Very Dirty AR

[Valkyrie1776]

I hand load 224 Valkyrie. Was using 75 grain eldm, now 88 grain.
26.4 grains of CFE223
I shoot with a supressor. I have an adjusting gas block. I’ve tried light weight and standard weight bolt carriers.

My suppressor, chamber, and upper are FILTHY after 100 rounds. Seriously, dirtier than my M4/M16 EVER were in the army.
Happens with the 75 grain and 88.
Happens with CCI BR4 primers and Federal gold medal match.

If I clean my rifle, go to the range, my first 15-20 spent cases aren’t bad. By the time I get to 60-70 shots, my cases look black coming out.

Is there a cleaner powder?
What are my options?
Any ideas?

 

[oldrifleman]

Non-flow through suppressors cause blow back and cause dirty cases. Getting a flow through suppressor will help significantly.

 

[Ex E6]

Yes there is far cleaner powders than CFE .

 

[Ape_Factory]

CFE's about the worst there is. I use CFE 223 and CFE Black and both are pretty damn dirty. Vihtavouri powders usually burn fairly clean and as others suggested, a flow-through suppressor like the Huxwrx will make a difference as well. I've shot the same rifle, same powder with high and low back pressure cans and the difference is dramatic on a gas gun, DI or piston.

 

[Potsy]

I pretty much treat my AR like a bolt gun, so I just run my old SAS Arbiter on it. Yes, the gun and cases get NASTY (with TAC or 335 and an SLR block). Start getting a little gas is the face after 4 or 5 rounds as well.
Nothing I really fret, but if I ran it harder, I’d get a different can. Also wondered if going from 16” middy to 18” rifle wouldn’t help.

 

[BCP]

I hand load 224 Valkyrie. Was using 75 grain eldm, now 88 grain.
26.4 grains of CFE223
I shoot with a supressor. I have an adjusting gas block. I’ve tried light weight and standard weight bolt carriers.

My suppressor, chamber, and upper are FILTHY after 100 rounds. Seriously, dirtier than my M4/M16 EVER were in the army.
Happens with the 75 grain and 88.
Happens with CCI BR4 primers and Federal gold medal match.

If I clean my rifle, go to the range, my first 15-20 spent cases aren’t bad. By the time I get to 60-70 shots, my cases look black coming out.

Is there a cleaner powder?
What are my options?
Any ideas?

That is really common with a suppressor. Some of the newer ones are supposed to be better. I doubt switching powders will help a whole lot. It's too bad that here in USA silencers aren't over the counter so you could just buy a couple to see which work better, you have to read reviews (which may be complete bullshit) and then wait months to get it.

 

[reelserious]

I am using cfe also and it is filthy like most ball powders. My 75 grain load with 28 grains is shooting 1/4 moa which is very surprising so i am sticking with it.

Edit with no suppressor

 

[37L1]

CFE 223 leaves an oily residue with or without a suppressor. The only good thing is that most of it easily wipes off and isn't hard carbon.

 

[loveha]

I use to obsess with how clean my lower is when shooting suppressed. Now I just let it get filthy. Every so often, I just spray it down with carb and throttle body cleaner and maybe hit it with a large brush and rag. It's just a fact of life when running a can. Like mentioned, flow through cans and cleaner powder helps, but it's still not a solution to stop it from happening entirely. The solution is don't shoot suppressed, or just accept fate, and don't obsess over it like you are about to try and turn your rifle into the armorer.

 

[Bluedog82]

I use to obsess with how clean my lower is when shooting suppressed. Now I just let it get filthy. Every so often, I just spray it down with carb and throttle body cleaner and maybe hit it with a large brush and rag. It's just a fact of life when running a can. Like mentioned, flow through cans and cleaner powder helps, but it's still not a solution to stop it from happening entirely. The solution is don't shoot suppressed, or just accept fate, and don't obsess over it like you are about to try and turn your rifle into the armorer.

Agreed. It will get dirty—no big deal. With proper lube it will run for hundreds, probably thousands of rounds without issue.

 

[Valkyrie1776]

I use to obsess with how clean my lower is when shooting suppressed. Now I just let it get filthy. Every so often, I just spray it down with carb and throttle body cleaner and maybe hit it with a large brush and rag. It's just a fact of life when running a can. Like mentioned, flow through cans and cleaner powder helps, but it's still not a solution to stop it from happening entirely. The solution is don't shoot suppressed, or just accept fate, and don't obsess over it like you are about to try and turn your rifle into the armorer.

I was the armorer for 10 years. Lol

 

[hlee]

The first case out of my suppressed rifle is filthy. The subsequent cases are filthy. The cartridges left in the mag are filthy. The brass catcher is coated in an oily “ink,” blacker than a cave. The upper is filthy. So is the lower. But, the gun runs and puts the bullets where they are aimed. So, what’s the problem? I throw the brass in a tumbler and they come out clean enough to reload. And, I wipe down the upper every once in a while.

If the gun runs and shoots acceptably well, I don’t see a reason to get twisted about “dirty.”

 

[VargmatII]

Beeing friendly with 2 suppressor makers has its perks. For the past year I have tried no less than 9 suppressors on my AR.
And as it has been written, an efficient flowthrough suppressor makes A LOT of difference here.
But there is always a trade off, do you want more suppression or do you want less filth in the gun?
If you want less filth and are ok with a decently quiet suppressor, go flowthrough.
If you want a very quiet gun and can live with the filth, go with a regular type suppressor.
It seems like it would be very hard to get both "very quiet" and a clean gun. Even if there are some variations.

Right now I am shooting an AEM5 style suppressor and it is really quiet on an AR, but it also leaves everything covered in sot. After about 130-140 rounds it needs to get cleaned.
With my previous flowthrough suppressor I could go +500 rounds easy without cleaning.

 

[AZLong]

I used CFEBLK in my 300BLK. One batch of 100. Switched to N110, like night and day...literally. And more accurate as well. CFE is nasty stuff

 

[Ex E6]

FYI : Some powder manufacturers use an excessive amount of Graphite in addition to burn rate modifiers aka , stabilizers, plasticizers, in conjunction with flash suppressants . Depending on powder type there can be an inordinate amount of CRAP one is burning in addition to nitrocellulose . VV ,Norma aka Bofors ,Rottweil and Reload Swiss are some of the CLEANER burning powders I've dealt with .