Gun cleaning sucks!

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  • Sunrise

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 18, 2020
    4,601
    Capital Region
    I couldn't put a dirty gun back in a safe. You get into that practice, you forget what's been fired often and when was the last time you actually cleaned it.

    Rode hard and put away wet. The horror...
    Completely agree. Bad habits are a slippery slope and they can accumulate.
     

    teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    Not a good idea IMHO to put lube on/in a gun that's already accumulated soot/residue from usage.
    Why? That’s what lube is for. It displaces/suspends particulate matter so it doesn’t cause jams. I’m not walking around with a filthy gun, but a hundred rounds doesn’t make a gun filthy.
     

    Sunrise

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 18, 2020
    4,601
    Capital Region
    Why? That’s what lube is for. It displaces/suspends particulate matter so it doesn’t cause jams. I’m not walking around with a filthy gun, but a hundred rounds doesn’t make a gun filthy.
    Lube is meant for application on clean and well-maintained surface contact points/parts. It's designed to prevent wear by reducing friction and to ensure smooth movement between them.

    The accumulation of particulate matter in lube changes its viscosity and degrades its lubricating properties. This accumulation can affect lubricating performance on these parts and it can subject the firearm to greater wear and malfunctions as a result. Lube can also cause this particulate matter to travel and accumulate at critical function points inside the firearm, and cause malfunctions as a result.

    I'm not carrying or depending on a gun unless it's freshly cleaned, lubed and function checked... and I do it every time after a range session.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,818
    Wee'se having a discussion. That's the purpose of a message board. To exchange ideas. And debate. :brows:
    I understand message boards. Say your part and move on. Calling people lazy because they don't subscribe to your ideas is not discussion.

    Where do you draw the line? Say one day you put 250 rounds through one gun. You go home and clean it. You go to the range a couple days later and put 50 rounds down range. You take it home and clean it? Do you clean that gun every 50 rounds? It makes no sense.

    Hey, if you have the time to clean your guns after every use, more power to ya. For many of us, shooting is squeezed into a portion of our busy day. We need to economize our time. WE ARE NOT LAZY!
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    Beyond lazy/ not lazy , more throats , and definitely more crowns are killed by overcleaning , than from shooting .
     

    Sunrise

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 18, 2020
    4,601
    Capital Region
    I understand message boards. Say your part and move on. Calling people lazy because they don't subscribe to your ideas is not discussion.

    Where do you draw the line? Say one day you put 250 rounds through one gun. You go home and clean it. You go to the range a couple days later and put 50 rounds down range. You take it home and clean it? Do you clean that gun every 50 rounds? It makes no sense.

    Hey, if you have the time to clean your guns after every use, more power to ya. For many of us, shooting is squeezed into a portion of our busy day. We need to economize our time. WE ARE NOT LAZY!
    We all get the same 24 hours/day, so it's a matter of priorities for me. If I'm carrying and depending on a firearm for my safety, I'll sacrifice something to have that clean/lubed firearm ready to go when it's needed. If it's an hour of sleep, then that's what it is and what it needs to be to get it done properly. I'll have some caffeine and make it up some other time.
     

    Sunrise

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 18, 2020
    4,601
    Capital Region
    Beyond lazy/ not lazy , more throats , and definitely more crowns are killed by overcleaning , than from shooting .
    What kit is needed to do that?

    I use patches and a plastic rod... gently. I run them with Hoppes No. 9 till they come out clean. Then lube/sit/dry/lightly lube again. I almost never need a brush, but if I do, it's a very gentle one.
     

    teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    Lube is meant for application on clean and well-maintained surface contact points/parts. It's designed to prevent wear by reducing friction and to ensure smooth movement between them.

    The accumulation of particulate matter in lube changes its viscosity and degrades its lubricating properties. This accumulation can affect lubricating performance on these parts and it can subject the firearm to greater wear and malfunctions as a result. Lube can also cause this particulate matter to travel and accumulate at critical function points inside the firearm, and cause malfunctions as a result.

    I'm not carrying or depending on a gun unless it's freshly cleaned, lubed and function checked... and I do it every time after a range session.
    What better function check than a few mags? Gun is mostly clean. I’m not saying NEVER clean the gun. If I just ran 100 rounds through a gun without a hiccup, then I should have confidence that shots 101-115 or so will go off without a hitch. If you don’t have that confidence in your sidearm, you probably picked the wrong one. I’m not letting my gun get too dirty, but I’m not worried about it’s function after light use. If you aren’t comfortable with that, don’t do it. I’m not saying my approach is better, but it isn’t wrong.
     

    Mike OTDP

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 12, 2008
    3,319
    I have a different perspective, having been brought up on muzzle loaders. To me, cleaning a cartridge gun using smokeless powder is pathetically easy. A couple of patches soaked in Ballistol, a few drops of lube, take a dental pick to nooks and crannies, and done.
     

    teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    I have a different perspective, having been brought up on muzzle loaders. To me, cleaning a cartridge gun using smokeless powder is pathetically easy. A couple of patches soaked in Ballistol, a few drops of lube, take a dental pick to nooks and crannies, and done.
    Yeah, well not all of us are 200 years old, great-great-great-great-great grandpa of a boomer.

