Well, I just purchased my first firearm and AR, don't really know much about cleaning rifles. Its a RRA M4, custom built, I bought used. So there are no instructions for me.

Could ya please help me on what I need to purchase to clean my rifle? Also is there a specific way that you have to clean the AR? Does anyone have a sight with step by step instructions.

Only thing I know to buy right now is the Otis cleaning kit. What else do I need?

I know I may sound dumb, but I have no past experience with firearms and no one to teach me.

Thanks people

No past experience with firearms and you bought an AR?  Never heard that one before.  

You will receive a wide variety of opinions on how to clean the AR and how often it should be done, ranging from once a year to every time it's fired to not at all.  

There is not a specific way to "correctly" clean the AR.  Each person has his own method - if they clean it at all, that is.  I like to clean it after each trip to the range.  I clean the barrel the most thoroughly and wipe down the rifle with a slightly oiled rag.  The inside of the receiver and the bolt and bolt carrier get scrubbed with an oily toothbrush (non-metallic) and then the dirt and grit is blown off with an air compressor.

Good luck in your career as a shooting hobbyist.  Maybe think about getting a 10/22 for cheap practice as well.
 

I always loved guns, ever since I was 10, only thing I ever shot was a BB gun. Parents dont like weapons. But now that i'm old enough and make enough money I can join the hobby I always loved.

I just love the AR for some reason. But I plan on buying a 870, AK, and another AR by the end of this year.

But i'm never going to learn anything if no one is there to teach me.

Holy shit, man!  Never going to learn anything without someone to teach you!?!?  

I can't understand an attitude like that.  I was raised by a single mom from birth.  She wasn't in to shooting at all and doesn't know anything about guns.  When I was 12, my grandfather sent me a 10/22.  I begged my mom to take me to the range every weekend and got to go maybe once a month.  I taught myself how to use that gun, disassemble it, clean it, and store it and I still have it today.

Then, when I was 14, my grandfather sent me a Rem 870.  I learned how to use that gun in the same manner, all by myself.  You see, there were no male relatives nearby, and my grandfather, although a shooter himself, was a continent away.  I got in to skeet shooting with the 870 and began to compete.  Sure, people at the range would give me pointers and show me the ropes, but I'm certain any of us here would do the same for a teenage shooter trying to do it on his own.  

Seeing how well I was doing with skeet and Sporting Clays, my mom sprung for my 17 birthday and payed for half of an SKB over/under 12 ga. as long as I paid for the other half with my paper route money.  I treasure this gun now more than ever, 10 years later at the age of 27.  I shot clay in competitions for years before getting into other forms of shooting.  Four years ago I bought a handgun and taught myself how to use it (but not very well!), and two years ago I bought an AR and an SAR-8 (HK 91 clone).

You have the internet at your disposal, use it.  And don't ever say you can't teach yourself something again.

I mean i'm pretty sure I can teach my self how to shoot it, disassemble it, and clean it. Its just I want to do it the right way. At this kind of price its not something at my age, where I want to say oh well, just buy another one.

Thanks for all the advice you have been giving me.

But do I need stuff like gun scrubber and CLP.
I want to make a list so I can go buy all the necessary items.

First off, welcome... before you do much of anything else download these two files and READ them... They're in .pdf format.

Right mouse click each link and select 'save target as' to download them to your computer for archiving and offline reading.

[url]www.ar15.com/content/books/manual_bushmaster.pdf[/url]

[url]www.ar15.com/content/books/TM9-1005-319-10.pdf[/url]

There actually is a correct way to clean an AR pattern firearm, sometimes referred to as cleaning to the -10.  Give both the Bushmaster owners manual and the -10 a good read, most of your questions will be answered very specifically regarding disassembly, reassembly, cleaning, maintenance, safety, and operation...

Enjoy your new RRA!

