How often do you clean your rifle?

English Mike

Perceived wisdom is that a firearm should be cleaned every time you shoot it, or else accuracy & reliability will suffer.

Some people however don't see it that way - like a certain FN FAL owner who hasn't cleaned one of his rifles for 14,320 rounds & five years.

I've seen this rifle with my own eyes & the photo doesn't do justice to just HOW 'orrible it looks, as maintainence consists of adding more oil to the gunge already in residence.
Total malfunctions during this time amount to ONE failure to eject on a very cold day with the first shot.
Accuracy is still the original 2 MOA, despite the barrel having seen an estimated 20,000 rounds fired by the present owner, never mind those fired by whatever military it originally belonged to.

Duce · Member Joined: Mar 01, 2008 Posts: 124 Location: Kentucky

Darn now thats bad! I clean every time after shooting and then again when I am bored. My eyes went to the spent brass on the ground under your picture though,,,, I started drooling thinking of brass to reload.

Gil Martin

After every range session or trip into the woods. All the best...
Gil

shrpshtrjoe

Thats pretty bad. I clean after every range session.
Joe

Doublejs

I also clean after every trip to the range. Some times I take my stuff with me to the range and clean it on the bench when I'm done if no one is waiting to get a spot.
The only time I will hold off is during deer season, I wait till the season is over and then give her a good cleaning.

Bushmaster

No rifle, shotgun or handgun enters my gun safe dirty. One round is dirty...

English Mike

Just so everyone knows:
A decision was made by the owner of the rifle to see just HOW the FAL stood up to a lack of normal maintenance & is a deliberate action, rather than bad practice.
I fly out to the US on Monday & should see Old Dirty in action again whilst I'm over.

Dimitri · Super Member Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 5948

My rifles get over cleaned apparently. If I brought home a rifle that looked like that I'd be spending alot of TLC time with it. Shocked

Dimitri

gelandangan

I clean when I came back from shooting, and swab the barrel just before I go.

hunterjoe21

I only clean the dirty ones....

ElyBoy

All of my guns get cleaned after even one shot.
If a gun of mine isn't shot for a month, I clean it anyway.

I have taught my kids that when they get in from hunting, they take care of the hunting dogs first, then clean the guns, then worry about themselves.

Eric

whittling

ugh I clean a musket after one shot and a scattergun after 5 rounds.

whittling · Last edited by whittling on Sat May 17, 2008 2:53 pm; edited 1 time in total

i really hate it that he ruined it

Vince

Bushmaster wrote:

No rifle, shotgun or handgun enters my gun safe dirty. One round is dirty...

I'm like Bushy....one round is dirty and its cleaned....well thats my centrefire rifles and shotgun. At the range, when I have finished shooting I swab the barrel with Sweets, pull it through until I get a clean patch, take them home and do it all again.

I am trying out an idea I think I may have read here with my rimfires...just clean them every 5 or 6 outings.....hasn't affected accuracy in any way, although I do feel guilty for not cleaning every time.

Tell ya what Mike...be very interesting to have a look at the Gas Plug and Gas Piston on th FN FAL....thats if you could even get them out, as the gas chamber is probably chockers full of carbon.

Cheers, Vince

Pumpkinslinger

I was afraid that picture might send Dimitri into convulsions!

I try to clean after every range session but have to admit that it doesn't always get done right away.