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Do You Always Do a Full Cleaning ?

2K views 43 replies 42 participants last post by  egor20 
#1 ·
I thought this would be a good question to debate after my Tuesday night at the range.

My son wanted to try out his new G2 and asked me to be there.
So I took my pt92 and range bag too.
Most of the time was spent helping him figure things out.
But during his reloading I popped off at most 40 rounds on my 92.
Once I got home and looked the only real crud was the ramp/barrel/ejection areas.
So I figured it really didn't deserve a tear down cleaning and re-greasing.
I used WD40 and Qtips and a paper towel clean only that area.

So how say ye all. Do you always tear down and full clean?
Or do you make a judgement call ?
 
#3 ·
Usually I play it by ear. Most of the time, if I take a gun to the range, I shoot a box of 50, and with target ammo (typically Winchester white box), it gets it pretty dirty in there. If I'm shooting Hornady Critical Defense, it doesn't seem to leave a lot of residue.
 
#4 ·
I don't. The advent of the smokeless powder has done a lot to diminish carbon fouling - not all of it, mind you - but I'm comfortable cleaning mine after 3-4 range sessions. But I will usually clean 3-4 of my handguns per month as an evening deal whether I've shot them or not.
 
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#9 ·
I do a complete cleaning after each range visit. I don't mind doing it at all and I think it's always better to. Now after a short visit like you had? I judge based on when I will be firing it again. It I'm hitting the range again in a week or so I'll give it a quick hit. If it's likely to be in my holster for the next 3 to 4 weeks, I clean it thoroughly.
 
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#11 ·
I field strip and clean after every range trip. Once a year I do a complete D.C.O.R.
 
#12 ·
My G2 came with a light coating of oil on it so i didn't clean it
 
#13 ·
Used to, now not so much, only when I think they need it.
 
#15 · (Edited)
If it's been shot, it gets at least a field strip and wipe down. In a case like the OP describes, a field strip, wipe down and a snug dry patch is going to get passed down the bore.

Cleaning has several different levels as far as I am concerned. The lowest is a quick wipe down like what is described above. That's more to remove powder residue and my peace of mind than anything else.


The next is a light clean (more of a quick scrub) following the normal cleaning routine and a touch up of the lube. Carry guns get this done to them regularly whether they are shot or not. A range trip that includes about 100 rounds fired results in the same treatment.


The next level is basically the same as above but I scrub the crap out if it and completely relube. That's "normal" cleaning. It happens every 3rd or 4th range trip or during the annual cleaning everything gets at least once a year. BP guns get this treatment every time I shoot them.


The last is a detail strip, clean, inspection, degreasing and full relube. Heavily shot guns get one of these a year and BP guns get it about every 4th or 5th time they are shot. For BP guns, they are detail stripped and soaked in hot water and Balistoil, the parts scrubbed with a brush, dried, degreased, assembled and relubed.
 
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#18 ·
On a long gun, a truly blued gun, alway a wipedown with oil or you will get rust developing on fingerprints. Particularly on my shotguns, whether pumps or semi autos, it is best to clean old oil that may have congealed or dried, and the same is true with pistols, if it may have been 6 or seven months since firing them, or at least apply fresh oil. Another point of cleaning always used to be a brush and swab through the barrels, although powders and primers today just don't cause corrosive conditions, so it's not quite such an imperative, although old habits are hard to break. I do think it is more important to clean a gun and oil it before you take it to shoot, than right after you shoot it, other than a good wipedown. This way, the lubrication is fresh.

Every 100 rounds or so, I will do a pretty thorough cleaning on my handguns, perhaps more on the semis than the revolvers. Revolvers do get quite a bit of unburned powder and lead build up, and the cylinders do need a good brushing and solvent cleaning forward of where the cartridge case is or you will have eventual problems
 
#37 ·
Gramps shot corrisive ammo....he NEEDED to clean or they would be a rusty furball in short order. shooting modern ammo, it's a personal choice. Being "efficient", aka -lazy, I choose to clean less and shoot more. Then again, I only shoot my main competition gun about 4-500 rounds a week.
 
#25 ·
If I shoot it I clean it. If I don't shoot it much I may just run a bore snake through the barrel and wipe it down but if something has gone down the barrel it gets swabbed out. One of the few things I was taught as a kid that stuck with me
 
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