I make sure the qtip comes out white, no matter what part.

Clean?  What's this 'clean' thing you're talking about?  

A few passes with a boresnake, wipe the big chunks out of the bolt carrier assembly then lube with CLP as needed.

I clean mine well but I dont go over board,it should take no more than 20 to 30 minutes and some build up like the inside rear of the bolt carrier is normal,some take a dental pick to it but that can damage the chrome,more damage is done to ARs from over cleaning than any type of normal use,so clean and lube it well but dont get neurotic about it,all I use are qtips,my bore snake and a .45 cal brush that works better in the chamber than a chamber brush and on the inside of the carrier,contrary to popular beleif you realy dont need to clean out the gas tube,more pipe cleaners get lodged in there from going in too far,The AR was designed to blow excess crap out I only put in a pipe cleaner no further than the legnth of the tube that sticks out of the upper and ive never had any build up in the 11 years ive had my bushmaster,with routine reasonable maintenence it should function reliably,I hear of people using carb cleaner in the tube or brake cleaner in the upper,stay away from that crap,I use clp to clean and lube and every few thousand rounds I use copper solvent on the bore to prevent any copper build up of wich ive never had.

I rod the barrel with brush and patch, clean the bolt and carrier, clean upper receiver and lube per manual.  Noth'in to it.  

I use to meticulously clean my rifles and pistols too, but I like shooting them more than I like cleaning them, so I found more practical ways to get the job done. Now it doesn't feel like such a chore.

This last weekend I put 1500 rounds through one of my ar's today I sprayed it down GUNK slopped the cleaning brush through it hose it out sprayed it down with clp then dried it off. I bore brushed then lightly swpped the barrel with a pad. easy and quick

If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, life gets a lot easier.  I just put my carrier and upper in there and by the time I'm done cleaning the lower, the rest is done.  At most, the inside of the carrier needs a couple of quick swipes and the rear of the bolt might need a couple passes with a copper brush to remove any remaining buildup, but that's it.  Total 15 minutes for the above to get the gun clean as a whistle.

For the barrel, I just do 2 mag dumps on full auto (RR M16) before I leave the range and that makes cleaning the barrel a breeze.  Interestingly enough, after talking to a couple of other people at the range with M16's, they also noted the barrel was easier to clean after shooting on full auto.  I'm guess its like when you set a self-cleaning oven to a high temperature and it burns the excess carbon into ash?!?!

I also take the bolt carrier apart. It only takes a minute and is very easy to do. Cleaning the firing pin alone makes for a smoother action much less the entire carrier group. You'd be surprised at the gunk that gets in there. I also use a bore snake but every so often I will break out the cleaning rod and brush. Aside from that, it doesn't take me more than 20 minutes to clean everthing and put it all back together.

But that full auto and high heat will burn a barrel out quicker,with chrome lining weather warm or not the AR is simple and quick to clean I can do it in 20 minutes without separating the upper from the lower,I learned to do it when I got my very first AR,a colt HBAR and got sick of using 2 screw drivers to separate the upper from the lower,ultrasonic cleaners are good for steel bores but unecesary in my opinion for something chromed thats already slippery,the carbon just does not stick to it.

everyone talks about how they hate cleaning their guns.Man, i must be a freak[%|] because i love spending time with my "special" friends[:D]
I have to admit that I may be a wee bit anal about getting them clean though as they'd probably pass inspection. Oh well, I guess I'm just a wierdo. [whacko]

I like to keep my weapons clean enough to pass a Marine Corps inspection. Old habits are hard to break, but I believe a clean weapon is a happy weapon ;)

I like to keep my weapons clean enough to pass inspection as well... A good habit I will never break.

I swab take out the bolt group and then swab the bore with CLP a few times.  Then I take apart the bolt group and remove the extractor.  Spray all that and the charging handle with CLP.  Spray the inside of the reciever with CLP.  Then I go watch a movie.

When I come back, I wipe down the bolt carrier group, handle, reciever interior and chamber with paper towells and q-tips.  Next I clean the bore using patches and CLP until it is clean.  Occassionally I use a bore-snake type thing, but not often.  Only rarely will I take a brush to the bore or chamber.  Finally, I lube the bolt carrier group and handle with CLP.

It is a drag.

model927:

I don't use the ultrasonic for the barrel, just the carrier and associated parts and upper.  I normally go through a minimum of 300 - 500 rounds per outing so there is quite a bit of caked on carbon on the rear of the bolt and other parts of the carrier.  Likewise there is a decent buildup of stuff in the upper and chamber area and the ultrasonic gets all this stuff out quickly and without q-tips or other little cleaning implements.

As for the barrel, they are cheap and easy enough to replace so I really don't worry about it.  I had a beater upper that I tried my damnest to shoot the rifling out of it but it just didn't happen :)

Yep, that's about right.

