gun cleaning?

[fezman]

how often do you clean your guns? and does it have a signifigent effect on the preformance of the weapon?

[fattire75]

I clean my guns every 100 rounds or so.

If they get wet.

If I am around a lot of grit or dusts.

If you keep your gun clean and don't use much oil you can break it down and clean it pretty fast.

I will clean it after about a box of steel shot, that stuff is dirty.

This is for my autos A-5 and franchi 612, I don't need to clean them that often but I enjoy it.

When I had a 1100 It would jam if it got dirty at all.

My WM870 I clean it twice a year or when if I gets it wet.

[venture]

I hunt in the mud whit a M I during october month and i clean only after a big rainy day and I don't have problem.

[mgspencer]

It depends, Semi-auto, Pump, O/U?
My Nova Pump gets Negelected more than it should and it is the gun I take out in EXTREAME weather. Freezing rain, sleet and snow. I clean it when it gets wet but other than that It just works. My SBE's on the other hand are cleaned after every outing if they are fired or not. My son has a Traditions ALS2100 Gas operated semi-auto and it has to be cleaned every 100 rounds or it starts to short cycle and it has to be well oiled or it will not not function at all. On all of my guns I lightly coat all metal parts and then wipe it so as to only leave a slight film.

[fezman]

the reason i asked is i constantly here about barrel leading and wad fouling and stuff like that. ive never had a problem with any of those things. ive shot thousands of cheep lead reloads thew my glock and evan when i do clean it it never seems to be all that dirty (i also carry it alot) evan my shot guns when i shoot skeet i put at least 100 rounds thew it at a time and it never seems to get all that dirty. my father is x army and every time he takes his guns out evan if he dosent fire them he cleans them and makes me clean myn if we go out together. i guess thats just training or bordom im not shure which

[tj]

i'll clean my shotguns when ever they get dirty or about every other outting. i will also clean them after every target shoot.
my rifles i'll clean after every outting and sometimes 2-3 times a day. it will make a difference on a target the size of a prairie dog at 200-300yds.

nitro company(makers of rhino choke tubes and nitro ammo) say a clean bore makes a big difference in turkey patterns and to clean the bore after every shot. they say the harmonics created by the fouling effects the density of the pattern.

[ 01-08-2004, 01:28 PM: Message edited by: tj ]

[birddog]

Both shotguns and rifles of mine get surface cleaned after everytime out. Only takes a few seconds to spray 'em down and wipe off then (shotguns) run a lightly oiled swab down the bore. Cheap protection and insurance. On a trip shotguns get inspected every night then ripped down and brushed when i get home.

Rifles and slug guns get the same treatment but, the bore dosn't get touched until i get home. Sighted-in and left fowled before the trip then brushed when i get home... learned that the hard way.

After check sighting my back-up mossberg 485T 20ga bolt slug-gun I didn't even think about it and cleaned the bore before leaving for the cabin for rifle season. Early in the week I knocked the front sight off my rifle and confidently picked up my trusty back up.... well, the first shotable buck I'd seen was at a perfect 50yrds where i zeroed... I put the iron sights on his boiler and shot underneath him kicking up leaves. He didn't move. so I worked another shell up... shot... same place. Taking just a few steps forward he still stood there. At this point I figured to compensate for the difference and held above his shoulder... shot...and hit the tree behind him dead where I was aiming :mad: :confused: after I watched him trot off I sat there in complete shock until it hit me. DUH!

[Firefly]

Those of us who were “married” to our guns in the military service and had their guns inspected daily, and their life saved by a gun that does not jam, will clean the gun just because it is a gun and it must be clean. I have several shotguns, and I KNOW they do not require cleaning, but I’ll clean them any time I take them out of the gun safe. “Cleaning the gun is half the fun”. It also provides for practice of braking down and reassembly of the gun. Not a bad idea.

[Waxed Canvas]

I have two pumps and one Auto 5. The Auto 5 16 is used by the son God has loaned us. I am a pump guy hands down. I make one pass with a Breakfree CLP coated bore snake and spray the shotgun down after each use and then wipe off the excess. It takes five minutes.

[condortrap1228]

I was trap shooting last week and it was raining all day. My Condor got soked. But yea i clean my gun after 100 shots. but i got a question, i have an O/U and i was wondering when i clean it, should i wipe off the oil so there is a little layer. or should i leave like a **** load of on. Because the internal part of the gun rite now is like soked with oil. im just wondering if that will effect the corrusive part of it or also the performance. This question might sound dumb but im just wondering.

Thanks

[shell waster]

I clean my guns after every outing. Nothing looks as ugly as rust pitted firearm. A clean, proper working firearm gives me confidence, that improves my performance. Imagine missing a trophy because your gun jammed? I follow company manuals for oiling etc.

[Duke of Lawnchair]

I generally clean my guns after each and every range trip.

-Jim

[Jon Ramsey]

Originally posted by Firefly:
Those of us who were “married” to our guns in the military service and had their guns inspected daily, and their life saved by a gun that does not jam, will clean the gun just because it is a gun and it must be clean. I have several shotguns, and I KNOW they do not require cleaning, but I’ll clean them any time I take them out of the gun safe. I'm with Firefly! If it comes out of the safe it gets cleaned. If I shoot 1 round through it, it gets cleaned. If I sit in a deer stand all morning and don't see $H!T, but the morning air is damp, and filled with dew; it at least gets reoiled and and wiped down with a silacone reel cloth.

