BCRules

I still can't get used to cleaning an AR. It just seems like one dirty gun, espeically shooting crap ammo.

I clean the barrel out, I even got a CJ weapons recess and chamber cleaner. Kinda a waste.

I even got a AR bore guide. I usually clean and wipe off all residue inside the action with large Q-tips, until they come out clean.

I think from here on out, I am not going to worry about getting every piece inside the action clean as a whistle. Just clean the barrel, chamber, recess, and wipe off the carrier, bolt and firing pin, lube, put back together, call it a day.

Briman

That's all that is needed.

I just shoot the barrel full of foaming bore cleaner, walk away for a 1/2 hour, then run a few patches through. The stuff usually removes or at least loosens the gunk in the barrel extension.

Like you do it- bolt carrier just needs to be wiped down- innards are self-cleaning.

Hose the bolt carrier and lower with CLP. Dripping wet is about right.

BCRules

I am always worried about using foaming cleaners on any gas operated rifle, no matter if its a rem 7400, BAR, or AR-15.

Briman

I can see the potential for problems with gas piston rifles, AR-15s I don't worry. I prop the upper upright so that the foam runs out of hte gas tube and not down into the gas tube as it liquifies though.

You can also hit the gas tube with some compressed air if it makes you feel better.

homers brother

The bore and chamber, as with most other firearms, are a given with the AR-15.

Though much of the military spends more time maintaining their weapons than they do actually training with them, a wise armorer once suggested I "follow the gas" when I looked at what REALLY needed to be cleaned.

After the gas tube, the first place the gases go in the AR is into the bolt carrier key. Pipe cleaners are about the only thing that'll work. The cas then expands inside the bolt carrier, causing the carrier to begin traveling rearward and the bolt to turn and unlock. I have to differ here. I've seen the guts of bolt carriers so gunked up that the firing pin couldn't make a reliable primer strike. Carbon will bake itself onto the innards of the bolt carrier and the tail of the bolt if you let it. I've never met a BCG that was "self-cleaning." Heaven knows how much I'd liked to have, though!

Another component that needs TLC from time to time, particularly when you're using junk ammo or when you're in wet or dusty environments is the extractor. That little cut that grabs the case rim gets gunked up, you're done.

Briman

Yep. It will form a crust there, but you don't need to remove it. It bothers a lot of people and it does no harm to scrub it off, but the amount of buildup is self limiting.

Once again, its a comfort zone thing- the gas key really doesn't need to be cleaned.

homers brother

Couldn't agree more. MOST AR-15 owners aren't in positions where their lives might depend on their rifle. For those owners, a good bore and chamber cleaning, along with a simple wipedown, are probably all that's necessary.

Some of us whose AR ownership is now casual but flavored by not-so-fond recollections of guys with smokey bear hats loudly encouraging us will probably always be just a little obsessive when it comes to cleaning our rifles.

Briman

LOL. I get that.

Chris Johnson

In any of my bolt guns I just spray foaming bore cleaner or rem oil into the barrel and let it sit for a few minutes then run a bore snake through it.

But in my DPMS and S&W MP15/22, I'll take the upper off, bolt and slide out and clean everything I can get a patch, brush, or peice of cloth with my preferred cleaning agent to.

In the mp15/22 since the bolt itself is so much different from actual AR style rifles, all I do is wipe off any residue and spray some lubricant into the bolt from every possible angle. Hasnt givent me any problems cleaning it this way.

GBH2011

Use #9 solvent. Let it dry and use an air compressor to quick blow it out. It will not hurt the gas compared to the foams.

www.greatbowhunting.com