How long does it take to clean your pistol's, ARs etc.

[NcongruNt]

I suspect that what was packed in the tube was that gunk they put in new guns. Colt used a ton of that stuff when they sent the M16s off to the troops who were stuck with it. I suspect they did the same thing with the civilian model. It looked like axle grease but nastier stickier.

Cosmoline. Yes, that seems to fit his description quite well. Quite possibly the first person who ever owned it never bothered to learn how to clean his rifle, and didn't clear out the cosmoline before he shot it. And everyone down the line did the same until asleepatthereel got to it.

[John]

around 15 - 20 minutes, typically. Unless i decide to do more than field stripping, then, well it could be weeks if springs go flying into the yard. Anybody who has a beretta tomcat knows what i mean by that statement. Every couple of years i'll take a shotgun completely appart and clean everything. that can take while, maybe 45 minutes or so.

[Excaliber]

around 15 - 20 minutes, typically. Unless i decide to do more than field stripping, then, well it could be weeks if springs go flying into the yard. Anybody who has a beretta tomcat knows what i mean by that statement. Every couple of years i'll take a shotgun completely appart and clean everything. that can take while, maybe 45 minutes or so.

To prevent the launching of springs, detent pins, etc. into parts unknown, place a crumpled up towel in a heap on your workbench and aim the parts that might fly off into it as you go through the disassembly. If you lose control of them, the towel absorbs their launch energy and you can easily recover each and every tiny bit of metal or plastic by carefully unfolding the towel.

Don't ask me why I now follow this procedure religiously.

[John]

around 15 - 20 minutes, typically. Unless i decide to do more than field stripping, then, well it could be weeks if springs go flying into the yard. Anybody who has a beretta tomcat knows what i mean by that statement. Every couple of years i'll take a shotgun completely appart and clean everything. that can take while, maybe 45 minutes or so.

To prevent the launching of springs, detent pins, etc. into parts unknown, place a crumpled up towel in a heap on your workbench and aim the parts that might fly off into it as you go through the disassembly. If you lose control of them, the towel absorbs their launch energy and you can easily recover each and every tiny bit of metal or plastic by carefully unfolding the towel.

Don't ask me why I now follow this procedure religiously.

thank you for the tip... that sounds like a really good idea. For the little tomcat, i sometimes put it in a plastic bag to take it appart.

[Weg]

I may be stepping in it here, but I " clean " my semi-auto pistols by removing the slide, stripping them clean with gun scrubber and them re-lubricating them with break-free. I don't clean the barrels but about every 500 rds. Never had a jam due to a dirty gun, I have been doing this for years, whole process takes about 3 minutes per gun. Do this with PPK, Glock 21, Ruger P89, and Taurus PT140.

[galvestonredneck]

I may be stepping in it here, but I " clean " my semi-auto pistols by removing the slide, stripping them clean with gun scrubber and them re-lubricating them with break-free. I don't clean the barrels but about every 500 rds. Never had a jam due to a dirty gun, I have been doing this for years, whole process takes about 3 minutes per gun. Do this with PPK, Glock 21, Ruger P89, and Taurus PT140.

Weg, That is to EASY!!! Didn't your Daddy ever tell you "nothin is EASY" --LOL

I spend a hour on my pistol, but like some of the other on this thread, I enjoy it. Heck I have even "deep cleaned" a frinds pistols for thr pure enjoyment of smelling hoppes #9! My wife hates the smell of hoppe's which is a added bonus--LOL

Galveston Redneck

[Plato]

I may be stepping in it here, but I " clean " my semi-auto pistols by removing the slide, stripping them clean with gun scrubber and them re-lubricating them with break-free. I don't clean the barrels but about every 500 rds. Never had a jam due to a dirty gun, I have been doing this for years, whole process takes about 3 minutes per gun. Do this with PPK, Glock 21, Ruger P89, and Taurus PT140.

Cleaning is one of those issues that takes some of the fun out of shooting. Sure its okay starting out, but if you shoot a bunch it quickly becomes a pain.

I only "do it right" if its my carry pistol, meaning it gets a good cleanup right after I get back from the range. But most of my Glocks shot in IDPA, go months at a time with little or no cleaning -how else am I gonna get to use tap-rack-bang drills with my Glocks ? Takes 1000 rounds of my nastiest reloads to get the things to hickup

[Daltex1]

I have 9 guns and took them all out shooting one day, took me 7 hours to clean all of them, I will never take all my guns out to play again, it seems to ruin one of your weekend days

[asleepatthereel]

I suspect that what was packed in the tube was that gunk they put in new guns. Colt used a ton of that stuff when they sent the M16s off to the troops who were stuck with it. I suspect they did the same thing with the civilian model. It looked like axle grease but nastier stickier.

Cosmoline. Yes, that seems to fit his description quite well. Quite possibly the first person who ever owned it never bothered to learn how to clean his rifle, and didn't clear out the cosmoline before he shot it. And everyone down the line did the same until asleepatthereel got to it.

I guess it could have been old powder filled Cosmoline. Ive only dealt with the fresh stuff thats in new guns. Hard to believe it went so long without ever being cleaned out though.

[CertifiedKJ]

On friday, I just bought my first handgun, a Glock 26. I can't really say how long it takes yet, because when I was cleaning it, I kept having to pause that and go do something else. With interruptions included, it took me about 45 minutes.

Next time I'll do it with no interruptions.

[DoubleJ]

I don't have any AR rifles, or anything gas-operated for that matter, so can't give an answer for that part.

My ex- used to say I was gas powered...

only takes me a bit to strip'em down and clean'em. maybe a quarter or a half of a football game
depends on who's playing, too...

[getnit1]

I do a complete clean about once a year if that. I wipe down after each use and run a bore snake through them.

[Excaliber]

In response to this thread, I timed the cleaning of my Kimber 1911 pistol after a 150 round range session at 20 minutes.

I use either Gunzilla or Hoppe's Elite bore cleaner and Hoppe's Elite bore gel for cleaning. They work as well as or better than the older cleaners that contain hazardous volatile chemicals, and they are virtually odor free. I use a jag tip to ensure good contact of the patches with the interior surfaces of the bore, and an extra long bore brush to loosen heavy fouling.

I do a very thorough cleaning of barrel, slide, frame, and magazine and always do it on the workbench in my workshop with my attention fully focused on the task. I don't mind it at all, and don't even see it as a chore. I put it in the same category as carefully repacking a parachute after a jump to make sure it will work right during the next one.

I know you can get away with leaving a gun somewhat dirty and not lubricated to factory recommendations and it will still work most of the time, but I'm not comfortable with that approach for a carry gun because that leaves it subject to preventable maintenance related malfunctions that Murphy says will happen at the worst possible time.

For me a gun is critical life safety equipment that merits careful inspection and maintenance after each use, and I choose to maintain a disciplined adherence to this view.