AR-15 maintenance

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weirdsexy

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Soon to be AR owner here. I've never owned a rifle of my own, so I know little about maintenance. Could you guys tell me what all I need for proper care of my rifle? I can figure out the procedures and everything on my own, I'm just requesting a materials list.

Links to individual components or kits would be greatly appreciated!

I know I will need something like the following:
-A brush
-A cleaning rod
-A bore brush to go on the cleaning rod
-Cleaning patches
-Solvent (this gets thrown around alot in some of the videos I've watched when people are talking about copper fouling/leading int he barrel; information?)
-Lubricant (suggestions?)

Anything else? Also, how often would you recommend I clean my rifle? I hear most people say that obsessively cleaned rifles get worn out pretty quick. Is there a certain round count (non corrosive ammo, of course) to use as a rule of thumb?
 
The USGI kit isn't a bad place to start, nor are the govt manual that are available online.

Personally, I like the Otis kit but I like pull-thrus in general.

As for chemicals, Breakfree CLP works perfectly fine for cleaning, lubricating, and preventing rust. And it's cheap too.

BSW
 
For the cleaning tools I would choose the Otis kit as #1, the Patchworm as a distant #2, and for routine use a high quality conventional rod, jag and patch loop set as a very distant #3. Don't even look at the $10 and under cheap kits at sporting goods stores, they are junk and a good way to damage the bore. Get the Otis kit and it will be all you need for a long time.

For the oil or "CLP" (cleaner, lubricant, protectant) I would choose WeaponShield as #1, FP10 as a not too distant #2, and Breakfree as a somewhat distant #3, but all of those work. There are probably 50 other products that work fine too. Don't obsess about which one you get.

I personally use a separate cleaning product (either Hoppes Elite gun cleaner or Mirachem gun cleaner) followed by an oil (usually WeaponShield or FP10), but you can do a more than adequate job using only one of the CLP products I mention above.
 
weirdsexy said:
I know I will need something like the following:

-A brush
Get a brass .22 brush. Watch for the thread type. I use 6/32" thread (I think). Male on the brushes, female on the rods. .

-A cleaning rod
Midways USA has a ton of rods. I have the coated brass rod with the red ball bearing handle that gets recommended alot. I forget the brand. Just pay attention to make sure your rod has the same threads as the brushes you buy. Get some jags as well


-A bore brush to go on the cleaning rod
I have an Otis kit. I use my rod and jags for a better cleaning at home, and just the Otis kit in the field or at my hotel.

-Cleaning patches
Get some otis patches and 22 jags patches which are fitted.

-Solvent (this gets thrown around alot in some of the videos I've watched when people are talking about copper fouling/leading int he barrel; information?)
Can't help here. Every solvent I've tried is rubbish. There is allways brass streaks left over in the barrel. Maybe thats how it supposed to be.

-Lubricant (suggestions?)
Mobile1 15w40 works well. You can mix STP/ATF/Pink syth Axle grease together as well. CLP is a good cleaner and protectant and is also allways in my range bag incase I need a squirt. But my CLP usually gets put on a dry gun some Momo brought to the class.

QUOTE]

I also use a heavy red annodized aluminum bore guide to keep my chamber and bore from getting scratched up on my SS barrels.
Click to expand...
 
I like pull-thrus as they don't require the rifle be broken down for cleaning and are much more compact to carry. increasing the chance that they will actually get used.

You also can always run a pull-thru from the breech to the muzzle, which is nice.

Good selection of manuals here: http://www.biggerhammer.net/manuals/

BSW
 
Bore guide! I knew I was forgetting something, thanks for the information, guys! Please, keep it coming if anyone thinks they have anything else to add.

Sky, thanks for the nice link to m4c!

Also, anyone got anymore info on solvents to clean copper fouling from the barrel? Rifle is going to have a stainless steel barrel.
 
Biggest thing to remember when cleaning your AR is that there's no need to get your rifle "military clean". Many people over-clean their ARs, and this does more harm than good.

zerodefect said:
-Lubricant (suggestions?)
Mobile1 15w40 works well. You can mix STP/ATF/Pink syth Axle grease together as well. CLP is a good cleaner and protectant and is also allways in my range bag incase I need a squirt. But my CLP usually gets put on a dry gun some Momo brought to the class.
Click to expand...
For the record, if you're going to use motor oil you need to make sure it's full synthetic. You do not want to use regular or synthetic-blend.



