I used to clean every one after every trip, but not any more. I figure they are designed to run dirty at least to a point. So, I clean them when I think they need it, it's a judgement thing and a time thing.

I also used to take quite a few guns to the range every trip. That made cleaning them after each trip, even with only 50 rounds through them, burdensome. So, I take fewer guns and am more likely to clean them after every couple of range trips.

I still take apart my carry guns every few months to wipe out the dust and lint and re-lube.

I still believe that you clean your firearm after every use. I also subscribe to the idea that the gun is not clean until the magazines are clean.

Everyone has their own way of dealing with cleaning. On my high end 1911's I just do not clean them until I shoot at least 500 rounds. If they are set up correctly and well lubed this works for me. In new 1911's I deliberately do NOT clean them for at least 1000 rounds...They develop a fine grit from the lube and as they wear in....this actually helps polish the parts...Some high end 1911 manufacturers will tell you DO NOT clean until X # of rounds.

My EDC guns are different - much more concerned that they work - so I am more fastidious about them.

Sigs run well dirty .. I disassemble and clean after a few outings..

I wipe fingerprints and soot off blued guns after use. I clean them if/when I get malfunctions or I start feeling guilty.

I went 10K rounds on a Ruger 22/45 without cleaning. Just pulled the bolt a couple times and sprayed it down. Zero malfunctions other than 2 duds.

I keep my SIGs' rails lubed and the ramp area wiped down, and the barrel oiled when I remember.

Same with 1911s, though I drop some oil into the locking lugs and down into the hammer, and onto the disconnector every few hundred.

My grandfather made me clean the .22 rifle every time I took it out and shot it (nothing dramatic, but run a patch thru the barrel and a squirt of oil and rub it down with a rag to get sweaty fingerprints off of it).

Kindof stuck with me. So, after each range trip and the ones that are in the safe get looked at once a year just to check.

I’d guess about 500 rds but on some guns that might be 2 years.

Once a round is fired, the gun gets cleaned before sundown. I know it is probably not necessary, but it is how I was raised.

I have never had a firearm fail because it was too clean.

I'm just one of those guys that likes taking them apart and cleaning them. Heck, I sometimes clean by friends guns after a day at the range. I enjoy it.

I do my best to clean my weapons after every use. I find it relaxing. It feeds the part of my brain that thrives for cleanliness and order.

Now, I’m horrible at cleaning mags. I don’t nearly spend enough time keeping them clean and free of debris.

quote:

Originally posted by P-220:
Once a round is fired, the gun gets cleaned before sundown. I know it is probably not necessary, but it is how I was raised.

I have never had a firearm fail because it was too clean.

This right here. It doesn't go back in the safe until it's clean.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
We're talking about firearms, right?

Ooh, you had to say that didn't you...

I used to like the ritual of cleaning all of my guns after each range visit. Then suddenly, without so much as a warning, one day it became a chore. I generally use '500 rounds' as my guide as to how often I give them a field strip clean, but I will extend it out further with others, including my EDC. Shockingly, some of my guns remain dead nuts reliable (gasp), regardless of what is the prevailing thoughts of 'internet experts' is. I will wipe my EDC down often however; carrying a gun daily brings its own brand of 'yuckiness' to the experience, regardless of how often it's shot or how many boolits get passed through its barrel between cleanings.

I lube often, wipe down/out carry and duty guns frequently, but fully clean rarely.

I have a spreadsheet with every gun listed , when it was last cleaned, what lube I used, how many rounds fired, any malfunctions and what type of malfunction, any upgrades or replacement of parts, etc.

Self defense guns are always clean and lubricated AND inspected for wear and tear or broken parts. I have , many times over the years, found a broken or worn part during cleaning. Don’t clean and inspect that gun, and you’ll never know that it is broken or in need of repair.

If the gun is just a plinking gun or range gun only, then who cares. Clean it every decade if you want.

I’m very bad. My personal guns I might clean once or twice a year. My duty gun? Meh. Last time it got drenched and soaked, I just shook it off and made sure no water was pooling in my holster.

In the service we had a PMS (preventative maintenance schedule) for everything..guns, watertight doors, engines, everything...the schedule went like this,
prefire
Postfire
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
Bi quarterly
Annually
biannually
Layup.

That’s a lot of cleaning,checking,and lubing..
Frankly the military taught me we clean our guns too much, and sailors can screwup an anvil if left to it...

I clean my EDC when it’s been exposed to rain or gets dirty. I put a few drops of oil on the spots a Glock needs and don’t overly worry about it. (When I carried a gun as a cop my P226 got wiped down weekly with a oil rag, but if it got rained on it was torn down to parade rest and cleaned.)

All my other guns get cleaned when they get put back in the safe...some times I don’t...(like I shot five rounds in my revolver to check a new reload). Black powder guns get cleaned before the sun sets.

My range guns every couple years (as long as they haven't been fired a ton.) My EDC I clean after every time I fire it.

quote:

Originally posted by P-220:
Once a round is fired, the gun gets cleaned before sundown. I know it is probably not necessary, but it is how I was raised.

I have never had a firearm fail because it was too clean.

There was a time in the era of corrosive primers ( likely before any of us were even born!) that this was true
It has not been the case for a very very long time.
If I luck into some ammo I know or suspect is corrosive then I clean soon after shooting definitely same day.
I suspect many of us were raised by shooters who grew up in the corrosive primer era and gun cleaning was critical. We do tend to carry on whatever tradition we were raised with. Thankfully the US Army did not brainwash me with the white glove inspection clean nonsense they promoted.