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Thread: Bolt Carrier Carbon Removal

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Blankwaffe View Post
    Ive never personally seen corrosion on the bolt,or any of my weapons for that matter...ever,but I also PM my weapons after use and they are well lubricated.Personally I dont worry too much about the carbon as it seems to be self limiting,and a nice sheen of lube helps keep it that way.
    But there does seem to be some folks that do have corrosion issues at the bolt tail.In fact there is a thread running on this forum that the fella has corrosion on the bolt tail.Was it caused by carbon,who knows.But I would not say that it does not,or could not happen as there have been folks talk about the very same issue for years over on TOS.
    You may (or may not) be talking about me.

    First let me explain, I got this bolt in a trade with some other parts. I'm kind of OCD with cleaning my weapons thanks to a few kind Drill Sergeants back in the 80's and I wouldn't ever let one of my bolts get like this. Before I cleaned the bolt it was caked in carbon. Sorry, no before pictures.





    For cleaning my carrier I soak the bolt / bolt carrier group in a coffee can filled with mineral spirits while I'm cleaning the barrel, upper and lower receivers. While the barrel is soaking I then clean the bolt / bolt carrier group. For cleaning the inside of the carrier I find a 40 brush or old 45 brush wrapped with a 3x3 patch works well. For any persistent carbon a brass dowel rod with a chisel point on the end works great.

    It's not that hard to get a rifle clean if you stick to a routine.

  2. #22
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    And how does your rifle perform after such cleaning, Henny? Better? No different?

  3. #23
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    I carry a rifle at work, so to me it's not that if it works better or not - it would probably work the same. To me, it's having the confidence in my weapon and knowing it's in proper working order. For some reason or another, I'm not willing to stake my life on a dirty weapon. Cleaning it gives me the opportunity to check parts for unusual wear, properly lube it and in general combine my work and hobby.

    Like I said earlier, when I was a kid in the Army I had a few nice sergeants drill into my head about proper maintenance, cleaning and care of the M16A1. Over 25 years later I can still hear their voices!

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Henny View Post
    Like I said earlier, when I was a kid in the Army I had a few nice sergeants drill into my head about proper maintenance, cleaning and care of the M16A1. Over 25 years later I can still hear their voices!
    In my case, it was those Marine Corps Drill Instructors. However, I do realize the difference between battle ready and inspection ready.

  5. #25
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    Got to agree with LLebowski on this. I remember the insane cleaning methods we used in P.I. during boot camp. Trash cans full of water and Wisk detergent. All our rifles were soaked in these. The only original part of your rifle you received back, was the lower since it had the serial # on it. We had pieces of cut coat hanger about 6"s long flattened on the end to scrape carbon from the bolt carrier and muzzle crown inside the flash suppressor. We were commanded to scrub with the G.P. brush. In response, we shouted out "Harder, faster, Sir." and vigorously scrubbed every part clean to the point that the finish was worn off. As an Marine Armorer, I believe more damage was done to the weapons in the name of cleaning then any corrosion due to carbon or fouling.

  6. #26
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    A carbon scraper and dental tools (picks)
    My future's determined by Thieves, thugs, and vermin
    My rights are denied by Those least qualified
    Everything's backwards In Americana

  7. #27
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    The concept of clean has stayed with me, not the Army's (back then) insane cleaning methods. It takes me, I'm guessing 10 minutes to clean my rifle? I have to admit, it's usually longer because my wife will usually try interrupt me with something to do!

    To me, having a clean rifle is just like wearing a clean uniform, shined boots and a clean car. Sure a wrinkled uniform, scuffed boots and a mud caked car still work just fine, but they don't present a professional image. I have less than 2 and a half years to go to retirement and having clean weapons has worked well for me so far. By the way, I'm still a patrolman, I haven't decided to drive a desk yet!

    On a related note, does anyone know if the military still uses those methods? It's been a couple decades since I wore Army green. My son is in the USCG, but he works on the big guns and doesn't spend much time with the small arms at this point in his career. It even seemed to me as a barely 18 year old private that they were doing more damage to the gun than not. Drills, scotchbrite and steel rods chucked to the aforementioned drills just don't belong in a cleaning kit!

  8. #28
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    Expedition already said ir. CAT M4 Tool.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Henny View Post
    You may (or may not) be talking about me.

    First let me explain, I got this bolt in a trade with some other parts. I'm kind of OCD with cleaning my weapons thanks to a few kind Drill Sergeants back in the 80's and I wouldn't ever let one of my bolts get like this. Before I cleaned the bolt it was caked in carbon. Sorry, no before pictures.





    For cleaning my carrier I soak the bolt / bolt carrier group in a coffee can filled with mineral spirits while I'm cleaning the barrel, upper and lower receivers. While the barrel is soaking I then clean the bolt / bolt carrier group. For cleaning the inside of the carrier I find a 40 brush or old 45 brush wrapped with a 3x3 patch works well. For any persistent carbon a brass dowel rod with a chisel point on the end works great.

    It's not that hard to get a rifle clean if you stick to a routine.
    Thats a very fine example you have there,thanks for posting the picture of it.But no I was not speaking directly in reference to you or your posts.Ive seen many posts on this topic over the years.

    As far as bolt cleaning,I do basically the same as you except I use Hoppe's No.9 as a soaking solution.Previous years I used Break Free's bore cleaner,which had a very high flash point and aided in solvent removal.Verygood solution for soaking and the large mouth tin container was handy,but that was it.



    I did not have any DI's driving my maintenance routine and was not given on a professional level.Rather in my youth I had a couple old hard nosed military combat vets,one of which served in the Infantry for the duration of WW2,that showed me the proper way to clean a weapon and what is considered a clean weapon for actual use.
    My instruction was not a white glove cleaning/inspection by any means but what is acceptable in a set PM routine for use in the field or otherwise,and how a weapon should be properly lubricated.
    Use of instruments such as metal picks and the like were greatly discouraged due to possible damage of the parts and or finish.Great care was also given in consideration of protection of the bore,chamber and muzzle,and with what tools are to be used and how clean it should be.
    I like to refer to the instruction given to me as a true Riflemans perspective on PM.Its certainly served me well in my life.

    So yeah I think a responsible PM routine should be followed by anyone who cares about the weapons function and service life.Not to mention the weapons are also a considerable investment and should be treated as such.
    To me not maintaining a weapon properly is just as bad as rarely or never doing maintenance on your car.Sure it may run fine for a long time with minimal to no maintenance,but someday soon it will not be good in return and you will be afoot.
    But thats my opinion.
    Glock Certified Armorer
    Armed Protective Services II

  10. #30
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    I use an all purpose brush on the outside and an old chamber brush dipped in Hoppe # 9 for the inside of the carrier.

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