Cleaning essentials for an AR15 type rifle

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gasteffens

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While I wait for my AR to arrive I am thinking of constructive related things to do to pass the time. One of which getting the supplies together that I will need to properly clean and keep the rifle lubricated.

I know there are brush kits available of different kinds and some with more extensive varieties of pieces than others. I also don't know where to begin for a cleaner type fluid, and an oil. With regards to both, particularly the oil, I am concerned with getting a top of the line lubricant to put in there, even if it costs a little more. I have read some use grease instead too.

I have heard mentioned before guys using brake cleaner to clean the carbon deposits off the internals? Is this just something to do when you don't have the correct stuff or does it work well? I have a ton of that on hand as I use it working on cars all the time. Would be great to stock up a bit more and use it for both.

Would a kit like this do?

http://www.ar15outfitters.com/Tapco-AR15M16-Belt-Pouch-Cleaning-Kit_p_398.html


These look useful too:

http://www.ar15outfitters.com/Tapco-AR15M-16-Cleaning-Stars-20-Pack_p_408.html



Thanks so much!
 
Here's a link to a basic manual: http://www.box.net/shared/tlxri3l1ic

CLP or another light gun oil is the only lube you really need.

The cleaning kit you linked to will do fine, the cleaning stars are great, for the seller to increase his profit margins. Other than that, not so much. I've never used them.

Post any questions you may have after you read the manual. BSW
 
I'd say get that first cleaning kit you linked to, then add to it a dental pick, bore snake, pipe cleaners, and Q-tips.
 
most basic kit is
a coated cleaning rod with bore guide ( a tee handled one is comfortable)
22cal bore brush
22 cal patch holder
22 cal jag ( not necessary) but nice
3pack of the toothbrush style brushes nylon, brass and a third material I doont often use
cleaning patches
hoppes solvent
CLP, REMOIL, molygrease or similar can even use motoroil according to bushmaster video
long I mean like 11" pipe cleaners for the gas tube
small flashlight with bore light attachment
or you can go get obe of the DELUXE cleaning kits with a nice wood box and get all the above minus pipe cleaners and multi cal brushes, jags, and patch holders
FWIW my .02
 
long I mean like 11" pipe cleaners for the gas tube
Click to expand...

WRONG!!!

NEVER PUT ANYTHING SOLID DOWN THE GAS TUBE!

What exactly do you think you're going to move with a pipe cleaner that 12,000psi gas didn't move? Pipe cleaners down the gas tube is an excellent way to clog the tube and that all. BSW
 
same material left behind after a 62gr projectile is pushed out of the barrel, fouling.
everyone talks about the fouling of the bolt and bolt carrier assembly, well it got there through the gas tube, clean shortly after shooting no force is needed and you might be suprised what comes out. This is not going to "move" anything as nothing of significant size should or could be down there considering the size of the gas port, i didnt say run the cleaning jag violently down as if cleaning a muzzleloader. The gas system is something that frequently gets neglicted when maintaining the rilfe.
 
Here's the thing. With the pipe cleaners and other stuff.

There's a difference between how the army teaches us to clean them and how clean they really need to be. The army is more concerned with how it looks than how it functions. They are more concerned with one guy (the armorer/supply sergeant) being stuck with cleaning a bunch of weapons before having to turn them in to a higher level of supply for one reason or another, than actually making them work. A reasonable amount of lube in the rifle during storage, which would greatly help the longevity of the rifle, is unacceptable to the army because leaving CLP in the weapon draws out carbon from every nook and pore, making it appear dirty. Just a few examples. A little bit of black stuff in most places in the rifle won't affect how it functions. I have started a trend in my platoon, all of us have boresnakes now. I explained to them, it makes the barrel LOOK really clean. (Even if it isn't really good enough for a precision rifle, where I would use a one-piece and a rod guide.)

I wouldn't use brake/carb cleaner on an AR. Maybe on just the bolt carrier group, it wouldn't hurt anything, but like I say, I don't think it needs to be THAT clean to function. I think the best way to keep an AR clean is to run it sloppy wet, and not give the gunk a chance to dry up, burn, and solidify. I make sure I scrub the obvious places with a toothbrush, and I do get the surfaces on the bolt and carrier where they meet. I go through the upper and lower with a rag wrapped around a toothbrush. I give a bit of attention to the nook where the gas tube comes back into the upper. (This is a favorite place for the armorer to dig endlessly and kick it back because he can always find black stuff.)

I just ordered a few bits to take downrange with me. (Keeping in mind, this is to make it army clean, not personal clean,) I got a couple of tools designed to clean bits of the BCG, a chamber brush and mop, the aforementioned boresnake, some dental picks, and I'm packing a small air compressor with attachments. (There are other aspects of my job where air will be handy, weapons cleaning is just a bonus.)
 
