yea i started early. father was a navy weapons instructor after the war. he did emphasize cleaning right after use. DI certainly did the same. i have gotten a bit slack lately and do plan to correct that erroneous path.
How much you clean your barrel
- Thread starter BurtG
- Start date
My siblings were doing matches at Camp Perry before I was out of diapers, and two of them went on to be sponsored by major ammo or firearms manufacturing companies, stacking trophies and medals. They went from service rifles to Anschutz rifles and custom builds that cost more than some cars, and I went to Afghanistan. I think I got the raw end of the deal.
When accuracy degrades or I'm putting it away for awhile. Spay bolt carriers off with oil occasionally just for s&g.
300+ rounds suppressed.
When I do clean it's a few patches of c4, wait a day or 5, few more patches, etc. When they come out mostly clean them it's time for eliminator. Same thing.
But, they're stored in a garage with 20% humidity, and I can leave them there to soak as long as I like.
If I was trying to clean at the kitchen table before the wife catches me I'm sure it would be a lot different!
When I do clean it's a few patches of c4, wait a day or 5, few more patches, etc. When they come out mostly clean them it's time for eliminator. Same thing.
But, they're stored in a garage with 20% humidity, and I can leave them there to soak as long as I like.
If I was trying to clean at the kitchen table before the wife catches me I'm sure it would be a lot different!
They require them to be so clean they're actually damaging them. Mostly by grunts that get pissed and use the wrong tools in the wrong ways...
I had one AR go over 5k without a cleaning, just lube aka motor oil on the bcg. It never missed a beat.
Most of those parts will only gather carbon where there's no friction. Anywhere the carbon can't be will self evacuate.
Their cleaning regimen is driven by the mess that was the ammo and specifically powder used when the A1 was issued. Wrong powder, very heavy carbon fouling, and no cleaning kits in a jungle were a full blown disaster.
Now they're fighting in a sand box and using excessive lube that makes everything hold sand on guns that are worn out with questionable magazines. And they wonder why they still have issues...
My question to those of you who say you don’t clean for hundreds of rounds is what is the length of time in days or months they sit dirty? And when you say you don’t clean does that include not not oiling the bore after a range trip or do you run an oil patch down after the range?
I brush then last patch gets oil in the bore after I get home no matter what after firing. Maybe a little oil [aks get grease] and a wipe down , i do not own a pampered looking pretty boi gat ......1 hunter ,1 WW2 ugly war worn springfield ,2 AKs home defenders and 2 CC revolvers for summer/winter wear
I’ve let mine sit dirty for years. Never had a problem to my knowledge. If I remember to clean and oil before I put them up the great, if I don’t, I don’t worry about it. They are stored in a vault that is climate controlled. I think most people worry about this way too much. I don’t clean until accuracy drops off or I have other problems. Now I did have a 6CM that developed a carbon ring after probably 700 rds suppressed and it got to where it wouldn’t chamber most rounds and was popping primers. Obviously time to clean. Still accurate as hell but still trying to work out why it’s still popping primers and still has a hard bolt lift even after s thorough cleaning.
