Just joined the AR 15 club

[Skylerbone]

It never hurts to run a brush through the bore, you never know what might have crawled in there. If it isn't chrome lined (mine isn't), treat it like any other rifle barrel and keep it clean and rust free with whatever lube you already use. Make sure the lug recesses are clean (a pick helps with this) and buy some pipe cleaners for the gas tube.

Lube, lube, lube, not crazy amounts all at once but as others suggested, keep it wet. You'll learn to deal with the smell eventually: )- (it burns)

I crimp all my rifle bullets but I never use a roll crimp die. Buy a Lee crimp die which puts a nice uniform squeeze on a large portion of the neck. I get plenty of life from my brass and don't have to worry about OAL changing. Check those rounds in a magazine (2.260" max. OAL). If they fit, they'll feed.

+1 to all of TonyAngel's post, I've read enough of his posts to know HE knows his ARs much better than I do.

 

[ChCx2744]

If you stick anything inside the gas tube, I'm sure it'll clean the majority portion of the length of the tube, but won't it all start to accumulate and gunk up at the end where the front sight is? I don't wanna build up pressure there what is a safe way to clean the gas tube without doing so? (I'm assuming you're talking about the one above the chamber face where the locking lugs lock in, towards the muzzle and front sight base)

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

There is no need to clean the gas tube. Gas tubes have gone 30,000 rounds and more with no cleaning at all. Every shot of the rifle introduces gas at between 15000psi and 30000psi. Chances are pretty good that if 15000psi of gas doesn't move it, you aren't going to have much luck with a long pipe cleaner either.

If you use some foreign ammo with a higher percentage of calcium carbonate in the powder, you can eventually clog a gas tube with thousands of rounds. However, the gas tube is an $8 part. Replace it if it becomes clogged (which is still an incredibly rare occurence) and replace them when you switch out barrels and you should be good to go.

I've never actually seen a gas tube clogged through use in my personal experience, only read about them on the Internet. In real life, it is much more often that I see gas tubes blocked by q-tips and other stuff that somebody crammed into them trying to clean something that doesn't need to be cleaned.

 

[ChCx2744]

Yeah that's what I thought, too. I was always taught to not clean the gas tube that it was pretty much "self cleaning."

 

[MoDerN_WarRioR]

There is no need to clean the gas tube. Gas tubes have gone 30,000 rounds and more with no cleaning at all. Every shot of the rifle introduces gas at between 15000psi and 30000psi. Chances are pretty good that if 15000psi of gas doesn't move it, you aren't going to have much luck with a long pipe cleaner either.

Man i wanted to post this first! You beat me too it!

I was told not to clean the gas tube but to just replace it if needed. Spending less than 10 bucks for a new part is much easier than spending an hour trying to cram stuff up in it to clean it. I mean how often do you remove the gas tube from the gas block unless your doing some kind of modification? YES you can get to it easily from the upper receiver while its attached to the block but then you run the risk of lodging debris up in the front of the tube.

Just my .02

 

[Skylerbone]

I'll stand corrected. My father encouraged this practice as his experience was with the originals in a place called Viet Nam. He laughed at me for buying such an unreliable POS and filled me with horror stories.

I'm happy to report no failures of any kind as yet and again, I'd trust those posters who state it need not be done. I'm betting they have much more experience with the platform than I.