Improper Cleaning can ruin your AR15 Bolt Carrier Group

[Ruger_Ronin]

I have no doubt there is validity to OPs claim. Granted, I think you'd have to over aggressive to achieve that. But possible.

Not likely for most discover the hard way. I only say that because people I shoot with rarely clean their ARs

That being said, I use the Otis BONE tool. Its seems okay to me. I never need to use it more than a few twists though.
View attachment 262495
Normally I use the side of a screwdriver to pop the big chunks off. Wipe it, then twist the tool a couple times and done. Ill play guinea pig for the sake of INGO. If I manage to screw up my rifle doing that guess ill let y'all know

I use one of these as well as the following. No issues thus far, but I don't grind it into oblivion either.

Star Chamber Cleaning Tool

At Otis Technology we innovate gun care; from the original Breech-to-Muzzle® breakthrough to world-class manufacturing facilities. We work endlessly to be trailblazers. Whatever we make, we make it better, faster and most importantly, smarter. Otis is Smart Gun Care.

otistec.com

 

[Goodcat]

You guys clean your AR’s?

 

[bgcatty]

Very interesting information, indeed. I do believe that a clean and properly lubricared AR is a happy AR. And that should make the shooter happy too!

 

[BGDave]

I started a thread years ago about hating to clean AR type rifles. Got lot of folks attention. Not favorable.

I over clean apparently.

Pipe cleaners, Q tips, small patches, long wood handled baby Q tips and anything else that will make a dent. I use this opportunity to check for problem areas.

After seeing all the filthy guns for sale at gun shows, I'm starting to see a trend.

I just wonder if Rambo Jr. thinks the zombies are gonna give him a mulligan.

 

[xoregonian]

I started a thread years ago about hating to clean AR type rifles. Got lot of folks attention. Not favorable.

I over clean apparently.

Pipe cleaners, Q tips, small patches, long wood handled baby Q tips and anything else that will make a dent. I use this opportunity to check for problem areas.

After seeing all the filthy guns for sale at gun shows, I'm starting to see a trend.

I just wonder if Rambo Jr. thinks the zombies are gonna give him a mulligan.

I feel your pain. Don't want to bring a thread back from the dead so I'll post the link I used in 2016.

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2010/06/09/a-clean-wouldnt-hurt/

The cliff notes version is a guy didn't clean an AR but lubed it every 1000 rounds and got over 15000 rounds through it before he had issues. The point he was trying to make is that ARs aren't the jam o' matics people make them out to be. Of course the comment section blew up with keyboard warriors and ran off the rails quickly. I won't be anywhere near 15000 rounds with mine so I feel pretty good about less than OCD frequency when cleaning. Having said that, not doing anything isn't the answer either. A couple of years ago a kid shooting next to me had a malfunction. His bolt had not returned all the way forward. I asked when was the last time you cleaned this rifle? His response was that he had never cleaned it. He bought it from a guy off craigslist who was selling ammo and hard up for cash. I'm guessing the first owner did not clean or lube said rifle either. After a few minutes of squirting break free in the chamber, pounding the butt stock on the shooting bench, and hitting the forward assist, I was able to break it down and give him a block of instruction on how to maintain it and why. When he asked me where I learned so much about ARs, I smiled and said the army. If you fall somewhere between never clean guy and 15000 round oil only guy you will probably be alright. I probably over clean and I'm fine with it. To the never clean crowd I only have one question, is that what you do with your carry gun?

 

[KokomoDave]

I was an armorer and the horrors I have seen! Shreik!!

 

[Goodcat]

I started a thread years ago about hating to clean AR type rifles. Got lot of folks attention. Not favorable.

I over clean apparently.

Pipe cleaners, Q tips, small patches, long wood handled baby Q tips and anything else that will make a dent. I use this opportunity to check for problem areas.

After seeing all the filthy guns for sale at gun shows, I'm starting to see a trend.

I just wonder if Rambo Jr. thinks the zombies are gonna give him a mulligan.

I coat the BCG in sotaracha homemade grease lube and run em filthy and greasy and don’t clean unless I’m bored occasionally. I bet you’d love it.

 

[Mij]

Just a thought, I’ve seen several firearms that have been cleaned by (well folks that should know better) cleaned by a brass brush and Hoppies #9 on a cleaning rod attached to a drill. Just to pass inspection, it’s never turned out well for the firearm. Just a thought.

