number of rounds before experiencing malfunctions

[corey4]

first and foremost, this is NOT a thread asking about how many rounds before you need to clean your rifle. some people clean just because they like to tinker and clean. some people hate it and never clean.

i am just wondering how many rounds it takes for you personally before you start to experience malfunctions with extraction and/or feeding to the point that you need to add some lube.

post your setups and experiences; brand, gas system, can or not, whatever you deem necessary, etc. i am not looking for a cleaning regimen, just some others experiences on what they notice when malfunctions start to happen.

[grizzman]

People experience malfunctions that they don't cause themselves? I haven't had a failure of any kind with a 5.56 AR in quite a few years.....and that was a worn out extractor spring.

This is with factory BCMs, Centurions, & Colts, & Sionics, complete home creations (with all good parts), and a PSA (CHF barrel & Premium BCG) factory upper on a home assembled PSA lower (PSA LPK).

Carbine, mid length, & rifle length....H1 to H3 buffers, mostly Sprinco action springs (a couple Colt springs). No exotic gas blocks, carriers, and other nonsense.

[Uni-Vibe]

first and foremost, this is NOT a thread asking about how many rounds before you need to clean your rifle. some people clean just because they like to tinker and clean. some people hate it and never clean.

i am just wondering how many rounds it takes for you personally before you start to experience malfunctions with extraction and/or feeding to the point that you need to add some lube.

post your setups and experiences; brand, gas system, can or not, whatever you deem necessary, etc. i am not looking for a cleaning regimen, just some others experiences on what they notice when malfunctions start to happen.

I don't clean my AR regularly, but I lube generously with Breakfree LP every few hundred rounds. The only malfunctions I've ever had were bad magazines. AR-15 will run dirty and wet, not dirty and dry.

[Arik]

3 Colt 6920s, one Colt 6721. All bought as surplus police rifles, all factory OEM with exception of a few pistol grips and stocks. One 6920 hates Independence ammo. Aside from that I get around to eventually cleaning them before there's a malfunction. By that I mean I hate cleaning or tinkering but at some point it has to be done and I don't remember a malfunction in those time frames, except for the one rifle and independence ammo

[L-2]

I own a BCM, a Springfield-Armory, and previously issued a Colt.
I hate cleaning, but I clean every time subsequent to a range session (no matter what the round count of the session) as I was trained to do.

I'll even say I hate cleaning the AR15 more than any other firearms I own.

Note, I was LE, not military, and have never been on multi-day missions with gunfights out in the field, before being able to return to an operating base.

[AndyLate]

I simply don't fire my ARs enough between cleanings for them to get so dirty they cause malfunctions and I fire them quite a bit.

It's just too easy to pull the BCG, strip it, wipe off the lube, run a rag inside the upper, pull a boresnake through, lube, and then re-assemble.

Andy

[MikhailBarracuda91]

I tried this with my BCM and it went the entire summer that year with just the initial lube. I must've shot 4,000 rounds through it. I won't do that again. It was so dirty I wish I had an ultrasonic cleaner. But no failures, I just decided to clean it one day.

I had a Remington R1S 1911 that I greased up and shot cases of ammo through. I tried to make it fail like you're saying but it kept chugging. I used Tripp Cobra magazines. IDK if it was just that gun or what but holy smokes! Honestly I'm glad I did it, it's pretty cool. (I know from my order history that I shot at least 5,000 rounds through that thing before I cleaned it) that pistol had 2 failures ever, they were both in the first magazine I fired when it was new. After that it was perfect, until I regretfully sold it.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[AndyLate]

When we arrived in Kuwait, we went out in the desert to verify zero on our rifles (M16A2s). The shooting positions were downwind from the range foot traffic, so the firers were treated to a mini sand storm when they were in the prone positions. I was working as a coach and every Soldier who required more than 9 - 12 rounds to zero expirienced malfunctions.

Not entirely relevant to your question, other than a reminder that conditions can affect reliability.

Andy

[mack7.62]

http://www.slip2000.com/blog/s-w-a-t...ine-filthy-14/

FILTHY 14. As of this writing, EAG students have 31,165 rounds downrange through Filthy 14. During this evaluation period, it was cleaned once (as in one time), at 26,245 rounds. The end result is that Rack #14 was—and remains—filthy. It is filthy because it has been shot at class. Only at class.

[26 Inf]

http://www.slip2000.com/blog/s-w-a-t...ine-filthy-14/

FILTHY 14. As of this writing, EAG students have 31,165 rounds downrange through Filthy 14. During this evaluation period, it was cleaned once (as in one time), at 26,245 rounds. The end result is that Rack #14 was—and remains—filthy. It is filthy because it has been shot at class. Only at class.

Cleaning an AR isn't that hard unless you decide to go all USMC white glove on it. Every time someone mentions Filthy 14 I kind of cringe, because I think folks miss the point:

Caveat, as we are not carrying these guns for real, we spend little time doing any preventive maintenance. We know that a properly maintained AR will function well. Our purpose here is to see how well the guns will function when left dirty but well lubed. I don’t suggest that you try this at home, especially if you are carrying these guns professionally.

Pat Rogers understood what he was doing in this - laying waste to the myth that since the the AR/M4 'shits where it works' they won't shoot when dirty. He wasn't saying this is the way to treat your rifles.

Thanks to tests like this, we understand that old-style military style cleaning regimens actually wear firearms out faster than less detailed cleaning at moderate intervals.

Realistically, I think what we can take from Filthy 14 is don't limit your shooting because you don't want to clean the rifle. Get out and shoot.

Also, this data points kind of give us an idea of what to expect in parts longevity:

.... the extractor spring was replaced at 13,010 rounds.

....two bolt lugs broke at 16,400 rounds.

.... we had several failures to extract at 24,450 rounds. The shooter gave it a field cleaning and replaced the extractor and extractor spring.

At 28,905 rounds, we finally cleaned Filthy 14. As part of our year-end maintenance schedule, we inspect and replace parts as necessary. Filthy 14 looked like the inside of the crankcase of Uncle Ed’s ’49 Packard. It was disgusting to look at and contaminated everything near it, somewhat like the toner cartridges for old printers.

Notice Pat Rogers differentiates between wiping down the bolt and a more thorough cleaning.

And towards the end of the article Pat Rogers repeats his earlier admonition:

Again, let me repeat the caveat. If you are carrying a gun for real, you need to be looking at it every 5,000 rounds or so. But if your cleaning takes more than 10 to 15 minutes, you are wasting your time on nonsense.

I think the motto of the 60-70's stoners I knew fits well: use not abuse.

JMO YMMV