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Should I clean my gun before I go to the range?

SimonRL

SimonRL

Ronin
I know we’ve discussed this point to death and I apologize ahead of time for bringing it up again. Recently we had a thread going where we touched on this and one member commented that he’d never seen a gun with brown packing grease in it ever.

I picked up a new VP9SK today and when I brought it home to clean it, sure enough HK had done their signature grease job. This is typical for their guns and when it’s applied thin enough, as in the picture of the slide, it looks like lube. As you can see from the pic of the frame it obviously is not. So even if you’ve never had any problems taking a brand new gun straight out of the box and firing it, it is probably worth popping the slide off and having a look at what’s waiting for you.

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I always clean before a range day, as you know I am a fan of Glock, yea I said it, when new they come with that bronze paste on the slide rails and such, even though they say not clean it off, I lightly do clean that area and lightly oil it also. I have little to no faith in the factory oil or grease, but this is me.
 
Almost every firearm I've bought new has been shot without cleaning them first.

There's a ton of myths surrounding firearms that most people believe because of what they've heard over the years.

I'll typically run a box of ammo through whatever factory new firearm I'm shooting then I'll take it home for cleaning.

Unless you're buying old mil-surplus firearms caked in cosmoline I don't see what issue you may have shooting a new firearm without cleaning it first besides a possible FTF due to lack of lubrication.

I do clean my firearms after each range session and they are all stored well lubed.
 
10mmLife said:
Almost ever firearm I've bought new has been shot without cleaning them first.

There's a ton of myths surrounding firearms that most people believe because of what they've heard over the years.

I'll typically run a box of ammo through whatever factory new firearm I'm shooting then I'll take it home for cleaning.

Unless you're buying old mil-surplus firearms caked in cosmoline I don't see what issue you may have shooting a new firearm without cleaning it first besides a possible FTF due to lack of lubrication.

I do clean my firearms after each range session and they are all stored well lubed.
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Yea, but do yeets count? 😬😬😬😬
 
SimonRL said:
I know we’ve discussed this point to death and I apologize ahead of time for bringing it up again. Recently we had a thread going where we touched on this and one member commented that he’d never seen a gun with brown packing grease in it ever.

I picked up a new VP9SK today and when I brought it home to clean it, sure enough HK had done their signature grease job. This is typical for their guns and when it’s applied thin enough, as in the picture of the slide, it looks like lube. As you can see from the pic of the frame it obviously is not. So even if you’ve never had any problems taking a brand new gun straight out of the box and firing it, it is probably worth popping the slide off and having a look at what’s waiting for you.

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What's that red stuff on the RSA ?
 
I’ve never purchased a used gun but that being said if a new or used purchase it would be cleaned, oiled and inspected before and after shooting then oiled again if it sat……..
(a month or more) before shooting again.
Nothing more important than pease of mind.
 
As with most things, everyone has their own opinion on this. I always clean and lubricate any new firearm that I purchase before I shoot it.

I like to assess the condition of the firearm and get acquainted with it while it's still new just to see if there is any obvious defect that the manufacturer missed.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think I've ever found a brand new firearm really dirty, but I have found some that were delivered completely dry, without even a spec of lube. I have found some with a few copper flecks from the test firing and naturally they aren't white glove clean, but I've never found one with any debris from the manufacturing process inside. Realistically they probably weren't dirty enough to require cleaning, but they were dry enough that they needed some lubrication. Like with anything mechanical, the first time it is used is the first time when all of the new parts will be interacting with each other and it's important that they aren't running dry

That is the main reason I disassemble and lubricate my new firearms, because I would rather take the time and make sure that they were lubricated before I shoot them. Then again after they are shot they are cleaned and lubed again, no matter if it's 25 rounds or 250.
 
Bassbob said:
What's that red stuff on the RSA ?
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Manufacturers use different colors on RSA's to differentiate which spring for the gun they're assembling is the right one for that gun. It comes off easily with a cleaning. I clean and lube any new gun before it's shot, after every range trip or training, and inspect monthly for touchup clean and lube when it's not shot. Something my Dad ingrained in me.

Edit to correct auto correct
 
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For me, new acquisitions get a thorough cleaning and then after every range session.

This discussion brings to mind a friend I had in Tucson. He was bald as a billiard ball and took great delight in reminding me in front of my co-workers "Bob, God made male hormones for two reasons - if you choose to grow hair with yours, that's your business".
 
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