[crazyhair]

I make one pass with a Breakfree CLP coated bore snake...if you did that after every outting, will that keep the bore clean forever like that? or does that not get all of it out of the bore?

is a brush needed? etc etc

[Jon Ramsey]

One Pass.... Not even close.
I can't think of any cleaning situation where 1 pass is sufficient. That might get the lose unburnt powder out of the barrel but that's about it. The solvent needs to sit in there for a few minutes to soak into the fowling, and soften it. Then it requires some scrubbing with a bore brush, followed by patches.
Snakes are really meant for field cleaning. They are great for that 3 day hunting trip when you want something to run through it at the end of the day. Or between rounds when competition shooting. But at the end of the trip or match, it's time for a good scrubbing.
Also, I've always been skeptical of 1 step miracle products that claim to clean, prevent rust, and oil all at the same time.
Think about it... Oil traps dirt. If you cleaner is also laden with oil how do you get the old oil (which is holding all of the fowling) out of the action of the gun? It's like taking a bucket of dirty water and pouring a bucket of clean water into it. You don't get a bucket of clean water, you bet a bucket of not quite so dirty water, but I wouldn't drink it.

[ 03-16-2005, 01:38 PM: Message edited by: Jon Ramsey ]

[wilson]

i have a sbe 2 and i clean mine every time i use it

[tucker301]

Awesome!

[The_Gun_Guy]

Shotguns are hard to clean

it's the only type of gun that is practicly required to use a mop

[Jim Willson]

Air compressor and oil. That is the trick.

[Jim Willson]

Air Compressor and Oil, that is the trick.

[Jon Ramsey]

A coffee can full of paint thinner works wonders for bolt and trigger assemblies.

[The_Gun_Guy]

Where can I find an Air compresser?

I have never heard of that.

[Jon Ramsey]

Do you drive a car with 4 flat tires???

You can buy an air compressor at any hardware store.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&catalogId=B101630

[The_Gun_Guy]

thats what I thought you meant, but I was thinking you meant something else because cleaning a shotgun with a regular air compressor just doesn't make any sense to me how that works thats so crazy. so then rather than wipe out the oil you blow it out or something?

and how did you know about the car?

[Jon Ramsey]

All kidding aside I wouldn't use an air compressure to clean my guns. To remove dirt you need to remove the oil holding the dirt. This can only be done with the use of some sort of solvent. Thus the paint thinner it's a solvent, it's cheap, and it's not to harsh to reach in the can and grab the parts with your bare hands after swishing them around.

[The_Gun_Guy]

I see. for that operation i like to use hoppe's elite gun cleaner. If you use it right the oil will drip out with the fouling and you wont have to scrub anything.

Another thing that I found that is particularly intreaging is the outers bore foamer, you have to wait a long time for it to soak but it has surprisingly deep cleaning for a "quick clean miracle product" as long as you let all the foam bubbles pop all the fouling just comes right out.

[Norm_66]

Gun Guy- How long of a wait for the bore foamer to work? Is it an aerosol product? I'm looking to reduce the number of brain cells I kill every time I clean my gun...

[The_Gun_Guy]

Well for crying out loud clean outside in the open

and the foamer takes like 30 minutes of soaking wich does add up to the normal amount of time that you usually spend cleaning it. just wait for the all the foam to convert to liquid so you can see all the way through the bore again

Yes it is an aerosal product. and don't hold down the button two long becaue the bore fills extremely fast and it will start backfiring all over your new pants.

[Norm_66]

Not my new pants!!!

Thanks!

[Levi Timmer]

well i have a remmington 870 supermag pump i give ita surface clean every time but dont break it down and clean it as much i i should, we have a 410 mossberg that i just cleaned for the first time when i was younger i used it then passed it down to the middle brother and then the youngest one, so its been used and abused quiet a bit but to my knowlage has never jammed so i guess i kinda depends on the gun

[lostbird]

All guns, each time they are used. No matter how many shells are fired.

Lostbird

[AL_Waterfowler]

I am an avid duck hunter (but also shoot skeet and trap often), and I clean my guns after every outing. I am a definite advocate of cleaning after every use...some would say it is not necessary, but it WILL almost guarantee a long life for your weapon. Also, I may not break it down all the way everytime...sometimes I may just bore-snake the barrel and oil it up, unless it was a "rough" day!

[HOGWILD]

Taught in Military to never use compressed air, why would you blow oil /cleaners on to your woodstock? or blow it into places ya cant clean without taking gun completly apart? Also taught to use lint free cotton cloth and a brush, course the gun we cleaned liked to be cleaned or it would not work, known as design defect!! made for good practise and never blowed dirt/chemicals into eyes. I suppose from what i have read that compressed air at 30 psi or lower is ok to use ? Found that on the briley website but not many other gun cleaning articles you will find perscribe compressed air! Briley also said to never leave choke tube tight in barell unless you are shootin it, they said to loosen when not shooting and to retighten prior to firing?

[MOwaterfowler]

after every outing i run the barrels down. twice a year i take the stock off and clean the trigger guts. er make that 3 out of storage, after dove/clay season, and into storage. thats the plan

rain yada yada alter that.

[lordform]

if you leave too much oil inside the gun, it will cause swelling and your shells wont eject. You may even have to dig them out, where you risk sracthing the throat of your gun or worse. The inside of the receiver should also have a thin layer, if you are not using the dry spray lubes. Too much left behind in there will cause it to collect dirt, dust, AND if any humidity gets in there it will trap it and belive it or not you will see rust much faster.

Same thing on the outside of the gun and the inside of the barrel. Oil is a dust magnet. Leave only a thin layer.