sure of where the bullet hits at various distances, for me out to 385 metres.
 
i clean as necessary and that usually meens something different to clean or oil after every time shooting. as for barrel cleaning, i tend to do it before i change ammo brands, or after every say 600-900 rounds? i dont know why i clean before brand changes, but i do it. i also look down the barrel from both ends before cleaning, just to see.

maple_leaf_eh said:
The military teaches 3-cleanings-over-3-days for small arms.
Click to expand...

What does the American miliary teach?

Northman999 said:
The military is well known for over cleaning firearms and over maintaining most things...........Maintenance in the military is very often a make work project for peacetime soldiers nobody knows what to do with. And lets not forget that we have the military to thank for corrosive ammo!
Click to expand...

If they are over-maintaining, and cleaning parts to death. An ammunitions corrosiveness might not matter to them. The ammo wasnt afterall intended for civi use was it?

BBq_Woa! said:
Every time I shoot.
I keep my guns clean and covered in oil that I hand wipe on every surface. I clean it off before shooting, and clean/re-oil after shooting.

overboard? maybe.

but it gives me peace of mind.
Click to expand...

Except for my dads old remington gamemaster pump .270 .. all the guns in my safe are black and synthetic to some degree.. all i do for the exterior is finger rub some oil onto it, keep rubbing until it no longer feels oily but it has a dark satin look to it, no streaks. it usually keeps this until handled again next. but to be honest i havent cleaned my shotgun other than to oil the outsides with finger.. since i got it. still works pretty well by my standards, but its probably due for some cleaning.
 
When ever you feel like it, Its your guns.... My AR15's get cleaned like every 1000 rounds, Pistols after 500rds or so or when ever I shoot the crap out of it, Rimfires when ever I start having problems with them. My shotgun well when I feel like taking it apart....

I learned being in the military that most guns get worn out faster by over cleaning them...
 
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