Cleaning an AR?

[ShootAndHunt]

Just got my first AR, a Bushmaster XM-15 E2S 20' A3. handled and just love it. Cannot wait to go to the range to shoot it, but first of all I have to clean it. This is my first AR (I have other rifles, but they are hunting and target shooting ones), so I got some questions regarding the cleaning of it:

1. Could I use the usual powder solvent and lubrication oil (such as Hoppes' 9) to clean and lubricate the AR? or it is better to use CLP?

2. The upper and lower receivers are alumni instead of the usual steel, could I use powerder solvent to clean them? or I have to use something else?

3. For the gas tube, is it necessary to clean the inside of this long tube?

4. What about the plastic parts (the butt stock, forearm and ...)? What to use to clean and preserve them?

Thanks,

 

[DMK]

Did you get a manual with your rifle? If not, download it Here.

1), Yes. Clean it like you would any other firearm. There's nothing special about the AR in that regard. The military way is not always the best. They have different priorities than you do, with training and logistics issues. CLP just simplified things for them.

2) Hoppe's #9 won't hurt your receivers. Wipe off the excess and oil very lightly(that pretty much applies to the whole gun).

3) Theoretically, it's self cleaning. Periodically, give it a blast with Gunscrubber or brake parts cleaner. Some say use a pipe cleaner. You don't want to oil it though.
4) Mild soap and water. A little CLP on a rag or paper towel would do OK for a quick wipedown.

All that said, a little bottle of CLP, a stiff toothbrush and a boresnake in the buttstock compartment will do a decent field clean until you can give it a proper cleaning back at the base, I mean home.

Aside from the bolt/carrier group, which requires some regular detail cleaning, the AR really is low maintenance.

 

[ny32182]

I use Hoppes #9 to clean the entire gun, and then wipe it off and lube lightly with CLP.

I've never cleaned the gas tubes. Never had a problem.

Just wipe the plastic off.

The key places to keep clean on the AR are inside the carrier and around the locking lugs. Q-Tips are useful for reaching both of these places.

I have a Bushy 20" A3 as well. It is a fantastic gun. I'm thinking of having the barrel turned down a little though. Have fun with it.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Depends on whether you want it armory clean or functionally clean.

1. Hoppes products will work just fine with the AR; but CLP is pretty effective. The Hoppes solvent cleans better than CLP; but CLP lubricates and protects better than Hoppes gun oil and comes in a single package.

2. As DMK noted, Hoppes is OK here.

3. In the military I had to clean that part nice and shiny. On my personal rifles I do not clean it at all. Let's say you stick a pipe cleaner or some gun scrubber in here. What are you going to remove from the gas tube that 55,000psi of high-temperature gas isn't going to remove during normal operation? It may have some benefit; but I can't tell what it is.

 

[Joe Demko]

I have found that wiping down the carrier group and a quick scrub of the locking lug recesses with a toothbrush, using CLP for both, from time to time will keep an AR firing indefinitely.
The gas tube is self-cleaning, the best thing to do with it is leave it alone. People right here at this very board have brought themselves unnecessary grief by monkeying with it.
Scrubbing the bore is one of those personal choice things, escpecially if it is chrome lined. Usually, I scrub mine with a brush, patches, and CLP when accuracy starts to fall off.
Bear in mind that military standards of firearms cleanliness haven't changed since the days of blackpowder and corrosive primers. In those times, it really was a necessity to clean a firearm spotless soon after shooting or damage would result. With today's propellants and primers, that just isn't so. In a combat situation where a rifle can pick up all kinds of foreign matter (e.g. sand) in addition to firing residues, frequent and thorough cleaning is a good idea to ensure function. Maybe things are different for you, but my firearms aren't exposed to such conditions (as a school teacher my day-to-day firefights are few) and so don't need or get that kind of cleaning. Seriously, it goes to the range in a zippered case, gets shot some, wiped down, then put back in a zippered case for the ride home. Constant stripping and cleaning just isn't a necessity.

