General Cleaning Question..

[CBR Shadow 53]

I bought a Springfield XDm .45 and also a Sig Sauer Mosquito (for the wife) and we went shooting yesterday. Both guns are brand new. I've heard before of a 'break-in' period where you wait to clean them for a certain number of rounds.. We put about 80 rounds through the .45 and 250 rounds through the Sig .22. Should I wait to clean either or both of these? Anything else I need to know? Although I do have a few shotguns, these are my first handguns.

[storm6490 2,768]

I shoot a lot of .22 and find that you don't need to clean the barrel as much. The lead of the bullets creates a nice smooth finish. My target pistols are loose when I clean them and tighten up after about 100 rounds or so. I'd clean the weapon as usual but leave the barrel alone. Clean the feeding ramp and exterior of the barrel etc. If you have dust and lint in the barrel, you can run a snake down it without the brush on it. Just once will do. Using nitro solvent or any other cleaner will strip your barrel down to the metal on a .22 and most often it will loosen your group up.

 

As far as the .45 clean it as usual.

 

My most accurate .22 pistol gets the internals cleaned but i only strip the barrel when the rounds fail to seat properly.

[RobRez 1,895]

I always clean them after every use. I would think a dirty feed ramp could lead to a Non-feed issue. Never heard of dirt and grime being Good for any gun, personally. Usually you would clean it MORE often, if anything, as far as a "Break-in" period. Any type of metal being Worn down of Shaved off, is best removed ASAP.

[EMAN 12]

I clean my 1911 45's after everyuse. Thats just an opion & not a fact. Plus it just gives me somethin to do. Thanx for the post.

[yakdung 2,926]

I clean all of my guns after they have been shot.

 

Yakdung

[storm6490 2,768]

try not cleaning your target .22 next time you use it and see if the group improves. did it in scouts with a 40x and kicked ass. it was my secret. even in ft benning, we would clean our rifles and send a few rounds down range. they always shot better with a few down the pipe to cover any micro scratches.

[FORKLIFT352 63]

I clean them after every range trip.

Mostly because I average about 200 rounds per pistol.

[Dad2142Dad 6,559]

I have a Springfield XD .45 and also a Sig Sauer Mosquito (for the daughter). They get cleaned maybe every other time out shooting. I ran about 250 through the XD before cleaning it the first time. The Mosquito has yet to be cleaned, just about 50 rounds through it. Need to get her out back and run another 200 through it.

[CBR Shadow 53]

Thanks for the advice guys.. Another question.. Since these are my first handguns, what exactly needs to be cleaned on them? Anyone have a link to a video? Anyhting special I need to know?

[Dad2142Dad 6,559]

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[zenman223 460]

I shoot a lot of .22 and find that you don't need to clean the barrel as much. The lead of the bullets creates a nice smooth finish. My target pistols are loose when I clean them and tighten up after about 100 rounds or so. I'd clean the weapon as usual but leave the barrel alone. Clean the feeding ramp and exterior of the barrel etc. If you have dust and lint in the barrel, you can run a snake down it without the brush on it. Just once will do. Using nitro solvent or any other cleaner will strip your barrel down to the metal on a .22 and most often it will loosen your group up.

 

As far as the .45 clean it as usual.

 

My most accurate .22 pistol gets the internals cleaned but i only strip the barrel when the rounds fail to seat properly.

My dad bought a nice old .22 marlin rifle awhile back. He couldnt get the kind of groups he expected out of it. Having owned the same rifle way back he knew it should do much better. He was about ready to get rid of it when I asked if he had bothered to try cleaning REALLY good and stripping the lead out of the barrel. That thing was FULL of lead. After cleaning the groups were very impressive. So I suppose that may work for pistols but Ive seen first hand how to much lead fouling will cause a normally accurate .22 to shoot all over the place.

I will try that with the walther though, just to see for myself.

