What's your technique...

[Tex_Hill]

for getting the carbon out of the bolt carrier group on an AR?. I spend more time getting the carbon out of there than I do cleaning the rest of the rifle and wanted to see what has worked for you guys.

 

[eas7888]

A Gerber/Leatherman works for me. Also, if you're trying to get the carbon off the back side of the Bolt, a cleaning rod (female end) works very well for scraping that carbon off.

 

[Floppy_D]

Aerosol Carb Cleaner - airhose - lube. You can use a scraper, but I find that the spray stuff works wonders and quickly, at $1.97 a can.

 

[Pugs]

Aerosol Carb Cleaner - airhose - lube. You can use a scraper, but I find that the spray stuff works wonders and quickly, at $1.97 a can.

And wear eye protection - voice of experience here.

 

[coolhandlukesd]

I use dental picks and scrapers, along with Q-tips and Carb Cleaner.


I also used *shaving cream a few times the trick is to get the foamy stuff, let it sit for 20 min and rinse with really hot water. It normally dissolves the carbon. *Afterwards but a thin layer of gun oil on it.*

 

[H60Gunner]

And wear eye protection - voice of experience here.

That, and I found out brake cleaner will melt the rubber of a bikini scope cover. It is also great at removing the paint from your new Bell and Carlson stock.

 

[ryan1234]

you guys and your direct inpingement rifles:icon_smil

 

[pourts]

I used the firing pin until I got my balls hamered one time when my SPC saw me using it. After that I used my rifle lock key, which was hanging around my neck at all times and checked regularly by the reigning admin billet holder.

Leatherman and Gerber now make multi-tools marketed specifically to "riflemen" that have a carbon scraper if you want to spend $60.

 

[CAMike]

Tools like the CAT M-4 can be found on sale if you're patient and look for them on the web. I bought a couple and they work pretty well. I soak the BCG in 80% denatured mineral spirits and 20% Breakfree CLP for an hour prior to using the tool. I've never have an issues. Dirt comes out easily. I think I paid $25 each. The link below shows it in use.

http://trrtactical.blogspot.com/2009/03/tactical-reviews-combat-application.html

 

[Rocketman]

On the back of the bolt I scrape it off with the bolt cam pin or anything else that's softer (or not harder) than the bolt. Bore brushes, brass or otherwise work well too. There are various tools you can find online for the inside of the carrier if you like. My bottom line is the further away I get from my active duty days the closer I get to the "it doesn't have to be perfectly clean it just has to be well lubed" school. Don't forget to re-apply lube to all the steel parts if you use any kind of degreaser to clean the carbon off. It's hard to get an AR to rust but degreasing and not re-lubing is a good start.

 

[gaijin6423]

Not so much with the ARs, but I find that a couple of my pistols run like absolute garbage when they're perfectly clean. The Antichrist (Glock 22) is especially bad about that, actually. Hell, I've even heard of some people recommending to just use 10W30 on them.

I tend to find cleaning the boomsticks cathartic, so I typically just take the time to use Break Free and elbow grease, with the female end of a cleaning rod and bore/chamber brushes for the afore mentioned trouble areas. If it's really bad, I may use just bit of carb cleaner. For the barrel, I've also used some of the foaming solver stuff (can't remember who makes it) with good results.

I should also note that since my wife saw the insurance rider for the firearms, she actually pesters me to make sure they're clean. Which is nice, because it gives me an out from the estrogen fueled hurricane of destruction that is my house.

 

[FLY_USMC]

I just lock my rifles away and spend the majority of my time deployed. They stay pretty clean like that.

 

[eas7888]

Hell, I've even heard of some people recommending to just use 10W30 on them.

Funny that you mention that...

In our gun trucks, we used to keep a few quarts of 40W oil to pour on the weapons (the M2) if we had to put a lot of rounds through them. It mad a God awful stench, but the weapon never stopped firing.

Has anyone fired the Mk-19? You lube that up with petroleum jelly. It makes it seem like you're getting ready to give it a prostate examination.

 

[BigRed389]

Funny that you mention that...

In our gun trucks, we used to keep a few quarts of 40W oil to pour on the weapons (the M2) if we had to put a lot of rounds through them. It mad a God awful stench, but the weapon never stopped firing.

Has anyone fired the Mk-19? You lube that up with petroleum jelly. It makes it seem like you're getting ready to give it a prostate examination.

The GAU-19 lube is even worse. It's also referred to as elephant cum.

If you don't have the cover closed when you optest it, anyone standing next to it will look like they were on the receiving end of several money shots.

 

[eas7888]

The GAU-19 lube is even worse. It's also referred to as elephant cum.

If you don't have the cover closed when you optest it, anyone standing next to it will look like they were on the receiving end of several money shots.

There has to be a few pictures of that floating around!