Hello everyone:
I just purchased my brand new Bushmaster M4 looking XM15 E2S on Wednesday (my first AR ever).  I love this gun, it is solid, compact, and a lot of fun to shoot.  Since I was at work, I did not take the gun home to disassemble and look over.  The gun is brand new and when I picked it up from the gun store, it was oiled and according to them "in ready to fire condition."  So, the next day I set off for the range with 200 rounds of Winchester .223 Remington.  About 120 rounds through, the gun gets a serious jam.  Since I'm more or less a newbie to ARs, I decided to ask for help.  Lucky for me, a retired US Special Forces soldier who happens to teach a class on ARs helped me out.  He opened up the gun and pulled out the carrier after some effort and finally fixed the jam.  Apparently, the entire bolt/bolt carrier was just swimming in oil.  He told me this is what caused the gun to jam up, he said to stop firing and take the gun home and immediately clean it.  Anyway, the question is, how much oil to you really need?  Last night, I broke down the gun to its integral parts and thoroughly removed all of the oil which the gun had on it with a cloth.  Then I put a very very thin coating on most parts with a thicker coating on others (like the bolt itself).  Is this correct?  Exactly how much lubrication and CLP does the gun really need?  I'm really paranoid now since I do not want to break the gun and now I'm afraid yesterday's jam permanently  marred the gun somehow.  Also, as I was cleaning and lubricating the gun with a combination of white cloth wipes and cleaning patches, I noticed little flecks of white threads/lint on gun parts as I wiped them down with a drop of CLP.  Is this dangerous to have on the components?  Thank you in advance for any tips on gun maintainence.

-Trias

First ALWAYS clean a new gun - they are never sold in 'ready to fire' status.  Besides cleaning will give you more familierarity with the rifle.

Secondly you didn't damage your rifle with the jam so stop worrying.

I dont think I can recall a rifle of having TOO much CLP jamming (other than in deserts or very dusty conditions).  I have seen rifles using grease have problems.

If you want to learn the proper amount of CLP to use then you'll need to download or buy a copy of the Military operators manual (the -10).  It covers how much lube should go the different parts.

You can download it for free from here: [url]http://www.mcdl.org/Manuals/Manuals/AR-15%20Operations/TM9-1005-319-10.pdf[/url]

You can also check these online instructions (text & photos taken from an Army training CD):
[url]http://groups.msn.com/TheMarylandAR15ShootersSite/lubricating.msnw[/url]

Oh yeah you will get some white lint on the parts - that is ok.  Many people use old Black T-shirts (especially on the exterior) so the lint doesn't show up.

In basic training CLP was the universal fix for our M16.  Just before we stepped on the range to qualify the drill sergeant would spay two big squirts of CLP on your bolt and tell us to work the charging handle a few times to spread it around.  Worked EVERY TIME.  Never had a jam in basic.

Mechanically, think of your car.  The AR's tolerances are very tight to begin with.  Too much oil in your engine block is like not having enough.  You're haveing your rifle work harder.  Spread the oil/clp with your finger tip, and that should be plenty.  Once the carrier is worn a bit after usagen a ltiile more oil won't hurt other than being a dirt/dust magnet and shooting oil into your eyes/ on your eye protection.

Ok, thanks for the tips.  I downloaded the guide and will be sure to follow the directions to the best of my ability.  I guess I should pop open the rifle and add a little bit more CLP to the parts (especially the carrier).  Thanks again.


-Trias

It may not be the right way, but I put a light coating of CLP on everything with no jams in the last 3000 rounds.

Edited to add: I used to use Remoil, but it dries up fairly fast.  Breakfree CLP last a lot longer and you probably won't have to lube it before you go shooting.

usually I pull the bolt.  hose it down until it's dripping wet.  sling it once to get some CLP off and put it back in.  then it always shoots fine.  i have seen folks put five drops of oil in the gas tube port on the top of the bolt and when it fires the first time it blows oil all over the bolt.  

One other tip... I've always made it a habit of completely hosing out a new AR with GunScrubber or Brake Cleaner to remove all old oils before I start fresh with CLP... CLP doesn't play well with others, and tends to gum up when mixed with other oils.  

GunScrubber will leave all areas completely dry so be sure to thoroughly reapply the CLP to all surfaces.  After that, cleanup is much easier using nothing more than CLP, and the longer you use CLP the better it gets...