For range toys if it is working and providing acceptable accuracy and reliability it doesn’t need cleaning.
Carry guns- I wouldn’t trust a carry gun that doesn’t function dirty.
If your gun needs to be spotless to be trusted there is something wrong with it.
I did many years in the military and the white glove inspection clean thing I saw many problems with.
As a bullseye competition enthusiast it was said disassemble and clean as infrequently as possible.
I can not recall the last time I had a malfunction attributed to a dirty gun, and mine are cleaned very infrequently

my guns are like my car, my house and just about everything else I own. clean and impeccably maintained. yep, i'm anal

“Only when I want it to work the next time”. (I’m surprised someone hasn’t thrown that little falsely out).

Lubed is far more important than clean. I wipe carry guns down and lube them every so often. I clean them on occasion when I think it’s needed.

This marine corps over clean mentality is actually harmful to the pistol, and patently unnecessary.

I used to be anal about it, cleaning after every time out. In general I would put at least 100-200 rounds through a particular gun as a general rule. Then I wised up. Or got lazy. Or both.

If I just KNOW that I'm not going to shoot a particular gun again for a long time, I'll go ahead and clean it as part of prepping it for putting it away for long-term storage. If it's a regular that I'll shoot again every 2-3 months or sooner, then I'll let it ride until it gets filthy enough to elicit an 'eeyuwww' response from me. Which is usually around after the third trip to the range, though that frequency depends upon the brand(s) of ammo and the amount that were run through it. Some brands like American Eagle draw that 'eeyuwww' out a lot sooner than others.

I tend to clean many of my long guns more often, usually after every use. Field guns--particularly shotguns--are cleaned after every trip. All guns are immediately dried and cleaned if I'm caught out in the rain with them, which in the PNW can happen far too often depending on the time of year it is. Black rifles I tend to let slide more often, particularly pistons, though I'll inspect the barrel and piston chamber before going out with it again. With DI rifles the 'eeyuwww' rule applies these days. Similar with rimfire guns.

Regardless of whether it's my carry gun or just a range toy, these guidelines normally apply equally if it's only about actual post-live fire cleaning. With my EDC I've gone nearly 3000rds before cleaning, and only then it was because I 'guilted' myself into taking the cleaning kit to it. However I do clean my EDC Glock for lint buildup every so often if the accumulated range visits don't get the cleanup process going any sooner.

I used to be very fastidious about cleaning my guns every time they were fired. I guess it was a hold over from my Marine Corps training.

Nowadays, cleaning after every couple of range sessions will suffice.

I clean them after they stop going into battery without a tap or I start getting goop on my clothes from my EDC.

I voted as needed. I mostly just quickly wipe off any chunks and apply fresh lubrication at the start and finish of any range session. I break out the cleaning kit a couple of times per year or if I notice some build up in the chamber.

quote:

Originally posted by Warhorse:
I used to be very fastidious about cleaning my guns every time they were fired. I guess it was a hold over from my Marine Corps training.

I'm just the opposite. I use to enjoy cleaning guns. The Marines made it such a pain and took it to such a ridiculous standard that it sort of put me off on cleaning.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
Lubed is far more important than clean. I wipe carry guns down and lube them every so often. I clean them on occasion when I think it’s needed.

I'm a believer.

It depends... I have 22s, Glocks, and 1911s that I might go 300 to 750 rounds.

Some revolvers I have need cleaning every 50-100 round or the cylinder starts to drag.

High power rifles 22-250 and above I like to scrub the bore with a brush and bore solvent a little bit every 20-30 rounds mostly to keep bore fouling to a minimum for accuracy.

I do carry a small bottle of oil to the range or out in the woods in case something needs a little lube.

I'll continue the procedure I've described every other time the question has been asked. It's your firearm, your choice. I don't like playing the odds as some do.

Depends on the ammo. The practice ammo I use burns quite cleanly. Even after a couple of hundred rounds, the barrel and gun interior are no more than slightly smudged...there's no particulate residue. Generally after every few range sessions, I'll field strip, give everything inside a quick wipe with an oily rag, relube and go.

Civilian defensive carry isn't legal where I live [practically speaking]. A carry gun I'd clean and relube every couple of weeks even if I wasn't firing it, and a fairly thorough [no detail strip] after any actual shooting.

I believe the obsessive detail cleaning some people regard as necessary is a throwback to the military days of corrosive ammo and incompletely burned powder. I don't judge, but seems to me those days are past.

I am less anal than I used to be. I’ll clean each gun if it’s shot no matter the round count though it may take me a week or two to get to it. I have some guns that I have cleaned and put away and haven’t fired them in about 8-10 years. They are still clean and I do not feel that I need to “re-clean” them as some have stated on here about guns that are not shot for a while. Only exception may be the carry gun, but really other than a wipe down, it’s unnecessary if I haven’t shot it even for months. Lint and dust won’t seize up a gun unless it’s packed in tight crevices over years perhaps.

I field strip, clean, and lube after every range session, which usually runs to 200 to 300 rounds. I detail strip, wipe off old lube, and relube each firearm once per year. It's what I do, and how I learned, before, during, and after the military.

Amid all the surprising statements above, one adage that I heard long ago remains unsaid - "The gun is not cleaned until the mags are cleaned."

I have five pistols and none are in a drawer. They are out in different locations in my house. Because of that they're subject to house dust and such. I feel all are in good shape and do run a snake through the bore before going out on my desert to make some noise for a few hours.
So, they get a reasonable cleaning once a month or so then back in there "place".
I don't mind cleaning my firearms at all and am set up to do it. A life of firearms has tool cleaning pretty routine.
I knew an expert auto mechanic and noticed every time he used a tool he wiped it clean and replaced it in its proper place. He'd been a mechanic most of his life.
Similar. my tools have been firearms.
Stay safe
Poli Viejo

I detail disassemble to clean my guns after a range trip.
My guns are cleaner than when they were new.

Glocks, a full strip (frame and slide), it only takes 2 minutes to break down.



Sigs, Kahrs, & LCP;
Disassemble everything but the slide.
Those Sig roll pins are a PITA..



Revolvers get a detailed surface cleaning.
I don't take them apart.

If the firing pin pencil test equals live function test , then yes.

quote:

Originally posted by 1lowlife:
I detail disassemble to clean my guns after a range trip.
My guns are cleaner than when they were new.

Glocks, a full strip (frame and slide), it only takes 2 minutes to break down.

Sigs, Kahrs, & LCP;
Disassemble everything but the slide.
Those Sig roll pins are a PITA..

Revolvers get a detailed surface cleaning.
I don't take them apart.

If the firing pin pencil test equals live function test , then yes.

How often do you go to the range?

I don't remember who posted it, but one of my favorite things I read on SF was, "If you like cleaning your guns, you must not have enough guns."

quote:

Originally posted by Nismo:
How often do you go to the range?

That usually has an effect on your cleaning habits.

Some ppl are shooters, some ppl are cleaners.

I will shoot my carry gun at the range and <GASP> load it and carry it home, UNCLEANED!

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:
I don't remember who posted it, but one of my favorite things I read on SF was, "If you like cleaning your guns, you must not have enough guns."

Yeah that is a gem - I forget who said it, but it was here I am sure.

There is medication available for OCD guys.