Maintaining your guns is a very individual thing. Some believe they can get away with not cleaning a gun for a certain amount of rounds. Others clean their guns whenever they shoot, regardless of the amount of rounds. I am somewhere in the middle. I have certain guns that shoot well with any ammo for several hundred rounds and have no issues. I have other guns that a more picky about what I run through them and how much. I clean them more often. I keep carry guns very clean. I don’t want any issues if I need that gun for defense. My life depends on it!
Simple maintenance and cleaning can make sure your gun will last for generations, not years. Have you heard people say their shotgun belonged to their great grandfather? The gun lasted because it was taken care of. The owner didn’t likely shoot the gun then throw it in a dirty, damp basement for 30 years. A simple cleaning, oiling and storing the gun in a case or safe can preserve it for a long time. Keep in mind, guns with wooden inserts, handles or stocks will take some extra care. Depending on the type of wood, you can use a wax or sometimes a polish just like you would on your wooden furniture.
You may not have a burning desire to know what happens to make the bullet leave the chamber of your Glock. But by cleaning and maintaining your gun it will help you learn about how the gun works. You’ll learn how the parts interact with each other. Some guns are more complicated to disassemble, clean and put back together. Some handguns let you field strip them quite easily like. You don’t need to be an gunsmith, but being able to field strip the gun, clean and oil all of your guns is a good bit of knowledge to have.
More lubrication is not always a good thing when you’re maintaining your gun. When the moving parts of your gun have too much lubrication there will be some issues such as excess dirt build up. The dirt build up can cause light primer strikes and failure to fire. Failure to eject can occur when the lube works its way into the parts of the gun and magazine which move the round from magazine to chamber. If it’s like a Slip-N-Slide in there, you’re apt to have malfunctions.
After you practice shooting your self-defense gun, you should clean it. You are betting your life on the gun working when you pull the trigger. Having rust in the barrel or crud collecting in the over lubricated areas could be your last mistake.
There are a few things that cause fouling in your gun. Almost all bullets, centerfire and rimfire, are made of a lead core with some type of copper jacket surrounding it. Even lead-free ammunition contains copper. The four most common types of fouling are:
Carbon, which occurs as a result of the burning powder that propels the bullet from the chamber through the barrel
Copper, caused by copper-jacketed bullets leaving residue in the gun’s barrel after firing
Lead, caused by lead bullets leaving residue in the gun’s barrel after firing
Plastic, caused by the plastic wads from shotshells
You aren’t doing anything wrong if you clean your gun after every range visit. Some find it relaxing and therapeutic. Others just love breaking down their gun and putting it back together. On the other hand, you aren’t doing anything wrong if you don’t clean your gun after every range visit. One seasoned shooter I know says, “If it doesn’t work dirty, than it’s not a dependable gun.” Whatever your cleaning routine is, it is important to remember that guns are a machine, periodic maintenance never hurts it and will only keep it in proper working order.
Clean on!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
