Cleaning Your Carry Weapon

[TacticalSledgehammer]

The longer I carry the more I notice how dirty it makes my handgun. I'm not sure how dust makes its way into the barrel being carried concealed on my waist but it does. I've also been finding lint and some kind of mystery white powder on and in it. I'm thinking it's either deodorant, talcum powder, or dead skin cells?

I carry a Glock 27 (old LEO trade-in) Gen 2.5 and I know it "should be" reliable because of its name, and I've put some rounds through it already to feel confident in its reliability. I just done want anything to go wrong in a time of need. How often do you clean your carry weapons?

[jhr1986]

Every other month or anytime I shoot them. No I don't shoot my carry guns that often (i carry small guns: j frame, 938, etc), but I like them to be clean.

[tacticaldesire]

I clean mine once every month or two or after an extended range session (If I only put a box or two through I only do a quick wipe down). Clean carry guns are important. I'd rather spend the 15-20 minutes it takes to clean it properly than be dead due to a malfunction I could have prevented.

[GTF425]

With a grip plug on my 19, I find that there's never any real buildup of dirt/sand/lint that doesn't come off with a quick wipedown while still assembled.

But I do clean and lube after any time it's shot, and I shoot my carry ammo every 6 months. I have a spare 19 set up the same as my carry gun so I don't have to shoot it to train.

[DirectTo]

It happens over time. Usually a solid blow of air will knock most of it out and off.

When I cycle out my carry ammo, I take whatever Glock it's in to the range, dirty from carrying for a while, and fire it all before relubing and moving on to range ammo. It's a nice reminder that the gun will go bang if needed, even dirty or dry. I then clean, reload, and carry on.

I do have a couple 19s and 26s I can rotate between, so they all get a rotation of being shot vs. being carried.

[maestromsv]

Clean after every range use, right now that time is getting further apart and the above comments are great also!

[ST911]

The longer I carry the more I notice how dirty it makes my handgun. I'm not sure how dust makes its way into the barrel being carried concealed on my waist but it does. I've also been finding lint and some kind of mystery white powder on and in it. I'm thinking it's either deodorant, talcum powder, or dead skin cells?

I carry a Glock 27 (old LEO trade-in) Gen 2.5 and I know it "should be" reliable because of its name, and I've put some rounds through it already to feel confident in its reliability. I just done want anything to go wrong in a time of need. How often do you clean your carry weapons?

Your Glock will collect a lot of lint, fuzz, and dust and still run. If keeping it cleaner than that is important to you, blow it out with compressed air or field strip for a wipe down periodically. Better yet, shoot your carry gun(s) at least once a week or more, and clean after.

[nml]

Function test now and again depending on round counts or lack thereof. I'll put some steps later and others can see if I am missing any.

[Uprange41]

I shoot weekly, so I wipe my G26 off after use to keep my clothes clean, and then actually clean it every thousand rounds or so.

The shooting tends to work out any lint that may have accumulated in the last 7 days.

[Turnkey11]

Only when I shoot it, or take it swimming. Lint and dust buildup from carrying in my waistband isn't going to affect the operation of a glock 19.