man cleaning gun

Gun Maintenance: Why Cleaning Your Gun Is Important

How would you prefer to spend a Saturday afternoon: out in the countryside practicing your shot with your buddies, or alone in your garage trying to fix your gun?

Most of us would rather be shooting our guns rather than fixing them, right?

But if we don’t take care of our firearms, they become unreliable and eventually fail altogether.

This is why gun maintenance and cleaning are important to sport shooting and hunting. If we don’t take the time to ensure our guns are working properly, why would we expect to hit our target?

Cleaning your gun doesn’t have to be a drag. In fact, it can help you develop a deeper appreciation for your firearm and the art of shooting.

Wondering why you need to clean your gun on a regular basis, and how to do it the right way? Continue reading for all the motivation you need to clean your collection today.

How Guns Get Dirty

Whether you are shooting indoors at a range, out on your property, or deep in the woods while hunting with your 308 Winchester, your gun is going to get dirty. It’s a natural part of the shooting process.

It will get dirty even if you never drop your firearm on the ground and always keep it in a carrying case. 

The act of shooting produces the most amount of gunk. You are, after all, initiating an explosion inside the chamber of your gun. Explosions are messy.

When you shoot your firearm, the explosion leaves behind residue from powder. This is known as powder fouling and can build up inside the chamber and barrel.

Also, because you are sending a piece of metal (your bullet) down another piece of metal (the barrel), at high speeds, friction occurs. This causes tiny pieces of metal to get left behind in the barrel, known as metal fouling.

Left in your barrel to accumulate, shot after shot, both types of fouling will ruin your shooting experience.

Other Ways Your Guns Get Dirty

On top of that, simply holding your gun makes it dirty. The oil and grime on your hands will transfer to your gun, making it gritty and greasy over time. You’ll have fingerprints covering your prized gun. It deserves to look nice.

Taking it outside also leads to additional elements, such as dirt, dust, and moisture that can accumulate on and inside your gun. Dirt or sand can get into the action or slide of your gun, preventing components from moving, and even stop your gun from shooting altogether.

Moisture, left unchecked, can cause rust faster than you think is possible. It’s important that you clean your guns regularly, and that you learn how to do it the right way, as you’ll likely need to clean it on the field at some point.

Why Gun Maintenance and Cleaning Are Important

There are many reasons why cleaning your gun is a vital part of shooting and gun ownership. Here are just a few.

Prevent Guns From Breaking

One of the biggest benefits of gun care and maintenance is that it keeps your firearms from breaking. When fouling accumulates or dirt and sand get into your gun, they can wreak havoc on vital components.

Fouling can lead to rust inside your gun’s barrel, chamber, ejector, and firing mechanisms. This can destroy accuracy and prevent feeding and firing from occurring. Essentially, your gun becomes unreliable, and using it becomes a gamble.

Cleaning your gun is cheap. All you need are some basic supplies and a few minutes of your time. If you can’t do that and your gun breaks, you may have to bring your firearm to a gunsmith for repairs. 

This can be much more expensive and take days, if not weeks, depending on how backed up they are. What’s the bigger inconvenience?

Safe Shooting

A dirty gun can be a dangerous gun. When it comes to a sport such as shooting, it doesn’t make sense to add unnecessary risk. But that’s what happens when using fouled, dirty firearms. 

A rusted firearm is more likely to fail to extract a used cartridge after taking a shot. If this happens, a live round can be forced into the cartridge, potentially causing a misfire or explosion.

On top of that, if you regularly practice shooting with a self-defense firearm, it’s vital that you keep it clean. If you are ever unfortunate enough to have to use it for self-defense, your life depends on the gun functioning properly.

Keep Firearms Functioning Optimally

If you are a hunter, you understand how important it is to have a reliable gun. After all, you may only get one shot to harvest the animal you are after.

Fouled barrels can destroy accuracy, making each shot unreliable. That’s the opposite of what you need when you are hunting. You should clean your gun before each hunt if you want to ensure accuracy.

Ensure Gun Longevity

Do you have an old gun that was passed down to you by your parents or grandparents? It’s a labor of love to keep guns long enough to share them with the next generation.

If you’d like to pass your firearms down to your kids or grandkids, ensure they last a long time by keeping them clean.

Understand How Your Gun Works

Cleaning your gun also gives you a better idea of how guns operate. Taking apart a firearm, cleaning each component, and reassembling it gives you an intimate understanding of your gun.

You’ll learn more about each component and how important it is to the use of your gun. It will give you an in-depth understanding of gun mechanics. All of this will make you a more proficient, knowledgeable shooter.

Develop a Deeper Appreciation for Shooting

When you build a habit of regular firearm cleaning and maintenance, you’ll enjoy a deeper appreciation for the sport of shooting and hunting as a whole. It’s important to be involved in the entire process.

It’s just like hunters who want to have a deeper appreciation for their food and a deeper connection with nature. They want to be involved in the process of food procurement, rather than relying completely on the grocery store, disconnected from the process. 

