Being too cheap may well cost you in the end

[brewster]

I'm not an expert on this issue, but I would think that you should take the rounds out of a reveolver every few months and give the cyliders a quick swabbing, and lubricate the gun according to the manufacturer's instructions. I would also use a terry cloth to give the rounds a quick 2 second wipe before sicking them back in.

I agree with you that a revolver at a constant temperature has a much better tolerance for this than an auto because of the springs. I would also bet that you could leave it in there for years without a problem, but since we all have down time (commercials during football games) to squeeze in some maintenance, why not? Plus, it never hurts to bond with your baby every now and then.

[dehalter]

I always run my carry loads through for good measure. But the article below says different.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot39.htm

[KD5NRH]

I'm not an expert on this issue, but I would think that you should take the rounds out of a reveolver every few months and give the cyliders a quick swabbing, and lubricate the gun according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I would tend to think that you should *shoot* the gun often enough that you never have to clean it just because it's been too long since you last cleaned it.

Imagine trying to explain to a martial arts instructor that you wash your gi every couple of months so that it doesn't get too dusty hanging in the closet.

[brewster]

I would tend to think that you should *shoot* the gun often enough that you never have to clean it just because it's been too long since you last cleaned it.
Imagine trying to explain to a martial arts instructor that you wash your gi every couple of months so that it doesn't get too dusty hanging in the closet.

No argument there, perhaps the context of my suggestion was missed. Many recommend a light cleaning every month or so for optimal reliability/performance whether the gun has been fired or not, to ensure that it's in tip-top shape. Dust can accumulate, etc. depending on how its stored. Since all of us have anywhere from 1-500 guns each , I can't assume how many guns George has, nor can I assume that he can shoot them all at certain intervals that could justify a full cleaning. At the end of the day, how often he fires his guns may depend on the number he owns, his available time, and financial condition to buy ammo for his 1-500 guns. I profess to know none of these things about him, hence my suggestion to give it a quick swabbing every now and then for peace of mind in the absence of a full cleaning, even during commercials during football if necessary. With all of that said, I think I full cleaning of an unfired gun is excessive, unless it's been sitting around for a good while, but for his peace of mind I think I swabbing the gun and using a terry cloth on his rounds is at least a solid suggestion.

[propellerhead]

OP did a primer test in the box of truth. He found that while primers can be affected by gun-cleaners, it does not happen easily.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot39.htm

I've never personnally had a problem with carry ammo going bad on me, but I do try to change out carry ammo once per year. I understand that law enforcement changes out carry ammo every 6 months to 1 year.

I always run my carry loads through for good measure. But the article below says different.

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot39.htm

He put a lot of oil on the primer for up to a 6 week period and called it "worst case scenario". He didn't try it with just a drop of oil for 6 months. I don't know if that would get him different results.

Either way, I typically shoot my carry ammo after six months. That's why I like Winchester Ranger SXTs. They cost much less than most popular carry ammo.

[JohnKSa]

There's another reason not to lubricate the chamber. The brass is supposed to "seal" against the chamber walls at the instant that the gun is fired. For a tiny portion of time, the brass actually functions as part of the gun. That seal and the friction between the chamber and brass cartridge is good for the gun--reducing it will put more stress on the parts of the gun that lock the slide to the barrel.

The chamber should be clean but not lubricated at all.

[NcongruNt]

There's another reason not to lubricate the chamber. The brass is supposed to "seal" against the chamber walls at the instant that the gun is fired. For a tiny portion of time, the brass actually functions as part of the gun. That seal and the friction between the chamber and brass cartridge is good for the gun--reducing it will put more stress on the parts of the gun that lock the slide to the barrel.

The chamber should be clean but not lubricated at all.

I'm going to have to disagree, at least in part. While the chamber shouldn't be sloppy with oil, I don't see a real problem with having a slight bit of oil in there from a previously cleaning. On semi-autos, I don't think there's some super-tight seal created when firing that would be interfered with by a little oil residue. The cartridge has to be free to move rearward to extract and eject. In the straight blowback design (most SA pistols in 9mm Makarov and smaller), the rearward movement of the casing as it's fired is the sole force that moves the slide and ejects the empty casing. There is no barrel locking to interfere with in a straight blowback design. On a lugged/tilting design, I don't really see how oil is going to change the wear on the lugging, as the casing is pushing rearwards housing for the firing pin, which is attached to the slide. As the action of the slide is what is doing the work, and the movement of the cartridge is necessary for everything else to occur, I fail to see how a little bit of oil residue in the chamber is going to change things. Perhaps I'm missing out on some critical factor in the mechanics of a lugged barrel system. If so, please feel free to correct me.

All that said, if there is some slight extra wear factor associated with any oil at all being in the chamber, it would only last for the first round (or maybe two) before it's gone anyhow. I don't see how it would do any noticeable wear on a gun. You're likely to put more stress on the gun putting a mag or two of +P rounds through your gun every few months.

As for revolvers, non-SA shotguns, and bolt-action rifles, this would make no difference at all.

[JohnKSa]

If you have a gun with a rough chamber you can see exactly how "super-tight" the seal is by looking at the brass.

Your comment about it being like shooting +P through the gun is probably pretty close to the truth. It's worth remembering that not all guns are rated for +P, particularly when you start looking at some of the smaller carry type guns.

The effect is more force against the breechface and it will affect any gun. Non-semi-autos are less likely to be damaged by it, but it's not accurate to say that they won't be affected at all.

[Liko81]

Many recommend a light cleaning every month or so for optimal reliability/performance whether the gun has been fired or not, to ensure that it's in tip-top shape. Dust can accumulate, etc. depending on how its stored.

Hell, two weeks in an IWB or pocket holster can result in so much lint the gun could fail. I clean my gun (solvent, brush, the whole deal) every time I fire it, and I swab it out every two weeks if I haven't fired it. Now this is just the one gun I fire and carry most often, and the only one I leave available for a problem arises; those of you with collections or multiple carry guns may find that to be too time-consuming.

As for ammo, I buy Federal 124-gr HydraShoks, probably like many here, and every month or so I fire off the oldest of the 2 clips I keep loaded, basically rotating stock. It's part of the expense of owning a defensive handgun, like the cleaning supplies and other maintenance. If you're not willing to test-fire your defense rounds, your gun is little more than a target shooter and you'd be better off treating it as such.

[dukalmighty]

Is the +p round actually hotter or is that just a body function that happens with stronger recoils