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Posted: 7/2/2013 4:12:07 AM EDT
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I've heard numerous times in other threads that improper cleaning or cleaning too often can wear out/damage a barrel. I'm hoping some wise members can educate me on where the truth lies behind this statement and what exactly constitutes improper cleaning or over cleaning.
For reference, I'm obviously a newb. 13'er right here and no shame either. I've fired around 300 rounds through my AR to date on 2-3 separate trips to the range. I have a Dewey cleaning rod and a bore snake, both of which I've tested out and used. Upper is a CHF BCM 16" mid length and due to the pinch on ammo and availability I've mostly fired steel case Herter's through it. Cleaning solvants is primarily Hoppes #9. |
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There really isn't a "one size fits all" answer. An AR rifle needs lube, doesn't necessarily need much cleaning- but is yours to do with as you want.
There are many opinions as to what is needed, and how to clean, or how much to clean- I do very little cleaning personally. Here is a link to an article by Pat Rogers (EAG) that was sponsored by SLIP2000 so it will have references to EWL Pat Rogers article Here is another link to his filthy14 dirty rifle Filthy 14 Obviously, few would want to keep a rifle that dirty, but the point is- they will run dirty as long as lubed. Read what others suggest, but find what works for your needs. These rifles do not need to be "white glove" clean. DO NOT USE stainless brushes. These rifles will take military abuse, they are able to withstand abuse- but just clean as you want. I rarely use brushes. I will occasionally run a bore snake and lightly oiled patches. This works for me. Good luck, HTH 
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Over zealous cleaning increases the odds of exposure to scratching your bore. You can white glove clean it as much as you please IMO and it won't be any worse for the wear. If you're an impatient knuckle-dragger trying to get it white glove clean- you're probably going to do more harm than good.
FWIW, here's how I clean my AR. 1) Run a patch wet with gun scrubber through the bore to ensure no dust is in the mix. 2) Run Blue Wonder copper remover through the bore as directed on a bronze brush. 3) While the BW works it's wonder, I give attention to the BCG and lower receiver. 4) Repeat 3 as directed. 5) Run dry patch or patches through to remove BW 6) Run patch wet with gun scrubber to clean/degrease 7) Run wet patches with CLP through until they come out clean. 8) After last patch with CLP has gone through, I follow with one last dry patch to remove excess CLP from bore. Prior to giving the bore its proper attention, I disassemble the BCG and put foaming bore cleaner on the tail of the bolt and in the heart of the carrier where the gas rings operate. I let the foaming bore cleaner work on the carbon deposits as I'm cleaning my bore. The bore foam really breaks up carbon if you give it enough time. I may brush and Q-tip and reapply the foam if needed. (On piston guns, I have yet to leave a trace of carbon on the face of the piston so long as I always stay on top of the buildup... Not that it matters, but still) YMMV and HTH. Sly |
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If you use proper cleaning tools and techniques you really can't over clean a rifle, but improper tools or equipment can damage a rifle in one cleaning.
Any rifle barrel will sooner or later require copper removal, if nothing else when accuracy begins to degrade. A hard chrome lined bore and chamber don't foul as fast or bad as a non-plated barrel, and are easier to clean, but even they will need cleaning. These days, I prefer to let chemicals do the cleaning of bores so if I use a bore brush, I only make about 5 passes, then let a bore solvent soak to remove the copper. Hoppe's isn't as aggressive as speciality copper removers, but it WILL clean a bore well if given the time and won't harm a firearm. The keys are to clean the rifle enough to remove fouling that may reduce reliability, OR that may cause the rifle you had to pay for yourself to degrade. No, you don't "have" to clean an AR or AK rifle, but failure to do proper cleaning will cause your expensive rifle to wear prematurely, and to loose value. There are people who don't care about cars so they never wash it, seldom change oil, or do maintenance. In a few years they look like crap and have lost value. They may still work well, but they have degraded. Often these people are proud of the lack of maintenance they do. Often they have the money to just buy a new car when it degrades prematurely. On the other end of the scale are people who wash and wax a car weekly, change the oil every few thousand miles, and constantly check the engine. They don't damage a car, but spend more time and money then needed. The trick is to be somewhere in between the two extremes. Personally, everytime I fire a weapon, whether one shot or one thousand, I clean it. I use a bore solvent to clean the carbon and copper from the bore and chamber. I clean the bolt and bolt carrier. I clean out the receiver and carefully check the trigger unit. When I've fired enough rounds that I see fouling beginning to build up in the hidden areas standard cleaning doesn't get, I do a deep cleaning. My firearms are always reliable and still look good. Since I have to buy them myself, and can't afford to buy new ones, I don't allow them to deteroriate, I take good care of them. For the AR I use a Dewey one piece stainless steel rod, Hoppe's #9 and patches to clean the chrome bore and chamber. I clean the bolt face and if the carbon on the bolt "tail" is building up, I either use a carbon remover chemical or a C.A.T. 4 tool to scrape the carbon off. I clean the bolt carrier gas key with a used bore brush as shown in GI Maintenence manuals, and if the carbon in the front recess of the bolt carrer is building up I use a carbon chemcial or the C.A.T. 4 tool to remove it. I brush out the upper and lower receiver, and clean the carbon off the end of the gas tube that enters the gas key. I apply lubricant to the critical working areas. |
| I cannot remember which one, but it was one of the gun shows that come on The Sportsman Channel. Anyway, there was a segment on sniping. The host/sniper of the segment talked about their rifles losing accuracy if all the copper was cleaned out of the barrel and that it generally took 30-40 rounds for the accuracy to come back.Sounded like a good excuse to do less cleaning to me. |
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Quoted:
I cannot remember which one, but it was one of the gun shows that come on The Sportsman Channel. Anyway, there was a segment on sniping. The host/sniper of the segment talked about their rifles losing accuracy if all the copper was cleaned out of the barrel and that it generally took 30-40 rounds for the accuracy to come back.Sounded like a good excuse to do less cleaning to me. Don't confuse professional snipers with a regular shooter. Their standards are a "bit" more exacting that the average Joe. The guys I used to run with, cleaning was a ritual. Had to be just right. Anything off a dime at 100 yards was a miss. These were police snipers, and the rules of engagement were pretty stiff. If you hold yourself to the cleaning standards of these guys, you will get pretty sick of cleaning. |
| I suggest buying two identical rifles and shooting them at the same time with the same rounds and only cleaning them differently to determine the actual results. Report back with your findings. To me over cleaning causing damage is like saying washing your car too much wears off the paint or writing with a pencil wears your fingers too thin. One surface is harder than the other and I haven't seen anyone scientifically prove over cleaning causes faster wear than under cleaning or even what they consider over cleaning. To me cleaning your gun before you go out shooting is over cleaning unless its for competitions. If its just to plink or attempt to get a better 100 yard group off a rest at a range I'd say clean it every 1,000 rounds. |
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