The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Art of the Rifle: Semi-automatics

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 8, 2012, 09:29 AM   #1
baddarryl
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 29, 2011
Location: Cape Fear!
Posts: 1,680
How often to clean an AR?

How often do you guys clean your rifles with production target ammo like Federal ball or what not? Another way to put this is how many rounds do they typically run before malfunctions begin due to maintenance or lack thereof. Thanks.
baddarryl is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 09:53 AM   #2
Woody55
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 19, 2012
Location: East Texas
Posts: 407
As an experiment, I once fired 600 rounds (over several months) without cleaning my rifle and had no issues. It's made by Olympic Arms.

Nonetheless, I clean it after I use it. Habit.
Woody55 is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 09:57 AM   #3
RamItOne
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 24, 2011
Posts: 990
If I'm going to be shooting it regularly for a few weeks I don't clean it. And I shoot cheap and dirty eastern block steel. Never one issue, several thousands of rounds all in all through the gun. If I shoot and know it'll be a few weeks till I go out again ill clean it.
RamItOne is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 10:17 AM   #4
sailskidrive
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 26, 2008
Posts: 726
I occasionally run a bore snake down the barrel and wipe the NiB BCG off with a paper towel. No nook and cranny scrubbing like when I was in the service. As a matter of fact I put her away wet and dirty simply because I know it would pi$$ off MSgt Murray.
__________________
SailSkiDrive
Hk USP 45 Expert, USP 40, USP 9, SIG P226, S&W M&P9, Hk 4, Makarov, Desert Eagle 40, Beretta FS92 Centurion, Kimber TLEII 1911A1, Glock 22, SIG P225, 1943 Rem Rand 1911A1, S&W mod 64, Walther PPQ, SIG P229, Browning BDA 45 (SIG P220), Hk45, SIG P230
sailskidrive is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 10:59 AM   #5
Metal god
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 10, 2012
Location: San Diego CA
Posts: 6,872
All my guns get clean with in 48 hrs of using them . Not cus 48 hrs means anything other then to me . 2 reasons for this . 1) I love cleaning and or just working on my guns . 2) If I don't clean them with in that time I'll forget and never clean them .

As for my ARs I'm not sure how long it takes me per rifle . If I were to put a # on it i'd say 30 min per rifle . I like to take my time that way I make sure I get in to every nook and crany . When I'm done they are pristine ,lubed up with grease or slip 2000 EWL 30 . I like to use the thick stuff so there is less evaporation and run off While sitting in the safe for long periods of time .

By doing that I know I can at any moment grab one and know it's ready to go that 600 rounds others have talked about . You never know when you may have to go that distance and to already have 5 or 6 hundred rounds worth of dirty in it does not sit well with me .

That pretty much goes for all my guns . All though I have skipped cleaning when I was going to be shooting my 22lr in the next day or so . I'm not as picky about my 22lr but when they get cleaned thay get the same treatment as all my guns .
__________________
If Jesus had a gun , he'd probably still be alive !

I almost always write my posts regardless of content in a jovial manor and intent . If that's not how you took it , please try again .
Metal god is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 12:17 PM   #6
moxie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 17, 2006
Location: TX
Posts: 513
"Never Let the Sun Set on a Dirty Gun"

That's always been my motto. Now how thoroughly I clean and lube varies with the amount and type of ammo I've been shooting. Remember that part of cleaning is inspecting for problems and fixing them as necessary. This ensures the gun will continue to operate.

An AR should go many thousands of rounds without cleaning or lubing. But why do it? The only time such a situation should occur is when a band of bad guys is chasing you around in some hellhole. Remember that dirt mixed with oil and grease becomes, over time, nothing more than lapping paste that will in fact wear away the surfaces.
__________________
If you want to shoot...shoot...don't talk! Tuco

USAF Munitions 1969-1992
RVN 1972-1973
moxie is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 12:56 PM   #7
Patriot86
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 2010
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 1,293
If you are going to be shooting it all the time then its up to you to decide when to clean it. If you are using cheap or known corosive ammo (Tul; Brown Bear, etc) then its best to clean after each use.

I have been shooting my rifle every week as of late; I do a minor strip after each firing and run the bore snake. otherwise i only do a detail strip and clean every month or so.
Patriot86 is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 01:42 PM   #8
baddarryl
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 29, 2011
Location: Cape Fear!
Posts: 1,680
The reason I ask is I cleaned it before i ever shot it, then after the first five, then again after 25 more I think. Then ran about 200 rounds through it. It stove piped only once the other day at the end of that 200 rounds so I was wondering if it was due to needing it. This is my first AR and my ex marine corp buddy said it happens, don't worry about it. I thought it a little odd so I figured I would ask.
baddarryl is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 01:55 PM   #9
Metal god
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 10, 2012
Location: San Diego CA
Posts: 6,872
Yep it happens . The other day I had 2 failers to fire and 3 feed jams in one 10 round mag . It was the first mag of the day . I did nothing to the gun just loaded the next mag and all was good .Put another 200 rounds through it that day with out one problem . Boy I'll tell you what . Those first ten shots had me thinking there was something very wrong with my gun . I never realy found out what the problem was . I think it was the mag . I've been having problems with the two older 20 round PMAGS I have . I did not use either one again that day .
__________________
If Jesus had a gun , he'd probably still be alive !

I almost always write my posts regardless of content in a jovial manor and intent . If that's not how you took it , please try again .
Metal god is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 02:39 PM   #10
baddarryl
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 29, 2011
Location: Cape Fear!
Posts: 1,680
Now that I think about it I was using a used mag someone gave me that day. Can't remember which one I was using that day. More will be revealed!
baddarryl is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 04:49 PM   #11
HKFan9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 3, 2008
Posts: 3,057
Some of them... I only clean them when they stop working.