I'm also amazed by all the people that recommend making blends of their super special granddaddy's unicorn snot lubricant. Seriously, why are people making these off-the-wall "lubricant" blends? I've never understood the logic behind using these blends, or using automotive or small engine lubricants. Why not just use a gun lube?

If you want to know what to use, look to the pros. All the major names in AR operation (Pat Rogers, Larry Vickers, Jason Falla, etc.) all use Slip2000 EWL. They use it for a reason. Slip2000 EWL is a synthetic lubricant with a water foundation. It has an exceptionally high viscosity and it does not burn off your rifle. A single application can last for even the heaviest of range sessions. In contrast, CLP is a petroleum-based lubricant, and requires frequent reapplication because it burns off quickly. CLP is junk. It's terrible lube that burns off quickly. Under rapid fire conditions, the life of a CLP application seems to average around a couple hundred rounds. For the typical recreational shooter that only shoots 100-200rds a month, or for the competition shooter that shoots 50-100rds during the course of a competition, CLP probably does just enough to work as needed. However, for serious use, I've seen CLP repeatedly fail.

Best lubes to use:
Slip2000 EWL
Militec-1
 
Dewey coated cleaning rod.
Hoppe's 9 solvent.
Mobil 1 oil, or any synthetic (whatever weight you use or have)

I keep a CLP (happens to be Breakfree) for use at matches so I only have to bring one product. Generally, a CLP is convenient but I believe separate products are more effective than using a combo.

Why not just use a gun lube?
Click to expand...
Because one can of motor oil works just fine and lasts a lifetime.

Lee
 
I would add a chamber brush and chamber mop to the list. There are several inexpensive bolt cleaning tools on the market that aid in cleaning the bolt and bolt carrier.
 
When I have a choice it's Slip2000

Carbon Killer for the hard to clean and Gun Lube or EWL for lubrication. Once you use the lube a couple times everything will just wipe down clean with a cloth.

Makes life so much easier and it's none toxic, water based, 100% synthetic, and most important; it does what it says it will do.
 
If it's on basic mechanical moving parts like the trigger assembly, firing pin, extractor, etc... I use CLP or Rem-Oil. The oil is not going to "Burn Off". These are mechanical parts that are low temperature. I don't spray oil in the chamber. I use Hoppe down the barrel for cleaning and lube. Same in the chamber. For mechanical ON mechanical parts; bolt, charging handle, buffer/spring, etc... I use lithium grease. I've done to 3 separate AR's over a 30 year period. Works just fine. There's no need to spend $12 on a small bottle of lubricant. Then again; if you don't shoot that much, it really doesn't matter what it costs.

"BETTER" is a matter of perspective. Is a corvette BETTER than an F150 pickup? Depends what you're going to do with it. Same if a corvette is BETTER than a Ford Focus. If you only drive in the inner city, never going over 40mph, you'd be real hard pressed to prove that a corvette is better than a focus. When it comes to lubricating a rifle; as long as the lubricant doesn't attract dust/dirt/sand, as long as it's not a natural solvent like WD-40, and as long as it lubricate the mechanical parts so they can freely move; then it's a good lubricant. I use OIL on parts that move. Unless it's METAL on METAL, then I use lithium grease.
 
Gordon_Freeman said:
Why bother with cleaning rods? A bore snake is so much easier.
Click to expand...
Why bother with a rifle? A crowbar is so much easier.

Seriously though, I finally built my rifle so I need to put a cleaning kit together. I'm going to buy a Hoppe's BoreSnake as several people have convinced me that using one is just as good/better than a conventional cleaning rod. I'm going to get a chamber brush as well. But, what about actually running solvent/oil patches through the barrel? What do you use to do that? Do the jags fit on a cleaning rod or what? Can I get a pull-through to put patches through the barrel? Also, I'm good on solvents and oil/grease lubricants, but what about a corrosion/rust preventative? Where and how should such a product (if you can recommend me one) be applied? Please excuse my ignorance, I've never owned a gun before:eek:
 
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Just a thought.:evil: The use of the boresnake 1 time removes carbon and crud and harmful stuff, Right. Where did all that stuff you removed on the 1st pass go when you made the second pass? Just curious. Nuthin like givin the bore a good rubdown with the very same stuff your trying to remove.:banghead:
 
what about actually running solvent/oil patches through the barrel? What do you use to do that? Do the jags fit on a cleaning rod or what? Can I get a pull-through to put patches through the barrel?
Click to expand...
The Bore Snake is essentially one giant woven cloth patch with a pull string on one end and a couple of bronze brushes embedded in it. What I do is to fill the bore with Outers Foaming Bore Cleaner (has the consistency of shaving cream, so it doesn't drain out), let it sit 10 or 15 minutes, then run a bore snake through a couple of times. I also have a traditional cleaning rod if I ever want to oil the bore for long-term storage or something, but usually just use the bore snake.

