[Redhawk100]

@Redhawk100

My old 4Runner is a 4/auto. A 5/auto would be perfect. More gears than 5 is not necessary unless you want to squeeze another half mpg out of an engine. The more gears, the more potential issues.

And speaking of potential issues, it sure would be nice if manuals were still a ready option. If you want to eliminate issues, those are really the way to go. Sure, there's some clutch tightening that's needed from time to time, but that's minor compared to what can go wrong with autos. And when it comes to going downhill in long, steep stretches, you don't have to keep pumping the breaks.

 

[Iowegan]

Come on guys .... this is NOT the place for posts about vehicles. Knock it off!

I'd like to clear up some Internet myths .... Guns don't get worn out from cleaning, they get damaged from being improperly taken apart or from being put back together wrong. Another myth .... round count really doesn't matter much, guns get just about as dirty from firing a half dozen rounds as they do from firing a couple hundred rounds. It doesn't hurt anything when you fire a dirty gun. The exception is when you get lead fouling buildup in the bore .... it can cause a bulge in the barrel because lead does not compress like air. What does matter about keeping a gun clean is storage. A few days, a month, a year .... time will always take a toll. If a gun is stored dirty, it may end up with a pitted bore, surface rust, or most important of all .... dried oil or grease that cause parts to increase friction instead of reducing it. Yes, stainless steel guns are definitely more resistant to "dirt" damage, but they still have steel springs and other non-stainless internal parts plus oil will still turn gummy and cause functional problems.

I own a lot of guns and needless to say ... I have a lot of $$$ invested. I firmly believe in taking care of my property so keeping a gun clean is cheap insurance .... especially with today's a gun's replacement cost and gunsmithing fees. When people look at my guns, they think they are new. A few are new but the rest get fired as frequently as possible and even though I've owned some of them for decades, they still operate and look like new. That said, there's no law about keeping guns clean so do whatever makes you feel comfortable.

 

[Tu_S]

With 2 exceptions, unless I know I'll be shooting something the next day I clean it when I get home from the trip to the range.

Been doing this for a few decades now, and have never worn out anything through cleaning. I realize it's not something I have to do, but it was what my Dad did and made me do growing up, where I'm in my 50's now and it's just habit.

The exceptions to this are the HTA 90/22 and Trek-22 bullpup conversion for the 10/22, where taking out all the screws to take the things apart to clean is something that I guess I got lazy about after the first few trips, but they both get stripped down after 2 or 3 trips to the range, which usually comes out to around 200 to 300 rounds between cleanings.

 

[oldag]

I clean after every range trip. Doesn't take long. No reason not to do so.

 

[jayhdavis]

The firearm gets a good external wipe-down, and several patches through the bore, at the range when I'm finished. Once at home, a good cleaning to prevent rusting in the bore. When hunting, the firearm gets a good wipe-down before casing, and a good cleaning, in and out, when I get home. As posted above, your firearms are an investment, and should be cleaned when used, especially if they are to be stored. An interesting note about bores is, how much, if any, does your point-of-impact change when the first shot is made with a clean bore, and subsequent shots are with a fouled bore? To me, the difference is immaterial for hunting purposes, but I'm not shooting bench-rest competition.

 

[Corndog]

This is a zero check target.

Shots 1-2 are 2 inches right at 100 yards from a clean barrel (the hole and tape below it). Then shots 3-4 are what the gun does with a fouling shot, 1.8 inches high for a zero hold at 200 yards.

I’m far from a bench rest shooter. I have however been hunting a long time.

 

[Geo001]

I clean after every range trip. My dad taught me to keep them clean. He has guns as old as I am (mid-50's) and they all look like new and fire flawlessly. I did get a little lazy last year and occasionally skip a cleaning between range trips but I'm back to every time now.

 

[jayhdavis]

This is a zero check target. View attachment 175298 Shots 1-2 are 2 inches right at 100 yards from a clean barrel (the hole and tape below it). Then shots 3-4 are what the gun does with a fouling shot, 1.8 inches high for a zero hold at 200 yards.

I’m far from a bench rest shooter. I have however been hunting a long time.

Good illustration. I have also been hunting a long time. Nice 2" total-spread group. For me, since my max range is about 250 yards, when hunting large varmints (fox and coyote), deer and larger animals, the difference is immaterial. Especially since the placement of the first shot is the most important. For prairie dogs and groundhogs however, it can be material.

