How Often Should You Clean Your Gun? A Veteran's Schedule for Every Firearm
How often to clean your gun depends on how you use it. Here is a simple schedule for range guns, carry pistols, AR-15s, hunting rifles, suppressed guns and guns in storage.
Ask ten shooters how often you should clean your gun and you will get ten answers. The real answer depends on how you use it: how much you shoot, what you shoot, where you carry it and how you store it. This guide gives you a simple schedule for every common situation, written by a combat veteran who has kept a lot of guns running.
Quick answer: Clean and lube your gun after every range session, and do a full deep clean every 500 to 1,000 rounds. Carry guns need a wipe-down and re-lube every week or two because of lint and sweat. Guns in storage need a wipe-down and fresh coat of CLP every 60 to 90 days.
Gun Cleaning Schedule by Use
| How you use the gun | Quick clean and re-lube | Full deep clean |
|---|---|---|
| Range and training gun | After every range trip | Every 500 to 1,000 rounds |
| Everyday carry pistol | Every 1 to 2 weeks, and after any range trip | Every 1 to 3 months |
| Home defense gun | Monthly check and wipe-down | After every time you shoot it |
| AR-15 | After every range trip (bolt carrier group) | Every 500 to 1,000 rounds |
| Suppressed rifle or pistol | After every range trip | More often than unsuppressed, every few hundred rounds |
| Hunting rifle or shotgun | After every hunt, especially in rain or snow | Before and after each season |
| Gun in long-term storage | Wipe-down every 60 to 90 days | Before it goes into storage |
Quick Clean vs Deep Clean
Quick clean (10 to 15 minutes)
- Field strip
- Run a few CLP patches through the bore
- Wipe carbon off the bolt or slide, breech face and feed ramp
- Re-lube the contact points with CLP
- Wipe a light film on exterior metal
Deep clean (30 to 60 minutes)
- Everything in the quick clean, plus:
- Soak baked-on carbon with carbon cleaner and scrub it out
- Brush the bore until patches come out clean
- Clean hard-to-reach spots like the AR-15 star chamber, extractor and firing pin channel area
- Inspect springs, extractor and other wear parts
For step-by-step instructions, see What Is CLP and How to Use It, How to Clean an AR-15 with CLP and How to Clean a Glock.
Clean It Right Away When...
No matter what the schedule says, clean your gun the same day if:
- It got wet. Rain, snow, sweat or humidity can start rust within hours.
- You shot corrosive ammo. Some surplus ammunition leaves corrosive salts that cause rust fast. Those salts dissolve in water, so they need a water-based cleaning step before you lube with CLP.
- It got dropped in dirt, mud or sand. Grit in the action wears parts and causes malfunctions.
- You ran it suppressed. Suppressors push much more carbon back into the action. See How to Clean a Suppressor.
- It is a defensive gun you just shot. A gun you rely on for protection should always go back into service clean and lubed.
Signs Your Gun Needs Cleaning
- The action feels gritty or sluggish when you rack it
- You see heavy black buildup on the bolt, slide or breech face
- Failures to feed, extract or return to battery
- Patches come out black after a single pass
- Accuracy drops off for no other reason
- You see orange spots or a dull haze on bare metal (early rust)
If your gun is jamming, read Why Does My Gun Keep Jamming?
Can You Clean a Gun Too Much?
Cleaning itself will not hurt your gun, but bad technique can. Avoid these mistakes:
- Scrubbing the bore with a steel brush. Use bronze or nylon bore brushes.
- Letting the cleaning rod rub the muzzle. Clean from the chamber end when you can, or use a muzzle guard to protect the crown.
- Over-scraping hard carbon. Let solvent soak instead of grinding parts down.
- Over-lubricating. Excess oil attracts dirt and creates sludge. A thin coat is enough on most parts.
Guns in Storage
A gun you are not shooting still needs attention. Clean it fully before it goes into storage, wipe a light coat of CLP over the metal, and check it every 60 to 90 days. Keep your safe between 40 and 50 percent humidity. See How to Keep Guns from Rusting in a Safe.
Getting a rifle ready for hunting season? Use our Hunting Rifle Cleaning Checklist.
FAQ
Do I need to clean my gun after every use?
You should at least do a quick clean and re-lube after every range session. It takes about 10 minutes and keeps carbon from baking on. A full deep clean can wait until you hit 500 to 1,000 rounds.
How often should I clean my carry gun if I do not shoot it?
Every 1 to 2 weeks. Carry guns pick up pocket lint, dust and sweat even when they are never fired, and sweat causes rust.
How many rounds before I need to clean my AR-15?
Re-lube the bolt carrier group after every range trip, and plan a full clean every 500 to 1,000 rounds, or sooner if you shoot suppressed.
Is it bad to leave a gun dirty?
For a few days, usually not, as long as it is dry. The longer carbon sits, the harder it bakes on, and moisture trapped under fouling can lead to rust.
What is the fastest way to clean a gun?
Use CLP. It cleans, lubricates and protects in one step, so a routine clean takes about 10 minutes.
Make staying on schedule easy: keep a 4 oz CLP pump sprayer in your range bag and an 8 oz CLP trigger spray on your bench, or grab everything in the Essential Gun Care Kit Bundle.