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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:12:24 AM EDT
[#1]
After 16 years of using them I still love cleaning My AR, I would sugest a bore snake though.
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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:22:10 AM EDT
[#2]
I always enjoy cleaning my guns, AR or not. It not only shows you appreciate them but gives you another oppurtunity to closely inspect all its parts and functions. I always feel confident with mine because I know they are always ready to go to the woods at a moments notice. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:23:44 AM EDT
[#3]
Get a Bore Snake.
It will change your life. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:26:07 AM EDT
[#4]
Takes me about 30 minutes to clean my AR............ no biggie
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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:32:18 AM EDT
[#5]
Ive managed to get the AR cleaning thing down to about 20 minutes for a complete rifle. Disassemble the gun, take the upper outside minus the carrier assembly, and shoot it with non-chloinated brake claen from the chamber end. This removes any carbon and debres from the chamber and barrel. I then take it back inside and i have a new foaming copper remover which I spray down the barrel. It foams and expands to fill the bore and i set it aside. I then disassemble the carrier and bolt and clean these while the upper is sitting aside. Once I have the bolt, carrier and lower all cleaned up, wiped down, i run a patch from chamber to muzzle with one of the Otis flex cables which removes the foam cleaner from the bore. I then put two drops of CLP in the chamber lugs and use a can of compressed air to move it around and lube all the lugs. I then run a oiled patch down the bore and reassemble the rifle. Wipe it down and put it away........
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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:32:47 AM EDT
[#6]
I love cleaning my AR, with exception when i shot a butt load of wolf ammo, it took FOREVER to clean. that why i don't shoot wolf or any other russian ammo out of it anymore.
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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:33:03 AM EDT
[#7]
The main thing is to keep your cleaning routine SIMPLE. I use breakfree and gun scrubber, that's it. Once every 1000rds I will use copper solvent. A weapon that is maintained properly will never need more than Breakfree to clean and lube. If I dont use my AR, I take it down once a month and wipe it down with breakfree, and run 1 patch down the barrel--just to knock the dust off.
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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:33:52 AM EDT
[#8]
I love to clean my Black Rifles.
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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:40:04 AM EDT
[#9]
I'm not a huge fan of cleaning my AR15s nor any gun for that matter, but I am a STRONG proponent in doing so after each range/practice trip.
I don't like doing the dishes, but the missus insists that must.  When cleaning, I clean the upper, locking lugs and chamber first. The barrel will get a healthy dose of solvent and let sit while I clean the bolt/carrier/charging handle assembly. Once the BCG has been cleaned and inspected I then punch the barrel clean with patches. Re-lube and assemble. My regiment takes me all but 30-45 minutes. I dislike cleaning, but poppa told me that if I'm going to do something, do it right. -Jim |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:41:49 AM EDT
[#10]
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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:44:39 AM EDT
[#11]
Say it with me now:
This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is MINE. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My rifle without me is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will... My rifle and myself know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our bursts, nor the smoke we make. We know it is the hits that count. We will hit... My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strengths, its parts, its accessories, its sights, and its barrel. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will... Before God I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but PEACE. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 7:48:48 AM EDT
[#12]
LOL! Thanks fellas. I will definately look into a bore snake. It just seems easier. I love cleaning my guns dont get me wrong, but it seems like out of all of my guns, the AR is the longest haul.....
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Posted: 9/28/2004 8:17:03 AM EDT
[#13]
That's one of the reasons I traded my SAR-8 (I hated taking that bitch apart, even if it did have less pieces) and one of the reasons I love AR's so much. They're easy to disassemble and for the most part easy to clean.
I'm not a big fan of scraping carbon off the bolt and I really hate trying to clean where the bolt meets the barrel (the part with the feed ramps... I forget what it's called (the chamber?). Everything else is pretty simple. I've always thought the barrel was one of the easiest parts to clean. You could always get a dunk/solvent tank. That or stick with Airsoft AR's... they're a piece of cake to clean. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 9:02:23 AM EDT
[#14]
Boresnake.
Plus, the one I use most is good old non-volatile carbon fiber. Some gun scrubber, a few drops of oil, and a boresnaking are all she needs for weekly cleaning. Takes no more then 10 minutes. I have learned to be very cautious with GunScrubber, though. Among other things, it really burns between my fingers and in my eyes. Another thing is that it turns the laminant on my cheap particle board work station into a gooey, partially dissolved mess. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 9:30:29 AM EDT
[#15]
I enjoy cleaning all guns,
except black powder guns, that shit sucks. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 9:31:30 AM EDT
[#16]
If you're griping about the AR, I'm guessing you don't own an SKS.
