Love shooting my AR-15 hate cleaning it though

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Originally Posted by Wildcat19

Pay someone to clean it or get rid of it.

I am a big fan of off-loading things I don't want to do to someone else for a few bucks. Firearms are the exception, even though I take no enjoyment in cleaning them. Cleaning and maintenance are right up there with zeroing the weapon and clearing malfunctions. Uncle Sam sees it that way and so do I.

[SanDiego619]

I used to clean mine after every trip. Then I started unloading them saying "I'll clean them in a few days" and then I ended up not cleaning them until I went shooting again... and then the same thing happened each time I went shooting. I better clean them. I only really care about the condition of the barrel.

[Rifle ronin]

What kind of tools do you use to clean with? I use the old fashioned way with rod and patch, but, a toothbrush, qtips and a harbor freight pick set, go a long way. Cleaning frequently also alerts you to any issues that may be happening on the parts that are mostly unseen from the outside.

I have come to enjoy cleaning my rifle(s). Turn on your favorite tunes, disconnect for an hour or two from the internet/tv/distractions; it's therapeutic!

[ScottsBad]

Originally Posted by FNGGlock

Really enjoy shooting the M&P 15 II. More accurate than me, and runs really well. It is fun target shooting or offhand plinking.

I do think it is a PITA to clean though, or maybe I'm just OCD. I normally shoot 100-150 rounds a session, lately more like a 100 due to ammo availability and cost. It does seem to get pretty dirty with 100 rounds and I clean it after each range session. Lots of pieces to really dig into to clean, but what grinds me the most is the locking and chamber area in the upper. Just seems really hard to get into to clean properly (maybe I'm trying to hard).

The BCG is OK, but still time consuming to clean properly. I don't disassemble the bolt itself (doesn't seem needed), but still have to take the BCG apart, etc.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it, but sure takes a while to give it a proper cleaning.

You are cleaning it more than necessary.

When I got my first AR or two, I cleaned after every trip to the range. I'd heard from my Dad, many years previous, that ARs were unreliable and especially unreliable if you didn't keep them clean. He never owned one.

Now, after 14 years of owning ARs I know that ARs very reliable, and run just fine dirty as long as you keep them well lubed, wet, is how people describe it.

I just do a wipe down/lube of the BCG and a pull a bore snake through 2-3 times, every third trip to the range. And I do a full clean after every 6th-10th trip. I will add lube to the bolt most trips to the range. I don't shoot much right now, but I was shooting 200-250 rounds each trip.

I use regular mil-spec phosphate coated BCGs, mostly BCM, Daniel Defense, and LMT. I like phosphate because it holds the lube.

Military Arms Channel on YouTube put 5,000 rounds, with no stoppages, through a BCM rifle out of the box. He did it with no cleaning and no added oil. I would consider that abusive, but he did it to prove a point.

My suggestion; If you only have one rifle, keep it fairly clean. If you have multiple ARs, keep one GO-TO rifle clean.

[Sure Shot 45]

Shouldn't be a love/hate relationship. Sounds like you're being excessive with your cleaning.

Check out this article:
http://ballisticradio.com/endurance-...c-sr-15-mod-2/

Over 20k rounds fired, no cleaning, zero malfunctions still shooting 1 MOA out of the SR15.

I get it you don't want a disgusting filthy gun but don't need to be so OCD, shoot it gun a snake through the barrel and wipe off the muzzle. If you have the space get a proper workbench and good quality cleaning tools with some sort of vise to hold your workpiece, work smarter not harder.

[SCVlongstroke]

Guns are like fast girls, the run wet and dirty.

[ToOTHroTT]

Wait your supposed to clean it?? The only time I really clean mine is if it starts to have miss feeds or jams. Even then it normally just needs a little oil but I will clean it at that point.

[RandyD]

Originally Posted by Rifle ronin

What kind of tools do you use to clean with? I use the old fashioned way with rod and patch, but, a toothbrush, qtips and a harbor freight pick set, go a long way. Cleaning frequently also alerts you to any issues that may be happening on the parts that are mostly unseen from the outside.

I have come to enjoy cleaning my rifle(s). Turn on your favorite tunes, disconnect for an hour or two from the internet/tv/distractions; it's therapeutic!

I have the same outlook. I enjoy cleaning firearms. I also use a Sinclair Lug Recess Tool to clean the area where the bolt lugs lock up. https://www.sinclairintl.com/gun-cle...prod34907.aspx

[Wordupmybrotha]

Clean the BCG? Yes
Bore snake the barrel? Yes
Clean the chamber? Nah

[LBDamned]

I used to clean every gun after every shoot...

Now I dont really bother - other than wiping muzzle and lube every now & then...

