Cleaning pistols

Oldguy · Post by **Oldguy** » Mon May 18, 2009 7:20 pm

Sorry to post this, but I did a search on "cleaning" and didn't really find what I was looking for. I apologize in advance if it's been asked and answered, but I'm getting old and the memory isn't what it used to be (what was I saying-oh yeah, now I remember-cleaning a gun.)

I know most of you don't clean your Rugers very often, but need to know why. My dad always taught me to clean my gun after every use. I did a lot of competitive trap shooting as a kid (a Charles Daly single barrel I wish I had back, and an 870 Remington for doubles), and if we shot over the weekend, both had to be ready for inspection by Monday night. Now my dad was an old WWII infantryman, and lugged an M-1 Garand around through the Phillipines, Okinawa and Korea, and they had to be clean.

I understand new powders are not as corrosive as the old stuff may have been, and I don't drag my guns through too many swamps or rice-paddys, but have a hard time not cleaning them after shooting.

In addition to my Mark III 5.5 bull, I have a S&W 1911 Doug Koening, a S&W M&P 9, and a couple of revolvers.

So, can someone give me the scoop on this?

Thanks, and again, sorry if it's been done before.

Great site, by the way. While there is tons of good information, Bullseye seems to know the answer to damned near everything. Would like to meet him in person someday to thank him.

Georgezilla · Post by **Georgezilla** » Mon May 18, 2009 8:32 pm

I suppose cleaning a broken-in pistol after every use would be like having a tune-up done to your car after every drive. There's a big difference between having a firearm out in the field for days and taking it to shoot paper. Cleaning a pistol after every use can be quite time consuming, especially if you shoot a few times a week and have several weapons you use. When most people talk about cleaning their pistol they think of it only as field stripping and cleaning all of the major parts -- they don't see running a brush through it as cleaning, which a lot of people do every 500rnds or so. To answer your question directly: Why clean it if it doesn't need it yet? Usually a seasoned Ruger .22 pistol only needs to be cleaned every 2,000 rounds. In my experience a Ruger .22 pistol won't start having reliability issues until about 2,500 - 3,000 rounds.
Some pistols such as 1911s are more accurate when they are a bit dirty. When you're shooting a clean 1911 your first 10 or so shots will be off zero (high to the left, I think).

New pistols should be cleaned and oiled after every use until they are broken in. If not you could create uneven wear patterns; and this could result in a loss in reliability and/or accuracy.
If you are planning on storing away any firearm for an extended period it should be cleaned well and oiled.

As far as rifle cleaning goes, no idea.

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue May 19, 2009 7:12 am

I used to clean all my guns immediately after shooting. Until a long time ago one of my armorers walked by and spied me scrubbing my pistol out on the 'Stand-by line'. He said, "Son I why are you cleaning all the X's out of that pistol?" He was kind of a crusty fellow and a retired Master Guns. He told me that more wear is put on a pistol by cleaning it too frequently than by any other means. He said, "If it ain't malfunctioning, leave it alone!" He also explained I needed fouling in the barrel to keep the shots consistent from string to string. It all made sense to me when that I realized I was making sight changes in the beginning of a match and later I'd check my sights and be right back to where I began at the end of the match. I was adjusting for the clean barrel and then constantly readjusting for the fouled one. Now if I clean, I'll go out and fire a few strings of fouling shots prior to the match.

R,
Bullseye

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Tue May 19, 2009 8:16 am

Bullseye wrote:I used to clean all my guns immediately after shooting. Until a long time ago one of my armorers walked by and spied me scrubbing my pistol out on the 'Stand-by line'. He said, "Son I why are you cleaning all the X's out of that pistol?" He was kind of a crusty fellow and a retired Master Guns. He told me that more wear is put on a pistol by cleaning it too frequently than by any other means. He said, "If it ain't malfunctioning, leave it alone!" He also explained I needed fouling in the barrel to keep the shots consistent from string to string. It all made sense to me when that I realized I was making sight changes in the beginning of a match and later I'd check my sights and be right back to where I began at the end of the match. I was adjusting for the clean barrel and then constantly readjusting for the fouled one. Now if I clean, I'll go out and fire a few strings of fouling shots prior to the match.

R,
Bullseye

My exact beliefs also, I will wear them out from shooting and not cleaning. Some guys do enjoy cleaning more than shooting though, I do believe.
Was shooting my regular carry, my SA Micro one day and as I slipped a mag of Hydra Sh and oks back into it's holster one of the guys said to me " now you have to take it home and clean it" told him "why? now I know it works, if I take it apart and clean it I am not really sure".

greener · Post by **greener** » Tue May 19, 2009 8:55 pm

It's taken a while for Len and Bullseye to wear me down on the cleaning thing. A few years ago, the guns I fired made it to the workbench for cleaning before they made it to storage after every range trip. Now they get cleaned when I think they need it. The only exception is I tend to clean revolvers, especially the chambers more frequently. The chambers will get a buildup that makes them sticky, especially the .357's that get mostly .38 specials.

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Tue May 19, 2009 9:09 pm

greener wrote:It's taken a while for Len and Bullseye to wear me down on the cleaning thing. A few years ago, the guns I fired made it to the workbench for cleaning before they made it to storage after every range trip. Now they get cleaned when I think they need it. The only exception is I tend to clean revolvers, especially the chambers more frequently. The chambers will get a buildup that makes them sticky, especially the .357's that get mostly .38 specials.

