Help Cleaning an AR

[strider09]

This may seem like a stupid question to everyone, but I ask because I just don`t know...
How do you clean your ar`s if you want to keep good accuracy?

I know about bore guides and nylon brushes, but what is a mop for? I have never used one. now that I have a rifle I want to take care of, I thought I needed to ask.
Do you use the chamber brushes, bolt brushes and gas tube cleaners that I see around on differant stores? or just the patches and bore brush?
I have heard that when running the brush through the barrel that you do not pull it back through but instead tape off the tip and pull the rod out then put the brush back on the tip to push back through, is this right?
Last question is when you use the bore guide, you don`t get all the barrel clean, do you just get the rest with a nylon brush?

Sorry for all the questions, but I know that most of you know alot more about guns than I do, and someone here will hopefully be nice enough to give me the answers.

 

[RTA]

Re: Help Cleaning an AR

Later you can expand on this quick response to cleaning your ar15. Use your chamber brush with some hoppes #9 solvent,common solvent, to clean your chamber area. Then put a piece of cotton patch on a slotted end attachmnet to wipe out chamber for time being. Put guide rod into upper rec. Take slotted end piece, soak a cotton patch with oil and run it down the barrel,then attach a dry cotton patch and run down barrel. This should remove most of the powder residue, might take several times.Then use a nylon brush(hoppes #9 soaked) down the barrel about 25 to 30 times back and fourth,remove brush. Reattach slotted end piece with a saoked cotton patch,run down barrel and remove at muzzle end. Do not pull it back through. Now run a dry patch down followed by another soaked. Repeat the wet dry technique until cleaned. Might have do repeat the wet nylon brush also according to the amount of shooting. After it comes out clean,run another lightly oiled cotton patch down barrel to lube it's surface from weather. Remove guide rod and now attach your Mop, it goes into the (chamber area only) to clean surface from any solvent that escaped back into chamber during cleaning. Bolt assembly can be clean with a tooth brush and some more hoppes #9. Removing the bolt and other parts work the best. Reassemble bolt assembly and apply a good amount of oil to surface areas. As stated above this is just a good start, as you go alone you will learn lots more. Good Shooting

 

[azerious85]

Re: Help Cleaning an AR

well i dont have the time or energy to top the previous post but i will tell you i use a boresnake soaked in hoppes. run a quick CLP clean job on the rest of the firearm to get SOME of the carbon off, no need to get all, thats aesthetical if you ask me, and coat everything with Mobil 1 10w-30, ESPECIALLY the bolt and inside BCG. if your gun is wet you will never have a problem. dont EVER let anyone tell you to run an AR dry or that too much lube will attract gunk and lock up your firearm. all are rumor's...ran over 4 carbine courses with two diff. carbines. never had a hiccup, 1200rounds with no cleaining just mobil one in the two gas holes in the bolt and it was fine. just keep it wet. metal to metal will always lock up when dry. if it shines get it wet

and now apparently i did have time and ernergy after all

 

[KYS]

Re: Help Cleaning an AR

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: azerious</div><div class="ubbcode-body">well i dont have the time or energy to top the previous post but i will tell you i use a boresnake soaked in hoppes. run a quick CLP clean job on the rest of the firearm to get SOME of the carbon off, no need to get all, thats aesthetical if you ask me, and coat everything with Mobil 1 10w-30, ESPECIALLY the bolt and inside BCG. if your gun is wet you will never have a problem. dont EVER let anyone tell you to run an AR dry or that too much lube will attract gunk and lock up your firearm. all are rumor's...ran over 4 carbine courses with two diff. carbines. never had a hiccup, 1200rounds with no cleaining just mobil one in the two gas holes in the bolt and it was fine. just keep it wet. metal to metal will always lock up when dry. if it shines get it wet

and now apparently i did have time and ernergy after all

</div></div>

Good advice unless you are shooting with a suppressor. Your first few shots will leave you in a bathroom or under a garden hose trying to get Mobil 1 oil out of your eyes and ear. Wear eye protection for sure!

 

[strider09]

Re: Help Cleaning an AR

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the advice. I always wondered what those mops were for. I guess they are just for soaking up the left over oil.
What about the pulling the brush back through, does it really hurt the crown? does that mean you pull of the brush to put it back on the rod every time?

 

[buckythebrewer]

Re: Help Cleaning an AR

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kyshooter338</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Good advice unless you are shooting with a suppressor. Your first few shots will leave you in a bathroom or under a garden hose trying to get Mobil 1 oil out of your eyes and ear. Wear eye protection for sure!


</div></div>
Not to mention all the excessive oil always ends up on your optics as well(at least for me every time ive over oiled).
I use just a tiny amount of tetra grease on the cam pin and trigger assembly,and a little bit of Marvel Mystery oil on the gas rings and carrier friction points.
Many thousands of rounds has proven that little oil is needed and the gun cleans with ease.
I'm not in combat environments and this proves to work for me.
BTW,I use a couple mops.
One is a little messy from soaking up solvent and stuff,the other is for finish cleaning.
I use a chamber brush once in a while but find its mostly not needed for what I do.
I realy like the otis cables for finish cleaning,but use a one piece carbonfiber rod and nylon brushes for bore scrubbing.
I try and not pass through to the crown when possible and also try and let the solvent do the work as much as possible.
I'm sure I don't do it 100% correct but Ive got a couple/few thousand rounds of good accuracy so far

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Help Cleaning an AR

AR cleaning 101:

Forget about the gas tube, it'll never get clogged enough to stop working. They are easier and cheaper to simply replace in the long run, and the main reason they fail has little to with fouling, it's the protruding end that gets beat up beyond functionality.

Bore, clean as any other, use the rod guide that slides into the upper.

The only issue with brushes is they should not reverse direction inside the bore, mainly 'cause it's a good way to get one stuck. Take some care about reentering the muzzle, and you'll be OK.

Chamber, a 9mm pistol bore brush and mop are good chamber cleaning tools, wrap the brush with a patch to swab out the gunk and dry the chamber.

Greg

 

[Bacarrat]

Re: Help Cleaning an AR

I just use brake cleaner if I want to clean really good behind the locking lugs/ chamber area. I haven't found anything that can clean better and faster then brake cleaner.

As for lube, I try not to over do it because of shooting surppressed.