Gun cleaning sucks!

[babalou]

thank God I change my engine oil after every trip to the grocery store.

 

[smokey]

It's amazing to hear all the reasons for not cleaning firearms. I have assumed that cleaning is necessary for proper functioning, accuracy, and prevention of rust, and other problems. But what do I know?

Do you change your car's oil after each time you take it out for a spin around town? Like cars, guns are machines with tolerances for proper function. For most modern handguns and semiautomatic rifles, they do not have to be very clean to reliably function.

Surface treatments like nitriding pretty much eliminate the possibility of corrosion if taken care of with occasional hits of protectant. Bores have never had to be very clean to shoot well and their service lives can be substantially shortened by overcleaning. Many require some fouling anyway to shoot their best... or to shoot consistently.

A detailed cleaning is just not needed at best and detrimental to the lifespan of some components at worst.

 

[smokey]

thank God I change my engine oil after every trip to the grocery store.

Beat me to it.

 

[babalou]

Beat me to it.

well, great minds and all. I remember a few years ago one guy who was on here stated he did after every time out- like they redo engines in drag races. I think he was a professional long distance shooter or something. I can see that. when my hits start to spread more then I will do a more thorough cleaning.

 

[smokey]

well, great minds and all. I remember a few years ago one guy who was on here stated he did after every time out- like they redo engines in drag races. I think he was a professional long distance shooter or something. I can see that. when my hits start to spread more then I will do a more thorough cleaning.

Yup. Shoot until groups open up, clean with good practices(bore guide, quality 1 piece rod, wipe out...etc), refoul and you're gtg again until that specific barrel decides to open up again.

 

[Baldheaded]

Gun cleaning still sucks for me. I wish I had some guns to clean today cause if I did that would mean I went shooting. I haven't been to the range in some time now. And that really sucks!

 

[babalou]

Gun cleaning still sucks for me. I wish I had some guns to clean today cause if I did that would mean I went shooting. I haven't been to the range in some time now. And that really sucks!

hahaha I hear you 100%

 

[teratos]

None of my guns are rusty, malfunction etc. wipe it down, bore snake, a little oil, done. 30 seconds to a minute per gun tops.

I’m in and out of the shower in 5 minutes.

WTF are you people doing that takes so long?

 

[Hickory76]

They can easily egg out a crown if not pulled perfectly straight and if used often when dirty. Carbon is fairly abrasive. It's not as big of a deal for handguns and shotguns I suppose. Rifles still benefit from a well made rod and bore guide running patches chamber to muzzle.

Fair point and a good reason to hang on to one-piece cleaning rods!

 

[smokey]

None of my guns are rusty, malfunction etc. wipe it down, bore snake, a little oil, done. 30 seconds to a minute per gun tops.

I’m in and out of the shower in 5 minutes.

WTF are you people doing that takes so long?

 

[Doco Overboard]

Anybody that changes their oil ,after driving their car one time when all they have to do is change the filter probably knows as much about cars as they do guns.

 

[BurkeM]

None of my guns are rusty, malfunction etc. wipe it down, bore snake, a little oil, done. 30 seconds to a minute per gun tops.

I’m in and out of the shower in 5 minutes.

WTF are you people doing that takes so long?

Exactly!

 

[hobiecat590]

I forgot about this thread and just peeked in to see what's up.

People waste a good deal of time and money cleaning for the sake of cleaning. Even sonic cleaners used wrong can be quite quite bad for guns. The wrong lubes and degreasers can cause springs to fail prematurely.

It does not apply to all guns but for the AR family of weapons, a generous amount of lube is better under all circumstances. US Army/APG tested this subject extensively. Dry, light, and moderate amounts of lube allowed for more stoppages and malfunctions than heavy amounts of lube. They accounted for fouling and contaminants too. The only factor in their tests that could cause issues with generous amounts of lube was heavy viscosity lube in cold temps. Use the appropriate viscosity based on your climate.

People in the know, within the US Military can't combat institutional ignorance when it comes to bad maintenance practices. It just won't die. This bleeds into the civilian world. Those who use excessive and unnecessary military cleaning & maintenance methods on their guns are not doing anything positive.

I work on guns for a living and most people do more harm than good because they are cleaning modern semiautomatic guns with precise components like they would clean a charleville I'm 1780. It's not the same.

In the end, it ain't my guns being worn out for the sake of maintenence so I just offer my advice based on my experience and move on. It doesn't hurt me in any way of people do bad things to their guns.

Can running "wet" cause damage, and light v/s heavy lube question, again.

I was going to go the over lube route, (dip BDGs etc. in oil) and then I saw this vid that is only one of many of his where Gunblue490 warns why excess lubing an AR, Mini etc. is not good, potentially dangerous, and lead to premature BCG failure. This guy worked for metal coating company, Ruger, Smith, and a few others as well as being a police armorer with over 40 years experience so he has some legit credentials.

Gunblue490 states that if you over lube an AR that oil inevitably will find its way into the chamber as rounds are chambered from the mag. This can cause the round to not perfectly seal causing the round be pushed back into the receiver and result in high pressure gas to blow back into the receiver leading to damage to the BCG over time. You can see gas leak evidence of this if you notice black streaks on ejected rounds that are supposed to be clean. He also states the round and chamber are supposed to be perfectly dry so that when the dry case expands it locks perfectly in the chamber and seals perfectly as intended. Lightly lubing v/s heavy lubing achieves this objective. He further claims that many guns are damaged needing repair due of over lubrication and Ruger AR-556 and Mini-xx manuals, also warn not to over lube.