You only notice that when you feed it the long cartridges, my 50th Anny Blackhawk will probably never see and of them maggie bullets, the do not punch any better holes in the paper than my .38's do with full wadcutters, the bullets were the right price and they work too.

greener · Post by **greener** » Tue May 19, 2009 10:06 pm

bearandoldman wrote:
greener wrote:It's taken a while for Len and Bullseye to wear me down on the cleaning thing. A few years ago, the guns I fired made it to the workbench for cleaning before they made it to storage after every range trip. Now they get cleaned when I think they need it. The only exception is I tend to clean revolvers, especially the chambers more frequently. The chambers will get a buildup that makes them sticky, especially the .357's that get mostly .38 specials.
You only notice that when you feed it the long cartridges, my 50th Anny Blackhawk will probably never see and of them maggie bullets, the do not punch any better holes in the paper than my .38's do with full wadcutters, the bullets were the right price and they work too.

I shoot a magnum every now and then, just to remember what they are like.

Some of the .22 ammo I've used has a lube that cruds up the cylinders on my single six and the chamber on my Buck Mark. They get cleaned a bit more often than my Rugers or 22A.

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Tue May 19, 2009 10:08 pm

greener wrote:
bearandoldman wrote:
greener wrote:It's taken a while for Len and Bullseye to wear me down on the cleaning thing. A few years ago, the guns I fired made it to the workbench for cleaning before they made it to storage after every range trip. Now they get cleaned when I think they need it. The only exception is I tend to clean revolvers, especially the chambers more frequently. The chambers will get a buildup that makes them sticky, especially the .357's that get mostly .38 specials.
You only notice that when you feed it the long cartridges, my 50th Anny Blackhawk will probably never see and of them maggie bullets, the do not punch any better holes in the paper than my .38's do with full wadcutters, the bullets were the right price and they work too.
I shoot a magnum every now and then, just to remember what they are like.

Some of the .22 ammo I've used has a lube that cruds up the cylinders on my single six and the chamber on my Buck Mark. They get cleaned a bit more often than my Rugers or 22A.

When my guns get like me and refuse to work the I clean them, sometime I will even take a shower myself.

Bud33 · Post by **Bud33** » Tue May 19, 2009 10:30 pm

When I was competing, and Uncle was buying the ammo, I use to shoot at least 150 rnds / day and Clean the guns once a week. Now that I only shoot a couple times a month, I do a light cleaning each time I use them.
Living in Florida, there is always a lot of humidity and one sweats while shooting. This plus the corrosive nature of gun power tells me I need to put my guns away clean and dry.
The cleaning involves swabbing the barrel with a patch soaked in Hoppe's #9, blasting the power residue from the receiver and breech with Gun scrubber and blowing dry with canned air, wiping down with a silicon cloth and putting away.

Oldguy · Post by **Oldguy** » Wed May 20, 2009 12:38 am

Thanks guys. Actually makes sense to me, so I guess I won't worry about not cleaning them every time I shoot. Maybe that's causing groups larger than I think they should be. (that's my story and I'm sticking to it)

Do appreciate the answers, I knew I'd get the straight scoop from Bullseye and the Bear (not sure about the Old Man, but you can trust Bear)

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Wed May 20, 2009 4:26 am

Oldguy wrote:Thanks guys. Actually makes sense to me, so I guess I won't worry about not cleaning them every time I shoot. Maybe that's causing groups larger than I think they should be. (that's my story and I'm sticking to it)

Do appreciate the answers, I knew I'd get the straight scoop from Bullseye and the Bear (not sure about the Old Man, but you can trust Bear)

You can always trust a dog, they never lie, now people???????????????

greener · Post by **greener** » Wed May 20, 2009 5:38 pm

bearandoldman wrote:
Oldguy wrote:Thanks guys. Actually makes sense to me, so I guess I won't worry about not cleaning them every time I shoot. Maybe that's causing groups larger than I think they should be. (that's my story and I'm sticking to it)

Do appreciate the answers, I knew I'd get the straight scoop from Bullseye and the Bear (not sure about the Old Man, but you can trust Bear)
You can always trust a dog, they never lie, now people???????????????

Rumor has it that some dogs will sell out for a cookie. Just a rumor, mind you.

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Wed May 20, 2009 5:41 pm

greener wrote:
bearandoldman wrote:
Oldguy wrote:Thanks guys. Actually makes sense to me, so I guess I won't worry about not cleaning them every time I shoot. Maybe that's causing groups larger than I think they should be. (that's my story and I'm sticking to it)

Do appreciate the answers, I knew I'd get the straight scoop from Bullseye and the Bear (not sure about the Old Man, but you can trust Bear)
You can always trust a dog, they never lie, now people???????????????
Rumor has it that some dogs will sell out for a cookie. Just a rumor, mind you.

He has a strong union, the cost is now 3 cookies and a 1/4 glass of milk from Ma.

greener · Post by **greener** » Wed May 20, 2009 6:49 pm

bearandoldman wrote:
greener wrote:
bearandoldman wrote: You can always trust a dog, they never lie, now people???????????????
Rumor has it that some dogs will sell out for a cookie. Just a rumor, mind you.
He has a strong union, the cost is now 3 cookies and a 1/4 glass of milk from Ma.

How many cookies does he charge the Teamsters for get-tough lessons?

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Wed May 20, 2009 7:18 pm

greener wrote:
bearandoldman wrote:
greener wrote: Rumor has it that some dogs will sell out for a cookie. Just a rumor, mind you.

He has a strong union, the cost is now 3 cookies and a 1/4 glass of milk from Ma.
T

How many cookies does he charge the Teamsters for get-tough lessons?

That is negotiable, but if they do not treat him right, well he may end up where Jimmy went.