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Posted: 2/23/2012 3:07:18 PM EDT
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I just got my first AK, a polytech .223 preban spiker.
I'm pretty anal about stuff like this, so I was wondering what the best way to clean this gun would be after and in between shooting and what products I should get? I've only had older shotguns and .22s that I didn't put much cleaning care into, so I really don't know what I should about cleaning and want to do this right. I appreciate any input! Thanks |
| For bore cleaners Mpro 7 Gun Cleaner and Copper Remover http:www.mp7.com , and/or Hoppes Elite Gun Cleaner and Copper Terminator http://www.hoppes.com and/or Blue Wonder Gun Cleaner http://www.bluewonder.us .For oil G96 Complete Gun Treatment http://www.g96.com and/or Break Free CLP hrrp://www.break-free.com and/or the Tetra Gun Lubricants http://tetraproducts.com . For a Dewey coated, one piece cleaning rod http://www.deweyrods.com (Dewey also makes bronze bore brushes.coton cleaning patches, nylon bore bruses, patch holders, and jags all of whitch you will also need) For a cleaning kit, get a Oris cleaning kit http://www.otisgun.com . |
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There is no one "Right" cleaning process. Everyone has their own.
What cleaning materials to use is not all that important, most commercial products will work fine. Since you probably won't be shooting corrosive primed ammo in your .223 you won't have to do preliminary cleaning with hot water to flush out the corrosive residue. You need a bore cleaning solvent to clean the bore and chamber and areas like the bolt face. You need a lubricant to lube the rifle. There are no miracle lubricants. Just pick one and try it. A popular lube that works and prevents rust is CLP Breakfree. Some people use a lubricant to both clean and lube. Using a bore solvent does a faster and better job. Buy a one-piece stainless steel or carbon fiber cleaning rod. DON'T use an aluminum or brass rod or any screw-together rods. These all damage muzzles and bores. Just because the rifle is an AK is no sign you can use cheap equipment. Since you have to buy the rifle yourself, a smart owner takes very good care of it. If you're wealthy and can afford to buy a new rifle whenever you want, or if you're a slob who doesn't care, then you can neglect the rifle. Don't dip patches and brushes in the solvent bottle. This contaminates the solution. Buy some plastic solvent pipettes from Brownell's. These are listed with Accu-Bore bore solvent. Use the pipette to apply solvent to the patches and brushes. Buy a bronze chamber brush from Brownell's. AK's tend to carbon up the gas piston, gas cylinder, and muzzle attachments. A carbon remover like Slip 2000 Carbon Killer is the quickest and most effective way to clean these. A good cleaning rod will protect the rifle from damage and do a good job of cleaning it. If the bore is hard chrome plated you won't have to use a bore brush too often, but you should use one occasionally. Here's my process for AK rifles: Field strip the rifle. That means removing the bolt and bolt carrier, the gas tube, and any removable muzzle attachment. As always, it's best to clean from the chamber end, but this is difficult with the AK. If the rod is flexible and long enough you can clean from th chamber end, but if you're careful cleaning from the muzzle is also good. If you need to use a bore brush, soak it with solvent and run it through the bore 10 to 15 times. Always put the rod all the way through and out the end. NEVER reverse the brush in the bore. This ruins the brush and can get it stuck. Buy bore brushes in bulk. They don't last long. Use a chamber brush and solvent to scrub the chamber. Run a patch soaked with bore solvent straight through the bore and out. "Pumping" patches up and down the bore does no good. Always run patches straight through. Let the bore soak while you clean the rest of the rifle. This gives the solvent the time it needs to attack the bore fouling. READ THE LABEL for safe soak times. Use solvent and a toothbrush to scrub the bolt face and the cam area of the bolt carrier and the area around the chamber in the receiver. Scrub the area around and under the extractor. Use a carbon remover like Slip 2000 Carbon Killer to remove the carbon fouling from the gas piston, the gas cylinder block on the barrel, and any muzzle attachment. Parts like muzzle attachments can simply be dropped into the jar. SHAKE THE JAR to mix. Use a shotgun bore brush and solvent to clean the inside of the gas tube. Run another wet patch straight through the bore and inspect it for blue or green copper stains. If there are stains, soak the bore longer. Continue until a patch comes out with no stains. Mild solvents like Hoppe's" #9 may take most of a day. Harsher solvents like Sweet's 7.62 can clean a bore in 30 minutes or so, but can also harm bores if