Hunting is a time-honored tradition and is celebrated quite wholesomely across different parts of the world, especially in the United States. Initially, it was a way for our ancestors to provide basic commodities (like clothes, food, and tools for equipment) for their communities. Now, it has become a method for professional shooters to hone their skills in the great outdoors. However, honing weaponry skills require extreme maintenance and caretaking to ensure that they perform during live performance.

Even with a myriad of advancements in the present era, keeping your weapons clean should be on top of your priority list. So, before you head out to your next hunting expedition, give a read to why you should clean your weapons before you leave for the outdoors. 

Reasons Why You Should Clean Your Firearms

Usually, gun cleaning practices vary for different kinds of shooters, and there are different opinions on how often people should keep their weapons clean. However, irrespective of how you clean your firearms, there are specific reasons why you should go through with it before the start of the hunting season.

Avoids Several Malfunctions

Firearms are constructed to last a long time, and many safety features are placed on them to prevent mishaps. But if you’re a regular user, then there’s a chance that something will always happen. Experts suggest that some of the major malfunctions taking place in firearms aren’t due to manufacturing faults but due to negligence in maintenance.

Now, in order to minimize these concerns and ensure the safety of your weapons, it’s mandatory to clean your weapons at all times. Mishaps like incomplete discharge when the round is stuck inside your weapon’s gun barrel. This is caused by residue buildup from the previous round, and if you fire another round, then it can cause your gun to explode. Apart from that, there’s also a high chance of ejection failure. Usually, when the gun is fired, the cartridge is ejected, and if the gun is dirty or corroded, it could fail to extract the used cartridge.

Maintaining Accuracy

One aspect to remember is that after every use, gunpowder builds up in your weapon, especially in the barrel and the chamber. Whether you have a revolver, rifle, or a pistol, layers of gunpowder are collected in layers as ash on every moving object. This burnt residue not only gums up each moving part of your gun but also messes up with the trajectory of its bullet. In short, this must be removed consistently to maintain the bullet’s trajectory.

This particular buildup, along with your gun’s barrel, welcomes gun powder and bullet particles. This builds increasingly quickly as more bullets are fired from the weapon. So, in hindsight, it significantly compromises space in the barrel needed for the bullet to pass; thus, posing serious risks to efficiency and accuracy.

Misinformation

First and foremost, don’t believe anything from the internet; especially, when it comes to your weapons. In other words, there are rumors surrounding the web that keeping your gun clean can ensure that it functions properly. Of course, you don’t have to clean your gun every time, but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t clean it at all. While it’s true that you do not need to clean your gun every time, that doesn’t mean that you can forget about it completely.

You will find several forums in which people will share their experiences that their gun’s accuracy and efficiency increased after using it continuously without cleaning. If you go too long without cleaning your weapon thoroughly, then your gun will get fouled up and too dry; thus, causing trouble in firing. In fact, most experts suggest that cleaning your weapon consistently can keep your firearms in their best condition. But if you’re desperately waiting for the hunting season, then clean your weapons before you head out on the field.

Longevity

Lastly, if you’re a regular shooter, then you’d want that your weapons stay by your side for years to come. Guns stored away after usage, without any proper usage, tend to rust. One of the reasons for it is that metal guns are made up of condensation droplets. So, it’s essential that you keep your gun clean, especially if you live in a location with humid climatic conditions. With proper lubrication, these steel guns will last significantly longer than the dirtier ones.

Furthermore, uncleaned guns could even be fatal for the shooter due to their probability to backfire. So, maintaining your gun will ensure that it not only stays safe for you but will remain accurate and functional for many years. Let’s not forget, if you’re a regular hunter, each gun has memories attached to it.

Summing Up

Just like having a well-maintained car won’t leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere, a well-maintained gun wouldn’t betray you in the hunting grounds either. Keeping your gun clean not only improves its useful life, but you can also make it last for decades. Dirty guns tend to deteriorate rapidly. And the worst part is that you won’t be able to sell it either. So, take some time off from your busy schedule and clean your weapons in a timely manner. After all, Hunting is not only a fun outdoor activity; it’s a passion. You don’t want an uncleaned gun to spoil all the fun for you.