When should I clean my gun?
 

Hello :kt: Nother newbie question...

I will be shooting today without my dad. He dropped off his 243 yesterday and I'm taking her out for the first time today. Should I be cleaning the gun when I'm done shooting it?

I just want to make sure I'm caring for it properly so it shoots well every time I take it out and I want dad to know that I am taking care of his guns so that he can trust me with the proper care that the gun deserves. My guess <and I'm guessing> is that I should. I will be at my BIL and will have him help me if I need to be cleaning it cuz I don't have a gun cleaning kit but he does.

So. Should a gun be cleaned after it's fired, even just once?

Thanks for all the help thus far! You all have been so good to me. :arms:

One thing is for sure...it sure won't HURT it to clean it!

I always clean my rifle really good before I go to the range, and then when I get it shooting perfect I run a lightly oiled patch thru it and Im ready to hunt.

The only time I do not clean my weapons after firing them is right before I hunt in extremely cold temperatures. My weapons are all sighted in and remain that way and should if you purchase a quality scope so I don/t have to "sight in" every year. I do shoot often however and clean my weapon every time. If I am going to hunt extremely cold weather I fire 2 shots out of a clean and "lightly" oiled weapon. I then run a patch down the barrel and wipe any excess oil off from the action and every wear else mechanical movement occurs.

It has a 3x9 scope on it already. :) Dad says it's pretty much sighted in but I'll see for myself.

Thank you all so much for the speedy replies!

I clean my guns after every range session, you can pick up a cleaning kit at Walmart or just about any sporting good store that carries hunting gear. If your cleaning kit does not come with one you will need a bronze brush, appropriate sized patches, bore solvent and some oil. Whenever possible you should always clean from the chamber and not from the muzzle. Don't buy cheapo steel cleaning rod, get brass. Any other questions just hit the search button up at the top and type in gun cleaning.

Probably as many opinions on this as there are types of guns!

Here's the way I would approach that. For this time, clean the gun after so Dad knows you're caring for it. That's probably the most important thing here. Then, when you return it, ask him if that's what he would have wanted.

If you're gonna be using his gun, you're gonna need to use his rules. When you get your own, then you'll need to decide for yourself what process you're gonna go through with cleaning and when.

I clean my gun each time I shoot. If it is just a shot or two, I simply run a bore snake through it. Very simple, and literally takes seconds. If I have been shooting a good bit more, I will get all the goods out and clean her up real nice.

If you are setting a Scope you should run a rod and barrel brush everytime you shoot until the scope is set, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE NO BULLETS IN IT !

I would not clean it unless I had a one piece cleaning rod with a bore guide to prevent damaging the lands and ruining accuracy.
If it's a stainess gun, I would just wipe it down after shooting it with a soft lightly oiled cloth, same with a blued steel model for that matter.
Tipton carbon cleaning rods are the finest I've ever owned as a tip for all you guys looking for a good one. ;)
They're available at Midway. :)
When you spin the ball bearing handle on a Tipton and feel how comfortable it is in your hand, you will not want anything less. ;)