 

[odysseus]

Don't worry about the gas tubes too much, not much time is spent here. Give them a visual inspection. If there is an issue with them, you will know when you shoot.

 

[NEtracker]

Never touched the gas tube. I wouldn't put a pipe cleaner in there, risking pipe cleaner debris getting caught inside.

I use MP7 cleaner, then some CLP. Follow your Bushy break-in schedule, not cleaning the bore for ~200-300 rnds to polish off the inside.
(I have a Bushy M4gery flat top, RRA upper should be here Tuesday!)

 

[Darkside]

I am a clean freak, but that is just me.

I disassemble my upper and bolt. Then using a cheap 1" paint brush, toothbrush and small bore brush wrapped with a patch, I scrub the the inside of the upper and bolt assy. with shooters choice to loosen the gunk. Then using the same brush dipped in mineral spirits flush things out. Then using the same paintbrush everything gets a coat of CLP.

The barrels get 2 patches of KG carbon remover, brushed, another 2 patches of KG cabone remover and a patch of CLP.

The lowers get brushed out with the paintbrush and CLP.

None of my three AR' have ever failed to go bang on demand.

Darkside

 

[shoobe01]

Be sure to shake CLP on a regular basis, and if you use it, use it all the time. The teflon works, but it will fall out if not shaken, and it works best by building up over time so several cleanings in a row are needed to really get the effect. (OTOH, watch out for teflon streaking if you are a total nut. I am not with my auto rifles, but never use CLP on ANY part of my bolt rifles.)

If anyone needs a good brush for receivers (ARs aren't that dirty really, so like G3s) or magazines, the refrigerator coil cleaning brushes are great for this. Look at any hardware store, or by the appliances at Home Depot.

I don't understand the comments about not scrubbing chrome barrels. Are you worried about removing the chrome? Cause that ain't gonna happen.

Use a bore guide when cleaning the bore. Always. They make them for ARs so are easy to get. And get a good cleaning rod. Not steel. In this case, the GI way is the wrong way. Ruining the leade when coming from the back without one, or the crown when cleaning from the front, is one of the ways to ruin your AR.

 

[mons meg]

Just remember, if you do decide to take the bolt apart, i.e. take the bolt out of the carrier, drop out the firing pin, etc. don't lose that firing pin retaining pin, or forget to put it back in correctly!

Sorry, the drill instructors at MCRD San Diego really drove that point home for us...

 

[Roadkill]

I use Breakfree on about forty guns that I regularly shoot from bolt actions
to semi auto rifles to pistols and revolvers. This includes a Colt SP2, have no problems with it at all on any of them. I use it with fine steel wool to clean the carbon off the bolt. I don't do anything with the gas tube. Just a couple of safety recommendations, don't chamber a round with the gun pointing anywhere you don't want a hole. Slamfires aren't common but they do happen. After loading a magazine tap the bottom on a hard surface and you can feel the spring bounce, this shows the spring and follower are free. Then tap the back of the magazine to seat the bullets to the rear. This makes smooth feeding. Magazines require cleaning too. I tear mine down about twice a year, wipe them out and lubricate. The firing pin retaining pin can be put in on the wrong side of the bolt carrier. Then when you seat the bolt it will jam up in the receiver and is very difficult to get out. Congratulations of the new gun.

rk

 

[Mannlicher]

I clean the barrel of all my AR15 rifles,and my AR180B with a stiff nylon bore brush and Shooters Choice. Several patches to wipe dry, and then one with CLP

The locking lugs and chamber get a GI chamber brush and Shooters Choice. This is VERY important with the 180B. I wipe the chamber dry, and do not lubricate.

Internals, bolt and carrier get wiped with Shooters Choice, then CLP

I do not clean the gas tube.

My guns run well, no problems

Plastic furniture, I clean with ArmorAll

 

[0luke1]

I use foam on my AR barrels. Two applications and cleaning is done.

