How to..and how not to clean guns

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Aug 11, 2011
Messages
6,280
Location
N.C.
One of several videos on youtube from an experienced gun guy. His videos are long and slow but he seems to make a lot of sense.
 
I would imagine that the zelous cleaning most people do to guns probably causes more wear that helps. Unless the D.I. inspects your work.
 
Which gun guy? I see no video.

Originally Posted By: CT8
I would imagine that the zelous cleaning most people do to guns probably causes more wear that helps. Unless the D.I. inspects your work.


I would think that over-oiling would be more of a problem than wear. I don't think there's much wrong with over-cleaning, but this is based on training/guidance and not much practical experience (book-nerd).
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Unless the D.I. inspects your work.


Then its never clean enough anyway and you get to polish galvanized rubbish cans with never dull for entertainment.
lol.gif
 
This is a teachable moment here I was at the range whe na guy had a Remmington [I should know the modelnumber] Mag fed semi auto 308 rifle. I noticed the rifle not operating properly. The guns owner and I started talking and I offered him some oil. He said no oil attracts dirt ! O.K. After many more failures to operate I offered him some oil again. He oiled the parts and he started doing mag dumps with the rifle operating perfectly and with a huge grin. Oil is good.
 
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
I would think that over-oiling would be more of a problem than wear.


It depends on the weapon. With the AR-15 platform along with several pistols, there is no such thing as "over lubed".
 
I used to clean religiously as is often taught to newbies but then someone made the point that the military being strict about cleaning rifles was more about discipline than weapon function.

Since then I keep everything lubed but tend to run them dirty. Haven't noticed issues. Even had 1 AR15 where I shot over 1000 rounds with no cleaning and had no problems. And now that is one of my smoothest operating rifles.
 
Safari Charlie citrus lube is some awesomely cool stuff.

I use it to clean and store.

If the gun is going to be run, I use a little antiseize on the slide points of the glock and a little 0w40 dripped on the lower moving parts. Regular guns only see the cleaner and oil.
 
I am president and sole member of "Dad's against cleaning guns" club.

If it is gas gun, oil/lube moving parts,
If you shoot black powder, yes by all meaning put the gun in the washing machine, dirty barrels actually shot better.

Most of us here don't shoot enough to have to clean your barrels.
 
#1 cause of barrel wear is over-cleaning, especially with hard brushes. Literally, all that's needed 99% of the time is a cloth swab wet and one on a jag to dry.

I used to run a thousand rounds a month in a rifle and a pistol, each, in competition and training, formally cleaned the guns once a year:

AR-15: lube bolt and BCG before match (hose down with CLP or whatever, shake dry, look for broken things), pick crud out of extractor once in a while. Round count is ~ 25,000, still shoots 1 MOA w a CMMG chrome-lined 1:7 barrel.

Pistol: Hose out with CLP if rolling around in sand or gravel. Cloth swab down barrel then too. Armalite AR-24 (Turkish-made, all forged steel Tanfoglio-pattern): ~ 60,000 rounds, Glock 19 Gen 3: ~ 50,000 rounds. Both have about 10 years of monthly 3-gun and monthly (or twice) IDPA matches on them, plus training, courses, etc. The Glock did a year of matches, training, and CCW duty for ~14 months with only external wipe-downs.

Remington 870: Whenever extraction would "stick" it was time to lube the locking block and grease the action bars. If the interior got wet, it would also need a hose-down with CLP to stop rust. Round count: No clue, 120 rounds once a month for 10+ years, plus hunting, clay shooting, and some bigger 3gun matches with 300rd+ over 2 days.

Let's say all of the internals of the above are "well polished" but they all remain within factory specs and are 100% reliable under both match and tactical training conditions, including a day's worth of inhaling gravel dust, although the BCG would get hosed down/out with CLP every couple of hours.

And to think how much I cleaned my service rifle
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: stockrex
I am president and sole member of "Dad's against cleaning guns" club.

If it is gas gun, oil/lube moving parts,
If you shoot black powder, yes by all meaning put the gun in the washing machine, dirty barrels actually shot better.

