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Posted: 8/2/2005 2:44:51 PM EDT
[#1]
It would probably be smart if you clean your rifle after every trip to the range, or every 2,000 shots, or when it fucks up.
Edited to add: It would also be a good idea to clean your rifle before going to the range, or at least making sure its good to go. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 2:48:02 PM EDT
[#2]
as long as you don't shoot corrosive stuff, you are pretty much good to go until you start to get jams... I have guns that I have not cleaned in a year. some CLP and I am off to the range again...
I am a very bad example of a gun owner when it comes to gun cleaning... 
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Posted: 8/2/2005 2:49:46 PM EDT
[#3]
I always clean the same day I shoot at the very longest the next morning.
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Posted: 8/2/2005 2:53:00 PM EDT
[#4]
I am sure you are going to get many opinions on this one. I have always felt that if you take care of your firearm it will take care of you when things go bump in the night. As a result, I clean my firearms as soon as I get back from the range. An added benefit is that doing so reduces the effort involved in cleaning them. Its a habit I started many years ago and has served me well.
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Posted: 8/2/2005 2:54:07 PM EDT
[#5]
+1 It may not be necessary to be so anal, but I spend a lot of money in guns, and the last thing I want is problems that I could have easily prevented. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 3:08:50 PM EDT
[#6]
Me too. I clean my weapons AT THE RANGE sometimes. I hate knowing it's dirty during my ride home.
 Keep it clean and it will keep you breathing. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 3:15:18 PM EDT
[#7]
+2 I like to clean my AR’s as soon as I come home. For me cleaning my weapons is as much fun as shooting them. In the Army my CAV squadron had a 3 day policy. After a range session we cleaned our weapons every day for the next three days. After 3 cleaning sessions you should have gotten in all the nooks and crannies. With my personal weapons I have two cleaning sessions. #1 is right after shooting. This is the heavy cleaning session where for example the bolt and carrier get dunked in the 50/50 Hoppes/Turpentine solution, the barrel gets cleaned ect. ect. #2 is usually a week or so later. I go through the bore again and get out the carbon that has been brought out by the CLP I leave in the barrel for storage. I go over the bolt and carrier again lightly with CLP and Q-tips. And the lower and upper get the CLP and Q-tip treatment as well. And of course in between when the toys are brought out to admire, they get a quick wipe down with the black rag and CLP. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 3:20:00 PM EDT
[#8]
Full cleaning after every range session, casual wipe down and CLP before every range session
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Posted: 8/2/2005 3:25:40 PM EDT
[#9]
I agree with you bro. Good to see there is still a few that clean their weapons as they should. Seems the "10,000 round between cleanings" crew is getting bigger here. I do the same but use carbon cutter for the BCG. A clean weapon is a ready weapon. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 3:54:31 PM EDT
[#10]
Take care of your gear before you feed your face. It keeps thing nice and simple, and that way you can wait as long as you want.
Your equipment comes before your comfort. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 4:07:11 PM EDT
[#11]
My match rifles: clean before the season, shoot all season, clean bore after season. I shoot moly bullets. Cleaning changes POI, and takes several rounds to settle groups.
DPMS POS dissy rifle: shoot the hell out of it, squirt Kroil down the bore, let stand on flash suppressor to drain, put away. Inspect bore before shooting for obstructions. Shoot the hell out of it. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 4:20:18 PM EDT
[#12]
I used to clean my firearms right after getting back from the range.
Now I clean them when I feel like it. Once a year does not seem to be a bad thing. They come just as clean when I do it that infrequently. I probably aged my first few firearms prematurely by cleaning the hell out of them. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 4:30:49 PM EDT
[#13]
definately clean after every sessioin! Why pay that much for something and not spend an hour cleaning it? You take care of it and it will take care of you. Not cleaning leads to premature wear and tear!
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Posted: 8/2/2005 4:37:27 PM EDT
[#14]
After a day at the range I'll usually wait 'till beer-thirty to clean my guns. They rarely go to bed dirty... and it makes cleaning more fun!
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Posted: 8/2/2005 4:45:55 PM EDT
[#15]
An AR will work for a LONG TIME without cleaning. I'm not saying that you shouldn't clean it when you get home from shooting.
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Posted: 8/2/2005 4:49:11 PM EDT
[#16]
I clean most of mine while they are still warm after their exercising.
Danny
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:12:03 PM EDT
[#17]
This is a vestigal hold over from the days of corrosive ammo. Repeat cleaning modern weapons is a waste of valuable training time aqnd extra wear on the weapon. Troops who know how to do it right and NCO's who know how to inspect for a -10 compliant cleaning job arer all that is necessary, along with one and only one proper cleaning. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:19:49 PM EDT
[#18]
Should? Immediately.
Could? whenever You asked "should" and I stand by "should" as well. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:23:04 PM EDT
[#19]
I put almost 3000 rounds through oe particular Ar befrew I had a total failure.
