do you guys go this far?

[Mike M.]

I clean the barrel and chambers every session (or 2 shooting sessions, if I'm shooting back-to-back days). A full teardown and scrubbing every 6 months...and yes, the gun needs it.

 

[1911nutjob]

With my very first revolver, I had never cleaned the internals. I was an 18 year old whippersnapper that never was taught to do so. After 10+ years (probably 15) I finally did it-the mechanism was full of a grayish muck I would describe as a mixture of gun oil and what appeared to be graphite from the powder (picture antisieze), but there wasn't any trace of corrosion at all. I've settled on a routine of thoroughly cleaning the cylinder and barrel after every outing, with a detailed wipe down of the frame exterior, but only get into the lockwork once a year. This is an old pietta pocket police, and to its credit has never skipped a beat. No problems so far.

 

[CaptainKirk]

Well, not to beat a dead horse, but I still tear them down after each range trip.
One of the bennies is finding (especially on the Colts) cap frags (or entire caps) wedged down in the works that will eventually cause a problem. I was giving my son a tutorial the other day on how to "rip & strip" his Pietta '51 Navy .44, and when I pulled the grip frame, five complete smashed caps fell out on the bench. Five. He had only put 30 rounds through the gun.
On the other hand, I've found very little rust damage in the innards if the gun has been well lubed (I prefer Lubriplate)