Quoted:
Everybody likes to bad mouth the AR-15's gas system.
Remember, other gas systems need cleaning too, just in a different spot.
That said, we have a board member that has ran 7,000 rounds through his rifle with NO cleaning. Just a squirt of lube now and then.
How's that for reliable?
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I'll admit, it is kinda a theoretical thing about the AR gas system. I've persoanlly never had a jam that I attributed directly to crud from the gas system.
But then, if you are talking about the perfect battle rifle, you don't want ANYTHING that could cost you your life. Like "dirt" from the gas system.
Put it this way -
if you were driving from Florida to California, would you take a car that you knew had dirt in the gas tank that might make its way up to the fuel injectors, or a car that you knew had a clean gas tank???
I'll also concede that the AR gets a bit of a bad rap from the troubles it had in its earliest developmental stages in 'Nam. Problems that have largely been rectified since then. But the death of a battle rifle is when the soldier that carries doesn't ahve a warm and fuzzy feeling about it.
Lastly, re: Mr. 7,000 rounds w/o cleaning -
if he was using breakfree as his lube, he actually WAS cleaning it, as breakfree is also good for desolving loose carbon and powder fouling.