When I got her home and took her apart, The ejector retaining pin had broken in half. Looked like crap steel imho, but I am no metallurgist.  |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:33:01 PM EDT
[#20]
Personally, I enjoy cleaning them. It's just when I have to clean 3 rifles and a couple of pistols that I don't enjoy it as much. 
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:41:25 PM EDT
[#21]
87 minutes, fruit cake!
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:45:20 PM EDT
[#22]
I regularly go months between cleanings.
Don't really have any problems due to it...... |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:05:05 PM EDT
[#23]
Besides, what could be finer than watching Black Hawk Down for the 500th time while cleaning your rifles. I'm usually done by the time Col McNight heads out for the last time.
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:47:01 PM EDT
[#24]
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:56:44 PM EDT
[#25]
You're Welcome. Now go clean your God Damned rifle!
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:56:56 PM EDT
[#26]
Whenever it looks like it needs cleaning.
 That is usually 2-3 range trips. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 7:29:52 PM EDT
[#27]
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Posted: 8/2/2005 7:47:39 PM EDT
[#28]
I clean everything but the barrel everytime I shoot. I clean the barrel every 500 rounds or so. I figure I might be doing more damage to my rifle than good if I shoved that cleaning rod down the pipe everytime I shot the thing.
-jls7 |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 7:57:28 PM EDT
[#29]
I feel this is the most frequently asked question on this board.
I have a question for you instead of me answering yours. What was your own idea on this subject before you started this thread? |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 8:05:43 PM EDT
[#30]
You probably should clean after each shooting trip. This would most likely make removing the crud easier.
Personally, I clean after every few shooting trips. After a few hundred rounds the rifle gets pretty cruddy and I clean them up. If you get any failures, clean immediately. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 8:16:30 PM EDT
[#31]
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Posted: 8/2/2005 8:25:36 PM EDT
[#32]
I have seen it posted several times on this board, but I don't know where this fantasy that cleaning your rifle harms it in any way came from. If you are damaging your weapon by cleaning it, you are doing something wrong. Yes metal cleaning rods can cause wear, so use a boresnake, fiberglass rod or dewey rod. Don't use chemicals that erode the metal or damage the working parts. Don't clean with tools harder than the materials the part you are cleaning is made of. For example a brass brush is softer than steel, it wont harm it. Dont remove parts that can cause wear on the receiver like the fire control group and associated pins. You can clean them in place. If you clean it properly, you are causing no more damage than you do to your car when you change the oil. Shooting it will cause wear, yes, but cleaning it should not. If you can't clean your AR without damaging it, maybe you should consider another style of rifle. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 8:40:57 PM EDT
[#33]
I shoot and instruct on ranges daily. Some days I might not fire a single round from my M4 or like this morning fired 150 rounds. Generally I clean my guns once a week on Fridays. I've got 8 guns now signed out here in Iraq and they all get shoot. It would take to much time everyday to clean them.
When I'm home my personnal guns get cleaned as need. That is when they are totally filthy. I take my sons out almost every weekend shooting/hunting. Cd |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 8:47:38 PM EDT
[#34]
+1 haha Grab a beer, settle down, and don't disturb me! I clean my weapons after every trip to the range. If they go more than a month or so without use, I'll relube them just to have some "me time" with my firearms and to keep them nice. Call me obsessive compulsive, but I feel like cleaning them is my first priority when I get home from a day at the range. At the range, every 100 or so through my pistol gets a barrel swab/relube. Rifle every 500 or so gets the same. I find that cleaning my firearms is very relaxing, so I don't mind it one bit. YMMV. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 8:57:03 PM EDT
[#35]
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Posted: 8/2/2005 9:08:40 PM EDT
[#36]
I went a year and a half without cleaning my ArmaLite..........it still worked
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Posted: 8/2/2005 9:11:35 PM EDT
[#37]
Is the rifle a duty weapon, or a toy? If it's duty, you may want to clean it every 500 rounds or so. If it's a toy, well, I have more than 7K rounds of Wolf through mine without cleaning, and it still runs great.
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Posted: 8/2/2005 9:13:30 PM EDT
[#38]
Why 8? All for differing roles I assume? |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 9:18:58 PM EDT
[#39]
i used to clean my guns after every range session.....
until i started working at a range. i usually shoot 2-3 times a week, anywhere from 20 to 200 rounds per session. i clean before and after major matches, or every 1000 or so rounds. i can't remember the last time i had any kind of malf in any of my ARs... |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 9:31:36 PM EDT
[#40]
Yes, different roles...... M9 pistol M4A1 Carbine M16A2 Rifle M24 Sniper Weapon System in .300 Win Mag M79 Grenade Launcher M249 Squad Automatic Weapon MG3 Machine Gun AK47 CD |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 10:32:50 PM EDT
[#41]
With the right tools and materials, cleaning is not that much of a chore IMO.