 

I have an XDM and I dont shoot alot of rounds at a time. Maybe 100 but I dont clean it everytime out either. I'll wipe the powder residue off the slide but this gun is NOT PICKY. No need to clean it everytime you shoot it. Of course theres no reason not to. I dont believe in any kind of break in for a gun like the XD. Its good to go out the box and probably last a 1000 rounds or more without cleaning. There like glocks only better!!

 

Also if you carry it you should take the slide off and blow out the lint every so often, mine is a lint magnet!!! and I imagine this could actually cause a problem.

[joebanda1213 59]

I never cleaned my xdm except before i sold it i put around 1000rds of monarch steal cased through it. Slide wouldnt always lock back after last round though

[MT Predator 2,294]

Its good to go out the box and probably last a 1000 rounds or more without cleaning. There like glocks only better!!

Without starting the Glock vs XD war, you are not supposed to touch a new Glock with solvent until 1000 rounds. Doesn't mean an XD is superior. Most name brand pistols like Springfields and Glocks really don't need much cleaning unless you don't want the black shit to get on your clothing. My buddy has a G17 "experiment pistol". He has literally thousands of rounds through it since it was new without touching it.

[MT Predator 2,294]

even in ft benning, we would clean our rifles and send a few rounds down range. they always shot better with a few down the pipe to cover any micro scratches.

Might have been a perception. Ever had to break in a precision rifle? You have to run a brush and patch through it after every round for a specific round count. I've had to do it with M21s and M82A1s is why I ask. This is what the accuracy of the weapon is based on, clean bore. Not lead/copper fouled rifling resulting in perfect groups. A .22lr pistol is not even close to a Military Carbine or Rifle as far as care, cleaning, or accuracy.

CBR, clean your pistols every time, every other time, or even some other time. They are both pistols of the non-target variety and you are not going to see a difference with a 500 round dirtied barrel vs a clean one.

Edited December 1, 2011 by MT Predator

[zenman223 460]

Its good to go out the box and probably last a 1000 rounds or more without cleaning. There like glocks only better!!

Without starting the Glock vs XD war, you are not supposed to touch a new Glock with solvent until 1000 rounds. Doesn't mean an XD is superior. Most name brand pistols like Springfields and Glocks really don't need much cleaning unless you don't want the black shit to get on your clothing. My buddy has a G17 "experiment pistol". He has literally thousands of rounds through it since it was new without touching it.

I hadnt heard that about the Glocks, I really dont think XD's are superior at all. Just joking. I do however prefer the XD but as far as I can tell they are fairly equal aside from ergonomics.

 

To the OP, MT is right clean it whenever you feel like it. It doesnt make much difference with a gun like the XD it will keep shooting.

[RED333 1,025]

There are 2 foes of a fire arm, rust and law makers.

I clean mine after Every time I shoot, hell sometimes I take one and clean it just for fun.

Yea I need a life, what of it

[EMAN 12]

I have that military precision carbine that I had special built AR-15,556 nato from Accurate here locally, I now Keith personally and he told me on the break in to swipe it once every 2nd shot for the 1st 100 round then it should be fine. Accurate originally was atool & die co. Now build Ar's for the local police &military! All over the U.S. If your not familiar with them you should look them up! They even do personal laser etchin on the rifles. Had some etchin done myswlf its cool!

[iarneau 44]

I clean mine after every use, I figure if they shot better with barrels full of lead at least one manufacturer in thousands would have figured this out by now and shipped guns full of lead.

I think if running bore snakes and brushes through guns harmed their performance it would be called "dirtying" the gun, not cleaning it. Right?

Edited December 1, 2011 by iarneau

[anthony1 5]

Everybodys got their own way. But honestly the whole break in procedure doesnt matter. Shoot it clean it whenever you want. l rarely ever clean the bores of my bolt guns l just wipe off the crown, bolt and swab out the chamber. I have bolt guns with thousands of rounds with no bore cleaning, still sub moa.