Cleaning The AR

Glenfilthie

Glenfilthie

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Is there a consensus here?

I have always been taught that lube is something to be wary of with autos - use it sparingly or it will attract grit and grime and bung up the gun.

While perusing gun #### on Guns And Ammo, the fellers are advocating lubing the crap out of the AR15 and it will run like a charm. They say the parts should be lubed until they 'look like they're wet'...and I have seen a few Youtubes like that too...but even Bubba can post anything he wants there.

I dunno - I am downstairs in the gun shop trying to clean mine right now and the rear of the bolt has some carbon crap baked right on and I don't know if anything short of a chisel and some road rage will get it off. I clean my guns once a month because my round counts are over on the low side - probably less than 250 rounds between cleaning.

Your two cents are appreciated guys.
 
CLP will dissolve the carbon

and I have been told by many to keep the bolt wet (well lubed) Thats the practice I employ.

Having said that, I don't lube the #### out of any of my guns, well lubed does not mean soaking wet in my book.

YMMV
 
Its normal no worries. use a flat tip screwdriver to scrap it out;) and yes ARs run better wet, even in the sandbox. I tell the guys whats more slippery sand or mud? Yup mud so lube it!
 
Run it wet. CLP is not the answer though as it will just run off your parts over time.

If you are shooting 250 rounds a month with your AR you really don't need to be cleaning more than twice a year. Shoot it till it starts having stoppages, then give it a clean.
 
My opinion:

Most mechanical things run much much better wet with lube.

With that said, what you say about it attracting grit and grime and causing problems with reliability is also true... *if* it's used lots and never cleaned again especially in a dusty dirty environment.

However, most will maintain and routinely clean, so lots of lube is better for an increase in reliability/function (less wear as well).

If one were going to take a firearm into a dirty environment, use it lots without ever cleaning it... one would prefer it stainless and dry.
 
In the sandbox we were running our C8's dry. The sand is so fine it acts as a lube. I did not have any problems at all with it. Though it prob wasnt the best for the rifle. My personal AR15 I run wet.
 
CdnCombatMedic said:
In the sandbox we were running our C8's dry. The sand is so fine it acts as a lube. I did not have any problems at all with it. Though it prob wasnt the best for the rifle. My personal AR15 I run wet.
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It will run dry in the sand, but in a long gun fight you will get lots of stoppages :(

There are three things that cause C7/C8s to fail most times
1-dirty
2-under lubed
3-Worn gas rings
 
Dsiwy said:
It will run dry in the sand, but in a long gun fight you will get lots of stoppages :(

There are three things that cause C7/C8s to fail most times
1-dirty
2-under lubed
3-Worn gas rings
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I had no problems at all and I put some down range. Mind you I didt put as much down range as the infantry guys I was with.
 
Glenfilthie said:
Is there a consensus here?

I have always been taught that lube is something to be wary of with autos - use it sparingly or it will attract grit and grime and bung up the gun.

While perusing gun #### on Guns And Ammo, the fellers are advocating lubing the crap out of the AR15 and it will run like a charm. They say the parts should be lubed until they 'look like they're wet'...and I have seen a few Youtubes like that too...but even Bubba can post anything he wants there.

I dunno - I am downstairs in the gun shop trying to clean mine right now and the rear of the bolt has some carbon crap baked right on and I don't know if anything short of a chisel and some road rage will get it off. I clean my guns once a month because my round counts are over on the low side - probably less than 250 rounds between cleaning.

Your two cents are appreciated guys.
Click to expand...


Try the thread I started a few weeks ago: BEST LUBE/GREASE FOR AR?
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=363408
 
WET. It will absolutely run better wet than dry. I prefer grease over oil, even on service rifles but that is another arguement. It shouldn't be actually dripping, but decently lubricated with gun oil, clp/breakfree, or grease. WD40 is too light so don't go that route. I DO NOT EVER recommend running any gun dry. Yes it might have worked for some now and again, but it causes early wear and generally causes lots of stoppages. Plus wet guns are generally easier to clean. The only gun that is know to be easy to over lube is a glock. ARs shouldn't cause major problems as long as you don't lube the gas effected parts (bolt key) or the bolt face. Even then it only becomes a long term issue.

As far as the tail of the bolt, it can be a hassle to clean but if you leave it to soak with a bit of hoppes it isn't as bad. If it becomes a real problem you can get a "CAT" tool (I think that's the name) or other similar tools designed to clean AR bolts.
 
The dry idea should have been bashed out of people by at least '04

Dry guns will work till they are hot.

CLP is not the best, a grease like lube like TW25B works well - but needs to be cleaned and replaced every two weeks or so, as with a bunch of carbon, it tends to get grity and paste like.

Dry lube sucks - and graphic powder really sucks

The grease lube from the Sig552 kits (I am sure they are the same for the various colored *star rifles) works really well.

For CF guys the Moly grease for the LAV cannon works well.

IF you use CLP - use a lot - a lot will burn off or be blown out and you will need to keep adding more.
 
KevinB said:
The dry idea should have been bashed out of people by at least '04

Dry guns will work till they are hot.

CLP is not the best, a grease like lube like TW25B works well - but needs to be cleaned and replaced every two weeks or so, as with a bunch of carbon, it tends to get grity and paste like.

Dry lube sucks - and graphic powder really sucks

The grease lube from the Sig552 kits (I am sure they are the same for the various colored *star rifles) works really well.

For CF guys the Moly grease for the LAV cannon works well.

IF you use CLP - use a lot - a lot will burn off or be blown out and you will need to keep adding more.
Click to expand...

:agree:
 
I think the military and ex-mil guys pretty much covered it.

As for cleaning I clean mine after each range trip, I enjoy it probably because it's not my job :rolleyes:.
 
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