KevinB Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I just spent the better part of my day cleaning two rifles and two handguns, and at the end of it I'd give my efforts a B+ on the handguns and a C+ on the M16's. The Glocks were simple, no problem, and not really part of the discussion. The AR's were an M16-A1 (unsuppressed) and a HK 416 (suppressed), both with about 2,500 rounds through them. Took most of the day. I've been wrestling with this for a while now, done a few searches, and decided to throw this out there. How long does it take everyone to clean their weapons? I generally have three levels of clean: Inspection clean, clean, and functional. I can knock out functional in 20 minutes with a can of WD-40 and a shop cloth. Inspection/white glove clean takes the better part of a week and requires specialty tools. So that leaves "clean," which I know is subjective. My general definition for "clean" on an AR platform is I can take a cloth and wipe the moving parts down with minimal carbon transfer. So I'm trying to become better at cleaning in a shorter amount of time. That leads into three specific questions: How clean can you get a well-used AR in an hour? How long does it take to clean your rifle to your satisfaction? What materials/methods do you use? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ak_tech Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I used to be a lot more obsessive about cleaning and then after reading lots of "data" that cleaning the barrels is more damaging than shooting them I relaxed that a lot. Now I wipe out the powder fouling and gunk with a paper towel and then I run a bore snake through the barrel a couple times. If I notice some spots that are not wiping off I may use a brush on stubborn areas. I also now use plant based cleaners and lube (frog lube etc) now that my 15 year old daughter and 11 year old son shoot with me. During this time I also visually inspect the gun for issues. About twice a year, or before if I notice it needs it during my routine cleaning, I'll do a complete take down and do an extra good job depending on how much that particular gun gets shot. Log story short I don't spend a lot of time on cleaning but I pay close attention to them and give them no more attention than I think they need Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ak_tech Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Oops. Also About 30 min for AR 5 min for glocks 15 min on 1911/ 2011 And I don't clean every time I shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Thanks! The bore doesn't get much attention with me, either. It's getting all the carbon out that is taking so much time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter115 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) For my 3-Gun rifle, pistol and SG. They get cleaned thoroughly at the start of the season and before any major match. Other than that it's pretty much wipe them down and lube where needed unless we get rained or snowed on. Pretty sure I've never had a gun that I ran 2500 rounds through without cleaning it at all. For the carbon build up, there's a product called Fireclean that works really well. http://www.cleanergun.com/ Edited January 21, 2014 by Shooter115 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Average times: AR 30 minutes 2011 10-30 minutes depending on complete teardown or just field stripping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenDragon64 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Using frog lube has cut down my cleaning time on my bcg. Just use paper towels on the inside and out, done in about half an hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lead-Head Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 If I do not have a cat m4 tool for cleaning your Bcg, consider one. It will knock big time off rifle cleaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actionshooter Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Some breakclean does wonders for cleaning in a hurry... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 I've discovered the green pot scrubbers work wonders on BCG's, but I'll check out the m4 tool. I've also heard good things about the FrogLube. I will also check that out! I might have to learn to just "work faster." In talking with folks I'm seeing where they are not doing anything differently, they are just doing it faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan 45 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I clean my rifle about every 500 rounds. I use a CAT M-4 Tool, FireClean, a few pieces of an old sock, a chamber brush, and push a couple wet patches of Hoppes down the bore followed by a couple dry patches. Takes maybe 20 minutes. (and only that long because I like things really clean) I refuse to clean a bolt and carrier w/out a M4 tool after using it for the past couple years. They aren't cheap, but it will never wear out either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iswope Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 My AR takes about 30 minutes to clean. I don't clean after every trip to the range but I do before a match. I use a green kitchen scrubby, some patches and Ballistol. Focus mainly on the BCG and any obvious dirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TitoR Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I have the hardest time cleaning the upper receiver, any tricks on how to get inside where the bcg and charging handle ride? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry weeks Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Brownells has an upper cleaning kit 084-223-015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iswope Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I have the hardest time cleaning the upper receiver, any tricks on how to get inside where the bcg and charging handle ride? I like to use a cheap toothbrush for getting into places that are hard to reach. I also use pipe cleaners for the gas tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lead-Head Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I use toothbrushes as well to break up the grime and then I buy the big tubs of cotton swabs and uses those on cracks and cervices. Some of those AR swabs are kinda expensive....500 q-tips are cheap. use them by the handful w/o worrying about cost too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted January 25, 2014 Author Share Posted January 25, 2014 I do have a bit of insight on some things! The best scrubber for "hard to reach" places is a pair of tweezers from Harbor Freight or similar. They sell a 4 pack that has a fine-tipped tweezer with the tips angled at 45*. I grab a cotton ball with that and use it in the upper as well as the chamber. That technique lets you use cotton balls (cheap) and you can generate a LOT more scrubbing force than you can with Q-Tips. If things get really bad, I make a small ball of 0000 steel wool and use the tweezers to grab and scrub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepper Stonewood Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 A good cleaning on my AR takes me about 30-40 minutes with a good part of that time going into the barrel, feed ramp and the BCG, which I break down. I use Eliminator to cut the crud and fp-10 oil to lube it back up. I make sure a clean patch comes out clean for the barrel before I stop. Sometimes I also use Kroil. For the barrel, it goes Kroil patch, Eliminator soaking, five minutes wait, brush scrubs using a rod guide for all steps, clean patches, Kroil patch, clean patch, very light FP-10 patch. It gets this about every 250 rounds. My Glock gets about 15 minutes of attention during a standard cleaning. Every 800 rounds or so I take out the trigger group, clean and grease it. For what it's worth, I get the bore of my shotgun barrel good and clean every 150 shells, making sure to remove all crud from the choke and thread area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_M Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I have a Nickle Boron BCG that doesn't seem as "shiny" as it was when it was new. I've been just using Ballistol. Not sure if it removed the finish or if it's just not getting clean. Maybe I need to try a green kitchen scrub?! -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_M Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 PS - how do you guys clean the barrel extension? I'm still trying to find a good way to clean that area... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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