How long do you spend cleaning your long rifle after an outing at the range

[Reno]

Probably 20-30 mins, Then I follow up a couple days later with another cleaning for about the same amount of time. Then routinely try to swab them all, clean them all, etc.

 

[Zutt-man]

I generally spend a half hour cleaning my smoke pole.

 

[Art Caputo]

Roughly 20-30 minutes using MAP. Been using the same process for about 25 years.

 

[Josephg]

Never timed myself. Some rifles take longer than others. 10 - 30 minutes.

 

[griffiga]

As my oldest son once said: "leave it to dad to find a hobby that takes two hours to clean up after twenty minutes of shooting.". Seriously, I figure about 15 to twenty minutes to clean up the rifle and put every thing away.

My wife's sentiments exactly!

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Maybe I'm getting slow in my old age, but seems like it takes longer and longer for me to clean my BP guns when I get back from shooting. Last time I was the better part of an hour - and that was only one rifle. Is this the norm, or am I just too slow and meticulous?

Mine is gun dependent...Some of them clean up nice and quick, others take time to get them really clean after a day at the range or in the field. Usually, 20 to 30 minutes and the gun is ready to go back on the rack. Smoothies seem to clean up the quickest.

I do have one gun that just seems to take forever to get clean, I can have that gun cleaned and ready to go in just under an hour...

Why it takes twice as long to clean this particular gun?...I do not know.

 

[sawyer04]

Probably about an hour once , twice a year. The rest of the time I swab out the barrel wipe down the furniture and whole unit. No need to get anal about wearing out the screws and mechanisms. Once, twice a year I completely break down and grease all moving parts with chassis grease.

 

[Mountain Mike]

Maybe I'm getting slow in my old age, but seems like it takes longer and longer for me to clean my BP guns when I get back from shooting. Last time I was the better part of an hour - and that was only one rifle. Is this the norm, or am I just too slow and meticulous?

I like to think I'm more meticulous, what with the price of guns today. I sold two BP revolvers about 20 yrs ago. I sold them for less than half what it would cost to buy them today, and that was the going rate. I know that my income has not doubled in those years!

 

[gvandersluis]

Half an hour for my TC Seneca and my single shot pistols and an hour for my Ruger old army

 

[hanshi]

Considering I'm OCD and flat-out, old fashion, country slow it generally takes a while. It takes a bit of time getting everything gathered together, plus I've been known to rub the skin off the rifling. If I'm not in a hurry I'm looking at 45 min to maybe upwards of an hour. Some cleanup quicker than others, and if I have to hustle it still takes close to half an hour.

 

[GriscomRun]

At this point I am no rush. Also, have no need to be. If it takes me longer, then ok. I take a milk jug of water and clean up. Then get home and touch up the rifle, dry well, and add some Barricade. If I'm really really ambitious I'll repack the bag. I'm tired now.

 

[PoBoyChuck]

We had a pistol match at our last shoot. I provided two cap and ball revolvers to other members, I lost btw. At the end of the day I had three revolvers, one rifle, and a shotgun to clean, that was about 3.5hrs of cleaning. We had a great weekend, but I told another member to never let me do that again.

 

[Bucky]

I usually spend 45 minuets to an hour to clean each of my rifles. Two factors have changed my cleaning time from a drudgery to a joy. Factor 1- I am retired and refuse to feel rushed. Factor 2- I now have a camp where I shoot and hunt. I start a kettle of water on my woodstove, watch a little free, antennae tv till it's ready, then proceed. Most of all, the process is not interrupted by the complaints of my dear family concerning the "smell" - as always happened in my home basement ( especially in the winter season, when it was too dark and cold to clean outside). Ahhh, what a difference......a joy.....

 

[Terry Lightle]

About 20 minutes for me I think,will know for sure later today as headed to range in about an hour or so

 

[Hawken1980]

10 minutes most days,
Shooting daily I’ve found that moose milk patches, followed by dry patches, one wd40 patch and then a straight balistol patch keeps the flintlocks rust free.

The percussion guns get the bucket treatment. Do to flash channels and such.

 

[tenngun]

Like most 20-30 min, but I don’t think of it as a chore. I enjoy it, while cleaning I get to remember the shoot and shoots past.
When done I rub some oil into the stock and it’s all just fun

 

[user 49399]

For me it's like when I had horses. I enjoyed getting them ready to ride, riding them, then tending to them after riding. Or lIke tractors. I enjoy tinkering with and maintaining tractors as much as using them in the field.
Same thing with fishing gear or a dozen other hobbies, I enjoy all things associated with muzzleloaders even the cleaning.

I don't even think about the time I spend cleaning muzzleloaders. Any time spent with muzzleloaders is good time.

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

I take my time and make sure the gun is CLEAN and DRY and WELL OILED before I put it away. Otherwise, like when I'm hunting, I wipe it down with an oil cloth and put it away.

 

[Are. M.]

I don't ever get in a rush. I love the ritual of it all and theres usually music and beverages involved. My pistol takes 20 minutes or less to clean, but I take time with my rifles. At least 40 minutes or so. Water, swab, a combination of cleaning fluids just to see if one works better than another that particular day, a little bore butter cause I like the smell. You know how it is. It's my cathartic alone time after a day of shooting.

RM

 

[Curley 50 cal]

When I come home from the range and a few hours of steady shooting at total of 45 min -60 minutes is required for a total tear down, cleansing (including barrel flush and dry), lubing the flintlock, reinstalling the flint and oiling the barrel. $1500-$1800 investments are well worth it.