What are the steps to properly clean a rifle? from what i have read here, I was thinking:

step 1-blast with paint thinner or slip 2000 degreaser or super tech 2000 carb cleaner
step2-brush with powder solvent such as #9
step3- apply bore copper cleaner such as butches or bore tech eliminator or pro shooters copper remover for 7 min max using a soaked patch run thru the bore and barrel
step4-blast with 1 or the items used in step 1 to remove copper solvent
step 5- apply breakfree or slip 2000 or rem oil for rust protection

what do yall think? am i on the right track?

thanks

we had a marine get charged and sent to the brig (among other things) for using carb cleaner to "clean" his rifle. it took the parkerizing right off! we're only authorized to use a very few cleaners: the solvent tank (most likely a diluted kerosene), CLP, LAW, and laundry detergent. in boot camp/OCS/TBS, it's not uncommon for marines to setup two dunk tanks, one with laundry detergent and water, the other with clean water. dunk the stripped rifle parts in the detergent solution and let soak a few minutes, rinse off in the clean water, let dry, and wipe down with CLP (including punching the bore and chamber). works pretty well.

HTH

Wow, quite the process you've got there. You know, more guns are "worn out" by over cleaning than are ever "worn out". Remember, these firearms are made to go and go, not that you should let it, but still consider it. Any AR manufacturer will tell you that a full detailed cleaning is only really needed if your shot groups start to suffer. It's up to you really how much you clean it, but here's my process every couple hundred rounds:
1 - 1 patch with Hoppe's through the bore, chamber to muzzle, bore brush (with a rod that twists so the brush can follow the rifling) to loosen the deposits
2 - patch clean the bore 'till she shines!
3 - take down bolt carrier all the way to the bolt itself, but not the extractor (too many little parts) and clean it up nicely with some RemOil or CLP (don't forget the gas tube!)
4 - clean out lower and buffer spring with RemOil or CLP (Qtips and pipe cleaners work nicely here)
5 - reassemble, oil lightly, work the bolt a couple times, wipe off the outside and she's ready for another round of drillin' varmints!

varmints : n ; coyotes, rabbits, terrorists, evildoers (see Michael Moore) and anti-gunners

- Hope that helps - hug.gif