 

[xoregonian]

Just a thought, I’ve seen several firearms that have been cleaned by (well folks that should know better) cleaned by a brass brush and Hoppies #9 on a cleaning rod attached to a drill. Just to pass inspection, it’s never turned out well for the firearm. Just a thought.

We should start a greatest hits list. I bet KokomoDave has a few.

A couple of my faves are:

Private, "I'm having trouble."
Me, "Yeah that's a chamber brush. You put that in the chamber." (Was attempting to insert into muzzle)

Other private, " Something is wrong. I just cleaned this and it jammed during the function check")
Me after checking weapon, "Yeah. You put the firing pin retaining pin in backwards"

 

[xoregonian]

I use this opportunity to check for problem areas.

^^^This more than anything else.^^^

I have old surplus rifles and I keep an eye on the older ones.
New firearms aren't always 100% either. If there are problems I'd like to be "In" before the recall.
Yes I over clean. (Not with power tools tho) And I inspect.
I'm the guy at the gas station checking oil and fluid levels, tires, and look at it like cleaning and maintaining are one operation.

 

[Creedmoor]

To the never clean crowd I only have one question, is that what you do with your carry gun?

An occasional overnight ride in the safety kleen tank with a high pressure blow dry after the clean. Oil slide and barrel, rack a few times and back in service.

 

[tinmansinoz]

Personally I learned all I know about ar15's and cleaning them from another website many many years ago. I'm an occasional cleaner and I use the carbon killer from slip 2000 and gently clean the buildup areas. I guess I'm adding nothing to this except the +1 for the carbon killer suggestion from the YouTube vid and the gentle removal of built up fouling. I definitely see better accuracy out of my rifle after it gets some carbon buildup going.

 

[Leo]

The standard A-2 AR's are very forgiving rifles. Maybe not as forgiving as a sloppy worn AK, but they are not that picky. I have never cleaned them like surgical instruments. As a National Match shooter, fairly picky about barrel care, but everything else was just basic clean and lube. Two drops of break free in the bolt carrier after each match. Maybe 500 rounds in, spray soot out of the trigger and use a toothpick to apply a touch of trigger lube to the sear. Never used a pipe cleaner except on pipes. Never had to change gas rings, even on a rifle where I wore out 3 barrels. Wipe on a little USGI issue lubriplate in the bolt sliding surfaces whenever I wiped ugly off those surfaces.

All I can think of is ammo may make a difference. Almost every round was hand loaded, almost every bullet was a Sierra MatchKing or a Hornady Match bullet. Almost all powder was Reloader 15 or Hodgdon Varget. Primers were CCI or Winchester. No third world surplus or bulk pack off brand ammo. Maybe that made less wear and less need to clean.

There were not websites when I started with these rifles, I read the Field manual in the M16 and just kind of learned by doing over the years.

Even 20 years ago I was amazed at all the cleaning tools in the Sinclair Catalog and the Brownell's catalog.

 

[Creedmoor]

You guys clean your AR’s?

Like a Marine!!!!!

 

[Mgderf]

Improper technique can cause issues in many facets of life.
I once saw the aftermath of someone who "cleaned" his engine block with a sandblaster, inside and out
Think people, THINK!
It really isn't that hard to do.

 

[G192127]

Some guys are way over the top. I just run mine blow it out with brake cleaner hit it with a little ballostalr Get it going again. it's worked for years.

 

[indyblue]

Improper technique can cause issues in many facets of life.
I once saw the aftermath of someone who "cleaned" his engine block with a sandblaster, inside and out
Think people, THINK!
It really isn't that hard to do.

That's horrifying! I blast carburetors with baking soda since it leaves a nice finish on aluminum and can be rinsed with water and is harmless.

 

[Mgderf]

That's horrifying! I blast carburetors with baking soda since it leaves a nice finish on aluminum and can be rinsed with water and is harmless.

I've used crushed corncobs and crushed walnut shells to blast wooden materials clean with minimal damage.
I've also watched someone swipe a hole through the side of an aluminum boat trying to sandblast it clean to prep it for paint.
Nothing left to paint...

If you don't know what it does, or how to use it, LEAVE IT ALONE!