I have never cleaned an AR before. I was just wondering if there are any bits of advice, recommendations, cautions, do’s & don’ts, lessons learned, etc. that the experienced team might want to share. This thread could become a nice reference for other newbies.

I just ordered some nice brass .223 jags and brushes from CTD, and there has been a large aerosol can of CLP waiting on my workbench for a month now. I am ready to go; all I need now is for my ST-15 to come.

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NJ State Motto (revised 2002—2009): Liberty* and Prosperity**.
*Restrictions apply. **Void where prohibited.

Yes, I would like to hear some answers to this also.

Well I prefer single piece carbon fiber cleaning rods or pull thru like the Otis. No contact with the bore by rod.

Clp or m pro 7 for cleaning and EWL for lube.

I dip my .223/5.56 chamber brush into Hoppes No. 9 solvent and scrub the chamber (twisting the brush as I insert it and keep twisting to scrub). Once the chamber is clean, I run a few patches through the bore from the chamber to the muzzle. The first patch or two gets solvent, next patch(es) are dry (till there isn't much fouling on the patches), next patch is CLP. Once I do that, I'll look down the bore to see if I need to pull out the .22 chamber brush to get rid of any other fouling. if so, I do the whole patch process over again after running the .22 brush (which is dipped in solvent). It also depends on how many rounds I shoot at the range. I'll use the air compressor to blast out excess lube in the barrel extension area that collects and is a pain to get out without those little felt gimmicks.

I let the bolt soak in Hoppes No. 9 for a while and scrub the carbon off. Carbon buildup inside the BCG can be removed with some pistol cal brushes. I then blast it with the air compressor and lube lightly with CLP.

I wipe down the inside of the receiver with a cloth and CLP and scrape out any fouling with a plastic pick that I couldn't get with my cloth. Blast out all the excess lube and fouling with the air compressor and re-assemble.

I also will wipe off the charging handle before final reassembly.

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Try this: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNSSF#p/u/0/7kLkXJWfwLQ

Thanks serbonze. Awesone video. Very detailed and step-by-step.

I do have to mention that I did notice he failed to clear and inspect the rifle before breaking it down. While I am sure he did that while prepping for the video, it is a glaring ooops.

So, that was a very detailed cleaning. I assume that is a once every couple thousand rounds cleaning. How deep do you go for regular cleaning and maintenance after a day at the range?

And, what about the trigger and lower receiver parts? Do you ever pull the trigger and clean the inside or the lower receiver? What about clean/lube on the trigger?

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NJ State Motto (revised 2002—2009): Liberty* and Prosperity**.
*Restrictions apply. **Void where prohibited.

I actually clean like that after every range trip, but I'm a very anal retentive person.



I've never pulled out the trigger group to clean it. I usually just blast it with some spray and wipe it out, then apply a drop of oil and work it back and forth a few times.

Good advice, but there are dozens of brands on the market ranging from $10 to $30. Which do you like and which do you recommend avoiding?

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NJ State Motto (revised 2002—2009): Liberty* and Prosperity**.
*Restrictions apply. **Void where prohibited.

All I have used is Tipton and Otis. They had great reviews so that's what I bought. I have been very pleased with both. Boresnake is a handy thing to keep in the range bag or pack also.

I use a Tipton one piece or a Bore snake.

I actually think a bore snake cleans better than the rod with patches. It fits soo tight I really thought the snake would break, but it really cleans the barrel good. You don't really have to clean it after every range trip. However, if you wait too long it is a real bitch to clean. I waited 10+ trips to clean my rifle, and it was nightmare getting it clean. The carbon was caked on the bolt and BCG and it me 5 times longer to clean it.

I'd say every other trip depending on how many rounds you shoot. I use mostly wolf and it's a bit more dirty than brass stuff.

Bore snake is just fine for the scrubbing. I would personally follow it up with a wet patch, dry patch, moist patch, dry patch to finish off the job after snaking it.

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After cleaning I lube my weapon with Mil-Comm TW-25B. I was introduced to this product by an Apache pilot buddy of mine during my first trip to Iraq. His unit used it to lube their 30mm cannons. He gave me a can and I had my crew chiefs and door gunners use it on their M-60s (it was the weapon in use when OIF kicked off) then eventually on their M-240Hs. Now My unit uses it on every weapon we have including personal weapons. I even ordered a can for myself to use on my own personal collection. It is great stuff, a bit pricey but worth every penny. CLP, Rem Oil, etc. Are great, but nothing beats this stuff in the dusty environments and even wet ones. Check them out. www.mil-comm.com