They do make pull-through patch holders, if you'd like one; there is a company named Otis that makes a neat pull-through rig with more or less conventional cleaning attachments. It is expensive, though, and the bore snake fits my needs better.

Also, I'm good on solvents and oil/grease lubricants, but what about a corrosion/rust preventative? Where and how should such a product (if you can recommend me one) be applied? Please excuse my ignorance, I've never owned a gun before
Click to expand...
Most lubricants also contain corrosion inhibitors. For something to put a light coating of oil on the outside of the gun, something like Rem Oil (squeeze bottle kind) is OK, applied to a cleaning patch and smeared around to produce a very thin coat on exterior surfaces. That's less necessary with parkerized finishes (matte black surface coating) than it is with blued finishes (glossy bluish colored steel), but it's still not a bad idea to apply oil occasionally.

For corrosion protection during long-term storage or in very humid or salty environments (e.g., a gun kept on a boat), a dedicated corrosion protectant (Corrosion-X, Boeshield T-9) might be helpful, but they are usually not necessary. Most modern guns don't corrode nearly as easily as older steels/finishes did.

Just a thought. The use of the boresnake 1 time removes carbon and crud and harmful stuff, Right. Where did all that stuff you removed on the 1st pass go when you made the second pass? Just curious. Nuthin like givin the bore a good rubdown with the very same stuff your trying to remove.
Click to expand...
It's not really an issue, in my experience. The absorbent volume of a bore snake is hundreds of times greater than that of a cleaning patch, so you actually end up pushing less crud up and down the bore with the snake than with a patch (once a regular patch traverses an inch or two of barrel, it's dirtier than a snake would be). I've cleaned very dirty bores with a bore snake, and the snake is still pretty clean. And of course you could always follow with a traditional patch after using the snake if you wish.
 
WS, good on you for joining the ranks. :D

You mentioned getting a SS barrel, did you do so?

As for specific instructions, tell us what you got and what you plan to do with it. Specific roles dictate different techniques.

FWIW, I've been shooting ARs since 1976 and have a few thoughts. I am not a dedicated target shooter, more of a hunter and casual shooter.
 
Al Thompson, thanks!

Yep SS410 barrel 1 in 8" twist

I've shot a decent amount for someone who doesn't own any guns:D but I have no experience with ARs other than holding one.

I guess I'll start off doing just plinking and casual target shooting, and probably not as often as I'd like. The only hunting I'd ever do with this gun would be if my dad ever needed me to go down to his dad's old farm to thin out coyotes or the beavers that are causing problems on the fish pond down there. (I could do coyotes just fine I guess, I really do not want to shoot a beaver though..)
Eventually I think it would be cool to get into 3-gun competitions or something like that, but I'm just talking.

In other words, this rifle will probably see much lighter use than makes sense for the money I put in to it:p (All BCM upper)

EDIT: I'm really just asking about cleaning the bore, everything else seems pretty simple.
Now like I said, I'm a gun novice, so tell me if my plan is stupid. But what I was planning on doing for standard cleaning would be something like:
1. Run patch soaked in something like Hoppe's #9 through bore for general gunk
2. Let sit
3. Bore Snake
4. Run dry patch through bore to remove hoppe's #9
5. Run patch soaked in something like Barnes CR-10 for copper fouling
6. Let sit
7. Bore Snake
8. Dry patch
9. Patch with an oil

I mean, would that be a good way to do it? Should I just use one cleaning product? If I'm using more than one, should I have separate boresnakes for each?

Thank you for your response!
 
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WS, my ARs are fun guns with some varmint control thrown in. One has a RDS, the other is scoped.

IMHO, you are over thinking the cleaning routine unless you are target shooting. :)

Here's a link to what I think is the best guide to cleaning and lubing an AR. For those that don't know, Pat Rogers is probably "THE" SME on ARs. As a full time teacher, he sees ten to fifteen thousand rounds of ammo every week, 48 odd weeks per year. I suspect he knows of what he speaks. :D

http://www.ar15armory.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php?t19367.html
 
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