A few months ago, as a result of a similar thread, I decided to go without cleaning and see how long it would take before I had any kind of malfunction. I did put some CLP on the bolt and carrier after every range session -- just dropped it on and spread it around without stripping the weapon. Went just under 1500 rounds before having the first failure-to-feed I ever had with that rifle. So then I went back to cleaning again, curiosity satisfied. I am not real anal about it. I clean as soon after a range session as I feel like, which might be the next day or next weekend. Most often it is the same evening, but not always. It only takes 15 minutes to do a good job on an AR, anyone doing more is making a hobby out of cleaning as well as shooting. I'd rather re-load with the extra time. |
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Posted: 8/3/2005 1:01:22 AM EDT
[#42]
I would strongly reccomend cleaning after every range session. If you clean while your weapon is still warm, its much easier to do. If you don't clean it regularly, it will be filthy and will compromise function*eventually* and will be a bear to clean whn you decide to stop being such a lazy bitch.
I did some experimentation with my 1st AR which was an Armalite A3 20inch to see how filthy it could get before unreliability would ensue. I shot 3500+ rounds through this weapon over the course of a week or two in a big dusty parking lot, which just made if filithy. Towards the end, the F/A became necessary to seat the bolt on a fully loaded 30 round magazine on ocassion, but other wise function was excellent and there were not failures of any kind. Two hours of straight cleaning wasn't even close to passing the "white glove test". Its so much easier just to clean the weapon when you are done shooting it. I like to listen to some tunes or watch a little TV and enjoy myself. Its not a chore, but a relaxing way to calm down and get rid of some of the "shell shock" from shooting indoors. |
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Posted: 8/3/2005 3:28:45 AM EDT
[#43]
i usually clean my rifles everytime it comes back from the range, i usually go through a few k's of ammo though.
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Posted: 8/3/2005 3:58:30 AM EDT
[#44]
I agree with what CavVet said earlier about parts inspection.
During the cleaning procedure, you check your weapon's parts for signs of wear and hints of any impending failures. Regular cleaning creates a "schedule" of sorts for this parts inspection, and can save a major parts failure from happening while you are firing the weapon. Some parts, when they break, can cause some serious damage to occur to the rifle, causing other parts to break when it occurs. Catching it early by a little time spent in cleaning and inspection can keep the weapon running reliably for longer time periods without major failure. Each time I clean my rifle, I check each part for wear patterns or cracks, as I clean it. I clean my rifle after each shooting session that goes over 100 rounds. I don't clean it if I just shoot a few rounds to zero a scope, or something like that. |
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Posted: 8/3/2005 4:41:47 AM EDT
[#45]
I just read a post (see excerpt below) and it immediately reminded me of this thread. I do not know the frequency or details on how he cleans his weapons. But if this guy had spent a little bit more attention to cleaning his weapon properly the last time, this malfunction might have been avoided.
......third shot of Cavim was a massive failure to feed....the round went into the camber about half way and stuck like hell.....tried to yank it out via charging handle with no luck.....tried to slam it on in with forward assist....no luck.....finally a good swift slam of the butt on the bench and it chambered.....i didn't chance firing it and went ahead and manually ejected it and discarded the round......a few mags later and was letting my bud fire some rounds with my AR.....on his first shot with Santa Barbara the round fired and the extractor ripped the rim right off the brass.....so of course me being the unprepared person i am had no broken shell extractor or even a cleaning rod to clean the fired stuck brass out of the chamber....so, the AR's evening was done.....when i got home i got the brass out and realized that somehow i had not cleaned my chamber very well the last time after i went shooting....i am a dumbass sometimes....had a massive carbon ring around the throat area and several buildup carbon areas all around the chamber.....now i should be back in business as the chamber is now very clean and as smooth as a baby's ass....before sunday i had fired around 400rds of Federal M193 with not a single hint of a foul up.....so it was not the ammo as i first thought(at least i figure it wasn't) but was in fact my lack of good thorough chamber cleaning the last time.....can't wait til next couple weeks when i get to go back and make sure all is good once again with my baby..... As silly or time wasting as it may seem, I’ll just stick to my cleaning/inspection regiment.............it hasn’t failed me yet. And no offense to the author of the excerpt, I just thought this was the perfect example for this thread. How many similar posts have you read here on the board? |
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Posted: 8/3/2005 6:07:16 AM EDT
[#46]
+1 |
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Posted: 8/3/2005 6:15:26 AM EDT
[#47]
I try to clean after I get home but sometimes I can't get to it for a couple of days or more. This why I like chrome lined barrels.
Also, I don't get my AR's "White Glove Inspection" clean. I get mine combat clean which means everything gets inspected and then they're cleaned enough and properly lubed so they run at 100% reliability but it's not so pretty to pretty to look at. No safe queens around here...  |
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Posted: 8/3/2005 6:45:46 AM EDT
[#48]
Hmm never thought of a rifle as being a safe queen just beacause they are spotless. Thought that meant rarely used. When I was responsible for our unit armory, every rifle on the racks was immaculately clean, because I mandated that. But they were used often with high round counts, well worn and certainly not safe queens. Ran a clean, efficient arms room. I think you are just trying to rationalize to suppress the feelings of guilt and remorse you are having.
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Posted: 8/3/2005 7:09:18 AM EDT
[#49]
Maybe you're right because when I was younger I used to keep my guns spotless but now I just want to shoot them...
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