Last Updated: by Jeffrey Huber
Table of contents
Today, I'm not going to talk about cleaning and maintaining your guns. You'll know this is the way if you want to keep her at her best. I want to discuss with you something about firearms that users have misunderstood for years-how often should you clean your gun? Some will tell you that you have to do this right after every benefit, others insist that you do it daily, monthly. Heck, some will even tell you never to clean your guns! But who is right? Only after reading the following post that you will discover if you should clean your gun.
How many times should I clean my gun?
I wish I could give you a direct answer but if I did, I will be misleading, because the regularity of cleaning your gun depends on the four key factors that I outlined below:
- Usage Level
- What you want in the first place
- The ammunition and elements to which they are exposed
Now I am going to discuss all factors influences your gun cleaning regularity in details above.
The degree of use
Depending on how often you use your gun (and regardless of which type of gun it is), you should always take it through regular, detailed cleaning to improve its overall performance and reliability. In other words, you have to tear off the rifle and clean it thoroughly, oil, and assemble it again. How many times you should do this depends on the number of rounds you take with it, and the primary role you are using it for. But regardless of whether you used your gun or not, I would advise you to give it as thoroughly clean once every year.
If possible, do the cleaning on your own. You could ask “why?”. If you decompose your gun to clean it, you get a chance to inspect all of its parts and all the problems that it would have developed internally. In this way, you can fix them on time and prevent unexpected errors.
What do you use your firearm for?
What do you use your guns in the first place? Personal defense? Plinkers? Target tone? What you use your gun also plays an important role in determining the right time to clean it up. If you just do it for tasks like target tone, plunge, punching holes on papers (yes, some people use their guns for this task), etc., then you can use them for about 3-4 months before they give them a thorough cleaning. What if you use your firearms for personal defense, hunting, shooting games and so on? In this case, you have to keep them always clean, neatly lubricated, and ready to go! As I mentioned earlier, fouling, dust, and dirty tend to slow down the performance of your rifle. So if you own this semi-automatic rifle for self-defense, keep it clean and oiled at all times - it's the only way to make sure it will never fail you when that moment comes. Do the same for revolver to make them immune to fouling; carbon tends to build up in their cylinder, so it's almost impossible to trigger the double action trigger (since the barrel is blocked). The same case was applied to game and hunting pistols. If you use a semi-automatic for such tasks, you can only enjoy its reliability if you keep it clean at all times. And if you use the bolt guns, you can just clean them and save them. But if it's time to use it, you need to fire a foul shot to “activate” the bore for the shooting task that is ahead of the series.
The ammunition and the elements to which you are exposed
Consider a scenario in which you shoot corrosive ammunition with your gun … or it will be exposed to moisture, dust, water, salt, etc. Now, if you save your gun after exposure with such elements without cleaning it, you know what's likely to happen. The rifle is easily susceptible to corrosion, rust and even excess tear and wear. For this reason, I suggest that you clean your gun immediately after use (that is, if it is exposed to the elements I mentioned above).
NOTE: Do not deceive yourself that because the hole and the receiver of your gun are made of stainless steel, it is not susceptible to tear and wear. This may be true, but you have to consider that the stainless steel is softer and in the case of dust, dirt, fouling, etc. will probably be able to tear off more quickly and carry it.
WARNING: Always make sure that you set up protective clothing when cleaning your gun. And make it in a well-lit, ventilated area where some of the chemicals, as well as solvents you're dealing with, are dangerous and produce fumes that could affect your breathing system.
Final verdict
There is no fixed rule on how often you should clean your gun. Rather, that depends on some factors, such as how often you use your gun, what kind of pistol it is and what primary role you use for it, and the munitions or elements to which it is suspended. Make a point at least once a year to give your gun a deep cleaning. This not only helps to purify it thoroughly, but also offers you the opportunity to examine any problem it has developed internally. And if you fix them on time, it will be ready for the next use. As far as the defensive cannons are concerned, you have to keep them clean, properly oiled at all times. I say that if your life depends on your hidden wearing, keep it ready to go anywhere!”
Jeffrey is a 35-year-old self-confessed gun nut who enjoys guns after the very first trip to the shooting range when he was 17 years old. Currently, he works in the firearms industry while in his free time shares his knowledge with everyone who desire to find his perfect gun.