Deep Ruger Ar 15 Cleaning

[ninosdemente]

The reason for this post is my basement got flooded from rain and sewer water got in. The AR15 was inside a hard case closed and left it on the floor and some water got inside. It wet the foam, gun, Vortex Scope, Harris bipod, and 3 mags polymer. I have done basic cleaning on the gun but now need a "deep" cleaning as well as the other stuff inside the case. Can the foam be washed? The main foam is pick and pluck. The bottom foam and lid foam is convoluted. It wasn't soaking wet but enough to want to get it cleaned.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Before anyone says it... maybe I should have looked into water tight cases, lol. Surely next time won't leave it on the floor. Luckily that was the only thing that got wet as far as guns not so much for other basement stored items. Water wasn't high enough to get in the inside the cabinets.

Thank you in advanced.

[Dfariswheel]

Assuming that the foam is closed cell and not like a sponge, I'd remove the foam from the case and liberally spray it with a standard kitchen spray cleaner.
Rinse off with fresh water, then put it out in the sun to dry and disinfect.

Wash the inside of the case with cleaner, rinse and dry in the sun.

For the scope, about all that's probably needed is to wipe it off with a soft cloth and use lens cleaner products on the glass.
A good scope should not have leaked anything into the scope or the adjustments, so a wipe down should be enough.

For the Harris bipod, a liberal spray of WD-40 and a wipe down will flush out any water and crud.
Wipe off the excess WD-40 and apply any lubricant of your choice to the moving parts and to prevent rusting.

The mags are easy..... just disassemble them and flush with clean water, shake and wipe dry, apply a little CLP Breakfree to the springs to prevent rusting and they're good to go.

For a deep clean of the rifle, that's mostly a matter of disassembling as much as possible and using a spray lube to clean and lubricate the parts.
As example, remove the buffer and spring, use a rod and large patches to wipe out the buffer tube, wipe down the buffer, and apply a little CLP or good grease to the spring.

it's not difficult to disassemble the AR lower trigger group for a deep clean, apply fresh lube, and apply lube to the push pins.

Apply a drop of CLP Breakfree to all pins and plungers, the ejector port door hinge and spring, and anywhere there's a part that moves or looks dry.

Disassemble the bolt and carrier just as for when normal cleaning, wipe down and apply fresh lube.

Remove the hand guards and spray the barrel and nut assembly with WD-40 to clean and flush any water or crud.

Spray the front and rear sights with WD-40 and wipe off the excess.

That should clean and remove any water, and you should be good to go.

[ninosdemente]

Dfariswheel, thank you very much for the instructions. Greatly appreciated. Not that anyone is obligated to answer/help but sure wasn't expecting detail instructions. Thanks again.

[langenc]

Dont think OP said anything about sewage.
If sewage involved would want some bleach in the wash water. Be careful w/ that solution as it will ruin your jeans.

[brasscollector]

Huh??? Post #1, sentence #1

The reason for this post is my basement got flooded from rain and sewer water got in.

[Dfariswheel]

I missed that part.

In this case, YES you need to add some bleach to the wash water or kitchen cleaner to sterilize the foam and anything that got wet.
This doesn't require a lot of bleach, just a small amount does it.

Don't use a kitchen cleaner that contains bleach because that's usually enough to attack and discolor many items.
You can probably use a bleach cleaner product on the case itself and even on most of the firearm AS LONG as you quickly rinse it off.

[4V50 Gary]

I'd trash the foam and get fresh foam. I don't want that bacteria around on the gun.

The Ruger is pretty close to the AR, but has a different bolt system. It shouldn't be hard to do a detail strip and clean. I would especially if sewage water got into it.

[50 shooter]

I agree with Gary, get rid of anything like the foam that got sewage on it. To much of a chance that it will stick in the foam and linger.

Metal and plastic can be cleaned off and the smell will go away. I doubt the same thing can be said about the foam being locked in a case.

Plus foam is cheap and it's an easy DIY project that you can do in your garage/basement.

[Metal god]

Correct , if sewage is in volved anything that soaks it up should be thrown out . Here in CA we call that black water and anything it touches should be thrown out . To include drywall insulation will need to be removed up to where it’s dry . Close and fabric furniture should be thrown out as well . It’s bad stuff man and the mold that grows from it is even worse .

I’ve Been in the construction field for many years and had to demo areas of homes due to sewer lines backing up and flooding the homes . I can’t tell you how many people freaked out when we started telling them that we Have to remove drywall flooring cabinets etc. . The silver lining in all that is the insurance companies expect that to happen and often don’t have a problem paying for that .

[bfoosh006]

Remember to squirt the WD 40 ( Water Displacing ) into all the various spring holes as well.

Takedown / pivot pins, buffer retaining pin and spring, CH latch spring, mag catch... you can see what I mean.

[mehavey]

Sewer ≠ Sewage (necessarily)
OP said heavy rain and I'm thinking outside overflow/street gutters.
(Now septic. . . . now that'sa sewage.)

Still... a bit of Clorox never hurts.

[Metal god]

OP said sewer water which means sewage . You don’t need to have turds floating around to be sewage water . The pipes are lined With feces in urine , anything that flows from those pipes is considered highly contaminated . It could even be relatively clear water and it still designated Blackwater here in California just because it was in those pipes .

Sewer lines are not the same as storm drain lines . I understand some people enter change sewer with storm drain but they are two separate lines usually stacked one on top of the other with anywhere from 18 inches to 3 feet separating them .

[mehavey]

Perhaps the OP will clarify ?

[mellow_c]

It’s hard to say, but based on the OP’s first post, I’d throw away the foam. And take everything else outside to start cleaning.

I’d disassemble the rifle as much as possible without removing the barrel, buffer tube, or driving out pins on the lower. Take out the buffer and buffer spring, detent and spring, BCG, trigger group, safety, grip, handguard, on and on. I’d even consider taking off the scope and mounts and re mounting it later.

This is of course, if you really want it to be perfect.

Then I’d keep all the parts separated and organized in groups. I’d find some kind of big plastic bin (or use a bathtub) and then I’d spray and rinse everything with a garden hose. Then soak it all in the bin with water and plain old dish soap and scrub it all with a soft brush. Then rinse everything one bit at a time with the hose extremely well as you pull it out of the soapy water. Do it on a warm sunny day if possible and towel dry each part and lay it out on a clean dry sheet immediately after rinsing. Use compressed air to blow everything out the best you can, like the barrel, gas tube, and every single area you can think of, then use WD40 to spray out all the areas where water might still be after having laid out in the sun or using compressed air.

Wash all the small parts separately, probably indoors, being careful not to lose them down a drain or something.

Then clean and lube with your normal products and reassemble.

Wash out the shell of the case and get new foam.

Done.

Could take most of a day to do it all, but it sure would be clean, dry, and ready to go!

[Metal god]

Still... a bit of Clorox never hurts.

Bleach will be a must .

[hagar]

Don't forget to remove the butt stock and clean the tube and spring well and lube it with a little grease again.