M16 was meant to be self cleaning? What??

[taseal]

I always wondered this and didn't ever understand. How was it supposed to self clean? All it does is shoot up the pressurized crap from the barrel to the bolt area and end up with a ton of carbon...

How did Eugene and army brass assume this cleaned the gun?

Can someone explain their thought process? Afaik it was one of the selling points of it. Obviously it didn't take long for them to realize this wasn't the case

 

[bm11]

Re: M16 was meant to be self cleaning? What??

I believe when they originally were introduced there was a shortage of cleaning kits available. So they told the soldiers that they were "self cleaning." I don't believe the original designer ever made such claims, but I may be wrong.

 

[taseal]

Re: M16 was meant to be self cleaning? What??

Fwiw, i found this thread which is a good read about this

http://www.jouster.com/forums/showthread.php?20720-Self-cleaning-M16-myth-on-History-Channel/page3

 

[PLeighton]

Re: M16 was meant to be self cleaning? What??

Check this out:
http://www.thegunzone.com/556prop.html
http://www.thegunzone.com/556faq.html

Initial testing was done with different powder than what was issued.
This is the most significant source of the initial M16 problems.

I don't know about "Self Cleaning", but with proper ammunition, an AR platform can be run for the entire life of the components with the only maintenance being lubrication.

http://www.slip2000.com/art-swat2.html

 

[kraigWY]

Re: M16 was meant to be self cleaning? What??

I got my first introduction to M16/ARs in 1967 when I got my orders for Vietnam. Since, I've had a lot of training sessions, read lots of manuals and trained I don't know how many on the use of the M16/AR. Shot them in competition.

Never heard they were self cleaning.

It was well after I retired and started playing on the internet that I heard they were "self cleaning". I didn't pay any attention to it when I first heard it, and don't now.

There is a lot of crap on the internet that is just that, crap.