How you clean it depends on how you lube it.  Some people literally lube their AR's till they are swimming in CLP.  When you clean this type of AR you basically have to "change the oil".  Meaning you have to clean all surfaces, either by wiping them down with cloth/rags or flushing it with solvent.  Once it is clean and dry you re-oil it.  This can be time-consuming and messy depending on how picky you are.  Other people (myself included) lube their AR's lightly.  There aren't that many contact wear points on an AR.  The rails on the bolt carrier, the cam pin and slot, the gas rings and the bolt lugs are about it.  These get a coating of CLP.  Every thing else gets wiped down so that there is very little lube left on the surface.  With this method, after you are through firing, most of the fouling in the upper is dry carbon flakes instead of "carbon soup".  I wiped this off with a dry rag and reapply a spray-on dry-lube.  The bore gets a cleaning with CLP and then dry-patched to remove excess lube.  The bolt carrier group gets cleaned with CLP and a toothbrush, the re-lubed with CLP (excess wiped off) and re-installed.  Both methods work.  The "light lube" method is good for dusty environments, but not so good if the weapon is exposed to a very wet environment, since the carbon fouling will not stay dry, anyway, and the lack of lube could allow corrosion or the accumulation of environmental "gook".  The "swimming in oil" method is good for wet environments.  My $0.02.

Just an OPINION. Go to the TEXAS hometown forum and post this. I would bet there are shooter near you that would swing by or meet you somewhere to give you a basic lesson on AR maintance.If you was in GA in would show you and give you pointers. Cheers WarDawg

"And don't ever say you can't teach yourself something again."
Darealickt (sp?), seems to me you were a little harsh on this guy. Having said that, I agree with you. He is in the best possible position to learn the right way to do things. After all he had the good judgment to buy an AR, AND come to this website for info!
I mean, who would you rather teach, an old dog or a young dog?

I'm kinda new to this site too but here is my two cents worth. The way we did it when I was in the service is we take the weapon apart. That is we open it up by pushing the rear pin out. take the charging handle out. Next remove the bolt take the cotter pin out which lets the fireing pin and one other piece don't know the name of it right off the top of my head but once you take the pin out it will come apart. Next we take the hand guards off. Then we would take it all and put in either a parts washer or a 55 gal. barrel that was cut in half filled with solvent and let it soak. Then we'd take the barrel out and take a cleaning rod with a brass tip brush and run it through several times. Then we clean the parts of the bolt with a tooth brush to  get all the built carbon off. Then run a dry cloth patch through the barrel until it came back clean. Wipe the bolt parts with dry rag until clean and dry. Then with light coat of oil on a patch run it through the barrel. Put parts back together and reassemble rifle. They really didn't like to put a light coating of oil on anything but the inside of the barrel because it would be more apt to collect dust. Then when you got ready to fire it just open it up and oil up the inside where the bolt slides when it is fired. This is the way we did it. It worked pretty good they where always inspecting your weapon and if it didn't pass you got to do it over. Hope this sort of helps.
              [banghead]

Thanks for all the help guys, but i just bought my Otis cleaning kit, and it came with a, how to clean your AR-15 instruction card. Bought it on ebay for $15 shipped w/tax.

Anyone in Houston want to go shooting, still haven't had the chance to shoot it, only have 120 rounds of ammo. Also what kind of protection does everyone use? Eyes and Hearing?

No, not even a little harsh.  Not the slightest bit.  It is vital that men learn at a young age to [i]teach themselves[/i] things which they need or want to know.  The internet is a tool unlike anything in history and can be used for just about anything in life.  He is using it and has the balls to ask novice questions.  These are the first steps.  I was not trying to shoot him down, but helping to push him towards reaching his goals on his own.

MaxAR:

There is no greater satisfaction than teaching yourself and making your own way in life.  If you can use your computer to surf the net and participate in forums, then you can certainly master firearms.

Just as a thought - and I am sure you realize this - before you even get to cleaning techniques, make sure you understand safe operation of your weapon. An accidental discharge could ruin your life or someone else's and is to be avoided at all costs.  There are some dos and donts that must be adhered to.

Check out
www.remington.com/safety/10comm.htm
www.uoregon.edu/~joe/firearms-safety.html

Don't even hesitate to take an NRA course before you get going - not only will you meet others in the same position as you, but you will pick up what you need.

Hey MaxAR. Me and some of my buddies are in Houston. We shoot at the American Shooting center on Old Westheimer road behind WestOaks mall all the time. Send me a IM and we can meet up and do some shooting.

Hook up with some locals in your area and take what you read on the Internet with a grain of salt to put it politely.