I put 200 rounds of Wolf through mine and had to use a brass brush chucked into a drill to get the residue off the gas piston face! Not to mention the gas tube is basically a press fit = damn hard to remove and put in every time. After that, cleaning my AR was a cakewalk.
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Posted: 9/28/2004 9:45:00 AM EDT
[#17]
Ditto. I hate cleaning the barrel of my AR. Well, I hate cleaning ANY barrel but I am anal that it be done if I have only fired a couple of rounds. I don't mind cleaning the rest of the AR's parts, except maybe the inside of the carrier. At least the AR can be cleaned from the breech, unlike the Garand and M1A. Trip the bolt catch on an M1A with a cleaning rod and you'll want to smash it to pieces. Now I use the factory PC ten-round mag only when I clean my M1A. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 10:16:37 AM EDT
[#18]
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Posted: 9/28/2004 10:45:05 AM EDT
[#19]
I have an Otis and I liked it lots, but once I joined the Church of the Bore Snake there was no turning back.
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Posted: 9/28/2004 10:55:12 AM EDT
[#20]
+1 for the Otis AND Boresnake. I use the snake for a quick cleanup, and the Otis kit for a more thorough job.
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Posted: 9/28/2004 11:42:51 AM EDT
[#21]
Don't clean so much. Really.
Can you actually notice accuracy degredation in your barrel? If so, clean the barrel. If not, don't bother. Is your rifle running gummy? If so, clean it. If not, don't bother. Squirt CLP in your bolt and BC rails every so often. You really shouldn't need to do much of anything else. Remember, the AR15 is a combat weapon; carbon deposits are made to be self-limiting. Don't go anal where you don't need to be. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 11:44:07 AM EDT
[#22]
booorrreee snake!
Best. Accessory. Ever. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 11:52:22 AM EDT
[#23]
Gun scrubber and a bore snake... I spray the shit out of the metal parts... they are clean and bone dry when done... just just lots of break free or other oil because brake cleaner or gun scrubber strips it completely out of the metal.
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Posted: 9/28/2004 12:31:52 PM EDT
[#24]
I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but where is a good place online to buy a Bore Snake?
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Posted: 9/28/2004 12:40:57 PM EDT
[#25]
tag
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Posted: 9/28/2004 12:43:33 PM EDT
[#26]
Or the best/cheapest place to get an Otis buttstock kit and an Otis M4 pistol grip kit. I got my boresnakes from Wamart when they were on clearance for $7, bit I want to get an Otis kit because of the obstruction remover and compactness of the kits. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 12:44:26 PM EDT
[#27]
Sounds like a man in need of an AK.
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Posted: 9/28/2004 12:55:58 PM EDT
[#28]
I sometimes find cleaning my Savage 110FP a little dreary because of it's long barrel but AR's and AK's are pretty easy, should be no more than 30 minutes a rifle, I use the GI parkerized 4 piece cleaning rod, Hoppe's #9 on cotton swabs, a tiny amount of grease on the bolt rails, thouroughly clean the bolt carrier, bolt, and chamber area. Done
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Posted: 9/28/2004 12:58:15 PM EDT
[#29]
+1 Use Gun Scrubber (or Brake Cleaner) on the inside & bolt assembly. Let it dry, the get a can of compressed air (air compressor if you have one) and blow it out. Edit, I should add I've found new joy in using bore cleaner. Mmm does that stuff smell good!! |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 12:59:22 PM EDT
[#30]
Brake cleaner is your friend for hosing out the upper. Apply liberally and let it drain. Use a chamber brush to get that hard to reach chamber area.
Use the cleaner on the bolt and carrier too and wipe off with a rag. Use bore brush for inside of carrier if it is carbon fouled. Mop out with bore brush wrapped in .45 cal patch. Just wipe off the lower around the mag well, mag release, and trigger group with a rag. I don't use brake cleaner on the lower as it strips off too much oil from the trigger group. Should take no more than about 5 minutes to clean a chrome lined bore. Barnes CR-10 and a few brush strokes and a few clean patches later, you are done. Use a tooth brush to put some oil back into the upper's anodizing to make it look pretty again. BANG, you are done. Total time= less than 20 mins. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 1:19:22 PM EDT
[#31]
I don’t look forward to cleaning them, especially the suppressed guns. Way dirty!