How Often Should You Clean Your Gun?

How often you clean your gun is a constant debate. Some swear that you should clean your gun after each use, while others think shooting out of a fouled barrel is actually better.

Each side of the argument has valid points. But when it comes down to it, you need to make the decision to be a responsible firearm owner. If you are a competitive shooter, you are already aware of the importance of constant gun cleaning and maintenance.

Think about the military or law enforcement. These men and women depend on their firearms every day. Without a reliable firearm, their lives are in danger.

How often do they clean their guns? Pretty much every time they use them. And these are some of the most experienced shooters in the country. Maybe they know a thing or two.

How to Clean Your Gun

The best gun maintenance is regular, knowledgeable maintenance. The more you care for your firearms, the more you’ll understand how to care for them, preserving their longevity.

Cleaning your gun isn’t hard; it just takes a few minutes. All you need is a few gun maintenance tools and cleaning supplies. You can even buy an entire cleaning kit for your type of gun.

A kit should include a cleaning rod, a handle to attach different brushes to, brass wire brushes, brass tips, cleaning patches, bore mops, and a pull cord. You’ll usually need to purchase a gun-specific cleaning solvent and lubricant separately.

Once you have your supplies, just follow this quick gun maintenance guide.

Step 1: Prepare and Gather

Before you start taking anything apart, make sure you are prepared. Choose a well-lit area with a good-sized table. Lay a mat over the top to protect the table from damage, grease, or cleaning chemicals. 

Have a tray or a few small bowls to store components in so nothing gets lost when you break down your gun. Have your cleaning supplies nearby.

Step 2: Disassemble Your Firearm

Your gun should already be completely unloaded. Always double-check to make sure your firearm is unloaded before attempting any cleaning or maintenance.

If you have your firearms operation manual, it’s best to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for breaking down a gun. Different types of guns have different components and may require different disassembly steps, like an AR-15 versus a 22 long rifle.

Step 3: Clean the Barrel

First, you can use a dry bore brush to push out large debris and fouling. You can then apply cleaning solvent to a patch, and attach it to your cleaning rod. 

Follow the instructions for your solvent, which may require letting it sit for 10 minutes. Continue to brush until no dirt is coming out. Run a dry patch through the barrel.

Step 4: Clean the Action

Take apart your action and give it a good scrubbing using a copper brush. Spray solvent onto each component of the action, ensuring full coverage, and let drip onto a towel or mat. 

Scrub with the brush again to remove the grime. Then wipe clean and dry with fresh cleaning patches.

Step 5: Lubricate

Once the action is clean, you’ll need to lubricate each piece. Using a firearm-specific lubricant, delicately apply a small amount to each place that experiences friction.

Lubricating your firearm is an art form. Too little lubricant will be ineffective, while too much is just as bad. Excess lubricant can actually attract debris and dirt, causing jams and other malfunctions.

Your owner’s manual should describe which parts to lubricate. 

Step 6: Reassemble 

Now that everything is clean and lubricated, you can reassemble your gun. Just reverse the process used to disassemble the gun. Follow your owner’s manual to ensure everything is assembled properly.

Once it’s put back together, you’ll want to rack the slide or bolt back a few times while the gun is unloaded. This helps ensure your gun is working and distributes lubrication throughout the action.

Step 7: Clean and Protect the Exterior

The last step of the cleaning process gives your gun a fresh look and a protective coating. Use a lint-free cloth and a silicone-based lubricant to wipe down the entire exterior of your firearm.

This will remove dirt, fingerprints, and oil buildup from sweat. It leaves it feeling nice and the coating will protect it from dust and moisture.

Storing Your Firearm

Properly storing your firearm is just as important as cleaning it. After all, you store your guns far more than you use them.

The best place to store a gun is inside a gun-specific safe. Safe’s work well to keep out dust and moisture, protecting your gun. You can also store silica gel beads inside your safe, which attracts moisture, protecting your guns from residual moisture in the air.

Safes also prevent inexperienced persons from accessing your firearms. If you have a family or live with others, you should have a gun safe. Always store ammunition in a separate location.

If you have expensive guns, you should consider safes that can withstand fires, floods, and hurricanes to ensure your investments are kept safe in any situation.

Save Money, Shoot More

You can’t drive a car for very long without changing the oil, servicing the engine, rotating the tires, or putting gas in the tank. In the same way, gun maintenance is vitally important for ensuring your guns last a long time and function the way you need them to.

There’s no point investing money into something if you aren’t willing to care for it. Cleaning your guns will save you frustration and money in the long run.

Looking for other ways to save money when it comes to shooting? Buying ammunition in bulk can save you quite a bit. 

We carry the most popular, most useful types of ammo and ship it fast. Plus, you can enjoy free shipping and 3% back on each order when you join our BulkMunitions Loyalty Rewards Club.

Join today so you can save money and shoot more.

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