Clean, shoot, carry?

[D-Ric902]

I have noticed with my auto carry guns that if I tear them down and clean then, take them to the range, the first few rounds are off.
Not a lot but like the gun needs to "settle down" a little.
Only after a thorough cleaning.

so I have gotten into the habit of cleaning (breaking down, in depth) my carry gun (s) and taking them to the range for a mag or so. Wipe it down.

Then loading them up for carry.
First round goes right where it should



am I alone?

 

[Dead Duck]

"Shoots better the dirtier they are."

You just described a Glock............and an old girlfriend.









When my Glocks were cleaned, they are a little off at the range. Of course it's hard to remember now because it was so long since they've been cleaned.

 

[craigkim]

I have noticed with my auto carry guns that if I tear them down and clean then, take them to the range, the first few rounds are off.
Not a lot but like the gun needs to "settle down" a little.
Only after a thorough cleaning.

so I have gotten into the habit of cleaning (breaking down, in depth) my carry gun (s) and taking them to the range for a mag or so. Wipe it down.

Then loading them up for carry.
First round goes right where it should



am I alone?

fouling shot

 

[D-Ric902]

fouling shot

 

[sbu sailor]

No rifle I've ever had, shot the same POI clean as it did dirty. For hunting... after I clean it, I fire a couple "fouling shots," run a dry patch through it, and leave it that way til the season is over, or I hit my bag limit. I never thought about it with my handguns. Now I have to check it out! Thanks for bringing this up!

 

[Dead Duck]

fouling shot

This is only relevant if your Duck Hunting.

 

[cosermann]

Fine by me. And, it also serves as post-breakdown/cleaning/reassembly live function test.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I think it smart. Ross Seyfried swore by this.

 

[Drail]

First rounds being "off" are more likely your hands and your brain than the gun. Though I have seen many cases where the first round handcycled into battery will print off of the main group. Whether hand held or in a Ransom Rest. (it takes at least 5 rounds when using a Ransom Rest to settle the gun into the inserts fully). I never count the first 5 for accuracy testing. I have always believed that when you go to the range your very first 2 or 3 rounds fired cold are the best indicator of what you AND your gun can do in the real world. Pay close attention to that first magazine.

 

[88E30M50]

I'll have to pay more attention to that possibility when I go shooting. I do notice that my shooting improves after the first mag but have always attributed that to me getting in my grove as opposed to the gun doing the same. I'll have to start shooting guns that were not cleaned and see if that changes. I've always been into giving the gun a thorough cleaning after a range trip, so I usually am carrying clean, lightly lubed guns. Are you thinking it may be a deep cleaning that alters the set of the gun or would just pulling a boresnake through change the set? I might just have another excuse to go shooting to collect data.

 

[ModernGunner]

Well, then the issue appears to be: Is it 'fouling shots' or 'first shots coordination'?

For those that are experiencing it, have they taken the time to really find out? 'Cause if it's not 'fouling shots', then cleaning, firing a mag, then carrying tomorrow as normal will not resolve the matter.

Similarly, if it's 'first shots coordination', then 'settling in' after 5 - 10 rounds and 'zoning in' isn't going to resolve the matter, either. Not for carrying an EDC, anyway. Well, at least let's say it's 'h-i-g-h-l-y unlikely' for the average citizen. Really, probably unlikely for the average LEO, as well.

'Cause, it's that first shot, or those first few shots that absolutely matter in a defensive scenario. Miss those, and anyone in the background, possibly for quite some distance, risks injury. Worse, miss those, and those 'settled in' rounds may not matter 'cause they may never get fired.

Just some thoughts.

 

[D-Ric902]

First rounds being "off" are more likely your hands and your brain than the gun. Though I have seen many cases where the first round handcycled into battery will print off of the main group. Whether hand held or in a Ransom Rest. (it takes at least 5 rounds when using a Ransom Rest to settle the gun into the inserts fully). I never count the first 5 for accuracy testing. I have always believed that when you go to the range your very first 2 or 3 rounds fired cold are the best indicator of what you AND your gun can do in the real world. Pay close attention to that first magazine.

See now, with my wheelguns it's not an issue.


if I shoot my carry gun for weeks, and then take it to the range after the "proving mag" prep to carry, the first shot cold is right where it should be.

if I take it home and strip clean it, when I go to the range the first few (5 or 6) are grouping larger.
then tighten right up.

then I load and carry it.

I'm mostly taking about
Glock 19L (17 chopped down)
Lionheart LH9
Glock 30

the 1911's don't show much if any of this issue (of course they are 1911's, come on)

 

[jrainw]

I would never carry a firearm after cleaning without firing at least a mag through it. Stuff happens, don't want to find out when you need it that a careless mistake was made and the thing won't cycle.

 

[OutdoorDad]

To the OP...

No. I have not noticed this in handguns except in target .22s. There, I think a fouling shot is a reasonable thing.

In fact, I have noticed the opposite. All of my centerfire pistols shoot better when clean. And after a period of shooting without cleaning, all have a definite "fall off" point where accuracy and functionality are impaired.

It might just be Glocks. I don't know. I've never owned one.
Its a long standing tradition in my family going back seventeen generations. None of us have owned Glocks.

Its something I hope to pass down to the next generation as well.

 

[Sniper 79]

Always clean my hunting rifles then take them to the range for a half dozen rounds or so. They then get a dry bore snake and stay that way till I am done hunting. First shots always leave oil on the target and are off a bit.

I don't worry about pistols or shot shooters. Not enough to worry about working close in.

 

[Bfish]

I don't think running a mag is going to dirty your weapon to the point it'll be harmful to it. The main reason for having a clean weapon is to ensure function anyhow... I know a couple of guys who feel weird taking a gun down and then carrying it without running live rounds through it to make sure it goes bang. Most people have confidence in their gun etc. And others would call them paranoid but hey if that's what they want to do i will not knock it!

 

[rvb]

I refuse to carry or compete with a clean gun.

It has nothing to do with accuracy, but rather reliability. Most malfunctions I have experienced have been with freshly cleaned guns. Anecdotal at best, I know, but it's my superstition so that's how it is.

I do not notice a difference in accuracy after cleaning, either, but then, I seldom touch the bore on a pistol so I seldom have a clean bore to compare against. I never notice a drop in accuracy either, at least not until the throat is mostly eroded away...

-rvb

 

[Vendetta]

I carry a dirty 1911 every day. I think the last time I cleaned it was 3 range trips ago. I am meticulous on my other guns but with my carry gun I refuse to throw in extra variables like breaking down and cleaning. It has yet to malfunction.

 

[SouthernStar25]

You just described a Glock............and an old girlfriend.

She must have really gotten around because I dated her too.










When my Glocks were cleaned, they are a little off at the range. Of course it's hard to remember now because it was so long since they've been cleaned.[/QUOTE]