how often

[fogreddogg]

So, how often do others clean their XCR?  I have mine chambered in 7.62, so the ammo is somewhat cheap.  But I clean it pretty thoroughly after each day of shooting,  and it gets grimy after only a maybe 50/75 rounds.  By grimy I mean that there is a decent amount of powder residue on the inner workings.

What are others doing?

[Bravo]

On another site, I logged how many shots were fired through my first XCR, from the time I received it until people agreed it was reliable LOL!

I want to say it was upwards of 3000 or so.

Oh yeah, and I didn't lube it either during that time. But mine are all in 5.56, so there may be some difference.....

[DSM]

I clean mine after every range trip, be it 5 or 500 rounds.  Cleaning isn't just about cleaning, it's also part of your preventive maintenance--catch a problem before it becomes a problem.  For testing limits and what not like Bravo was doing it's nice to know the rifle will run for extended periods with little maintenance but it's not a habit to get into, in my humble opinion of course.  It's rugged for when you can't get to it, but why wear it down if you don't need to?  Lube and regular firing "goo" and carbon will attract dirt, sand or other grit and that's what's grinding away on your internals. 

From Roger's Rangers standing orders, circa 1759.  This order was important enough to be second only to "Don't forget nothing".  Maybe they knew a little something back then?   


Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute's warning.

[Bravo]

DOH!

Yeah, I should have mentioned that. I was addressing the NEED of cleaning, and forgot to add in the second half.

I clean the 'inactive' rifles once per year, and coat liberally with CLP (it's a great anti-corrosive). The things I fire, I keep clean as they're used. As was mentioned, it's good to know what's going on inside the machine.

Although I have to say, my XCR functioned just fine with a broken firing pin......

[Lizardman]

An article in American Rifleman discussed this in quite a bit of depth.

Back in the 1700's they used black powder which was very dirty and corrosive when burned.  So, the standing practise was to clean and oil per use.

But, once smokeless powder was developed cleaning per use is not always necessary unless you live in humid environments or use corrosive ammo.  Or if you have an AR-15 or one of its variants.

In fact, they found that you actually degrade the accuracy of the weapon.  In other words, the rifles became more accurate after being fired for a dozen or more rounds and remained that way up until 500-1000 rounds.  The powder residue is basically like graphite, sealing and lubing the barrel.

After all of this, it does not excuse you from regular inspection and maint.

[LurpyGeek]

I'm with the above...

I clean after each use.  My carry piece gets cleaned at least monthly even if it hasn't been fired (that's not the case very often).

May not be necessary and I know it can take more abuse, but if I pay that much for something, I plan to take decent care of it.

[DSM]

In fact, they found that you actually degrade the accuracy of the weapon.  In other words, the rifles became more accurate after being fired for a dozen or more rounds and remained that way up until 500-1000 rounds.  The powder residue is basically like graphite, sealing and lubing the barrel.

Kind of like the M16's we didn't have to clean, huh?   

Yes, improperly overcleaning your firearm can do a lot of damage.  Using really powerful solvents can do a number after awhile too, especially in the bore. 

The regimens for cleaning are as varied as there are shooters and you'll find each swear by them too.  I don't proclaim one method over another.  My thinking is that if there isn't a need to have a dirty rifle then why do it?  There is water vapor present in those gases and buried under caked carbon can do some bad things.  (Shoot a suppressor on a humid day and you'll know what supressor goo is!)  So, you'll never hear me say a bad thing about any other method as there are some that think mine are just as as goofy!

[marrandy]

I clean and pull through after every shoot with CLP cleaning the exterior and interior and check it thoroughly.

I don't want carbon to build-up to hide stuff under it and stay on top of anything that appears, specially in the barrel.

I use a Hawkeye boroscope to verify the inside of my barrels.

I also use Remington 40-X bore cleaner, Sweets & Hoppes 9 but I haven't had to use them much, yet.