Pull out the bolt group and charging handle, wipe down cursorily with rag.

Attach chamber brush to chamber cleaning rod, soak with CLP, give a few turns clockwise.  Replace chamber brush with .40S&W brush with large patch attached and clear out gunk chamber brush left behind.

Insert bore guide and run a patch of CLP down the bore.  Leave for a few minutes.  Run a clean patch down and repeat process until dry patch comes out clean.  ([i]I don't like to run brushes down the bore unless I need to and have time to let the solvents do their stuff.[/i])

Squirt some Gun Scrubber down the barrel to clear the CLP.  Then run a patch of Sweets 762 copper remover.  Leave for a few minutes and run a dry patch.  Repeat until no blue on dry patch.  ([i]I only do this every 1000 rnds or so on my social rifles, more often on the precision rigs.[/i])

Squirt some Gun Scrubber down the barrel to clear the Sweets then run one last patch of CLP followed by a dry patch.

Go at the lower receiver with a large patch, getting to fouled areas until reasonably clean.  Use qtips in the trigger assembly area to clean accurately.  Apply a healthy amount of CLP and wipe clean.

Disassemble bolt group and clean with patch and CLP.  Check for carbon build up in carrier and use copper .45ACP brush rotated in recess and CLP to loosen up crud if needed.  Take care to test the extractor and lubricate as needed.

Reassemble rifle and wipe down exterior with a silicon cloth.  Perform function check.  Return to safe.

Take rifle to range.  Start over again... [;)]

I like to believe I get my M16 a bit cleaner than that.[(:)]

But he’s right about keeping our Weapons clean.  Us Vet’s are fanatics about keeping our Pride & Joy clean.
When we shoot at some target, whether animate or otherwise, we want to know that our Weapon will hit the Subject In Question, “First Time, Every Time”.  Our lives may have depended on it.
Clean Weapons will do it more often than neglected Weapons.

What is CLP??

Here's my recipe:

Barrel:
Shooter's choice cleaning rod or OTIS cleaning kit.  I run a patch with CLP down the bore, followed by a bronze brush, then another CLP-soaked patch. Repeat 3-5 times, until relatively clean. Finish off with a wet patch of CLP.

One or two passes with a q-tip on the barrel extension, just to remove any apparent carbon buildup.

Upper receiver:
I wipe the inside of the receiver down with a dry paper towel. Same for the charging handle.

Lower receiver:
Periodically lube hammer and trigger pins with MPro7 lubricant.

Bolt group:
I wipe the carrier down with a dry paper towel, twisting  the paper towel into the gas chamber and repeating with another clean paper towel.  I wipe the bolt down with a dry paper towel and every 1000 rounds or so, I'll remove the extractor and clean out any carbon buildup.  Carrier, cam pin and bolt get a mixture of Tetra grease and Mpro7 lubricant on all high-friction bearing surfaces.

All in all this takes under 30 minutes and is clean enough for me.


Josh

Cleaner, lubricant, protectant.  It's a generic name for any cleaning supply that can provide all three functions at once.

BreakFree is perhaps the most well-known CLP product out there.

Turby

Curious if you have had any trouble with the ultrasonic cleaner removing finishes off of some firearms.  Read once (on rec.guns) about a guy using an ultrasonic cleaner on his SIG and the K-Kote came off the slide..

Turby

Turby:

Haven't had any problems with finishes.  I use MPro7 as my cleaning solution and it is safe for just about everything out there, including plastics and paint.  

Some of the guns I've used my ultrasonic on are HK's (MP5, USP series, P7 series, P9 series, Nickel P7, etc), Beretta (Inox and standard finish, Billenium), SIG's in both nickel and the two types of black finishes they have (can't remember the names off the top of my head), S&W revolvers blued, stainless, and nickel.

I think a lot of it has to do with the solution and the tanks.  I find the best way to use an ultrasonic and NOT harm the finish is to use wire supports or something to hang the item/gun to be cleaned so that it does not touch the bottom and sides of your subtanks.  I'm comfortable enough with the effectiveness of the ultrasonic that I even use it on the more costly pre-bans I've owned (SIG rifles, AUG's, etc) and my machineguns.

Also, you can leave Trijicon night sights on the guns, but I don't believe other brands will honor their warranty if you use an ultrasonic for cleaning.

You are not alone, "Just Shoot It".

Another freak here... I keep 'em spotless inside and out. Yes to carb/brake cleaner. Yes, I even pull and clean the extractor every time, and YES, I enjoy every minute of it.

When they are clean, I wipe EVERYTHING down with LSA. I run 'em wet cuz I don't use them in sandstorms.

That's why they run like sewing machines in the field. Even with Wolf.

I even take it one step further and put them on the vise/block and stare at them, while brainstorming about what trick thing I'm going to do to them next.