The one I keep for home defense... I will up keep that a little more often.. they don't need to be as clean as you think... I run BCM uppers and BCG's on mine, they seem to keep on ticking no matter what I do to them.

When I DO decided to clean them.. I bring them into the parts washer at work for an other night bath... let them dry.. air hose them off.. then generally cover them with EEZOX. Seems to work great.
HKFan9 is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 05:19 PM   #12
droptrd
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 22, 2011
Location: Illinois
Posts: 342
I dont clean them that often. about every 3rd or 4th time out. And I typically fire 200-300 rounds per outting. Cleaning that 22 cal barrel is a pain. So I get lazy with my ARs. I always carry a 22 boresnake with my ARs for fouling but ive never had to use it in the middle of a session
droptrd is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 08:05 PM   #13
bbqbob51
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 6, 2005
Posts: 775
I've heard more than one old timer say:

"A lot gun bores have been ruined by too much cleaning."
I wonder if it's true that you can scrub the bore too much. It's probably like everything, the middle ground is probably the safe way. It also helps to use good technique when cleaning.
bbqbob51 is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 08:16 PM   #14
SFW
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 23, 2010
Location: The Republic of Texas
Posts: 124
I clean my rifle after each time I shoot it. I love cleaning them though.
SFW is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 08:57 PM   #15
p loader
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 1, 2012
Posts: 148
Typically I'll clean no more than a day or two after shooting. If I shoot during the week and know I'll be shooting on the weekend I'll just toss some CLP on the bolt and wait until after the weekend to clean it.

My largest infraction was waiting a week to clean it after I shot almost 2k rounds one weekend.

It still works.
p loader is offline  
Old October 8, 2012, 09:12 PM   #16
Mrgunsngear
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 13, 2011
Location: Carolina
Posts: 3,415
Quote:
I clean my rifle after each time I shoot it. I love cleaning them though.
Ditto. It's not always a white glove cleaning but I always at least run a patch down the barrel, wipe off/re-lube BCG, and clean the chamber. Every 500 rounds or so I white-glove it.
__________________
Mrgunsngear Youtube Channel
Mrgunsngear is offline  
Old October 9, 2012, 06:04 AM   #17
droptrd
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 22, 2011
Location: Illinois
Posts: 342
I dont think ive EVER white gloved mine. Im lazy
droptrd is offline  
Old October 9, 2012, 07:06 AM   #18
Tangentabacus
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 15, 2010
Location: Alaska
Posts: 276
I try and clean my AR every time I use it, but I've spent a week out in the bush with my AR, kayaking there and back, covered in mud, dirt in the workings and I didn't clean it until I got home. Swam with it through a river and 3 days camping and didn't clean it until I got home. Overnight in -10 weather sitting on ice and snow and didn't worry about cleaning it until I got home... During all those trips I used the rifle and it never once failed to work. HOWEVER... When it got all muddy the first couple shots I had to manually charge the rifle.

Now I know I'm just saying more about reliability, but I didn't have to clean it and it was fine. If you keep it well oiled you don't have to clean it as often, but after long storage clean it and make sure you oil the hell out of it, after heavy use, and if you can after every shoot. Not required for it to still work usually. My gun shoots best when it's not got a lot of oil in it so if you oil the hell out of the gun make sure you clean the hell out of the gun.
Tangentabacus is offline  
Old October 9, 2012, 07:09 AM   #19
JIMBOINVA
Member
 
Join Date: October 6, 2012
Location: Dulles, VA
Posts: 31
Interesting opinions here and good info -- I can chime in with those that do it because of habit & training. JIMBO
__________________
Old Fed LEO-now Chairborne Sherlock Holmes
Former USNR Intel Geek for SEALS-East Coast
"Do you want information from the Records Section or the Truth Section?"
JIMBOINVA is offline  
Old October 9, 2012, 12:22 PM   #20
moxie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 17, 2006
Location: TX
Posts: 513
More AR failures can probably be attributed to mag problems than anything else. If a mag acts up, ditch it. Mags also require some cleaning occasionally.
__________________
If you want to shoot...shoot...don't talk! Tuco

USAF Munitions 1969-1992
RVN 1972-1973
moxie is offline  
Old October 9, 2012, 01:27 PM   #21
pturner67
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 26, 2006
Posts: 737
I'm with SFW and Plouffedaddy...I enjoy cleaning so I clean every time after shooting.
pturner67 is offline  
Old October 9, 2012, 03:32 PM   #22
Coltman 77
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 3, 2009
Location: NC
Posts: 1,244
You can run em dirty and wet but not dirty and dry.

Having said that, I usually clean them after every range trip.
__________________
"A man can be destroyed but not defeated".
Ernest Hemingway

Protect our 2nd Amendment Rights -- Join the NRA
Coltman 77 is offline  
Old October 9, 2012, 03:49 PM   #23
Captains1911
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 18, 2009
Location: West of the Blue Ridge, VA
Posts: 684
Google "Filthy 14." It basically shows that you don't ever need to clean it as long as you keep it well lubed. Having said that, I'll clean mine after every time I shoot it.
Captains1911 is offline  
Old October 9, 2012, 05:20 PM   #24
p loader
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 1, 2012
Posts: 148
Quote:
I dont think ive EVER white gloved mine. Im lazy
Or just practical. Do you tear down your motor and rebuild it every time you change the oil in your car?

Nope.
p loader is offline  
Old October 9, 2012, 05:40 PM   #25
Eghad
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 28, 2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 6,231
Just run a bore snake through the barrel for a hundred rounds or so. Clean the bolt with a brush and rag and relube. Maybe a major cleaning every six months or so.
__________________
Have a nice day at the range

NRA Life Member
Eghad is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:20 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.06875 seconds with 10 queries