 

[10-22]

If Johnny has an AR and two straight clips. How many rounds can he fire and still do a tactical reload?

0, ARs do not use clips, they use magazines.

 

[Corndog]

0, ARs do not use clips, they use magazines.

Clipizines

 

[maddmatter1970]

Clipizines

"Tactical reload" verses run till empty.
E x X= DOA/N over 30

 

[Jack Ruger]

I clean more than some and less than others. Because of my recent interest I clean them more often, usually every other range trip, but I don't lose sleep if they don't get attention right away.

If I was fighting in the bush it would be different, but most shooting is to have a good time and I have not experienced a lot of issues with the firearms that I own to warrant more cleaning.

I am borrowing someone else's firearm presently, so that one does get cleaned each time. If he calls and wants it back, I want to just hand it to him and tell him it's been field cleaned.

 

[jayhdavis]

"If I was fighting in the bush it would be different ..."

Actually, for your every day carry piece, it isn't different. Funny how your priorities change when your life is on the line.

 

[Corndog]

"If I was fighting in the bush it would be different ..."

Actually, for your every day carry piece, it isn't different. Funny how your priorities change when your life is on the line.

My EDC Glock is spotless. Stays that way. The cheaper Taurus G3c, that I bought for range practice, because it handles very similar to my low round count G26…not so spotless.

So, on at least one gun, we agree.

 

[surveyor 1995]

After just a few rounds, I'll swab the barrel with solvent and patch until clean and shiny! Maybe some light lube and a good wipe down!

 

[dwade]

Depends on what gun and how extensive it has been shot. My wheel guns will get the barrels swabbed when I come in from shooting, more extensive cleaning once a year. My mini-14 will get the barrel swabbed after each range shoot and I've had for almost 3 years and have to to disassemble. My EDC semi-auto pistols get the barrel swabbed and take down after each range session. I shot a groundhog the other day with my 9mm Shield and won't clean it after just the one round. Kind of pointless

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[Iowegan]

Corndog brought up a good point about first shot accuracy versus firing a couple fouling shots. I've found pretty much the same ..... my POI didn't change radically .... maybe a couple MOA at the most with my Rem 700s. I have a custom 7x57 Mauser that has a highly polished bore. When I shoot it with a clean bore, it hits the bullseye dead nuts and continues to hit dead nuts in subsequent shots. If I don't clean the bore after a range session, my first few shots will be a couple MOA off. I like the first shot to be dead nuts, so I give the bore a good scrubbing after each range session.

So, why does a gun with a normal factory bore change POI after a few fouling shots? I posed this question to Gale McMullen many years ago and here is his answer: In some cases, the bore is slightly pitted and needs to have the pits filled. Nearly all standard factory bores have striation marks that resemble scratches. These are a product of the manufacturing process and are present in all but polished or chrome plated bores. Striation marks also need to be filled with jacket fouling to prevent bullet damage. Last is .... if you didn't clean your rifle after the last time you shot it, powder and jacket fouling will cake (harden) in the bore and will cause damage to the first few bullets. It doesn't take much damage to make a bullet fly goofy.

I did an experiment on my Rem 700, 223 Rem because it was the worst of my centerfire rifles for first shot accuracy. I used J-B Bore Compound with a patch and cleaning rod. It took at least an hour of back-and-forth strokes and several patches to make the striation marks nearly disappear. It really improved my first shot accuracy from a clean bore. and improved my group size too. If you have a some spare time, try polishing your bore .... it helps! Here's a link for J-B: 2 OZ. J-B BORE CLEANING COMPOUND : BROWNELLS J-B® NON-EMBEDDING BORE CLEANING COMPOUND | Shop Brownells

 

[jayhdavis]

My EDC Glock is spotless. Stays that way. The cheaper Taurus G3c, that I bought for range practice, because it handles very similar to my low round count G26…not so spotless.

So, on at least one gun, we agree.

But it is the one that really counts!

 

[mark40]

Mine get cleaned after every use. Started out that way so its automatic.

 

[Jack Ruger]

"If I was fighting in the bush it would be different ..."

Actually, for your every day carry piece, it isn't different. Funny how your priorities change when your life is on the line.

I forget who posted it, but after cleaning my EDC I like to fire it a few times to make sure it's fully functioning as is, not after a cleaning.

The comment about the bush would deal w dirt / mud being added to the mix instead of range shooting where it is picked up from a table then later packed away in a case. It is not experiencing the same environment as the bush