left in too long. Dry the bore and inspect for any fouling still remaining. If it's clean, wet a patch with a couple of drops of lubricant and run it through the bore and chamber to apply a coat of rust preventing lube. Run a dry patch through to remove the excess. You want only a VERY thin coat. Dry and apply a light coat of lube to the bolt and bolt carrier. Do not lubricate the gas piston head or the gas block on the barrel unless the rifle is not to be fired for a period of time. Before shooting again, remove the lube from the piston and gas block. Apply lube to the gas tube and the muzzle attachment to prevent rust. Apply lube to any areas that show wear or are dry to prevent rust. Reassemble. Note that many people use a little grease on the bolt lugs and the bolt carrier to increase smooth operation and reduce wear. This sounds more involved then it really is, and it doesn't take all that long. This will properly clean the rifle and it'll last longer and stay in good condition. |
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Quoted:
It really isn't intimidating or all that involved if you break it down into steps. Clean bore and chamber. Clean bolt and bolt carrier. Clean muzzle attachment. Clean gas tube Clean gas piston. Clean gas cylinder/block. Clean receiver. Lubricate. That is less intimidating :) |
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I've used steel cleaning rods for decades without ever damaging a bore.
The stories about not using steel cleaning rods developed many years ago when steel production was more art than science and no one could be sure how tough any particular barrel was. The steel from which barrels are made today is much tougher and much more uniform. If it was delicate enough to damage with a cleaning rod it wouldn't last long when the rifle was fired. |
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What rods do you use? I generally use an M10 cleaning rod, but only because I own several. I have used the issue cleaning rod many times. One thing you should note: If the cleaning kit that came with your rifle contains a brush with soft bristles, it is designed for applying oil to the bore, not for cleaning it. |
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You can pull any cleaning rod, no matter what type of handle it has.
On the AK I run the rod down the bore and into the receiver. I use a loop type cleaning patch older. I put a patch in the loop and pull it into the chamber. I use an Accu-Bore pipette to give the patch a squirt of solvent, then I pull the patch through the bore and out the muzzle. You do the same with a bore brush. The AK cleaning rod is usable if you either buy a brass cone-shaped muzzle guide, or use your fingers to center the rod and prevent it from rubbing on the delicate crown at the muzzle. Don't use aluminum, brass, or jointed rods, they damage muzzles. The soft aluminum and brass rods are soft enough that grit will embed in the metal and that turns the rod into a lapping rod that will wear the muzzle. The jointed rods never screw together perfectly and there's always a "step" that will catch on the muzzle and damage it fast. |
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Quoted:
The jointed rods never screw together perfectly and there's always a "step" that will catch on the muzzle and damage it fast. If "fast" means sometime after more than hundreds of cleanings over more than two decades, you could be right. Otherwise, you're something of an alarmist, to put it mildly. |
| Hey guys. Bought a bunch of stuff from brownells. Ordered 22/223/556 nylon bore cleaning brushes. The ones I got say they are for "22rim fire 219, 22, 222", on the back they list the different sizes and they have these, and brushes specifically for 223/556. Does it really matter? (When I bought from Brownells they said they were for 223/556) Just curious...thanks! |
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"If "fast" means sometime after more than hundreds of cleanings over more than two decades, you could be right. Otherwise, you're something of an alarmist, to put it mildly"
I'm a retired gunsmith. I've seen a number of firearms that were cleaned with screw-together steel cleaning rods where a joint caught on the barrel and put a nice nick or burr in the steel right where the rifling ends, also known as the crown. This ruins accuracy. As for a bullet, steel jacketed or otherwise exiting the bore and not damaging the crown, there's a BIG difference between a bullet properly exiting the bore and a cleaning rod rubbing on the muzzle. A bullet takes many years of use to make any real wear to a muzzle, but a LOT of military rifles have the crown so badly worn by misuse of a cleaning rod that many have had the muzzle counter-bored to refresh the necessary crown. I suggest you might do some reading on rifle barrels, crowns, and accuracy. |
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