How to Clean / Lube an AR-15

[SpartanArms]

Gentoo,

I think that The_Katar is being somewhat sarcastic with his response. While what Katar said is true that AR's don't require a lot of cleaning relative to say, a black-powder rifle, they do need some cleaning.

I would definitely recommend giving the Pat Rogers article that was linked from TOS a read, as it is an excellent primer on cleaning/lubrication of the AR-15 F.O.W. I know one main issue that tends to crop up, at least with AR-15s, is the issue of lubrication. While it is true that an AR will run with little to no lubrication, it will definitely function better and more reliably with proper lubrication. Hell, a quality AR will even function when it is downright filthy if it is properly lubricated. One caveat to this would be the amount of lubrication you apply to your AR is in direct correlation to how you are employing it. If you are simply going to shoot a magazine or two at the range, you can get by with less lubrication. If you are attending a training class where volumes of fire are considerably higher and drills are conducted back-to-back, you should definitely apply more lubricant. This is because the lubricant tends to either dry up under the excess heat or it gets "blown off" of the weapon when the bolt cycles repeatedly.

Ditto to what markm said though, as most commercially available cleaning kits tend to be lacking in one area or another. However a good place to start is with a simple G.I. M-16/M-4 cleaning kit and add any other items you feel necessary as you progress. No reason to go spending a whole ton of $$ on a top-end cleaning kit if you don't end up using it all that often.

Hope you find all of this info helpful.

[Jay Cunningham]

Gentoo,

I think that The_Katar is being somewhat sarcastic with his response. While what Katar said is true that AR's don't require a lot of cleaning relative to say, a black-powder rifle, they do need some cleaning.

Actually no, I'm not. A quality AR (such as Colt) hardly needs to be cleaned. It needs lubed for sure, but you could probably put 5,000 rounds through it and never need to clean it.

[RogerinTPA]

AR's run "wet and dirty". I lube and shoot. My schedule is to clean every 2500 to 3000 rounds. If you decide to go to a higher round count, just clean the bolt/extractor. There is no need to clean it every time you get back from the range. I use Militec-1 for normal weekend shooting and Slip 2000 Extreme Weapons Lube for classes. I am experimenting with a mixture of Militec and Mobil 1 (The motor oil) as a lube. It's working pretty good so far.

[trunkmonkey]

Actually no, I'm not. A quality AR (such as Colt) hardly needs to be cleaned. It needs lubed for sure, but you could probably put 5,000 rounds through it and never need to clean it.

It's pointless practically to bring it up since we cant just go out and test it now. But I'm going to raise the bullshit flag. I've put a couple thousand through a colt with just lube and no cleaning. But 5000 would be a stretch.

And furthermore, telling new guys that they hardly need to clean their weapons is just bad advice in general. There is no reason not to take a few minutes out of the busy schedules we all have to clean your AR.

Just because it MAY work without it. Doesn't mean you should.

[Jay Cunningham]

And furthermore, telling new guys that they hardly need to clean their weapons is just bad advice in general.

Why? It's the truth.

If you are shooting M855 through an LE6920, you can shoot thousands upon thousands of rounds without any cleaning per se, as long as you keep it well-lubed. It won't hurt the rifle nor will it degrade the rifles performance.

Excessive cleaning of an AR will cause more wear than not cleaning it but keeping it lubed.

[45r]

I've read that of course you should clean them and lube them, but in my searching I have not found out exactly what tools are needed for cleaning, what parts should be cleaned, and how best to go about it. Also, it is said to lube them, but where exactly should the lube be put and how much used?

I know these questions must seem basic and silly to the experts here, but for novices like myself, there isn't a whole lot of clear authoritative information to go on.

I just pull a bore snake through the barrel after each range session and wipe down the guts and clean the bolt face. Then put a drop of oil on all high pressure/high wear surfaces. If I get anal, I use chamber stars to clean the chamber.

[bill_d]

since this is a new weapon,

gentoo has a chance to do himself a favor and get it set up

to run well and perhaps even optimize initial wear characteristics.

this is an aluminum weapon body with steel reciprocating parts.

the anodized aluminum surfaces are hardened and somewhat porus

on the microscopic level. in the hard black process those pores are

partially sealed/filled (and the surface is colored) by the sealants.

one does not want to remove this initial finish through either chemical means

like brake cleaner type extreme solvents or through abrasive action such as

might occur during normal firing cycles. parkerized steel bcg bearing surfaces

are a bit rough and porus themselves when new(this is by design as well, in

order to retain lubrication, this is early 1900's technology)

we have one example here recently where this is demonstrated to have

happened(abrasive action) to a member's new BCM upper and LMT bcg

the wear is minor and probably only the surface color is affected, but, i think

this kind of wear is not inevitable given the chance to use the really good lubes

(high grade synthetic grease)

we have available to fill in those pores repeatedly as they (the rough parts) are

hammered flat by their intended use . (think worn out sandpaper here)



in addition to this, data compiled by the USMC indicates that the initial repetitive

lubrication of the bolt lugs and barrel extension lugs during initial firing sequences

improved the subsequent wear characteristics of the bolt/barrel extension mating

surfaces. improved as in maintaing headspace dimensions longer into the service

life of the bolt as well as having some effect on bolt longevity as well.

information worth noting,

[bill_d]

instead of using an extreme solvent like brake cleaner,

try using G96 to blast corners clean and float out particles

ONLY WHEN YOU HAVE TO

the idea is not to strip the metal bare, but to get some good lube

layered onto it




take a look at this attachment:

[Robb Jensen]

I've read that of course you should clean them and lube them, but in my searching I have not found out exactly what tools are needed for cleaning, what parts should be cleaned, and how best to go about it. Also, it is said to lube them, but where exactly should the lube be put and how much used?

I know these questions must seem basic and silly to the experts here, but for novices like myself, there isn't a whole lot of clear authoritative information to go on.

There's a segment on cleaning and lubing on one of the DVD in the Magpul Dynamics "The Art of the Tactical Carbine".

[markm]

Why? It's the truth.

If you are shooting M855 through an LE6920, you can shoot thousands upon thousands of rounds without any cleaning per se, as long as you keep it well-lubed. It won't hurt the rifle nor will it degrade the rifles performance.

Excessive cleaning of an AR will cause more wear than not cleaning it but keeping it lubed.

I've come to find this to be true. On my weekly shooter, I just clean the bore and soak the bolt. I'm only completely cleaning it every 3rd or 4th shoot.

keeping the inside of the carrier and the tail of the bolt soaked with CLP between shoots really softens the carbon and doesn't allow much to build up.