Cleaning AR15 gas port and tube

[possum]

from my time in the military and the ar's i have owned i have never cleaned that area, of the ar. i'e never had any problems!

 

[vanfunk]

Whoa! A blast from the past. As others have stated, don't clean the gas tube. Just don't. It really, really, really doesn't need cleaning, ever. :banghead:

Well, I'm glad that's over.

vanfunk

 

[Joe Demko]

I've been an AK guy quite a while, and after getting into highpower...I couldn't agree with this guy more about the AR-15.

How does your experience with the AK generalize to cleaning procedures necessary on the AR platform? Do you have personal experience with any guns sidelined by clogged gas tubes?

I 've personally owned 4 AR's (2 Colt, 2 Bushamster) and Uncle was kind enough to let me use an M-16A1 for a time. The only problems I ever had were from the use of blanks in Uncle's rifle. I never touched the gas tube in any of them. Messing around with the gas tube, other than the use of an aerosol solvent if you must do something, is very bad juju.

 

[gyrfalcon16]

Do you have personal experience with any guns sidelined by clogged gas tubes?

Not by clogged tubes, but by failed gas systems. The AR does blow fowling and powder gases back into the receiver and that can cause a host of other problems though.

My personal prerogative is that I would rather have something clean than dirty. After reading some of the opinions here, that seems to be out of favor. So be it...

 

[Slamfire]

On occasion I will use Carburetor Cleaner. Use the little plastic tube that comes with a spray can of carburetor cleaner, blow that down the tube. Follow up with compressed air. The wipe out the barrel.

Does it do anything? Heck if I know. I do remember seeing pictures of Xrays of gas tubes from the book "Black Rifle" . The pictures were from the 60's and you could see calcium carbonate fouling from the ball powders of the era.

 

[taliv]

i heard it runs better if you stuff peanut butter in the gas tube. plus, it puts a nice, even coat of peanut butter on the inside of your receiver after you shoot it.

 

[Badger Arms]

Cleaning gas tubes is BAD BAD BAD!!!! You're more likely to introduce foreign matter that will clog it or damage your rifle. Solvents, etc can and will eat away at the liner of your tube before the gas will. Change your tube every time you change your barrel and you'll be happy. They're cheap.

Constriction of the gas tube from bad powder was real, but only documented prior to the 1967 switch to a stainless steel tube and .25% limit on calcium carbonate in powder (down from 1%).

Those X-rays of gas tubes form the Black Rifle book are of tests with specific lots of known BAD propellant ammo. Cleaning your gas tube is statistically more likely to cause a malfunction than leaving it alone. PERIOD!!!

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Carbon will build up in any gas system... The AR-15 is not immune. I would recommend using bore solvent and AR-15 Gas Tube Pipe Cleaners and then follow that with brake cleaner and a clean pipe-cleaner.

Is there some reason you revived a four year old thread? You mention using bore solvent and a long pipe cleaner. What is that long pipe cleaner going to remove that isn't being removed by 15,000PSI of hot gas blasting through the tube with every shot?

Not by clogged tubes, but by failed gas systems.

Failed gas systems? The AR is a direct impingement rifle. What type of failed gas systems did you see in that rifle?

The AR does blow fowling and powder gases back into the receiver and that can cause a host of other problems though.

An AR fowling the receiver would certainly cause problems; but I think the problems from fouling are a grossly overstated myth perpertuated by people whose trigger time with the system comes mostly from Counterstrike.

Constriction of the gas tube from bad powder was real, but only documented prior to the 1967 switch to a stainless steel tube and .25% limit on calcium carbonate in powder (down from 1%).Those X-rays of gas tubes form the Black Rifle book are of tests with specific lots of known BAD propellant ammo.

Good info from Badger Arms! The issue of gas tubes clogging usually revolves around ammo that uses too much calcium carbonate. In modern use, the problem is near-extinct (thoughonce in a blue moon it still happens in well-used guns where a mixed bag of ammo has been shot).

If the potential of a clogged gas tube really bothers you, you'd be better off (both time and money-wise) buying a spare gas tube and a punch set and just replacing the tube in the off chance you win the freakish occurence lottery and manage to clog your gas tube shooting 10,000 rounds of Byzantian 5.56 surplus from 1973. Otherwise, replace the gas tube when you replace the barrel (though I've actually reused old gas tubes and still haven't managed to clog one yet).

One of these days I'll have to split an old gas tube where I've logged the rounds on the barrel and take a picture of it so people can see how minimal the buildup is in most rifles.

 

[Glockfan.45]

I have to agree with Bartholomew on what he said. I have shot thousands of rounds of dirty Wolf through a mix master AR never fouling the gas tube, or action. I have never cleaned the gas tube on any rifle I have ever owned, and that pactice has yet to cause any issues.

 

[taliv]

i also agree with bart, but i really don't understand it. i mean, the logic of

What is that long pipe cleaner going to remove that isn't being removed by 15,000PSI of hot gas blasting through the tube with every shot?

seems like it would also apply to the powder fouling that happens in the bore itself. clearly, after the bullet passes, there's 40-65k psi of hot gas blowing through there that by that logic would also be cleaning the bore, but as we all know, it does leave powder residue that builds up over time.

i really don't understand it

 

[R.W.Dale]

seems like it would also apply to the powder fouling that happens in the bore itself. clearly, after the bullet passes, there's 40-65k psi of hot gas blowing through there that by that logic would also be cleaning the bore, but as we all know, it does leave powder residue that builds up over time.

I've never had powder residue build up in a bore enough to cause any issues whatsoever. Copper and lead or black powder certianlly but smokless powder NO, not even with large quantities of unburnt IMR5010 left behind from low pressure loadings.

Where are some of you guys buying your ammo? The always save brand from Safeway possibly

 

[Slamfire]

An AR fowling the receiver would certainly cause problems; but I think the problems from fouling are a grossly overstated myth perpertuated by people whose trigger time with the system comes mostly from Counterstrike.

Mr. Roberts: This is a topic that should have its own thread, but I have never liked having burnt propellant blown into the AR action, and I have always felt that it is a design weakness.

Because I only shoot 88 rounds per match, and I do a very through job of cleaning out the bolt carrier, and all associated parts, I doubt I will have the same problems encountered by a "Private Jessica" type. The poor lady had never fired her rifle in theater, and when she needed to, she did not know enough about the rifle to clear a jam. Those are the people that need a very robust, dirt tolerant, and non self fouling mechanism. Like an AK 47

Respectfully, SlamFire

 

[taliv]

krochus, i didn't imply it had ever caused a real problem.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Those are the people that need a very robust, dirt tolerant, and non self fouling mechanism. Like an AK 47

I disagree: Those are the people who have no business whatsoever being in the US military