As a matter of regular practice, how often do you do a good cleaning? More than running a bore snake, a field strip and more thorough cleaning but no more disassembling than that.

I used to clean mine after every range trip, field strip, soak the barrels, use Gun Scrubber, trying to get to every nook and cranny. removing the grips and spraying down the internals, then lube them again for the next trip.

Not so much any more. I've read a number of posts recently where is seems people run their guns until they seem to show some symptoms of reduced accuracy or function, and then clean.

It seems reasonable to expect a quality firearm to run well when dirty up to a point.

After shooting, full clean and lube.
On my EDC, weekly inspection and function check.

Not often enough.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
After shooting, full clean and lube.
On my EDC, weekly inspection and function check.

Pretty much this. Doesn’t matter if I shoot 50 rounds or 500, I don’t put my firearms back in the safe unless they are clean.

After every range trip, or every 1-2 months, whichever comes first.

Every 3,000 miles.

Or whenever I feel like it. Usually 10pm the night before a match. Always cleaned and dripping before a match. Otherwise three range sessions is typical. Carry guns every time it's shot.

It used to be every trip to the range, and if they sat for more then two months they got checked and lubed. Now about every other trip to the range and at least once per year if the guns sit in the safe.

It depends on the gun for me. For my carry guns and my Berettas, Sigs and 1911s, I clean and lube after every range trip. For my full-size Glocks and other polymer range guns, I'll clean them after 2-3 range sessions. I don't typically do any deep-cleaning that involves detail stripping unless I'm installing a new part or I've picked up a well used gun that needs some care. I shoot my carry guns every week or so, so they never go long without some attention.

Immediately after shooting them........or within 48 hours anyway.

My carry guns every 4 to 6 weeks whether shot or not. And I wipe them down upon taking them off everyday. Regards 18DAI

I generally swipe them down after a range session.
I’ll relube and use a gun cloth on the outer surfaces to help prevent surface rust from forming.

All my guns, both pistols and rifles get cleaned and lubed after shooting.

After each use, doesn't take much time and it's a good exercise to wind down and finish off a range day plinking or competition event.

I used to clean them after each range trip. If I didn’t shoot for a couple of weeks, I’d bust it down, wipe it down, and relube it. Now, I’m shooting my carry guns constantly. They stay properly lubed, get cleaned every few weeks. -ish.

After every range session. I field strip, clean, INSPECT and lube. All of my guns are carry guns. If I choose to carry a different gun, I want it to be already cleaned and inspected.

Detail strip depends on usage. Even if a gun sits in a safe for long periods, I see no need to detail strip. Modern lubes will hold up over a very long period of time. I don't use old fashioned oil or stuff that evaporates like WD-40 for internal lubing.

I'd be averse to using your stated procedure with removing grips and spraying internals. Overlubing doesn't help anything and just traps crud.

Grit trapped on moving surfaces doesn't do anything good for functioning and longevity. Re the keep shooting until gun doesn't function idea has no appeal for me. Especially with anything used for SD. Even with competition guns. Do you want your gun to crap out in the middle of an important match? Also, if a gun does have a problem functioning properly, you want a clean gun as a starting point for diagnosing the cause.

Cleaning after every 2-3 range trips won't hurt the gun. However, it deprives you of the INSPECT part of the process done with cleaning after every range session.

Maybe every 3-5 range trips, which would be around 500 rounds fired max, but I do wipe the exterior metal down with a cotton cloth lightly moist with Breakfree CLP after each range trip/handling. Even when I do clean them they are not that dirty, other than the bore and breech face, and I can just wipe off any crud. I may also pull the slide off the frame to check lube before a range trip and if necessary add a little lube to the slide rails and frame rails/steel tabs.

As from my prior post, I'm in the every time camp. However, I shoot mainly hard cast lead reloads (my own). Like most lead reloads, they tend to be dirty.

If a shooter was shooting factory, the gun would be much less dirty after a range session. I can see how going 2-3 sessions wouldn't be a big deal.

In the middle would be reloads using poly, jacketed or copper coated.

I clean them within a day or two of them being shot. I don't like to let them sit dirty for long.

Occasionally, since I like shooting more than cleaning.

And most of my cleaning is a wipe down, bore snake, relube.

I typically clean my carry gun after shooting it, but sometimes it takes a day or three - since I carry it to the range, shoot it at the range, and carry it home.

Nice thing about Glocks, SCARs, and ARs - believe it or not they don't care much about being clean and the AR only cares about being lubed.

I've shot nearly 1K each out of both SCARs, only adding occasional drop or two of lube on the bolt over 7-8 months with no other maintenance. Fired every time, zero issues. And nearly all of that was suppressed (different level of dirty, for the uninitiated).

600 round carbine course with a BCM AR, only some lube at lunch and the only failures were from debris in a magazine that bound it up. Not the rifle. Probably could have gone to 1K with only lube.

For my 2 carry pistols and the AR under the bed, field strip, wipe, light oil and re-lube after range. Couple passes with bore snake. Rarely more detail than that.

The 2nd AR I've shot a lot...have I cleaned it? Don't think so, just lube. I took my SBR over 3k including a 2 day carbine course before cleaning it and it is the AR I bet my life on. Kept it properly lubed at all times is all.

Sadly, not often enough. I shot some of my carry guns and my duty weapon last week. Haven't cleaned them. Just reloaded and back into the holster. We have qualifications coming up on the 7th, so I might clean them that day. I like cleaning when I have a bunch to do so I can just line them all up and clean away.

So at best, my carry guns get cleaned every few months, no matter how many rounds get put through them in the meantime.

My range only guns get cleaned the same night before being put away.