Gotta clean my M14!

Slug870

Slug870

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Hello All,

I was just wondering if anyone could give me a bit of advice. I recently received my first M14s (yay) which came brand new in packaging and yes; cosmoline. I have read through a few of the posts and sticky threads and find myself asking the question "what is the best method of cleaning up the M14s fresh out of packaging?" Do I use a toothbrush and gun oil for the whole thing? Do I use an action cleaner/degreaser? Will a degreaser harm the stock?

I know that the question has probably been asked before, but I figure with the knowledge base available on this forum, I'd like to get the expert opinion.

Thank you in advance for any and all help.
 
Just whatever you do, DON'T put it in the dishwasher like one of the other guys did!!!

With my M14, I wiped it down, lubed it up with grease as directed by the sticky in this forum. Oh ya, I also used the tool to take the gas cylinder nut off & removed all the grease in there, it's supposed to be a dry system, NO lube... Read some of the stickies!

Cheers
Jay
P.S. ENJOY your M14!
 
Jay said:
Just whatever you do, DON'T put it in the dishwasher like one of the other guys did!!!

With my M14, I wiped it down, lubed it up with grease as directed by the sticky in this forum. Oh ya, I also used the tool to take the gas cylinder nut off & removed all the grease in there, it's supposed to be a dry system, NO lube... Read some of the stickies!

Cheers
Jay
P.S. ENJOY your M14!
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Thanks for giving me a laugh . I forgot about the dish washer thread
 
You can get a lot of the muck off quickly with aerosol brake cleaner and a toothbrush. A air compressor helps speed up the process if you have access. The phosphate coating will look weird when all the oils are removed from it, but don't worry, after you spray it down again with oil it will look great. As mentioned above, keep the gas cylinder dry. But definitely disassemble it to clean it thoroughly.
 
strip it down completely, soak the bolt in brake cleaner overnight to remove any grease/comsoline inside.
all other parts clean with a soft brush and "Simply Green". I use a motorized toothbrush and rags. i use a 45 acp cleaning kit soft brush on the gas assembly.

bolt needs to be run dry and internally free of oil/grease or any other lubricant.... same goes for gas assembly and it's piston

read the m14FAQ's at the top of this forum for more details.
 
Thanks all for the assistance. After reading the stickies and with the advice given, my M14 is nearly ready to reassemble and bring to the range.

One other thing though; I am having a hell of a time with the cosmoline in and on the trigger group. I am using simple green and even brake clean, but I am concerned with what may be gummed up inside. My question is this; should I soak the trigger group in brake clean overnight to get a "better clean"?

Thanks again.
 
Slug870 said:
Thanks all for the assistance. After reading the stickies and with the advice given, my M14 is nearly ready to reassemble and bring to the range.

One other thing though; I am having a hell of a time with the cosmoline in and on the trigger group. I am using simple green and even brake clean, but I am concerned with what may be gummed up inside. My question is this; should I soak the trigger group in brake clean overnight to get a "better clean"?

Thanks again.
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At the risk of getting flamed......

I soaked mine in gasoline for half a day. It seemed to do the trick.

Do it outside, swish it arround once in a while and don't smoke!

Be sure to oil it up after it's dryed out.
 
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The springs and engagement surfaces are rough and gritty right now. You will need to fire a few hundred rounds to break-in the rifle, and that is more than just the barrel. The US Civilian Marksmanship Program and the Springfield Armory Inc company have .pdfs and videos and help pages on how to use your new rifle. If the Norinco user manual looks familiar, they swiped it wholesale from Springfield.

Don't start forming important opinions about your rifle until you have fired and cleaned, fired and cleaned it more than a few times. If parts break, get on the net and look for parts. These things happen.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
You will need to fire a few hundred rounds to break-in the rifle.
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Well put! Exactly what mine needed.

Mine pierced primers and jammed big time on my first range run.

Use your head and proceed with caution, you need to get to know her.

Things WILL work out!
 
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