Cutips! dont forget the Cutips! Probably the most essential thing to my AR cleaning kit are cutips. I go through about 6 every time I clean the AR.

My kit consists of

A cheap-o rifle cleaning kit found at wal-mart
Cutips
a vice block for the receiver
A strap wrench (to remove the hogue free float tube)
some old rags
 
everyone talks about the fouling of the bolt and bolt carrier assembly, well it got there through the gas tube,

No, it didn't. It got there when the bolt retracted and gas flowed past the casing. The operation of the AR has the gas tube unlocking the bolt; once open, the gas pressure pushes the case back against the bolt as part of the force to cycle the action. Gas comes past the casing when that happens.

The gas tube is located too far back to spray deposits all over the locking lugs in the barrel extension. It sure can't blow carbon down the length of the case starting at the mouth. Doesn't happen. Check all the other semi auto guns on the market, .22 blowbacks, pistols, roller locks, or piston, they all get dirty chambers and brass from gas out the chamber end of the barrel. My 10/22, G19, and HK91 always had dirty brass and chamber deposits. Lever and bolt actions, no.

There are plenty of reports out there of AR's not getting cleaned for 10's of thousands of rounds. What they get is lubricated. Wet deposits wipe off. If it's a hard dry crusty deposit - use more lube. The TM states "generously."

I too was taught wrong for 22 years on AR maintenance, and understand now it was for the benefit of others who had the wrong idea and weren't subject matter experts. Most commanders just let the armorer have it their way, and the armorer does it to suit their inspectors higher up - who choose to keep their superiors happy regardless.

Don't let traditions steeped on political kissing up influence what should be done. Toss the q-tips, pipe cleaners, and the issue cleaning kit. Use non-chlorinated brake cleaner, a bore snake, and a rag. It'll do. Keep it wet and it won't be a problem.
 
I think Pat Rogers is up to over 30,000 rounds with no cleaning in one of his Bravo Company mids. The key is they continue to add lubrication to the rifle (it also doesn't hurt to turn the lower receiver over and shake out the big chunks of carbon that will accumulate when you run it like that).

As for the 11" pipe cleaners, worthless in my opinion. Port pressure on a 20" rifle is between 12,000-15,000psi. Port pressure on the carbines is around 23,000-30,000psi. Have you seen the tail of your bolt? Does that look like something you could scrape off by pushing a pipe cleaner against it? I've had over 9,000 rounds on a single gas tube with no cleaning EVER. No problems.

I don't know what a package of the 11" pipe cleaners costs because I don't use them; but a new gas tube is around $8. Considering the time and money, I'd rather just replace a gas tube than waste time cleaning it (and so far I've never had to replace one).

I'd also add that the only gas tube blockages I've personally seen were all from foreign debris (often q-tips or tiny chunks of pipe cleaner) jammed in the gas tube. I've never personally seen a case of a gas tube blocked from fouling, though I've read about them on the Internet once in a blue moon.

My own personal experience is that the AR15 is pretty tolerant of a great deal of non-cleaning in the North Texas/Oklahoma environment. Keep adding lubrication and they run and run and run. Although I'll note that even Pat Rogers notes a difference between rifles that get used and rifles that get stored. In one of his posts, he talks about one rifle that sat unused for awhile with the same cleaning regimen the other rifles get (none). It apparently didn't work so well once the rifle was stored for long periods of time with no use. Kind of like a car that is garaged for a long time without being driven I guess.
 
I stumbled onto the Q-Tip idea back in Feb of 1982 bout the third time I had to clean my M-16A1, my value to my squadmates went up that day! Never had a chance to use one of the GI pipe cleaners some greedy busterds grabbed them, didn't matter as the DI wasn't checking the inside of the gas-tube any way. If an AR seems short of gas I blast carb/brake cleaner down the tube, otherwise I leave the thing alone. I prefer carb cleaner as it leaves a bit of protectorent, brake cleaner does not.

My list;
Biggest box of bargain ear-swabs I can find.
Cleaning rags
GI gun cleaning toothbrush
Bamboo skewers, remove grime with out scratching metal.
Bamboo chopsticks, can be whittled to odd shapes for odd spots.
Tool to push out receiver and pivot pins, most of them are .250" dia so the tool should be a little smaller.
A good one piece rod long enough for cleaning from the receiver end.
Bore and chamber brushes, patch needle and/or jag.
Cleaners/solvents/oil and even a little tube of grease of your choice, I will let others debate which are better.
 
