Cleaning Traditional Wood & Steel Rifles

[wmg1299]

Since I first began shooting, it has been drilled into my head that guns should be cleaned after every range session. I recently traded for a Ruger Mini Thirty made in 1995. I took it out for a 75-round range session using Igmon brass-cased ammo and Monarch steel-cased ammo. When breaking down and cleaning the rifle, I was surprised by how clean the trigger assembly and bolt assembly looked.

I started researching the cleaning habits of other users on a Ruger forum, and was surprised to learn that many shooters simply wipe down the visible parts of the gun and run a bore snake through the barrel after shooting. A sizable percentage of shooters on the forum stated that they only clean their Mini-14 or Mini Thirty rifles once a year, or every 500-1000 rounds fired. Their reason for this is that frequent removal of the firing assembly from a wood stock can wear down the wood and lead to poor fitting.

While the idea of not cleaning after every range session goes against every fiber of my being, I wonder if these shooters have a point. Both my Mini-14 and Mini Thirty have wooden stocks, and I would hate to wear them out prematurely with unnecessary cleaning. Have any of you who frequently shoot “wood & steel” rifles adopted this practice of wiping down visible surfaces instead of preforming a full disassembly for cleaning? Is this practice something you have heard of before?

 

[TEXASforLIFE]

Any that I have aren't semi-autos and the BA cleaning shouldn't require to remove it from the stock. At least I never have. I've only seen a mini30 once about 30+ years ago and don't remember much about it? It's interesting for sure on their outlook on necessary cleaning.

 

[wmg1299]

Any that I have aren't semi-autos and the BA cleaning shouldn't require to remove it from the stock. At least I never have. I've only seen a mini30 once about 30+ years ago and don't remember much about it? It's interesting for sure on their outlook on necessary cleaning.

I found their advice interesting as well. While it is necessary to remove the stock for a full cleaning, I haven't found a definite answer on how often the rifle needs to be fully cleaned. I downloaded the User Manual for the Pre-2004 Mini Thirty from Ruger's website. I was expecting a specific round count or time period to be listed for cleaning, but the manual just stated:

"At regular intervals, or whenever the rifle has been exposed to sand, dust, extreme humidity, condensation, immersion in water, or other adverse conditions, disassemble, clean and oil it. Proper periodic maintenance is essential to the reliable functioning of any firearm."

The explanation in Ruger's manual didn't do much to clear things up for me. An estimated round count or definition of "proper periodic maintenance" would have been much more helpful.

 

[TEXASforLIFE]

I found their advice interesting as well. While it is necessary to remove the stock for a full cleaning, I haven't found a definite answer on how often the rifle needs to be fully cleaned. I downloaded the User Manual for the Pre-2004 Mini Thirty from Ruger's website. I was expecting a specific round count or time period to be listed for cleaning, but the manual just stated:

"At regular intervals, or whenever the rifle has been exposed to sand, dust, extreme humidity, condensation, immersion in water, or other adverse conditions, disassemble, clean and oil it. Proper periodic maintenance is essential to the reliable functioning of any firearm."

The explanation in Ruger's manual didn't do much to clear things up for me. An estimated round count or definition of "proper periodic maintenance" would have been much more helpful.

Like most things it's a judgment call. Knowing your weapons and their individual needs. I have a few guns I haven't cleaned in years and they function and shoot well.

 

[Bassbob]

I am not really familiar with the mini 14, but if doing it properly you can't remove the trigger group without causing damage it's a design flaw, which I seriously doubt is the case.

That said I think the trigger assembly is the part of the gun that needs the least amount of attention/cleaning. I am like You. I clean my stuff thoroughly after each use. But I don't necessarily completely strip them down every time I clean them. For example, I have a Mossberg 500 that I have had for 30-ish years and put literally tens of thousands of rounds through. I've had the trigger assembly out twice. In fact I don't even remove the bolt every time I clean it. I spray it with CLP and wipe down what I can reach with rags and Q-tips.

 

[Keystone19250]

I will say this the owners manual of my M1A says not to disassemble the gun to often as doing so will effect accuracy and although I’ve developed a process to clean the rifle after shooting a limited amount of rounds without taking it apart I firmly believe that it would take 1000’s of disassemblies to cause major issues.

 

[10mmLife]

Since I first began shooting, it has been drilled into my head that guns should be cleaned after every range session. I recently traded for a Ruger Mini Thirty made in 1995. I took it out for a 75-round range session using Igmon brass-cased ammo and Monarch steel-cased ammo. When breaking down and cleaning the rifle, I was surprised by how clean the trigger assembly and bolt assembly looked.

I started researching the cleaning habits of other users on a Ruger forum, and was surprised to learn that many shooters simply wipe down the visible parts of the gun and run a bore snake through the barrel after shooting. A sizable percentage of shooters on the forum stated that they only clean their Mini-14 or Mini Thirty rifles once a year, or every 500-1000 rounds fired. Their reason for this is that frequent removal of the firing assembly from a wood stock can wear down the wood and lead to poor fitting.

While the idea of not cleaning after every range session goes against every fiber of my being, I wonder if these shooters have a point. Both my Mini-14 and Mini Thirty have wooden stocks, and I would hate to wear them out prematurely with unnecessary cleaning. Have any of you who frequently shoot “wood & steel” rifles adopted this practice of wiping down visible surfaces instead of preforming a full disassembly for cleaning? Is this practice something you have heard of before?

If you have concerns for your Mini-14 stock you could always buy a replacement for short money from Midway USA.

Ruger Rifle Stock Assembly Wood Recoil Pad Liner Ruger Mini-14

This is an original factory replacement part. Factory replacement parts are manufactured to the exact same specifications and tolerances and use the...

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A much nicer option is the Walnut folding stock from Samson but it costs $325.00 though it's well worth the money. I have multiple stocks for my Mini-14 ranch rifle including the factory polymer and wood versions, Samson folder, & Archangel Sparta. The Sparta stock is a waste of money and I wouldn't recommend it. I keep my Mini-14 full-time in the Samson folder. I'll end up with a Mini-30 at some point.

A-TM Folding Stock for the Ruger® Mini-14® and Mini Thirty®

Check out the deal on A-TM Folding Stock for the Ruger® Mini-14® and Mini Thirty® at Samson Manufacturing

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