Cleaning/Carbon removal autos

[bjxds]

I am interested in your thoughts on carbon removal when cleaning autos. There are many that feel carbon build up on the AR platform is not a major issue in reference to the inside of the bcg and bolt tail. Many feel if the AR is properly cleaned and lubed, and minimal reasonable removal of carbon in those areas you should be good to go. I am not debating that.

Do you feel this is also the case on an auto shotgun?
Is an auto shotgun as tolerant of carbon build up as the AR platform?

I have always been OCD when cleaning any of my guns, but to be honest it just aint as much fun as it used to be. I used to try to get them looking like they just came out of the box. Now I still believe cleaner is better, and proper lube is key. Carbon removal in my auto shotguns has always been much more of a task than any other platform. In the past I would clean my guns every time I shot them, but if I shoot a couple hundred rounds and know I will shoot again within a week or two, I will wait. I tend to shoot more and clean less, although they are all very well lubed and maintained.

[TomMcC]

Are you speaking of gas guns, not inertial guns?

[Kain]

My personal experience here is that some designs will run pretty long when dirty as hell. I saw an old Beretta 390 in 12 gauge running light target loads that hadn't been cleaned in at least two years and thousands of rounds. Anyway, it kept on chugging along until it literally was so crammed with gunk that the bolt could no longer cycle and it jammed part way open with an empty in the chamber. The action ended up having to be soaked overnight in hoppes to break some of the grim out of it so it could be disassembled and cleaned proper.
Have also seen a Remington 1100 that was almost as filthy and still ran fun.

It should also be noted that neither of those guns where lubed with anything more than light oil at any one time, and not lubed until they failed. It should also be noted that they were not being hammered hard at a range, but likely both saw more rounds in a year than most of our combat shotguns see in a decade, more so now with the move towards ARs are primary weapons.
That said, I have seen other designs that would fail if they were not lubed. My father's Franchi AL48 is like that, though lubed it runs fine.

[GH41]

For the most part all guns don't mind being run wet. If I had only one gun that I had to depend on it would be soaked down with Break Free CLP. Dripping wet! GH

[TomD]

I shoot a Benelli M2. What's carbon?? LOL!

[ST911]

http://www.slip2000.com/slip2000_carbon_killer.php

[Tony617]

I have an FNH 18" SLP and the must rounds I have shot was a 125 rounds per outting. I use the Otis O85 cleaner and lube and I've never had any issues. I clean the barrel more often than the action itself. I go anywhere from 300-500 rounds before do a full field strip of the SLP and clean the action as well. I do keep the gas piston lubed. not dripping wet but a thin layer. So far I have 1100 rounds with the light (red) piston and 50 rounds with heavy (black) piston. The only problem I have had is that it does not reliably cycle the low recoil buckshot rounds so I am using 1325 FPS 9 pellet buckshot rounds.

[seh]

I have an 1100 Skeet gun with more rounds through it than I can remember. It used to get shot 2-3 times a week. Usually 100 rounds during the week and 200-400 on the weekends. I would run it till it stopped then a quick spray with Rem oil and it would run fine again. I only really cleaned it throughly 2-3 times a year. That consister of a complete tear down, hose it off with gun scrubber or break cleaner, scrub the outside of the magazine tube with a scotch brite pad, clean the gas ports with a drill bit, scrub the barrel with a steel wool wrapped brush, oil and reassemble. The only spot that really got any carbon was the mag tube where the gas ports hit it and buildup in thet area never seemed to affect the function. YMMV.

[GH41]

http://www.slip2000.com/slip2000_carbon_killer.php

Skin, do you think it dissolves the carbon or gets between it and the metal making it easier to remove? GH