I should clean a few

[Verdha603]

Going to have to agree with a great many folks that your overdoing the cleaning bit; essentially taking it apart and cleaning everything after only 150 rounds is borderline ludicrous to me, at least for a semi-auto rifle like an AR.

The most I do is run a bore-snake down the barrel after I've put more than 300 rounds through it, give the BCG a rough external wipe down so that it's not covered in powder, and put a couple drops of gun oil on the bolt to keep it lubed.

I don't bother with a serious cleaning job until I can take a look into the star chamber and safely say it looks dirtier than a coal mine, that's when I disassemble further and pull out the good stuff like Q-tip's so scratch my Basic Training OCD itch.

[k1dude]

I find cleaning my guns to be relaxing. It's therapy time in a stressful world.

[Epaphroditus]

For bolt guns which I demand 0.3 - 0.5 MOA I keep surgically sterile level clean (FYI hyperbole is the new normal).

Pistols are generally kept modestly clean.

AR is a dirty bitch and she likes it that way. Sometimes I take pity and pull an oily bore snake through.

[Jarhead]

Originally Posted by k1dude

I find cleaning my guns to be relaxing. It's therapy time in a stressful world.

👍 first cleaning is a wipe down of Upper, BCG and Snake through Barrel before I leave the Range, clean when I get Home along with Tumbling Brass, reorganizing my Gear and Patching Targets. Now I’m ready for the next Session

[superhondaz50]

Originally Posted by HKAllTheThings

What's this cleaning you're talking about?

That's what mine looks like. If it keeps working, why bother. I'll add a little extra oil to the rings every once in a while. Come to think of it, it hasn't been cleaned since 2006...

[Jarhead]

Originally Posted by superhondaz50

That's what mine looks like. If it keeps working, why bother. I'll add a little extra oil to the rings every once in a while. Come to think of it, it hasn't been cleaned since 2006...

Because dirty rifles wear out sooner, lose accuracy sooner.......if you care about such things. Do you just add oil to your car or change it regularly? Do you wash your clothes or just shake them out

[theLBC]

i tried to let my scar get dirty to see if accuracy would be affected after 500 rounds, or 1000 or when it would start to have issues.
too OCD for that and i only lasted 300 rounds because it was too windy to go to the range a few weeks ago and i couldn't help myself.
it was barely even dirty.

[Epaphroditus]

You want a really dirty AR slap on a suppressor!

[jdben92883]

Nobody wants a fat pinky in their starfish.

Originally Posted by Lonestargrizzly

Star chamber is the hardest to clean.
Seen some fat pinkied drill sergeants get black pinky after touching the star chamber after I could swear up and down it was pristine.

[theLBC]

Originally Posted by jdben92883

Nobody wants a fat pinky in their starfish.

[Wildcat19]

[QUOTE=Bobby Ricigliano;25469091]I am a big fan of off-loading things I don't want to do to someone else for a few bucks. Firearms are the exception, even though I take no enjoyment in cleaning them. Cleaning and maintenance are right up there with zeroing the weapon and clearing malfunctions. Uncle Sam sees it that way and so do I.[/QUOTE

It's your gun, do what you want.

For all of my firearms, I always clean, inspect and lube after use. I find the time whether I like cleaning them or not.

[Wildcat19]

Originally Posted by superhondaz50

That's what mine looks like. If it keeps working, why bother. I'll add a little extra oil to the rings every once in a while. Come to think of it, it hasn't been cleaned since 2006...

Picture is worth a thousand words....

[theLBC]

Originally Posted by Jarhead

Because dirty rifles wear out sooner, lose accuracy sooner.......if you care about such things. Do you just add oil to your car or change it regularly? Do you wash your clothes or just shake them out

for me it is because firearms are just a hobby until you need one in real life, and that isn't when i want to find out i should have cleaned it.

lots of folks have lots of guns so they can let them get dirty if they want...
only have one of anything except i have a backup hand gun.

[Jarhead]

Originally Posted by theLBC

for me it is because firearms are just a hobby until you need one in real life, and that isn't when i want to find out i should have cleaned it.

lots of folks have lots of guns so they can let them get dirty if they want...
only have one of anything except i have a backup hand gun.

👍 a clean rifle is more reliable!

[OCEquestrian]

I LOVE this stuff... makes gun cleaning so much more efficient.

[nitroxdiver]

I’m an advocate for inspecting and maintaining my weapons. I clean them but am not obsessive about it. I take care of them but don’t care if they get scratched worn etc. While I don’t advocate treating your AR in this manner, especially one that you may be betting your life on some day, here is an interesting read.

https://www.slip2000.com/blog/s-w-a-...ine-filthy-14/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jarhead714]

Originally Posted by Epaphroditus

You want a really dirty AR slap on a suppressor!

