How frequently should I clean my pistol?

[SevenMilePete]

As far as I'm concerned warrior hit it on the head. I would feel uncomfortable carrying a weapon that hasn't been shot since field stripped. Sure something simple like an XD shouldn't be put back together wrong but if it's running fine at the range I always feel better using it for HD or CC.

I would feel uncomfortable carrying a dirty weapon. If I wasn't confident enough that a gun I field stripped and cleaned would fire if needed, I wouldn't carry that weapon. It's not rocket science or brain surgery.

[philadelphia patriot]

I clean mine (strip it, scrub it, wipe it) after every range range trip. I wipe it down (apply a light layer of gun oil on the slide) once every 2 weeks in the summer, and once a month the rest of the year.

[ungawa]

Are you talking wipe it down clean it or strip it clean it?

You mean like wipe it with a cloth?

[QuackXP]

My carry/defnese firearms. I try to run a bore snake and some compressed air after every range trip, sometimes I miss this step but not often. Full tear down and detail cleaning is every few range trips.

[jthrelf]

I clean after every range trip. Is it necessary? No... but I like to rely on clean and appropriately lubed guns.

[ideaman]

I shoot 300 rounds at the range, 150 rds 380 and 150 9mm, (not detailed strip). I clean them and the mags.

[R L Suehr]

You mean like wipe it with a cloth?

At this point, what difference does it make?

[danhr]

Clean all your guns every time you check this thread.

[bamboomaster]

Clean all your guns every time you check this thread.

The winner!!!! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

If I could add a suggestion or two, if folks are driving to your range and you're supplying the hardware and ammo, at least do a function check on the hardware. If it doesn't function as intended, then clean it. If it still doesn't work, don't bring it to the range if you're trying to win new friends and influence people.

We went to a wedding up in NH over the weekend and were offered some range time with firearms supplied by a member of the wedding party, a resident of NH. Since we were driving through NY, CT, and MA, we elected to go naked except for our spotting scope, eyes, & ears. Big mistake:

1. The Ruger 10/22 didn't reliably feed any of the multiple varieties of .22 cal ammo available (Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with this").

2. A Marlin 22 didn't feed at all from the tube ("Yeah, I have to fix that").

3. The Arisaka worked fine - which was surprising since it only cost him $50 for the rifle and a large grocery bag of ammo.

4. The M1A worked fine if you were counting "bangs" instead of hits on target. Ooops, this screw just fell off the back sight. Do we have time to screw it back in and zero the rifle? ("I got this for free from a deceased friend's estate who was a gunsmith who also accurized this (in a beat-to-hell black plastic stock) but it's always shot about 8" low and 12-15" to the left at 75 yds").

5. The 1911 Colt Model '70 was interesting for it was apparently rejiggered by the same deceased IDPA master gunsmith who competed for years (with roughly what felt like a 12 lb trigger pull). First you stick in a 13 round single-stack aftermarket mag and cycle the slide so a round is in battery. Then eject the magazine. Fire the round. Turn the gun over and shake the brass out ("The extractor just broke last week, but I'm gonna fix it"). Now insert the magazine and repeat FOR EACH ROUND YOU WANT TO SHOOT. Wee! This is fun and it's only 95 degrees in the shade.....

A little TLC goes a long way in avoiding embarrassing range malfunctions. For some that means lubricant, for others that means fixing your sh!t that has been sitting around in your basement for the last 20 or 30 years.

The wedding was a great time. The range time? Unhhh, not so much....

[Gunsnwater]

Cops never clean guns, unless the wife is a nag.