Cleaning Firearms

[osoab]

Well, I have been lax even in the rudimentary cleaning of my guns lately.
Spending too much time here and doing other things.

So I have been digging in and getting it done lately.

I have a few questions for the pros here.

When it comes to revolvers, do you just clean the cylinder and the barrel only?
Or do you break the gun down further?

When it come to semi-auto pistols, do you breakdown the gun past the normal field strip?

Pistols are the ones that really bother me about not cleaning well enough.

How many rounds do the pros here run through before a complete breakdown?

I have been downloading vids to keep on the overall breakdown of the types I own, but none go into depth of the bolt/firing pin mechanisms.

Do I just leave it alone? This just doesn't sound like a great idea to me.

Consider me a semi-nube, that isn't afraid to tear into something beyond my current expertise.

[Libertarian_Guard]

KISS

With any weapon, clean & lightly lube after shooting and the weapon will last 100 years or more.

Revolvers are easy. Because there is very little to break down. If you shoot it often enough, perhaps every 10 or 20 years you could remove some screws and get out your q-tips and pipe cleaners. But don't sweat it.

Auto pistols involve a bit more disassembly & cleaning as do semi-auto rifles. For me, my ar-15 is the worst, as I am obsessed about scrubbing everything down. So it takes me about an hour and a half, start to finish. Yet my brother, who owns the exact same weapon, but never learned to clean it in the military, cleans his in 20 mins or less, go figure?

But every weapon is different. Some are not cleaning friendly, like Rugger auto-pistols.

Don't bite off more than you can chew.

[.41Dave]

KISS

With any weapon, clean & lightly lube after shooting and the weapon will last 100 years or more.

Revolvers are easy. Because there is very little to break down. If you shoot it often enough, perhaps every 10 or 20 years you could remove some screws and get out your q-tips and pipe cleaners. But don't sweat it.


This. Guns can be ruined by overzealous cleaning much faster than they can be ruined by neglect.

[Dogman]

This. Guns can be ruined by overzealous cleaning much faster than they can be ruined by neglect.So very true! Lot's of finishes die an early death by over zealous cleaning, plus chambers and bores ruined.



If you are the same Dave from the old site

WELCOME TO THE LUNATIC BIN AND MAD HOUSE!

.41Dave!

And if not you are still welcomed!

1070

[Awoke]

I just tear my semi-auto pistols down to field-strip most times. I will typically clean them every 400 to 600 rounds, but that doesn't mean anything, because no one ever told me a particular schedule, so I just do what I think is good.

The SKS though, I shoot corrosive, and I clean it every time I use corrosive. That's what I'll be doing tonight, because I shot it last night.

[Awoke]

Also welcome to the forum .41Dave

Stick around.

[SWRichmond]

I shoot 1911's. A range session with a semi auto pistol for me is 200-300 rounds at least per gun; I clean every time. If I am shooting cast lead reloads, I get a lot of gummy fouling all over the face of the slide, inside it, all over the feed ramp, etc etc. This means I strip the slide each time: extractor, firing pin, clean the holes they are in, clean them, clean the firing pin spring, clean the recoil spring and plug / guide, thoroughly clean the slide inside and out, the frame exposed surfaces, of course the barrel. I never use Stainless steel brushes. I brush the bore with a stiff bronze brush, then wet it inside and let it soak (weak solvent like Hoppe's Bench Rest that you can leave in overnight). I only disassemble the frame and do a clean and inspect for frame parts (sear, hammer, disconnector, sear spring) occasionally. By the time I get to it it needs it. This is a good opportunity to check sear spring tension, look for sear wear, etc. I even disassemble the mainspring and clean and lube it.

1911's were made to be stripped and inspected and cleaned and you can't hurt them doing so unless you're an idiot.

I clean magazines every time, no exceptions, inspect the ma g springs and straighten them (un-twist them) if they need it. Magazine springs get torsion force from being compressed and it twists them, causing drag on the inside of the magazine body.

[mightymanx]

I will not have a go to gun that is freshly clean it needs to have at least one mag put through it before I will trust it. nothing worse than going to use your rifle for it's intended use and you discover that you left the fiting pin on the bench right before you bleed to death from your wounds.

[Awoke]

That's a lot of cleaning, SWRichmond. Especially if you tear down the magazines every time. That seems a little OCD to me, but like I said, I never got instruction anywhere, I just make it up as I go!

[SWRichmond]

That's a lot of cleaning, SWRichmond. Especially if you tear down the magazines every time. That seems a little OCD to me, but like I said, I never got instruction anywhere, I just make it up as I go!

If you shot a lot of lead you'd understand...lead bullets are lubricated and the lube vaporizes, combines with powder fouling. turns into black gum, and it gets everywhere., and thickly.

My guns go bang each and every time.

[Awoke]

Ahh, I see. I typically shoot TMJ or FMJ.