re: How often do you clean your guns?

Every time a round flies through it.

Depends on how much copper fouling is building up. It will stabilize but eventually it will build up to a point that you will have to remove all the fouling. If you clean regularly and properly, you condition the bore such that regular cleaning will have no impact on accuracy and precision. You basically lap the bore slowly with each outing.

Every time I go to the range. Unfortunately, that does not occur enough.

quote:

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i dont understand the concept of cleaning them every time. I was raised to treat my guns as tools.

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Me too, but I was raised to keep my tools clean.

Every shooting session I have I clean them and as needed every so often for good measure (keep moisture off).

Like others have said, it depends on the gun and it's use.
Deer rifles/handguns/shotguns: Clean bore at the end of the season.
Varmint rifles/handguns: These guns get shot more so they get cleaned more often. Usually clean them when accuracy starts to drop off. OTOH, on a prairie dog hunting trip I'll clean the bore w/ "Wipe Out" at night after the days shoot.
22 LR: Bore/action get cleaned if accuracy or function deteriorate.
Carry handguns: Clean the bore after each shoot. Wipe down the exterior every few weeks.

All hunting guns get the exterior wiped down after exposure to bad weather.

ETA: When cleaning a rifle or handgun, do yourself a big favor and use a proper fitting bore guide and single piece cleaning rod. Prolly more guns have been ruined by having the bore cleaned by well-meaning, but poorly equipped, gun owners.

Every 1000 rounds or so


That is about once per year for handguns and once every other year for AR15s/AKs

After every range trip for handguns and rifles. With shotguns, I usually clean them after a weekend of hunting.

Yearly most years.