I have two Ar's at the moment a Bushmaster and Armalite. Both have Chrome barrels, etc.. Now how often should I clean the rifles? How often should I do a thorough cleaning (total strip down). Can the gas tube be cleaned with a pipe cleaner? Are bore snakes worth it? Several newbie questions. I just want to ensure that my rifles stay reliable, but I don't want to over do it. Thanks

Your guns came with manuals.  Follow them.

Run 400 rounds through a chromelined barrel before cleaning, else you just prolong the break-in.

I usually clean after a trip to the range, which runs 200 to 1500 rounds.  I don't always, so sometimes I'm doing 2 or 3X that number between cleans.

You don't ever do a total strip down.  You don't need to be pulling the trigger group and all that.  Follow the manual.

You don't clean the gas tube (other than the outside of the tail sticking in the upper receiver) - it's self cleaning.  Try to clean it and you are more likely to cause problems.

Bore snakes work for a quick field cleaning, but don't scrub like the real deal.

I prefer [url=www.otisgun.com]Otis[/url] kits.  They are a portable, cable pull-through system that works very, very well.

Basically, you shouldn't be spending more than 15 minutes cleaning your weapon once you get the hang of it.  It's a gun, not a musuem piece.  Many folks over clean and cause damage.

BTW - the carbon on the tail of the bolt and inside the bolt carrier is self limiting - just a wipe with a rag and leave it be.  Don't waste your time scraping it.

fight, how does overcleaning a firearm damage it? I can understand if you leave an ammonia-based cleaner on a chrome-lined barrel overnight. But whatelse? I usually just detail the bolt assembly/guts and barrel with FP-10, and that's all.

People scrap things.  Easy to take the finish off a bolt.

They improvise and use all kinds of devices.

Do you know how many folks we have post here that have their weapons malfunction, because they pull apart the trigger group to clean it every time and they don't get it back together right?

A certain moderator here, who shall remain unnamed, was taking off his carrier key to clean!  Wasn't replacing the bolts (single use items) and wasn't restaking them either.

I believe it was either Bushmaster or Armalite that has a FAQ talking about more damage being done by overcleaning.