I have never used anything on the gas tube. Once I shot some brake cleaner down a gas tube that I had taken off a rifle, but nothing came out so I don't bother anymore.

The only things I have ever used on my AR15s are the same things I always used on my 22LR guns:

Breakfree CLP
Hoppe's #9
Old toothbrush
22 cal one piece cleaning rod (Dewy in my case)
22 cal Jag
22 cal patch loop
22 cal bore brush
22 cal twill patches
Lint free rag or Shop Towels
Occasionally I use a 22 cal boresnake.

If you already have a 22cal rifle and clean it, you already have everything you need.

The carbon inside the bolt is a non-issue if you soak it while you clean the bore and clean the gun after every range session. I wipe it out with a patch or bit of rag before I reassemble the bolt. I don't bother with the carbon at the rear of the bolt. I soak it, wipe it off with a rag and reassemble. I never get it all off and don't care.
 
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I think I will get a kit similar to the one I posted originally, get some Q tips, and I have found some good reviews of "slip 2000."

With regards to the rifle kit, yeah we have a 22 rifle in the house, but the kit for it is fairly old. I think I would like to get a nice new set of cleaning/servicing supplies to go with the new gun, especially since it is not a cheap toy.

I absolutely understand what you mean about under using it. With regards to "daily driver" type vehicles, ones that sit and never get touched as opposed to driven almost always have more problems.
 
1. Bore Snake, I hate using rods on any of my rifles now. If it starts to seem less accurate(copper fouling), then brake out the cleaning rods, and copper solvent.

2. Cotton wipes for inside the receiver. You should only get minimum powder residue that should wipe clean.

3. A good oil. I just oil the bore snake and call it good. I stopped babying my AR's a looong time ago. I take the carrier apart, wipe down the bolt, cam pin, firing pin(maybe put something through the pin channel), and oil the carrier. Reasemble and done.

I leave the gas tube to clean itself, and suggest you do the same unless you shoot 22lr too. Even then, just shoot a couple .223/5.56 rounds at the end of the 22lr session and call it good. The built up carbon in the bolt carrier's channel is left alone, but the carbon build up on the bolt's tail gets scraped off just because it looks funky (cosmetically) to me. The last thing I'll do every blue moon is take a brass brush to the chamber(chrome cures all ills:)), just to aid in extraction.

Cleaning my AR takes 10 minutes for regular, maybe 20 for a detail cleaning with carbon scrape on the bolt tail, cam pin and firing pin wipe down, chamber cleaning, and wipe/brushing/scraping of the locking lugs area. If I feel really spry, I'll take the lower apart and wipe it down and oil it too. Makes for one full mag of a really crisp trigger break, until the powder residue covers the parts again:D!

Still 2 Many Choices!?
 
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Rags

Q-tips

Toothbrush

AR chamber brush with handle

Hoppes #9

Weapon's Shield

.22 Bore Snake ( for SHTF or knock-a-round rifles)

Rod/jag/brush/bore guide/patches (for match rifles)

This is what I do :D
 
I agree that Qtips, Hoppe's #9 and CLP are essentials for me. A bore guide, one piece rod, jags, bore brush, patches and a Dewey's AR cleaning kit help out. I will use a boresnake occasionally.
 
When I take mine to the range for some extended shooting, I always bring along a can of Ballistol. If I think it needs it, I'll do a quick field strip and give the bolt carrier group a quick blast and wipe. When I get home, a more detailed clean & lube and then back in the safe. Seems to have worked well for me for quite some time now.
 
CLP - cleans, lubes, protects, etc. There are other good cleaners and lubes out there, but CLP is all-in-one and works great, and is cheap compared to other similar products

a large, thin rag - good for wiping out the receiver and wiping off the bolt carrier assembly parts

a coated brass cleaning rod set that includes a chamber brush - this is mainly only for cleaning the chamber. For the bore, get a...

bore snake - quick, easy, and does everything all in one for your barrel and bore. This was the best accessory for my cleaning kit I ever bought; really cuts down on cleaning time, since I was always so meticulous about the barrel. You also don't have to worry about barrel damage or nicking this way, either.

q-tips and/or dental picks - cleaning the crevices of the receiver, chamber, and in the bolt and carrier is next-to-impossible without them.
 
I have been converted over to pulling patches from breach to bore rather than using jags and pushing them forward. I use a coated J. Dewey cleaning rod and brass loop for the patches. I borrowed the holes in patches idea from OTIS and cut one hole in the patch and loop it through. Works great and forms just as good of a seal in the barrel as the jags do. I also use a brownells flat top upper receiver vise jig to hold the upper while pulling patches through.
 
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