I can’t imagine a suppressed AR firing blanks!

[theLBC]

i think "liberal lubrcation" is really effectively cleaning the action.
while it isn't getting it "clean" it is removing enough carbon build up to allow the rifle to run.

[ScottsBad]

Originally Posted by theLBC

i tried to let my scar get dirty to see if accuracy would be affected after 500 rounds, or 1000 or when it would start to have issues.
too OCD for that and i only lasted 300 rounds because it was too windy to go to the range a few weeks ago and i couldn't help myself.
it was barely even dirty.

SCAR doesn't really get dirty, because it doesn't crap where it eats. That said, its a good idea to give some love to the piston mechanism once in a while. And give the BCG a light coat of oil when you think about it. Otherwise the SCAR will hump through thousands of rounds like a sewing machine.

That's what I like about them.

[ScottsBad]

Originally Posted by Wildcat19

For all of my firearms, I always clean, inspect and lube after use. I find the time whether I like cleaning them or not.

U B U. OCD is not a terminal condition.

[ScottsBad]

Originally Posted by theLBC

for me it is because firearms are just a hobby until you need one in real life, and that isn't when i want to find out i should have cleaned it.

lots of folks have lots of guns so they can let them get dirty if they want...
only have one of anything except i have a backup hand gun.

Like I mentioned, if you have multiple ARs, just keep one good one clean for the any boogaloo breakouts, or bad dudes that might want your stuff.

[ScottsBad]

ARs tend to blow excess oil and the gunk collected in the oil out of the gun. The oil acts like a douche

That said, hard deposits of carbon could eventually cause problems if you don't keep lubing, and even then it might cause a problem.

Personally, I still believe in cleaning. Just not like some folks do.

A few years ago there were even people saying that cleaning can be done TOO frequently. I'm not sure I completely understood that argument other than it might be possible to scratch a chamber or crown. Or perhaps remove a coating or something.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

When you have made it to the end of a 3 day FTX and somehow avoided shooting any of the blanks you were issued, you save a lot of time and might get released early. HooaH

[nitehawk117]

I will wipe down the outside just so I don't get soot all over my hands handling it in the safe after each range trip. Other than that, when it starts to have malfunctions or chunks of carbon in it I will clean it good.

[iwant22lr]

2nd on the gun scrubber spray, it’s neat to watch all the gunk melt off.
A quick wipe down, bore snake and oil the bolt is all I usually do.

[theLBC]

Originally Posted by ScottsBad

SCAR doesn't really get dirty, because it doesn't crap where it eats. That said, its a good idea to give some love to the piston mechanism once in a while. And give the BCG a light coat of oil when you think about it. Otherwise the SCAR will hump through thousands of rounds like a sewing machine.

That's what I like about them.

yeah, i said that above, but i was talking about the barrel.
that wasn't really dirty either.


after

[ar15barrels]

Originally Posted by FNGGlock

Really enjoy shooting the M&P 15 II. More accurate than me, and runs really well. It is fun target shooting or offhand plinking.

I do think it is a PITA to clean though, or maybe I'm just OCD. I normally shoot 100-150 rounds a session, lately more like a 100 due to ammo availability and cost. It does seem to get pretty dirty with 100 rounds and I clean it after each range session. Lots of pieces to really dig into to clean, but what grinds me the most is the locking and chamber area in the upper. Just seems really hard to get into to clean properly (maybe I'm trying to hard).

The BCG is OK, but still time consuming to clean properly. I don't disassemble the bolt itself (doesn't seem needed), but still have to take the BCG apart, etc.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it, but sure takes a while to give it a proper cleaning.

You don't need to clean that often.
Just oil it.
AR's need lube to run.
They don't need to be clean.

[NATO762]

Squirt some CLP on a bore snake, a chamber mop, and a rag. Run the snake, swirl the mop, wipe down bcg and squirt some more CLP on it before reassembly, wipe down outside with same rag. Less than 5min, back in the safe.

[etwinam]

To each their own, I enjoy cleaning my rifles after a day of shooting. I grab an ice cold beer and pour 2 fingers of bourbon or scotch and get started. I break everything down, spray with bore cleaner, wipe down everything with CLP and then reassemble. Nothing major. Takes me maybe an hour.

[ScottsBad]

Here is MAC shooting ANOTHER 1000 rounds (total 6000) from a rifle straight out of the box, NO LUBE, NO CLEANING.

Of course he's just making a point, but the fear that your lubed rifle will fail just because it wasn't cleaned every time it went to the range is hogwash. Is it better to keep it cleaned? F yes, but is it imperative? No.

This has been proven over and over again over the years.