AR Sponsor
Posted: 3/13/2009 8:16:30 AM EDT
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my buddy wanted to degrease his AR and re oil it.. removing the old oil that started to dry up and some dirt that got into it last time we were at his range... so i suggested too bad it was dishwasher safe..
we though for a second... what is on an AR that isnt dishwasher safe? so the ballsy SOB stripped it down.. upper, lower, BCG and hand guards... put the upper, lower, in the large baskets and the BCG in the small silverware basket... ommited the handguards (cleaned them by hand) and let er' rip he used cascade detergent (which works really well with breaking up grease) and jet dry to help with removing all the water lefovers.. it turned out REALLY well i think.. went over and checked it out.. there was a little water left in the lower around the LPK but all he needed was to blow that dry with compressed air from the garage.. other then that.. it was fairly clean! i think the combo of the super high heat/steam along with the detergent douched the helll out of this thing!!! was wondering before i tried it myself.. if any of you guys ever tried this? |
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Quoted:
my buddy wanted to degrease his AR and re oil it.. removing the old oil that started to dry up and some dirt that got into it last time we were at his range... so i suggested too bad it was dishwasher safe.. we though for a second... what is on an AR that isnt dishwasher safe? so the ballsy SOB stripped it down.. upper, lower, BCG and hand guards... put the upper, lower, in the large baskets and the BCG in the small silverware basket... ommited the handguards (cleaned them by hand) and let er' rip he used cascade detergent (which works really well with breaking up grease) and jet dry to help with removing all the water lefovers.. it turned out REALLY well i think.. went over and checked it out.. there was a little water left in the lower around the LPK but all he needed was to blow that dry with compressed air from the garage.. other then that.. it was fairly clean! i think the combo of the super high heat/steam along with the detergent douched the helll out of this thing!!! was wondering before i tried it myself.. if any of you guys ever tried this? 
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well thats what i figured not everyone is doing it..
i think that jetdry really helped.. its formulated to leave no water and no spots on plates and you can eat off them... i can understand the lead contamination.. but if everything is pumped down the drain.. how much residual would you expect on the surface of the inside? i guess i dont know the propertys of lead enough to apply them to the inside of a dishwasher! |
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Run the dishwasher several times without plates in it, with the soap. Hopefully any residue left from the rifle will wash away. Its NOT amount of exposure, its length of exposure that really does damage. SO, you can argue it was just a little lead residue from a one time cleaning of the rifle, OR you can argue the lead residue sticks in the washer and exposes you to low level lead for as long as you have the dishwasher. I don't know, but I can't imagine cleaning a rifle once in a dishwasher would cause that much lead exposure, NOR leave enough residue that any meaningful amount remains after using the washer several times, BUT I REALLY DON'T KNOW. Like guys have said, you don't want to make it a practice, it could be hazardous to your health.
I'd use simply green and a hose and then simple green in the hot shower, then use alcohol. I haven't tried it myself on a firearm, but heard of people who have. I have used Simple Green on the car engine and under carriage, any stubborn grease or dirt that doesn't dissolve to rinse away, can easily be removed with the lightest brush action after soaking Simple Green for a few minutes. It really is the best stuff for degreasing and cleaning I've found for cars or other things, but that doesn't necessarily mean its the best for a firearm. One day I'll get up the nerve to give it a try, especially when its gotten used enough to be really dirty. Simple Green is bad for Aluminum though, even though they have used it on airplanes for years without problems. I "think" its the alkalinity of mixture, if its stays on the aluminum surface too long it will corrode or embrittle the surface, don't know if the anodizing protects it or NOT, or if the alkalinity effects the anodizing as well. That's why I think you would only want to use Simple Green with lots of water, to make sure you flush all the remaining simple green out. That is how they used it on airplanes for years without suffering any problem. Don't want to do what I saw one guy post, Wipe the weapon down with simple green and then put it in storage. They also make an aluminum safe Simple Green, its blue in color. You can read about it at their web site. Its hard to find, but I'm "pretty sure" the Extreme Simple Green Motorsports Cleaner & Degreaser is the same thing, I "thought" I read on their website that its Aluminum Safe. If I wasn't going to use water to thoroughly flush the simple green, but still use simple green, then I would use the Motorsports Simple Green that is blue in color. 
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| Foolish. You get chlorine-infused water into the little passages on the lower which contain the tiny springs that operate the balls that lock the pivot pins. Nothing happens for a long time, then the springs rust up and the detents don't operate any more. Multiply this by other similar areas. This happens sometimes to people who don't oil their detent balls on AR lowers (and 1911's!) and it will be accellerated by dishwashing. Don't dishwash your gun! |
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Hmmm.... would you clean your dinner plates with CLP? Probably not. So why would you put your rifle in the dishwasher? Seems like a simple answer to me, but then, I'm just a simple guy.
This is not to say that when we're in a jam, we do what we have to. But, if you have access to a working dishwasher and the time to let it run it's cycle, you probably have access to modern rifle cleaning materials and the time to clean it in a recommended manner. Dishwasher = FAIL. |
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I think y'all are makin' too much of the lead thing.
How much lead is on the gun anyway? Then how much is still stuck to the dishwasher after all that washin'? And how much that may be stuck to the dishwasher is transferred to your plates? Wipe off as much spludge as you can, then fire her up! Use zip-ties to keep the small parts from flying around. Draws dings out of cosmoline-saturated wood too. 
