How often should I clean my carry gun?

[jchristian79]

I'm now one week in to cc'ing and I'm already starting to have questions as I figure things out.

My main question has to do with maintaining my carry gun. I have an XD9SC that I've been carrying everyday, all day in a CBST. I've noticed though, that at the end of the day my gun has lint all over it (slide, trigger, etc.). I've torn it down and have seen lint inside the muzzle of the barrel and just a tiny bit inside the ejection port. It's definitely not a ton, but it's enough that over time, I could see it building up inside the gun.

I have been carrying it fully loaded and chamber, and have not unloaded it all week. My plan to this point was to do that and then unload and reload it once a week and then field strip and clean it once a month.

Now having seen the lint starting to show, I'm rethinking that plan. How often do you clean your carry gun? And how often do you unload and reload it? Every day? Few days?

[BUZ124]

Originally Posted by jchristian79

My plan to this point was to do that and then unload and reload it once a week and then field strip and clean it once a month.

A wipe down once a week can only help

[omarimoe]

i normally clean my carry gun once a week, if i go to the range i clean it when i get home and then once at the end of the week unless its around the same day. its probably more then needed but i like my stuff clean. i usually unload my mags around the same time wipe them down. once a month ill break down my mags and clean the insides of them.

[Keltyke]

I field strip and clean any time I shoot more than 1 mag (14 rounds).

[Khclarkson]

Like said before, I always clean mine after a trip to the range. However, if not, then I clean mine once a week. Field strip it, clean the barrel, rub the gun down and oil it. Then I unload and reload usually every few days.

[SpringerFan]

Every 2-3 weeks. I did let it build up for a few months once just to see how my xdsc9 would perform caked with lint. 150 flawless rounds as usual. Not endorsing this practice, but they aren't called extreme duty for nothin.

[pitandxd]

I try and shoot rounds through my EDC's at least once a week and they get cleaned after any action at the range. Thus, usually once a week but for wiped down daily when I get home. I'm a little OCD with my firearms.

[Chadwick]

I too get lint build up but it's always on the outside of the gun rather than internal. I switched from oil to grease (frog lube) as the oil would just run its way out of the gun after a while and the grease stays put. I see that most people over oil their gun. It's should not be dripping all over the place rather than a slight sheen should be visible on the moving parts. To much ends up attracting dirt and can cause a failure to fire.

[Ocean82]

I've gone 3 months of carrying my Kahr w/o cleaning before taking it to the range and firing off a few rounds.....flawlessly I might add. I really only clean it after a range trip. Since the longest I've gone without a range trip is 3 months.....well....do the math.

[Excalibur01]

About once a month, maybe twice if I am storing a gun in the safe.