Automated Gun Cleaner

CocoLoco

CocoLoco

FN #5
My dad started a running joke with my brother:

They had just finished shooting and my brother was doing a quick pull through on his pistols before packing up all his gear while my dad was just packing up. My brother asked him if he needed to borrow the pull through and my dad responded, "Nah, I have an automated gun cleaner at home." Of course my brother was taken off guard and asked where dad got it and how it worked to which my dad said, "Oh, I just drop the guns off in the shop and Shannon cleans them."

I've always enjoyed disassembling guns and cleaning them. In fact I look forward to going to the range partly because I'll get to clean the guns afterward (yeah, I'm weird that way).

The three of us, dad, bro, and I, were at the range last night and as we were getting ready to leave one of the managers was riding what appeared to be a new employee about applying too much oil on the piece he was cleaning. I piped up and asked if they were hiring and the whole thing devolved into the automated gun cleaner joke.

The surprise for me was that the manager said they were looking for an employee and I'm seriously considering applying just to clean guns. I don't want to do anything else. I don't want to work with customers or run a register and I will only be part time and expect to set my own hours.

I woke up today still thinking about it, wondering if they'd go for it, and what the brafs think?
 
doc4216

doc4216

Coastie who high fives
There is something therapeutic about cleaning your own guns. I also enjoy taking down a weapon, cleaning, and reassembling for the next use.
 
NorCalAthlete

NorCalAthlete

O_o
When I was on active duty as a mechanic we used to come back from the range and drop our guns into a parts cleaner ultrasonic bath. Everyone else sat around with Q-tips and shit for hours; we dropped ours into a bath and went to lunch, came back, hung them up to dry, played cards, then turned them in at the end of the day.

Looks like a few companies are starting to come out with small similar baths for handguns, dunno about rifles.

In regards to you wanting to do it for a part time job - hey, whatever rocks your boat I’m sure the ranges could always use more help.
 
afm199

afm199

Well-known member
The best job I ever had ( also the only minimum wage job in my adult life) was as an employee at a doggie day care center. I got to hang out with dogs and play with them all day. On really cold days, I'd sit on the couch and have a nine dog pile keeping me warm. I certainly had work that I enjoyed and that paid well, but that was mostly self employment. Working in the doggie day care was definitely a job.
 
gixxerjeff

gixxerjeff

Dogs best friend
I'm not a gun guy but I am a machine guy. Now that I no longer have wrenches in my hand professionally I love the selective wrenching that I voluntarily do, whether it's on my own stuff or family/friends. Sometimes the word 'therapeutic' applies...in fact most of the time.
So yeah, I totally get it. I'd throw it out there at them. What's to lose?
 
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Ridley

Well-known member
Sometimes simple tasks offer personal rewards, and they can take a person away from the daily poo we all deal with. If you get to set the ground rules that make it worth your while, and provide the shop with what they need, then sounds like a win win. You'll have to let me know when you start work, I have a few that need cleaning.
 
CocoLoco

CocoLoco

FN #5
Ridley said:
Sometimes simple tasks offer personal rewards, and they can take a person away from the daily poo we all deal with. If you get to set the ground rules that make it worth your while, and provide the shop with what they need, then sounds like a win win. You'll have to let me know when you start work, I have a few that need cleaning.
Click to expand...

:thumbup :laughing
 
enki

enki

Well-known member
So given smokeless powder, how important is cleaning? I have a Mini-14 with a rail and I have to take off the rail to remove the bolt. On some gun forums, it’s noted that this Garand-style system stays much cleaner than an AR becuse it uses a gas piston. Every time I remove the rail, I have to rezero the rifle.�� some people note they put 1000 rounds through w/o cleaning...I mean, it’s not as though it’s corrosive ammo.
 
E

ejv

Untitled work in progress
I ran an indoor range/gun store when I was in college on nights and weekends. We had an ultrasonic cleaner as described in a previous post. That was 17 years ago. Even with that cleaner none of the people working there, myself included liked to clean the range guns or customer guns. Had someone like the OP came in and said he would like to work part-time just cleaning guns we would have definitely considered hiring him.

The only thing I like about cleaning guns is the smell of Hoppe's No. 9 which I don't use too often anyway. But ever since I was 5 or 6 I liked the smell of heavy equipment grease, old mechanize military vehicles and that sweet exhaust out the back of an idling T-38.
 
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