Mr. Clean

How Often Should You Clean Your Guns? The Answer Will Surprise You -- and Maybe Piss-Off Your Former Drill Instructor

by Richard Baimbridge

Perhaps you know from direct experience (or from watching movies like Full Metal Jacket) the classic scene of a red-faced drill instructor berating a young recruit over his “filthy” weapon during inspection. Or maybe you’ve suffered the rejection of an M4 at the armory, despite barely having touched it. Indeed, many veterans – and particularly jarheads -- maintain immaculately clean rifles to this day for those very reasons. Like shiny shoes, crisp uniforms, buzz cuts and tidy footlockers, it’s just hardwired into their brains. 

Other gun owners might simply take joy in cleaning their weapons, in the same way their garage is obsessively clean and well-organized. It just makes them feel good inside… And lastly, there are those who have fallen for the “misinformation” (pardon the term) that guns should be cleaned after every use, or after firing a certain specific number of rounds.

Today, we’ll look at some of the facts vs. myths and try to get to the bottom of the sticky question – how often should I clean my guns? 

So, let’s start with a typical modern hunting rifle or AR-15-style rifle first. Most modern centerfire rifles, including ARs, actually require very little cleaning. Maintaining basic outer-cleanliness of the gun by keeping it dry and wiping it down with a cloth after use is, of course, very important. But assuming you use it regularly at the range and don’t go swimming with it in a lake, a thorough cleaning is only necessary once or maybe twice a year. The most important thing, especially with an AR-15, is to keep it lubricated.

Not P Diddy levels of lube, mind you, which can cause build-up of gunk that will lead to jamming -- but just enough to keep things running nice and smooth.

Think of it like driving a modern car – something like your typical Ford or Honda, as opposed to a vintage collector’s car or a Ferrari. How much maintenance does an average modern car need? Not much really, so long as you change the oil regularly and don’t try to drive it through a swamp.

In fact, it's perfectly fine to store a typical modern rifle for years after moderate use without cleaning it, so long as it’s wiped clean on the outside, lubricated and kept in a low-humidity environment. Just like you can store a modern Chevrolet or Toyota in the garage for years, then start it up and drive around town without problem.

Shotguns, however, are a different story. Because of the large amount of lead and carbon fouling that’s ejected from a shotgun shell, their barrels collect heavy amounts of debris and should be cleaned after each use.

Considering that they’re often used for things like duck hunting, shotguns tend to get exposed a lot more often to things like brackish water than can easily corrode a barrel — something that’s very hard to reverse once it gets started. Similarly, rimfire rifles also experience heavier amounts of carbon fouling and should be cleaned more often, as should revolvers.

When it comes to Glock-style polymer handguns that rely on smooth slide action, lubrication is vital. The Glock user’s manual recommends cleaning it after each use, or once a month, in addition to the first time you use it.

One important thing to remember is that the oil most guns are packaged with is a preservative, not a lubricant. So this holds true for most new guns — they should be oiled before their first use.

But if you store a Glock in a case and not on your person, they can easily fire a thousand rounds or more before really needing to be thoroughly cleaned. A common mistake, however, is overdoing it, and putting oil in places where it doesn’t belong. Excessive oil can cause the gun to get mucked up, and to malfunction. So it’s a good idea to use a precision applicator like Gun Butter with a long needle-like tip. It also has a visible purple color so it’s easier to see how much oil you’re using, and exactly where you’re putting it.

Long story short, the answer to the question, “How often should I clean my guns?” depends very much on what kind of gun it is, what you do with it, and how much you either like or dislike cleaning guns. If it makes you happy, clean away to your heart’s content. But if you’re feeling guilty about shooting 500 (or even a few thousand) rounds at the range and putting your gun back in the safe without a thorough cleaning, relax. A little dirt never killed anybody, and it probably ain’t gonna do your gun no harm, either…unless you happen to be haunted by the ghost of your former drill instructor.

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