Why Cleaning Your Gun is Important

There are many reasons why people own and use firearms regularly. Many use their guns for sport. Sport can include hunting in order to provide your own food. It can also include competitive shooting.

Many own firearms for self-defense. Although they hope to never use it this way, they need to use their guns regularly in controlled environments, like a gun range, in order to stay practiced.

Wondering why you should clean your gun? And when to clean your gun? That’s exactly what we cover below. Keep reading to understand the importance of gun cleaning.

Why You Need to Clean Your Gun

Gun cleaning is extremely important to the proper function of your firearm. Regular cleaning maximizes the lifespan of your gun. If you’d like to keep your guns in proper, working condition for many decades and pass them down to the next generation, then keep them clean.

Cleaning also ensures your guns work reliably. If you never clean and lubricate your firearms, you can’t expect them to be accurate. Buildup inside the barrel occurs over time with regular shooting, caused by the explosion of the bullet.

This residual buildup can also cause your gun to jam, failing to fire a bullet when pressing the trigger. This can be annoying on the range, or it could mean missing your only shot when hunting. It can even be fatal if this were to happen in a self-defense situation.

Without cleaning and basic maintenance, you’ll also experience other gun failures causing you to have to replace parts of your firearm or take it to a gunsmith for repair. Your gun may rust in different places, such as in the barrel or action of your firearm.

Your gun may fail to feed the next bullet into the chamber. Or it may fail to eject the spent casing after a shot.

Keeping your guns in working condition isn’t the only benefit of cleaning your firearms. Here are a few other reasons why cleaning your gun is important regularly.

1. Increase Your Firearm Knowledge

When you take the time to disassemble your firearms, clean each piece, and reassemble it, you’ll have a much deeper understanding of how guns work. You’ll be intimately acquainted with your specific firearms and have a wider knowledge of firearms in general.

Having this knowledge will make you a more effective shooter, a better hunter, and a more competent gun owner. It will also increase your sense of ownership and responsibility when it comes to owning and using firearms.

2. Increase Safety

The increased sense of ownership and responsibility will also translate to better safety practices. Those who understand how firearms work are more likely to treat firearms safely on and off the range.

Plus, they are less likely to experience dangerous events, such as internal explosions in your gun or inaccurate shots.

3. Understanding Proper Lubrication

One of the most important aspects of maintaining your firearms and shooting consistently is lubricating your guns. Regular cleaning and lubricating will help you find the perfect balance of lubrication.

Too much will cause lubricants to get into parts of the gun it doesn’t belong. This excess oil will attract particles, dust, and debris like glue. Too little lubricant, however, will lead to too much friction when firing, ruining your shots.

When You Need to Clean Your Gun

When you clean your guns is dependent on many factors; how much you use it, what you use it for, how it’s stored, how old or new it is, how expensive it is, and more.

Some people clean their guns after each use. They use their guns frequently and understand the importance of regular cleaning. Cleaning saves money in the form of replacement parts or repairs.

The more you clean, the faster you’ll get. Regular gun cleaners also view this as part of the hobby itself. It can be an almost meditative experience.

Others clean their weapons every few months. They may not use them as much. And when they do, they don’t shoot as many rounds. These are the casual gun users, going to the range once in a while to brush up on their skills or hunting every now and then.

If you use your guns regularly, or if you use your guns outside where there are more dirt and humidity, you should clean them more often. If you shoot a few dozen rounds a month, you can get by only cleaning it a few times each year.

How to Clean a Gun Properly

All guns have similar functions and parts. If you are familiar with cleaning one type of gun, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to clean a totally different one.

However, you should always consult your firearms owner’s manual. This will show you specifically how to take your gun apart and clean it in the most effective way possible.

To get started, you’ll need to gather supplies. It helps to have a gun cleaning kit sized for your firearm type; rifle, handgun, or shotgun.

Always make sure your gun is completely unloaded. Remember to never point the gun at yourself or another person, even when cleaning.

Grab a container that you can store small, loose parts in to prevent misplacement. Disassemble and clean the weapon, per the owner’s manual or cleaning kit guidelines.

Once you finish cleaning each part, make sure to lubricate your gun to prevent corrosion. Ensure your firearm is assembled properly by testing it in a safe environment before using the firearm in the field.