[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Cleaning question

Posted: 8/23/2007 2:58:28 PM EDT

I noticed a buildup of super hard black 'soot' on the rear of my bolt. It was very difficult to remove. I've only got about 300 rounds through this rifle, and I read about guys shooting 1000's of rounds without cleaning at all...

Is this buildup normal?
Do I need to worry about scraping it off every time I clean my AR?
Is there some solvent that can help?

I'm shooting mostly 1990s Santa Barbara M855.

Posted: 8/23/2007 3:14:16 PM EDT

[#1]

I get it too. Sometimes i scrap it. Sometimes I don't. Can't tell you what's right either way but you're not the only one with it. If you have time go ahead with the clean but i wouldn't lose sleep over it

Posted: 8/23/2007 3:25:46 PM EDT

[#2]

That's one of the highest buildup areas in the AR. It won't harm anything.

It's true that people do reliability tests with 1000s of rounds, but you should always clean and inspect your weapon after a shooting session.

You don't have to clean the buildup every time if you don't want to (I do, but it's part of my training). You can use any of several solvents, check the Maintenance and Cleaning forum for more info. I like dental picks myself for scraping action.

Posted: 8/23/2007 3:43:31 PM EDT

[#3]

I soak my bolt and firing pin in a container of Break-free CLP while I tend to the other parts of the rifle. The CLP does a good job of softening up the carbon deposits. Usually all that‘s needed to finish up after a 15-20 min soaking is a bronze brush.

Posted: 8/23/2007 3:50:41 PM EDT

[#4]

dbltap

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Cleaning question

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Cleaning question

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Cleaning question