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Thread: Gotta keep them ARs clean

  1. #1
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    Gotta keep them ARs clean

    ....or they won't run.

    I have about 5,000 rounds of 5.45 mm through a particular AR, a box stock Smith and Wesson, without any cleaning of the lower. Today I took some 450 Bushmaster handloads, to make a long story shorter I had two fizzles with the handloads and wound up with a teaspoon of unburned powder in the lower. I was going to take it to the maintenance shop and blow it out but decided what the heck, give it a try. Put the 5.45 mm upper back on and shot 300 rounds, not a bit of trouble. I did notice the bolt got harder to pull back as I shot, the unburned powder was getting bounced out of the lower into the upper and gumming things up. I gave the lower a complete strip down cleaning and it was absolutely slap full of crud in addition to the unburned powder that got spilled into it. I cleaned the 5.45 mm bolt, same thing, absolutely slap full of crud. The bolt hasn't been cleaned in a long time, the upper I give the hot water treatment every time I shoot but the bolt I just submerge in ATF until the next shooting trip. The gun didn't care, just kept banging away. I guess it hasn't been told it has to be kept spotlessly clean. I had one of my little buddies with me, he was horrified how dirty the gun was but then he just graduated Marine recruit training a week ago.

    Details:
    WW 296 powder, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 grains under Winchester 230 grain round nose bullets, CCI small rifle primers. Shot them out of a Bushie upper on this S&W lower. The first round hangfired. Following round jammed due to unburned powder in the chamber. Rodded out the powder, tried 34 grain load, same thing. Second round, a fizzle, powder didn't burn, the primer just popped the bullet out of the case. Happilly the bullet was barely into the rifling, it just bumped right out with the cleaning rod, this time I get 30 or so grains of powder in the action, much of it spilling into the lower. I tried one of the 37 grain loads, another hangfire then another fizzle. Now I got probably a good 20 or 25 grains of WW 296 in the lower.
    Last edited by Suwannee Tim; 09-07-12 at 17:07. Reason: Readibility

  2. #2
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    This post is hard for me to track but, it sounds like a reloading problem. Not a firearm problem.

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    Oddly enough the guys with the cleanest AR's seem to have the most issues in my experiences. They take that ultra clean thing to the point of not using enough lube and essentially running them dry or adding CLP every 100rds which makes no sense to me
    Last edited by wahoo95; 09-07-12 at 16:34.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dsm2nr View Post
    This post is hard for me to track but, it sounds like a reloading problem. Not a firearm problem.
    Edited, hopefully more readable. It was an ammo problem, the point is how the AR responded to the teaspoon of fined grained powder dumped inside the works.
    Last edited by Suwannee Tim; 09-07-12 at 17:05.

  5. #5
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    I think BCM would disagree with you about keeping the AR squeaky clean.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by wahoo95 View Post
    Oddly enough the guys with the cleanest AR's seem to have the most issues in my experiences. They take that ultra clean thing to the point of not using enough lube and essentially running them dry or adding CLP every 100rds which makes no sense to me
    Didn't you hear, lube attracts sand and dust.
    Quote Originally Posted by C4IGrant View Post
    Colt builds War Horses, not show ponies.
    Quote Originally Posted by Iraqgunz View Post
    This is 2012. The world is going to end this December and people are still trying to debate the merits of piece of shit, cost cutting crap AR's. Really?

  7. #7
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    Had an old marine dude lambast me at the range the other day because i simply put some slip2k on my rifle everytime i shoot instead of wire brushing it into oblivion, haha
    He kept talking about how us kids dont know how to care for guns anymore then he went into some bs about scrubbing the chamber and bolt every session with a brush.

    sent from my overcompensation tool known as the galaxy note

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suwannee Tim View Post
    ....or they won't run.

    I have about 5,000 rounds of 5.45 mm through a particular AR, a box stock Smith and Wesson, without any cleaning of the lower.
    .
    I have a complete build with over 5,000 rounds that other than lube, has never been touched for any maintenance, and runs like a machine. That's when I usually replace the extractor, spring, buffer, buffer spring, and gas rings.
    "The peace we have within us is most often expressed in how we treat others"

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suwannee Tim View Post
    without any cleaning of the lower.
    Crap, I did not know I ever needed to clean the lower.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suwannee Tim View Post
    ....or they won't run.

    I have about 5,000 rounds of 5.45 mm through a particular AR, a box stock Smith and Wesson, without any cleaning of the lower. Today I took some 450 Bushmaster handloads, to make a long story shorter I had two fizzles with the handloads and wound up with a teaspoon of unburned powder in the lower. I was going to take it to the maintenance shop and blow it out but decided what the heck, give it a try. Put the 5.45 mm upper back on and shot 300 rounds, not a bit of trouble. I did notice the bolt got harder to pull back as I shot, the unburned powder was getting bounced out of the lower into the upper and gumming things up. I gave the lower a complete strip down cleaning and it was absolutely slap full of crud in addition to the unburned powder that got spilled into it. I cleaned the 5.45 mm bolt, same thing, absolutely slap full of crud. The bolt hasn't been cleaned in a long time, the upper I give the hot water treatment every time I shoot but the bolt I just submerge in ATF until the next shooting trip. The gun didn't care, just kept banging away. I guess it hasn't been told it has to be kept spotlessly clean. I had one of my little buddies with me, he was horrified how dirty the gun was but then he just graduated Marine recruit training a week ago.

    Details:
    WW 296 powder, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 grains under Winchester 230 grain round nose bullets, CCI small rifle primers. Shot them out of a Bushie upper on this S&W lower. The first round hangfired. Following round jammed due to unburned powder in the chamber. Rodded out the powder, tried 34 grain load, same thing. Second round, a fizzle, powder didn't burn, the primer just popped the bullet out of the case. Happilly the bullet was barely into the rifling, it just bumped right out with the cleaning rod, this time I get 30 or so grains of powder in the action, much of it spilling into the lower. I tried one of the 37 grain loads, another hangfire then another fizzle. Now I got probably a good 20 or 25 grains of WW 296 in the lower.
    If I remember right I've got an wolfe extra power hammer spring in my lower that's coupled with my 5.45 upper so I don't change uppers out. Was afraid it would cause a problem. Am I wrong?

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