I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to cleaning, and the AR is a tough one; so many little hard to get to spots. I have a little system down where the carrier and all the bolt parts go into a Hoppe’s No. 9 bath for a few weeks. I scrub the rest of the weapon down good and let it sit and have the solvent/CLP work for the same few weeks. A couple weeks later I come back, scrub everything well with clean solvent/CLP again and then degrease with non-chlorinated break cleaner. Reapply some clean CLP for lube and protection and I’m usually done. All the carbon comes off the bolt and bolt carrier parts very easily after sitting in nitro solvent for that couple weeks. Makes for a very clean weapon. About once a year I’ll pull all of the fire control parts out and soak those for a couple weeks too. This is especially necessary if you’re running with a suppressor. All this sounds good and fine, but my AR collection is gradually growing and I don’t know if detailed cleaning like this will continue. The real down side is that once the weapon is immaculate again, you (I) don’t want to take it out and get it all dirty again. Life can be rough sometimes. I keep a couple different caliber boresnakes in the range bag should the need arise. Now, if I can only find a more better way to clean the chamber and barrel extention beyond the lugs. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 1:31:47 PM EDT
[#32]
Why in the world are you doing it this way? The rifle is supposed to be disassembled or at least broken down "shotgun style" for barrel cleaning. I recently found the best cleaning stuff since Hoppes #9: It's called M Pro 7 and it's simply the bestest stuff I've ever used. They challenge people to clean their guns using their usual cleaning methods until it's spotless, then use M Pro 7 and see how much more gunk you get from your gun. I did it and was amazed. I'm pretty anal about cleaning my guns and this stuff amazed me. I wish I had had this stuff when I was in the Marines... Geesh, I sound like I'm trying to sell this stuff... hinking.gif Found their website: www.mp7.com/ |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 1:32:34 PM EDT
[#33]
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Posted: 9/28/2004 1:42:11 PM EDT
[#34]
One patch down the chrome bore with Break Free/CLP
One Q tip in the lug area with most of the cotton tip pulled off. Light clean up on misc like firing pin, bolt lugs, and carrier chrome etc. Apply a very little CLP to the wearing areas and that is it. Time ~ 5 min Why bother scraping carbon from the back of the bolt head group? It has no derogatory effect on function. Chrome bore and chamber makes cleaning a snap. Rifle will NOT pass inspection like this, however, it runs like a champ and minimizes unpleasantness. |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 1:52:11 PM EDT
[#35]
Wasn't a guy on this board using his dishwasher on the lower and bore snake on the upper?
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Posted: 9/28/2004 1:53:53 PM EDT
[#36]
I clean mine in about 2 minutes most of the time. Break the rifle down, spray some Breakfree down the barrel, run the snake through twice, hose down the bolt and carrier. Reassemble.
When I first got mine I wanted to see what it would take to induce a malfunction. I shot close to 1000 rounds before cleaning (I did run a bore snake down the barrel from time to time). After a while I got tired and bored so I cleaned it. Never did get it to malf. When I detail clean it I spend no more than 15 minutes on it. Runs like a champ! As for where to get a bore snake - go to your local gun store or even Wal-Mart. Sarge |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 2:14:06 PM EDT
[#37]
I only do a detail cleaning about every 1000 rounds or so. I give it a light cleaning after every
shooting session, whether it's for 1 round or thousands. Every time I do a light cleaning, the only part I really focus on is the gas system. I make sure the radiused section of the bolt near the gas rings is absolutely cleaned of all carbon fouling (there's never much, fortunately) and I take just as much care making sure the carbon is completely removed from the inside of the bolt's receptacle in the bolt carrier. If the gas system's kept clear of fouling and the rifle is moderately well lubricated, it's reliable. Most other cleaning is just to make yourself feel good. The rifle hardly cares. CJ |
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Posted: 9/28/2004 6:26:32 PM EDT
[#38]
I hate cleaning my guns to. This is one more reason I need to find a girlfriend. I to have the Otis kit which I like alot. Gun Scrubber is great also.
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Posted: 9/28/2004 8:19:16 PM EDT
[#39]
I don't really like my otis kit. I bought their sniper kit to clean my 308.... and I can't stand their flex rods. Am I alone in thinking they suck???
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