You'll find that if you run a wet bolt (I use Breakfree), clean up isn't so bad on the bolt carrier group. I run mine very wet.

BTW, I agree that excessive cleaning on these rifles. is I shot a 491/500 with 23xs last week with a match AR rifle that had not been cleaned in over 500 rounds (Kreiger barrel). I cleaned it after that match and it took me about 30 minutes (although I give the first foam application overnight to work).

Ditto Roadkill on slam fires. Every so often you will get one.

ARs are the greatest.

 

[Litefoot]

I wonder why so few mentions of BoreSnake. Thinking back to my days in the US Army, I would love to have had one to simplify cleaning. I love mine.

Also, check our the Otis cleaning kits. I think they have one especially made for the AR. They work off the Bore Snake principal, plus you the other goodies to clean the erst of the rifle. I don't have one because I already have a Bore Snake, but they really look like the cat's meow.

 

[ShootAndHunt]

I have a OTIS (tactial version) and I think it is high quality. I will probabily buy another OTIS specially for AR-15 (buttstock storage version). I have a Dewy cleaning rod too, but I have to buy the bore guide for AR-15.

Thanks for your guys information, so I think now I get some ideas:

1. the Hoppe's 9 power solvent will be OK when applying the barrel, receiver and other metal parts of an AR. I heard some power solvents contain amonia and it is not good for the receiver of the AR, but Hoppe's 9 OK?

2. No much need to clean the gas tub besides the usual wipping and inspection.

3. About the plastic parts: forarm, buttstock, pistol grip, this is the point I am not clear yet. How do I clean them and preserve their color? Using soapy water, Hoppe's 9 power solvent and oil, or RemOil, or something else?

Thanks for all you guys' input.

 

[444]

I have found the AR15 to be very trouble free. It requires very little in the way of cleaning to keep working fine. IMO the only part that you really need to clean is the bolt carrier group. Every time I clean one of my ARs, I completely disassemble the bolt from the bolt carrier and remove the extractor. I then scrub everything I can reach with a toothbrush and Hoppe's #9. I then clean the areas I couldn't get with a toothbrush with Q-Tips. As I re-assemble it, I lubricate the bolt with TW25 and put a drop of CLP on the extractor and move the extractor a few times with the rim of a fired case to work the oil down in it. I have run my ARs using regular petrolum oil, grease, dry etc. and never had a problem with them. The reason I now use TW25 is because this was recommended by the instructors at Gunsite. They believe that in hot climates (I live in the desert) along with the hot temperatures that come with firing the weapon that the grease (TW25) will stay in place and not run off. Like I said, I never had a problem with any lubricant, but since I do use a lubricant I figured I would take their advice and use TW25.
The second area that need some periodic attention is the chamber. I have a commercial tool that I use for that purpose that consists of a lenth of steel cable with a handle on one end and a threaded furrle on the other end that allows you to screw a chamber brush into it. The handle allows you to twist the brush in the chamber.
I have found a lot of crud in the area inside the barrel where the locking lugs lock. I bought a tool from Sinclair to clean that area.
I also bought a scrapper tool to clean the caked powder fouling inside the bolt carrier.
For the barrel I use a bore guide from Sinclair and a Dewey rod.

Now the big question: Do you have to have all these tools to keep an AR clean ? Do you need to keep an AR this clean in order for it to function reliably ?
No. My ARs ran fine before I got all this stuff. I took a couple carbine classes and during the classes I noticed some neat gizmos that various students were using and thought they looked like a good idea. I look at it like this: Why not keep it clean and eliminate a potential problem ? I have never had a problem, but I don't want to have one either.
I probably fired 15 thousand rounds through various ARs and just cleaned the bolt and bolt carrier with solvent and ran a rod down the bore and never had a problem.

I normally don't clean the plastic parts at all. When I have had them really dirty I wiped them down with a wet paper towel. I never used any kind of commercial product on them other than water. This was just to get dust and dirt off of them.