    ;)
     

    rbird7282

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 6, 2012
    18,537
    Columbia
    Lube is meant for application on clean and well-maintained surface contact points/parts. It's designed to prevent wear by reducing friction and to ensure smooth movement between them.

    The accumulation of particulate matter in lube changes its viscosity and degrades its lubricating properties. This accumulation can affect lubricating performance on these parts and it can subject the firearm to greater wear and malfunctions as a result. Lube can also cause this particulate matter to travel and accumulate at critical function points inside the firearm, and cause malfunctions as a result.

    I'm not carrying or depending on a gun unless it's freshly cleaned, lubed and function checked... and I do it every time after a range session.
    LOL.
     

    Sunrise

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 18, 2020
    4,601
    Capital Region
    What better function check than a few mags? Gun is mostly clean. I’m not saying NEVER clean the gun. If I just ran 100 rounds through a gun without a hiccup, then I should have confidence that shots 101-115 or so will go off without a hitch. If you don’t have that confidence in your sidearm, you probably picked the wrong one. I’m not letting my gun get too dirty, but I’m not worried about it’s function after light use. If you aren’t comfortable with that, don’t do it. I’m not saying my approach is better, but it isn’t wrong.
    That's a reasonable point and it's not wrong, although I wouldn't run that many through before putting it away if I ever did that. My issue is with adding lube to an already dirty gun without cleaning it first.
     
    Last edited:

    hobiecat590

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2016
    2,434
    I have a different perspective, having been brought up on muzzle loaders. To me, cleaning a cartridge gun using smokeless powder is pathetically easy. A couple of patches soaked in Ballistol, a few drops of lube, take a dental pick to nooks and crannies, and done.
    Why do you lube after using Ballistol except for locations that might need a dab of grease like SA slides? This is one of the things I like about Ballistol and its non-toxicity. After the last clean wet patch, I run a dry one thru the tube and call it a day.
     

    Mike OTDP

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 12, 2008
    3,319
    Why do you lube after using Ballistol except for locations that might need a dab of grease like SA slides? This is one of the things I like about Ballistol and its non-toxicity. After the last clean wet patch, I run a dry one thru the tube and call it a day.
    That's what I do. For a cartridge gun using smokeless powder, I use Ballistol to clean, then grease/lube slide rails and such as needed. Black powder is a totally different story - my at-home cleaner is Simple Green, then dry the gun and run a Ballistol-soaked patch as a preservative.
     

    hobiecat590

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2016
    2,434
    Thanks for the simple green tip. I usually just use water that works great for 777.
     

    Slhaney

    Active Member
    Sep 8, 2019
    163
    Street, MD
    I’m surprised how many think routine cleaning will harm a firearm. I don’t use steel brushes or other harsh things during cleaning and if field stripping a pistol “harms” it, I’m not sure I’d depend on it.

    Again, I’m not talking about a total disassembly, just a field strip. You guys that run a dirty gun are weird.

    TD
    Unless you are using really crap ammo, a gun wont be dirty ofter a couple mags or so. I have always maintained my guns well for almost 40 years. Tens of thousands of rounds later, I have never had a major malfunction of any gun and nothing at all that I could attribute to a dirty gun. To each his own , I guess. If constant cleaning majes you feel better, go for it.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    ****Yup. Same with their car, their home, their teeth, and their bike. I'm one of those who cleans the guns after every range trip, keep my cars well maintained, very shiny and clean, and brush/floss every tooth I want to keep...including the ones in the back which nobody really sees..

    If a bunch of Victoria Secrets models come to my home to play video games with me, or just to hang out and watch movies, or run around my home naked while I chase them with my Super Soaker, I don't want to have a dirty house as it reflects poorly on my character I think.

    Call me weird that way.


    ***PS.: that Super Soaker I mention up above isn't *really* a Super Soaker... but admittedly it looks more Super when it's not so cold out... :innocent0
    Another good example there. You wash clothes every single time you wear them? If you get it dirty or smelly sure. Certain clothes like certain guns get cleaned after a single use. Underwear like black powder guns should get cleaned after each use. Most smokeless powder firearms are closer to a pair of jeans. Just wash them if you get them muddy or you’ve used them a bunch of times.

    But clothes, like a barrel, accrue wear when they are cleaned. You do in fact wear clothes out the more you clean them.

    Sure aggressive cleaning wears things out a lot more than a light cleaning. But same thing, clean them when they are actually dirty.

    A few rounds. Or even 100 rounds at the range does not a firearm make dirty with a few exceptions.

    I’ve seen firearms fail from being dirty too. Usually filthy. I have not been around the block too much. But the few dozen I own or have shot or talked with people about, the failures from being dirty I’ve seen are the kinds of things where it wasn’t cleaned in generally thousands of rounds. Or dirt got in to the firearm. Like literally being dropped in the dirt or mud or sand. Not carbon and oil build up from a few hundred rounds.
     

    rbird7282

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 6, 2012
    18,537
    Columbia
    We all get the same 24 hours/day, so it's a matter of priorities for me. If I'm carrying and depending on a firearm for my safety, I'll sacrifice something to have that clean/lubed firearm ready to go when it's needed. If it's an hour of sleep, then that's what it is and what it needs to be to get it done properly. I'll have some caffeine and make it up some other time.
    If it takes an hour to clean your gun you're not doing it right
     

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