How do you clean your AR?

[skydivr]

I've been watching the antics on another board regarding cleaning proceedures/methods. There is the 'old school' method, taught by generations of arms room tyrants that says white glove or q-tip is the only way to go, vs. some that say "spray it with break cleaner every 2000 rounds and plenty of lube" method. I've always been one of the "if I can't eat off it, it's not clean enough" people - just the way "I was raised" but I suspect I'm causing more damage scrubbing it spotless than just wiping it down and keeping it lubed well.

I'm just curious to hear what/how our members clean. There has got to be a better way than 3 hours of scrubbing w/CLP so you can eat off it. I actually have this internal debate about "you know, if you shoot it, you are gonna have to CLEAN it" and that gets in the way of all the fun.

Since we have some new AR owners, and some AR owners with new rifles, I thought this might be helpful.

 

[captain]

It only takes me about 30 minutes to clean my AR's once I am done shooting... Not too bad... I keep em wiped down all the time ready at a moments notice though.

 

[skydivr]

It only takes me about 30 minutes to clean my AR's once I am done shooting... Not too bad... I keep em wiped down all the time ready at a moments notice though.

Share your proceedure please CAP. I am waay too finicky to get it done in a half-hour but I'm probably being too anal about it.

 

[brpo]

The only weapon I clean religously is my carry gun. Other than that I shoot until it jams or won't shoot straight and avoid corrosive ammo... I think you'd be suprised by how many rounds can go through a weapon before it won't shoot.

Outside dirt and mud can kill a perfectly shiny clean weapon instantly.

edit - exclusive of AKs

 

[skydivr]

I actually experience guilt if I don't clean immediately after getting home...Shot last weekend and it's bugging me

 

[Fastfrog007]

I clean it the day I shoot. Take it down, dip a bore brush in solvent and run it back forth in barrel for 5min or so. Get some patches, dip em in solvent, run em through the bore for another few minutes, then use dry patches to wipe things up. I'll take the bolt apart, dip a brush in solvent and scrub away at all the dirty bits followed by a wipe down with a rag. Spray everything with Rem Oil as I put it back together and call it good. If I ran a patch down my barrel now, it would be a bit grey when it came out, but not bad.
When I first got it, I tried to CLEAN it, it just never seemed to be spotless. That's just what I do and she shoots well still. I was never taught a proper way to do it, just kinda made it up as I went.

 

[twotonevert]

The builder I just talked to said to keep the bolt well lubed, ar's like it wet he said. Other than that, I will keep the bore clean and wipe the overall rifle down. I still have much to learn.

 

[brpo]

I actually experience guilt if I don't clean immediately after getting home...Shot last weekend and it's bugging me

Yeah... I hear ya... I used to ascribe human traits to inanimate objects as well. I used to feel bad about putting motorcycles and cars to sleep dirty and wet. Then it finally occurred to me, machines don't feel pain, hold me responsible or care how they look.

Really - I'm serious about the not cleaning thing. Guns really don't care, I do lube up the bolts when I shoot but don't clean them regularly or thoroughly. Recreational shooting just doesn't mess them up that quickly or badly. If your out in the field mucking about in the dirt, mud and salt water - I'd take the time and give them a good cleaning, but you can run a thousand patches and still pull green from the barrel from jacketed rounds.

If you buy old surplus or eastern block ammo always clean thoroughly and use windex to dilute the corrosive left overs or it will erode the rifling and barrel in weeks and months not years.

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

You need one of these for sure.

A chamber brush

This cleans the locking lugs in breech. Screw it onto short end of rod.
Dip in bore cleaner. Run it into chamber a whole bunch of times.
Insert it just far enough into breech to clear locking lugs and twist it a bunch of times to clear recess behind the lugs. Remove and dip and repeat. Keep in mind brush is size of case and not bore so it won't go thru barrel. Replace chamber brush with bore brush. Dip bore brush and run it thru the bore at least one time for every two rounds fired. I then use a product called gunscrubber. Holding muzzle down I spray it into breech heavily. All the crud runs out and the gunscrubber evaporates and dries off. Then I use Remington Teflon dry lube which goes in wet but dries a chalky white. Spray that into breech with muzzle down and run a patch soaked in same stuff thru bore. When fired Teflon burnishes the bore and fills in the small imperfections of the cut in the bore. Creates a more accurate barrel and preserves it better for longer life. Some folks use Molybdenum paste/powder to season in the bore.
Upper reciever takes me about 15-30 minutes depending on amount of shooting.
Lower reciever usually just use bore solvent on a toothbrush. Scrub up, rinse with gunscrubber and then soak with Remington Dry lube.
Bolt carrier and Bolt head, toothbrush and bore solvent. Then same thing, gunscrubber and Remington dry lube. Remove buffer spring and wipe down inside of buffer tube with rag. Wipe off buffer spring and spray with dry lube.

