How often do you clean your pistols?

Some people are fanatical. One buddy of mine, a federal agent, goes into seizures if he can't clean his pistol within about an hour of shooting it. When his P229-357 hit the 100,000 round mark it still looked almost new.

Others are just as crazy the other way. My current carry gun, a P229R-9, probably hasn't been cleaned in well over 5,000 rounds and has only been given fresh oil once or twice in that time. My gun, at about 15,000 rounds, has rails that look like they've been abused by a madman with a dremel and some rough sandpaper.

Where do you fall in the spectrum?

If you have different habits for different guns, please answer the poll question for your primary carry/duty gun and then feel free to explain in more detail in a post.

Stay safe!

Primary carry gun gets a hose of solvent, and some LP air to dry it off. If it is really nasty, I may well take a wire brush and some WD40 to it. It generally gets cleaned whenever I get around to it, or starts to misbehave.

Other guns get cleaned usually every 3 or 4 trips to the range, though some have been shorter, and longer between cleanings.

I used to buy into the not letting the sun set on a dirty gun, but I don't change my oil in my truck everytime I drive it, so why clean my gun every time I shoot it? It is, after all, only a mechanical device...........

It depends on whether I'm shooting the gun I'm carrying or another one. For the gun I'm carrying, revolvers get a good chamber brushing (including under the extractor star) and a quick wipe down on the outside and breech face; autos are field stripped and the rails, locking lugs, breech face, feed ramp and chamber are quickly cleaned and the necessary parts are lubed with RemOil until I get home, when I clean off the RemOil and replace it with Slide Glide Lite. I keep a small cleaning kit in my gun bag with all the stuff I need.

I'm probably the only person on this forum who still shoots lead bullets, so that influences my cleaning habits.

Detail cleaning definitely falls into the "when I get around to it" category.

My usual carry gun gets lightly cleaned regularly, and I try to get to it fairly soon after range sessions, but that is esthetic as much as anything else. My range guns get cleaned once a year, and my carry guns get detail stripped and cleaned each year.

I was going to say it depends, but then I realized it doesn't.

my carry gun gets wiped down and lubed after I shoot. It goes in my pants and I like things that go in my pants to be clean enough they don't drip gunk all over the place. also I work in an office and powder smudges on my chinos make me look like a slob.

other than that I'm pretty set on every 1500 rounds or so through my carry gun. When my carry gun gets cleaned I clean anything else that needs to be cleaned. usually means about once every couple of months.

the only exception to that is the Trailside 22lr that simply will not abide being dirty and my bulgie Mak that may or may not be made of steel. Those I clean when I shoot them. but then I dont' shoot them all that often.

I used to clean after every trip to the range and chastise those that didn't keep with the same practices. Then I figured out that I don't have that kind of time because I'm just too anul and cleaning takes too long. I'm also wearing out my guns too fast because I like to take them completely apart, all the time. Now I'll relube before a match or session, field strip and wipe down if the outside conditions have been nasty or about 500-1000rds and detail every 2K or before a major match. It's taken me a long time to allow myself to get this sloppy.

It used to be a never had any dirt in the safe. Right now, everything in there is dirty to some degree. At 17K through my Navy 226, my rails look like they'll be lucky to see another 17K. I do wonder if I was religious about it's maintanence like I used to be, if they would still look like that or it's just the Nitron slide.

I'll clean my competition gun about every 2K. I used to run them completely dry, just to see if they would fail. But most of my pistols are 100% and I need not prove it much anymore. Most other pistols about every 1K, except in instances where they are just sitting in the safe gathering dust. It still bugs me to leave a dirty gun in the safe for extended periods. Other than my primary competition gun, I rarely just shoot one gun when I go to the range. I have about 3-4 guns that I'm constantly rotating through at the range, but will spend most of my time on my competition gun, which is virtually identical ot my carry gun. My carry gun always stays clean. My pet peeve is armed professionals who will not clean the guns between range visits. It's really not so much that the gun is going to fail after a 60-round qual, but more about pride in your profession and caring enough to optimize everything in one's favor. That includes equipment, training, and mindset.

Once I find a pistol that I really like, I'll buy another. One to shoot the bejeepers out of, the other to carry.

I used to clean my AR religiously but I am convinced now that an AR will run pretty well by just keeping it oiled, it doesn need to be squeaky clean. Still, if it's my fighting gun I will do everything possible to ensure that it's in optimal working condition.

EmanP, I used to clean my guns like you...with a full strip. I don't do that anymore. I am convinced it's just not needed and can be counterproductive in some ways.

Tim

An example of my typical cleaning routine: almost 6,000 rounds since it was last cleaned.

My carry gun is always cleaned and lubed after I shoot it. I lube it at least once a month if it hasn't been shot.

My carry gun always has a "new" recoil spring in it too. When it goes to the range, the trusted/verified spring comes out and a "training" spring goes in. After cleaning, the new spring goes back in.

How often do you chamber your carry round before you rotate it (if you do at all)?

I have fire one round from my weapon and cleaned it. I shoot a Glock G19, and it is a very good gun but I will take care of it.

You must have had Cpl O'Niel also

Every 1-3 range sessions; but a Q-Tip with CLP in the chamber, feed ramp, and as far as I can get into the barrel's chamber end after every session.

I have to clean every firearm after each range use.

Happy Shooting,
LuckyGunner