Most of us here don't shoot enough to have to clean your barrels.


You have to wipe the crud out once in a while - "non-corrosive" ammo is like stainless steel. It's still corrosive, just much less. Just like stainless steel will rust under the right circumstances.
 
If possible , clean from the breech . Iv not , use a bore guide and clean from the bore .

Use a 1 piece cleaning rod .

If corrosive ammo or any foreign ammo , clean with a bore cleaner that wil remove the corrosive salts , before the sun goes down .

Use a copper cleaner if using jacketed bullets . The one I use , Shooters Choice , smells of ammonia . Then I use Hopies # 9 to kill the ammonia .

I run a non-broken-in AR wet with lube . Automatic Transmission Fluid seems to work well .

M1 Garand / M1A , grease on al the parts subject to high sped friction . Gun oil / ATF on all the other metal parts . Boiled Linseed Oil on the wood .
Wyr
God bless
 
i learned in the army to clean after use, so 45 years later i still do. ballistol, hoppes #9, clp, wd40, starter fluid, brake cleaner, whatever is available. rod with soaked, then dry tshirt patch. old toothbrush, qtips and old tshirt patch, wet and dry. a couple of qtip dabs of leftover new motor oil on any semiautomatic’s guide rods, otherwise wiped pretty much dry. done, ready for inspection.
 
My 20 yo son does some weird things but it works.
As soon as he bought his first AR he soaked it in ATF and oils it frequently.
He has AK74 and anytime he shoots Russian ammo he says it may be corrosive. Never trust the Russians. He cleans it in the dishwasher and then oils it up. He said bore cleaners won't work on the salts only soap and water. He has had the guns awhile, shoots alot and no problems.
 
Originally Posted By: homeyclaus
#1 cause of barrel wear is over-cleaning, especially with hard brushes. ... although the BCG would get hosed down/out with CLP every couple of hours.

And to think how much I cleaned my service rifle
frown.gif



You cleaned your service rifle, just like the rest of us, because the Sgt said to and he was standing right there ...
whistle.gif


Now, used rifles I'd buy got serious cleaning because they were filthy with bores that looked like sewer pipes. But back off after getting it shiny
grin.gif
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
This is a teachable moment here I was at the range whe na guy had a Remmington [I should know the modelnumber] Mag fed semi auto 308 rifle. I noticed the rifle not operating properly. The guns owner and I started talking and I offered him some oil. He said no oil attracts dirt ! O.K. After many more failures to operate I offered him some oil again. He oiled the parts and he started doing mag dumps with the rifle operating perfectly and with a huge grin. Oil is good.


+1
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
This is a teachable moment here I was at the range whe na guy had a Remmington [I should know the modelnumber] Mag fed semi auto 308 rifle. I noticed the rifle not operating properly. The guns owner and I started talking and I offered him some oil. He said no oil attracts dirt ! O.K. After many more failures to operate I offered him some oil again. He oiled the parts and he started doing mag dumps with the rifle operating perfectly and with a huge grin. Oil is good.


I help out at a shooting clinic that happens about once a month. I have seen several ARs that can't cycle reliably or sometimes at all.

So far all of them have been fixed by lubricating. The poor things were just so dry that the recoiling parts just can't complete the cycle.

Never seen a gun too lubricated to shoot.

BSW
 
I'm big on cleaning guns that are going to be used for defensive use. If its a plinker or range gun, and only gets used at the range, then dump lube on it and carry on.

On a defensive use gun, I like to clean and inspect the parts once clean. I cant tell you how many times I have cleaned a gun, and found broken springs, chipped extractors, broken trigger pins, and other issues. If you didn't take the time to clean and inspect, you would have a broken gun and not realize it.

As to AR-15 rifles on the range. 80% of them are under lubricated. I'm dead serious. 8 out of 10 AR15 rifles you see at the gun range do not have sufficient, proper lubrication. Basically, what I'm saying is, YOUR AR15 is probably under lubricated. Throw a few squirts of oil on it when you get to the range. Its impossible to over lubricate an AR15, and it will run reliably a lot longer if you keep it lubricated.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top