"NOTE: Only a light application of oil is needed to provide adequate lubrication ofmoving parts and to prevent rust. Excess accumulation of oil tends to attract particles of dust and dirt and may congeal in cold weather which can interfere with the safe and reliable function of the rifle. (Ruger AR-556 page 39)"

Is Ruger and Gunblue490 a dinosour and wrong about running wet and is LSA really that superior? Has something changed? I honestly don't know and wanted to share my findings with our community in case that there is a saftey or FA longevity issue with over lubing.

 

[paperwork351]

Friend of mine uses https://www.cherrybalmz.com/ He compares it to a new LSA. I use MIL-COM TWB25/MC2500 and haven't run out of MIL-COM to try the balmz.

 

[clandestine]

Can running "wet" cause damage, and light v/s heavy lube question, again.

I was going to go the over lube route, (dip BDGs etc. in oil) and then I saw this vid that is only one of many of his where Gunblue490 warns why excess lubing an AR, Mini etc. is not good, potentially dangerous, and lead to premature BCG failure. This guy worked for metal coating company, Ruger, Smith, and a few others as well as being a police armorer with over 40 years experience so he has some legit credentials.

Gunblue490 states that if you over lube an AR that oil inevitably will find its way into the chamber as rounds are chambered from the mag. This can cause the round to not perfectly seal causing the round be pushed back into the receiver and result in high pressure gas to blow back into the receiver leading to damage to the BCG over time. You can see gas leak evidence of this if you notice black streaks on ejected rounds that are supposed to be clean. He also states the round and chamber are supposed to be perfectly dry so that when the dry case expands it locks perfectly in the chamber and seals perfectly as intended. Lightly lubing v/s heavy lubing achieves this objective. He further claims that many guns are damaged needing repair due of over lubrication and Ruger AR-556 and Mini-xx manuals, also warn not to over lube.

"NOTE: Only a light application of oil is needed to provide adequate lubrication ofmoving parts and to prevent rust. Excess accumulation of oil tends to attract particles of dust and dirt and may congeal in cold weather which can interfere with the safe and reliable function of the rifle. (Ruger AR-556 page 39)"

Is Ruger and Gunblue490 a dinosour and wrong about running wet and is LSA really that superior? Has something changed? I honestly don't know and wanted to share my findings with our community in case that there is a saftey or FA longevity issue with over lubing.

It sounds like you prefer his advice. Use it.

Manufacturers from all over the country pay me to train their people. Armorers from all over the country come to my classes. I'm not concerned if people don't take my advice.

 

[Sunrise]

Can running "wet" cause damage, and light v/s heavy lube question, again.

I was going to go the over lube route, (dip BDGs etc. in oil) and then I saw this vid that is only one of many of his where Gunblue490 warns why excess lubing an AR, Mini etc. is not good, potentially dangerous, and lead to premature BCG failure. This guy worked for metal coating company, Ruger, Smith, and a few others as well as being a police armorer with over 40 years experience so he has some legit credentials.

Gunblue490 states that if you over lube an AR that oil inevitably will find its way into the chamber as rounds are chambered from the mag. This can cause the round to not perfectly seal causing the round be pushed back into the receiver and result in high pressure gas to blow back into the receiver leading to damage to the BCG over time. You can see gas leak evidence of this if you notice black streaks on ejected rounds that are supposed to be clean. He also states the round and chamber are supposed to be perfectly dry so that when the dry case expands it locks perfectly in the chamber and seals perfectly as intended. Lightly lubing v/s heavy lubing achieves this objective. He further claims that many guns are damaged needing repair due of over lubrication and Ruger AR-556 and Mini-xx manuals, also warn not to over lube.

"NOTE: Only a light application of oil is needed to provide adequate lubrication ofmoving parts and to prevent rust. Excess accumulation of oil tends to attract particles of dust and dirt and may congeal in cold weather which can interfere with the safe and reliable function of the rifle. (Ruger AR-556 page 39)"

Is Ruger and Gunblue490 a dinosour and wrong about running wet and is LSA really that superior? Has something changed? I honestly don't know and wanted to share my findings with our community in case that there is a saftey or FA longevity issue with over lubing.

Cleaning doesn't mean over-lubing.

I use Hoppe's No. 9 Gun Bore Cleaner after every range session which gets all the soot out. It also removes residual lube from the barrel, slide, etc. It's basically a dry gun at that point.

Then I'm careful to properly lube the right amount of Hoppe's No. 9 Lubricating Oil per my Glock Owner's Manual at the points instructed.

I do a function check and then it's ready to go for carrying or for my next range session.

 

[King Chicken]

It sounds like you prefer his advice. Use it.

Manufacturers from all over the country pay me to train their people. Armorers from all over the country come to my classes. I'm not concerned if people don't take my advice.

Did you whip out your fancy credentials beforehand?
Is everyone here supposed to know who you are? I don't. I can't access your profile for external link...
There are noobs here that may waste your time btw...

 

[Doco Overboard]

It sounds like you prefer his advice. Use it.

Manufacturers from all over the country pay me to train their people. Armorers from all over the country come to my classes. I'm not concerned if people don't take my advice.

Then why reply?
If it’s all good and you know your right then don’t worry about it.

 

[hobiecat590]

It sounds like you prefer his advice. Use it.

Manufacturers from all over the country pay me to train their people. Armorers from all over the country come to my classes. I'm not concerned if people don't take my advice.

I really don't know what is optimal and safe which why I asked. BTW, Colt also advises light lubrication. Next time you have a class, ask the manufacturer reps why they don't update their owner manuals with your technique.

Since you are an expert, do you prefer LSA. Slick2000, CLP or something else?

 

[willtill]

thank God I change my engine oil after every trip to the grocery store.

Absolutely not the same. Apples and oranges.