just got a new socom and i read in the manual to use a drill bit to clean the carbon from inside the gas tube.  how many rounds does it take till a cleaning is needed.  also whats the alternative to the driil bit meathod. thanks all!

Do the "Tilt Test". Lock the bolt back,with the muzzle pointing straight up tilt the rifle so muzzle points to ground.  Count off seconds. You'll hear the gas piston sliding and a little thunk when it bottoms. Note how many seconds.Turn it muzzle up and repeat count.It should audibly slide smoothly,about 2 seconds and about the same timing in both directions.If it is not close to the same timing in both directions does not audibly slide smoothly or takes longer than about 4 seconds ,it's time for a cleaning.I was taught by a grizzled old Marine to put a drop or two of Hoppes into the gas system every couple of hundred rounds.Iv'e never had hard carbon build up that neccesitated the drills using this method.Some say that the Hoppes will eventually gum it up but myself and the whole crew that the old man taught to shoot own and extensively use the M14/M1a and none of us have ever encountered any issues.You probably know this already but NEVER PUT OIL IN THE GAS SYSTEM.

Well, the M1A doesn't have a gas "tube," it's got a gas cylinder which you should clean with patches, and  the gas piston in which the drill bits are used to clean the innards. Everything I've ever seen says the gas cylinder should be run dry. The tilt test doesn't have anything to do with the innards of the piston and how dirty they are, it's just an indicator of how fouled the cylinder is. As long as the piston slides on its own with the bolt locked back, you're good to go. Some folks try to make things more complicated than they really are.

Can't really help ya on the round count as far as cleaning the piston out, I simply inspect mine whenever it comes out for cleaning the gas cylinder out, which happens every few hundred rounds. Yeah, I know, real scientific thereLong as it slides pretty freely I leave it be since disassembly for disassembly's sake is silly.

I ground a 'P' drill and put a handle on it. I tested it out in my piston, which was already disassembled. I was suprised how much carbon build-up there was in there already. Not that I worry about it though.