How Often Do You Clean Your Handgun ?

[IDPA Shooter]

I admit it is an individual decision and often depends on the gun. However, I think Caleb Giddings of Top Shot and Gun Nuts fame is brilliant, yes he agrees with my thoughts on the subject

http://gunnuts.net/2010/08/04/stop-messing-around-with-your-gun/

Here he clarifies the prior article

http://gunnuts.net/2010/08/05/a-follow-up-to-the-cleaning-post/

I really enjoy his website and Podcast. He says he is an average shooter, but is Master Class in IDPA's ESP division, that is not average shooting!

Also check out the tips from Sig's team captain Max

[hammAR]

To each their own....

[Stradawhovious]

I clean my carry piece once a week whether I've shot it or not, and usually immeadiately after range trips.

This guy in the article had an issue with his gun because he put it together improperly, not because he cleaned it.

[Thunderjohn]

I don't need to wash my truck or change the oil as often as I need to either, but it's
a big investment. so it is with guns. Plus they look good and I don't have to keep track of
the last time I shot it or how many rounds went through it.
Most of mine have sat for 6 months since I shot them last, so I can't imagine having a dirty gun
sitting in the safe that long.

[Srigs]

I clean my pocket guns more than full size hip guns because of pocket gunk that could bind up the action.

I don't clean all my guns each time I shoot them because they generally don't need too. If the loads I'm using are dirty then I will clean them sooner. Works for me.

[farmerj]

his comments echo the "stress test" I did with my own gun in 2006.

Over 5500 rounds without a cleaning. After 3500 rounds, it would give me a FTF. I would pull the slide, lube it and put it back together. Ran fine for another 1000 rounds. When it would start to give me issues, time to lube it.

I am thinking it would have gone another 2500+ rounds without a cleaning, but I finally cleaned it in October. It had been rained on and I wanted to dry the gun out.

Roll in the dirt, it would have gotten clean, Rained on finally got me to clean it. But just because I went to the range and put a box in it, went back into the holster and left.

[Snowgun]

Cleaning your gun is all about statistics.

Modern machinery, such as cars, guns, powertools, sprinkler systems, etc, are designed and constructed so that they can last as long as possible without service. Some of them need service throughout their life span, some don't.

There is always the opinion you that you can use a machine without cleaning it. Some machines are made to be able to handle this, but it DOES affect them. Eventually the probability that a failure occurs will skyrocket, and a machine that is serviced less will have a significantly shorter life span. Anything that moves creates wear particles, and these will bind or lap the surfaces wearing away more material or causing malfunction. Lubrication just prevents the binding and lowers the "grit" of the "lapping compound". It will allow the machinery to run more, but the particulate is still there and working on your parts.

You could put synthetic in your car and probably run 20K miles between oil changes. That doesn't mean it's good for your car.

Of course if you change your oil every week and don't know how to do it, putting parts on incorrectly, ect, then you have another sort of problem.

Bottom line: A clean, lubed, correctly assembled gun will ALWAYS perform better, have a lower probability of failure, and have a longer life span than one that isn't maintained. Modern handguns are made so that you might not notice the statistical difference in performance by skipping a couple cleanings, but it will effect the life span.

[farmerj]

yop,....it's about stats....

And the stats also recommend you don't clean it too often either.

So when they say MTBF is 10000 rounds, you don't need to clean it at 50 or 100 rounds either.

[ComradeBurg]

My carry gun is cleaned after every trip to the range. Outside of that I clean my guns whenever I get around to doing it.

[Bessy]

I really enjoy his website and Podcast. He says he is an average shooter, but is Master Class in IDPA's ESP division, that is not average shooting!

Yeah, but that's a like being a B shooter in uspsa

Caleb's blog is good stuff I read it regularly.


I don't clean my ipsc gun after every match I try to every other match, in reality it ends up being closer to 500 to 1000 rounds between cleanings.
Other guns I'll clean after every trip, I don't know that it shortens your guns life that much, after 17k or so through mine it's still going like a champ, and accurate as all get out. To each their own.

[usnret]

I don't believe in cleaning my guns everytime that I use them either. If you have to clean them that often to ensure their reliability, I would be maybe looking at getting a different gun.
On the other side of the coin....It 's your gun and your money was used to buy it, so you can do what ever makes you happy and feel good!

[ijosef]

You guys actually clean your guns???

[diskdoctr]

All my firearms get cleaned and lubed after each range trip. Once a month if they have not been fired.

[Snowgun]

I personally think that cleaning each range trip is a good policy, especially since if you don't hit the range to soon after that the wear and powder particulates can attract moisture, which will jack up your gun for sure.

Is every 100 rounds better than every 500 rounds? I don't think you will see much of a difference, and you won't hurt the gun cleaning every 100 rounds either. However I feel that every 2000 rounds for instance is putting some hurt on your gun, even if it still usually functions.

There is a reason people don't mess around with the cleaning of their carry guns. Do you want to play with the dice the one time you need it to run?

It's also too bad they don't conduct these super torture tests alongside guns who get cleaned every 500 rounds or so. I bet when you reach 60K rounds the two guns will look very different.

Just cuz you CAN doesn't mean you should.

[mmcnx2]

I agree with Strad. Cleaning the gun and not putting it back together right are not related. Also being a good shooter does not make you a gunsmith. Look at race car drivers most don't know how to change a tire.

The guy can shoot, maybe he should have someone else do his gun work/cleaning.

I'll keep my guns clean after each outing, has not failed me in 40+ years of shooting so far. The only exception I've ever made is a few fouling shots down a barrel pre match, rezero and then leave it until after the match.