For all those who have served and are currently serving:

First and foremost, we thank you for your service to our country.  You are in our thoughts and prayers.

I'm curious how you clean your M4s.  You just RTB'd from a patrol where you engaged and you're scheduled to go back out tomorrow.  Do you clean each night?  If so, how much do you scrub your barrel?  

Thanks

Mike

A clean rifle is a happy rifle. A buddy of mine, who'd been a paratrooper in the Army before joining the Air Force, showed me how Barbasol shaving cream cleaned the heck out of his rifle. Of course I called BS, until he showed me and I was floored! It actually works. After a aptrol, I left it up to the discretion of my fire team leaders on how their troops cleaned their rifles after a patrol. As I was never in combat, I can only state that personally I'd clean my weapon after an engagement as soon as possible. At the very least rod the barrel.

Most of the time it was shotgun style with a good bolt cleaning if there was another CLP (Combat Logistics Patrol) scheduled soon.  A can of air an old t-shirt and a otis kit serves a squad.  I would now leave it to the platoon sergeants and squad leaders to enforce cleaning as believe it or not, it will not get done unless directed.  Lots of task to be done in short time frames means you gotta check. PCI/PCC (Pre combat inspections/ pre combat checks) depends on who is doing one (officer/1SG or platoon/squad level).

My entire team (in Iraq) used Otis, Militec-1 and an old t-shirt and wooden handled swabs.  The computer cleaning "canned air" worked well too.  We cleaned every weapon every day in the field and you would still get malfunctions due to sand/dust.  Going from CLP to Militec-1 really helped with the sand/dust problems.  

My state side Navy Security Department / Military Police unit used a solvent tank at the armory, CLP and Militec-1 and old t-shirts and surplus issue M-16 cleaning kits and wooden handled swabs.  Some patrolmen had thier on personal Otis Kits they kept in thier gear bags.  We just cleaned on a weekly cleaning schedule per serial numbers unless fired, or used in bad weather.  Then it was cleaned at the end of shift.

In Iraq I would keep my M4 bone dry inside the wire and lube it well when on a OP outside the wire.  Every situation is different, but this worked for me.  I've seen to many malfunctions trying to run a AR dry.  I carried a little bottle of Otis CLP in my pocket...

beleave it or not for iraq i use paint brushes with cut off handles to keep the dust of iraq off. i stole the idea from one of my troops grand father that fought in world war II in northern africa (works great). our uint also issued everyone a awsome otis kit that covers everything in the invatory we got of course i added somemore stuff like a pick set and a bore sight for 5.56 and 308 nato. add a rag and some air either in a can or hook up with the maintance bubba's and use there compressed air with a blow gun. i have pic's of what i carry with me if it helps.
http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/JOE17752001/102_0382.jpg
http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/JOE17752001/102_0381.jpg
http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/JOE17752001/102_0380.jpg
http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/JOE17752001/102_0378.jpg
http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/JOE17752001/102_0379.jpg
http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab272/JOE17752001/102_0377.jpg

I gotta ask for details on that!  Barbasol is the least expensive, most consistent shaving cream I've ever used, and if I can clean my rifle with it too, then I may start stocking up on it by the case!

After 15 years in the military I have used just about every method to clean my M16/M4.  The best stuff I found is Slip2000.  Much like CLP; it cleans and lubricates but much more efficiently.  I wasn't a believer until it was applied to a seized up M4 (gummed up from heavy carbon...I think it was last cleaned in 'Nam!) anyway after working the charging handle little by little and squirting this stuff on the bolt carrier the gun finally started to function.  Instead of cleaning the gun they went ahead and shot another 500 rounds out of it that day....the gun never had a malfunction!  I was an instant convert after that!

Lube all your parts except the inside of the barrel.  

I know there are tons of lubes and cleaners out there and I have tried most of them but I'm sold on Slip2000.  My only complaint is it is kind of spendy.

My cousin was with a coreman with the Marines he told me they used Miltech.for lube Most of the time they left their weapons dry until on patrol due to sand problems sticking to everything. i have used miltech for 2 years now and it works great, after cleaning i apply liberal coat to the bcg, next time out at the range open up and the bcg is still coated, but the miltech seems to soak into the metal so you don't get sprayed when you start firing.

This is how I clean my rifle, I learned part of the technique from an SF guy on my first tour in Afghanistan. The other part I made up by myself over the years as a regular army infantryman with service in "both places." Note: this method takes a few hours but you're not working for the entire time, if you're overseas make sure you're in a rear area before doing this.
Items you'll need:

1) Baby-wipes, not the real soft and soapy ones- like the lighter generic types which you don't want to use on yourself.
2) Otis cleaning kit, standard cleaning rod and or bore snake
3) tooth brush
4) plastic baby wipe container
5) brass brush
6) 556 patches
7) CLP (preferably break free brand)

Step 1) disassemble weapon take bolt and carrier group place into empty baby wipe container. spray with liberal amounts of CLP- leave for 1-2 hours or overnight if possible. Reason- Metal has pores, and this forces the carbon out of the metal.
Step 2) take baby wipes and wipe off carbon, use pick to remove all remaining carbon in built up areas.
Step 3) spray CLP down barrel and from the chamber- take the bore snake and run the snake or pull through with brass brush out the same way as the bullet every time.
Step 4) Do the same thing with patches until clean
Step 5) reassemble weapon without liberal amounts of oil- wiped clean.
Step 6) note the three holes on the carrier when looking through the ejection port cover- oil these until oil squirts out of them and wipe away excess.

Not saying this is the best way to clean a rifle but from my experience- since I started cleaning my weapon this way I've never had a single jam. I am willing to answer any questions to clarify the process. Good luck.

I have heard that its not a good Idea to use shaving cream, I'm not sure why. I know it works, I did it when I was in basic training, but someone should research if there is a negative reason for using it.

I imagine the shaving cream pulls the oils out of the metal like using brake cleaner.  No real problem with this unless you don't lube the rifle real well afterwards.  This is just speculation though as I have never used shaving cream on a rifle.

i used shaving cream a few times while in the army but we mostly used CLP and carb cleaner. the carb cleaner i wouldnt recomend thou as it does pull the oils out of the metal. now i use CLP and bore foam.

1. Blow off weapon w/ compressesed air. This is all that is needed since outside of weapons have been painted w/ krylon.
2. wipe off buffer, clean inside of lower w/ q tips
3. 1 small squirt of strike hold in trigger group
4. Detail clean upper, BCG, bore, CHAMBER with shooter's choice, if not available, brake parts cleaner
5. Lube BCG SPARINGLY with TW25 or lithium grease
6.THIN coat of same grease on inner walls of upper
7. GENEROUSLY lube flash suppressor with strike hold
8. Go to range, test fire/check zero of optic (should be no more than 10 rounds or so)
9. re-lube flash suppressor
10. place shoot-off dust cover on flash suppressor
11. re-load
12. complete planning, go out tommorow, shoot more hajis

CLP