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1/7/2005 4:18:31 AM EDT
I'm pretty religious about cleaning my AR after each shooting session.

I've heard so much about cleanliness being critical to reliability.

Have any of you gone extended periods without cleaning?  
1/7/2005 4:49:18 AM EDT
[#1]
i have gone about a few trips without cleaning.  but i always run the bore snake through it after each trip
1/7/2005 9:19:04 AM EDT
[#2]
You don't really expect me to put that in writing in a public forum,
do ya?

Johnny C!
1/7/2005 12:10:48 PM EDT
[#3]
3 years ...
But that is just the barrel.................
CLP is your friend..

Man you have to clean the bolt/bolt carrier more than that.
1/7/2005 12:50:47 PM EDT
[#4]
I clean my AR after each range session. My AK, on the other hand, I don't ever clean...
1/7/2005 4:11:50 PM EDT
[#5]
600-650 rounds and then felt too guilty and was bored so I cleaned her.
1/8/2005 5:55:55 AM EDT
[#6]
 Normally I am an AR clean freak....however I have taken my current bastard AR to 600 rounds without cleaning....I'll run it for another 400 or so and then clean it up.  So far it's 100% sweet!!!!
1/8/2005 4:41:46 PM EDT
[#7]
I clean every time....


You never know if the next time you pick up your rifle or handgun your life will depend in it or not...
1/8/2005 4:54:55 PM EDT
[#8]
3500 rounds spread over about a year. Then the registration deadline in CA was about to kick in and I had to take the lower out of state. So I went ahead and cleaned it so I wouldn't get carbon all over everything else while moving it (me, my car, etc.) and cleaned the upper also since I knew I wouldn't be shooting it for a while.

Only one malf during that time, a double feed due to a very old 20% mag, which happened on the very first outing after I bought it (the AR, that is). Trashed the mag, no other problems.
1/8/2005 7:31:27 PM EDT
[#9]
I clean my firearms no matter the type after each use.I shoot alot of mil-surp's and corrosive ammo so its a habit for me.So all my weapons get a detail as soon as I get the chance at home or in the field...for sure before they go back in the lockers/safe.
Golden rule "never let the sun set on a dirty weapon.Weapon comes first,everything else follows."
1/8/2005 9:52:00 PM EDT
[#10]
I haven't cleaned mine since I got my new 16" M4 barrel back from Bushmaster.

Prolly have ~400 rounds through it. No problems.
1/8/2005 10:05:17 PM EDT
[#11]
The longest I think I have gone without cleaning my AR is about 2 hours after shooting it.

My Springfield XD: about 5 months before cleaning it after shooting, all the while during that 5 months I shot about 200 rounds a week. (It still looks great, and never had a malfuntion).

My Sig P228: I go 15 min. after shooting and clean it, cause if I don't it may not work. (I've had malfunctions out of sigs when the slide rails were not frequently oiled)

My Kel Tec P3AT: About 3 months without cleaning it.

My WASR-10: about 2 hours.

And about 5 other guns I have I clean when I get home after shooting.

1/8/2005 10:06:38 PM EDT
[#12]
Probably a thousand or so. I went about 1k without cleaning my Kimber 1911 too, for those who say it can't be done. I did lube it though. A dab on the hood and another at the end of the barrel.
1/8/2005 10:12:07 PM EDT
[#13]
2 days tops!
1/9/2005 10:16:58 AM EDT
[#14]
I waited a week and a half once.  Then the nagging go to me.  Not anyone else, just my guilty conscience.  And it was an AK, not an AR that I left waiting to be cleaned.  I've only waited about three days tops to clean an AR.
1/10/2005 2:39:01 AM EDT
[#15]
well it depends on what it is. my 10/22 i have only cleaned the barrel 3 times in ten years, but clean everything else. and it will still put all 10 shots inside your little finger nail at 50 yds. havent put the barrel on my ar yet but knowing me, i will do the same to it. my 45 auto, i just wipe it down with a patch inside and out, it too has a chome lined barrel. my mausers, i clean them real good after i shoot them.
1/16/2005 3:50:24 PM EDT
[#16]
I have went about 3500-4000 rounds without cleaning on my AR. I only had one failure during that time and that was due to poor brass (extractor pulled rim off of case).

That was once I usually clean after every outing.
1/16/2005 6:05:27 PM EDT
[#17]
My issued weapons are cleaned after each range session or about once a month if not fired. I have 4 Colt M4 uppers ( with different optics and such ) that I take to a regular machinegun shoot to put on my registered M16 lower. I used to clean them every outing but for the last 2 years I clean about them every fourth outing, so each upper has about 1500 to 2000 rds run thru mostly full auto without cleaning. No problems at all and all I use is Break Free and Rem Oil spray.
1/17/2005 6:38:24 AM EDT
[#18]
About 1,400 rounds with no cleaning of any kind - just lube (Breakfree CLP) added through the ejection port at 450 and 1200 rounds. No stoppages except the empty magazine kind.

About 810 rounds and 45 days with no lube or cleaning of any sort - three failures to feed in the last 60 rounds (of 400 that day) due to the bolt being bone dry and carbon baked on to it. That was using SLIP 2000 though.

I believe there are a couple of reports of ARs going 6k and 7k rounds with no cleaning as long as you continue to add lube.
1/17/2005 9:44:06 AM EDT
[#19]
I clean after every shoot
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