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There are so many other viable options for cleaning a weapon, that do not subject it to the possibility of corrosion forming, that using a dish washer would be the last method on my mind.
This is the kind of “barracks mentality” that the Army warns soldiers against, that leads to weapons being damaged. I continually see posts requesting methods of reducing moisture in safes, and folks spend hard earned money on electrical or chemical devices to reduce that moisture. Why subject your weapon to that type of abuse on a constant basis by throwing it in a dish washer. 
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Lead, oil, whatever burnt poisonous chemicals are left over after russian ammo goes "bang!". There are aerosol cleaners that will clean up a gun very quickly. Even for corrosive ammo I clean aks in a utility sink, not in the dishwasher. |
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we just came back from the range sat. and it shot really well.. it was off zero a hair but he uses QD mounts and a shit scope..
like a said above. .its not like he soaked it in a bathtub and then not oiled it.. his dishwasher has a drying mode, used jetdry, and then blew everything off with hig pressure air.. then reoiled .. no sign of rust and its been close to 2 weeks now.. |
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what cycle was it? the pots and pans, soak and scour, or the china scour? lol. i do believe this would work, if you dry it properly and re-oil it and it sounds like he did.
hell after that as far as the dishwasher itself goes run it a few times to clean it and it should be GTG.!!! That's great!!!!!! lololol :) ! |
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ok.. just got back from his house.. i looked at his washer.. his is almost identical to mine.. just a lot older.. his (along with mine) has just a regular dial/knowb .. first detent is labled - Hot prewash/wash the second is Regular wash cycle and then the third is - Dry and next to the knob is a rocker switch to select the dry mode... the wife said she uses the dry method (so did my buddy for his AR) and everything shes ever taken out of my machine has always been bone dry and warm to the touch... i ran it through a cycle and noticed that when it goes into dry mode,, thers a fan that kicks on .. so theres some good sign that im gonna get warm moving air circulating
ive just comleted upfitting my 10/22 and was thikning of painting it.. so i think the scope is gonna come off and the whole weapon is going in!!!!! (torn down obviously) we'll see how it goes |
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This thread got me thinking what a pain it is cleaning my Kimbers, Colts, and Wilson Combats when I finsh shooting. The solution: I washed all my handguns in the washing machine!
I know, I know, everyone is worried about the “moisture” left in the small detents. It’s not a problem…don’t think I went into this without a little forethought. I put them in the dryer afterward  ! The only thing I need help with is keeping the door closed on the dryer, kinda like running shoes, they keep banging into it and it is constantly knocked open . Anyone with any ideas on solving this small problem?
BTW: Next time I take my Barrett 82 CQ out to the range, I am going through the auto car wash with it in the bed of my truck when I’m finished! Ps: OP no offense...I just couldn't resist.
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Quoted:
Draws dings out of cosmoline-saturated wood too. A trick some woodworkers use if you plan on refinishing the piece is to dampen the ding/dent with water and allow to soak in. Place a cotton rag over the ding then heat with a hot iron, only holding in the spot a few seconds at a time and checking progress frequently. Sometimes I moisten the rag slightly, depending on finish you could get some hazing or discoloration to finish. Doesn't always work perfect but I have had some good success. |
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Honestly, I, NOR ANYONE, on this board knows how much lead makes it out of the rifle and onto the dishwasher and stays there. BUT considering the consequences of Lead Poisoning, that is extremely hard to diagnose and usually is only diagnosed after its too late and permanent damage has been done that last the rest of your life; I'd have to say WHY RISK IT?
You can find all sorts of stories about families that children are disabled the rest of their lives from neurological damage from lead poisoning. Only after it was too late did they discover that it was something like a Ceramic Pitcher the Family bought as a souvenir during a vacation to Mexico, that was painted with lead paint and they used it to serve Orange Juice (the acid pulled the lead of of the paint) to the kids every morning. Honestly, we may be making a mountain out of mole hill about cleaning weapons in a dishwasher, but when it comes to lead poisoning or any Industrial Chemicals, why would take any risk of CROSS-CONTAMINATION with the dishes/utensils you and your CHILDREN eat off. Yea, if you did it once, I wouldn't throw the dishwasher away, BUT, I would NOT make it a habit of cleaning NON-Food items that have heavy metals and industrial chemicals in them in your Dishwasher. |
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Quoted:
my buddy wanted to degrease his AR and re oil it.. removing the old oil that started to dry up and some dirt that got into it last time we were at his range... so i suggested too bad it was dishwasher safe.. we though for a second... what is on an AR that isnt dishwasher safe? so the ballsy SOB stripped it down.. upper, lower, BCG and hand guards... put the upper, lower, in the large baskets and the BCG in the small silverware basket... ommited the handguards (cleaned them by hand) and let er' rip he used cascade detergent (which works really well with breaking up grease) and jet dry to help with removing all the water lefovers.. it turned out REALLY well i think.. went over and checked it out.. there was a little water left in the lower around the LPK but all he needed was to blow that dry with compressed air from the garage.. other then that.. it was fairly clean! i think the combo of the super high heat/steam along with the detergent douched the helll out of this thing!!! was wondering before i tried it myself.. if any of you guys ever tried this? GUILTY...  (NOT AR)
It turned out well!!! I was impressed.However the dishwasher did not like it so much...killed it (high pressure pump) 
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