Can't hurt to have one of these, a good carbon scraper.

Outside of gun I usually just wipe with a rag sprayed with wd40. Nice wet coating will evaporate off after a while and leave it protected.
Thing I find I'm most anal on is the muzzle brake. Seems like you can never get all the carbon off of it no matter how long you spend on it. Whole process for me is about an hour. That includes disassembling all mags used and cleaning them too.

 

[masterblaster]

I always go with my sons, taught them since day one to clean after shooting, served them well in Iraq/overseas so far. I soak them down with wd 40 scrub the hell out of them with all the oil dripping off them with Army Issue M16 cleaning kit and M14 cleaning kit for the AR10 and M1A. I do the scrubbing with the issue two brush tooth brush, have special long thin pipe cleaners for gas tube, then I spray the whole thing down with carb and cleaner blow out with compressed air to dry. After this I scrub once more with CLP and wipe down with 100% cotton diapers, and extra large 100% cotton detail Q tips. I use issue bore and barrel brushes on all my weapons, they have the loop through the shank that has the threads, no way for them to come off in the barrel. I am not a fan of the otis or boresnake type systems, millions of GI's served overseas in harsh climes with their life on teh line doing it with just the rod tooth brush and patches, with just CLP so its hard for me to justify a change.

My own experience in the field in the Army I used diesel and mogas to clean , very effective, always coat and wipe with break-free (CLP). Oh, for the new guys, take your bolt apart and clean with bronze brush, don't lose extractor springs or retaining pins. Do a function check after reassembly.

Cleaning the sniper rifles is a little more involved.

 

[skydivr]

I've got gun scrubber. Some recommend non-chlorinated brake cleaner. Never seen one of those scrapers...

 

[StromBusa]

Gun Cleaning is like an oil thread, everyone has a different approach. I don't like brake clean on a gun because it could suck metal parts too dry. I start with disassembly, then patches through the barrel with Butches Bore Shine, then run a polymer brush through to scrub the barrel, then patches again alternatingwith Hoppes, then Shooters Choice, leave it rest while wet to "soak", then repeat, until patches quit turning green when left. Finally a couple dry patches and light gun oil oil. I use WD 40 and an air compressor to hose down and blow off action, and a tooth brush to remove skank, followed by a good wet down with G96. And wipe off excess with a good rag and then oil. Your guns and your bikes should be well cleaned and maintained for peace of mind. I find that clean barrels with a couple of "seasoning shots" through them are at their most accurate for the next 20-30 rounds (best groups). The AR is not a typical bench rest gun so it gets really dirty and I don't know anyone that keeps the barrel cool and clean shooting 5 shot groups, so the task is different, I want to prolong the barrel life, and keep from lead or copper fouling the barrel. Mostly I want it to fire and feed reliably, anbd clean is a factor

 

[1busa]

I hate to say it but CLP has worked for so long and is still being used to clean military rifles and them things take a beating out in the field Mud, dirt and sand in all the wrong places...... a rifle kit and some CLP does the trick every time

 

[majestic12]

I use solvent and a nylon or brass brush. Of course I clean the bore with the "Oits" bore snakes. The part that take me the longest is the star lock at the breach. Other than that I just keep it well oiled while it is in storage.

 

[SKnight]

I use a bore snake at the range, then when I get around to it I'll pull the breech assembly apart, clean the moving parts with solvent (Sorry, don't remember the exact brand.) then lube with Rem oil. A couple of times a year I'll dab a few drops of Rem oil on the moving parts of the lower.

Never had a feed issue or a misfire due to the weapon.

 

[chrisjp]

i disassemble the upper from the lower and pull the bolt assembly out. then i put in the gentle cycle of the washer and low heat dry in the dryer...

 

[m_ridgeway]

Break open the gun, throw the bolt in some hoppes, brake clean the gas tube, brush swab and oil the barrel and chamber. Break bolt down, clean, re assemble, oil, drop bolt in, wipe gun down.

 

[isiahstites]

The only way I know how to clean a gun is the way the Marine Corps taught me, Q-tips and CLP

 

[Sum Beach]

I usually just sprayed it down and put it away. Once a year is when I would strip it down and make my rifles surgical sanitary.

 

[dadofthree]

A lot of good thoughts ......... corrosive ammo .......... gas tube ......... plenty of lube on that bolt