I broke down my BCG and getting everything clean and could not resist the urge to put a q tip in the gas key. I know, don’t need to be preached to. Anyhow, the cotton swab came off inside. I got about half out, the other half refused to come out no matter what I did. I even tried to burn it out.

My question is, will this burn off and blast out after a 55k psi blast of plasma? As in can I shooy it out? Or is my gas key permanently clogged? It’s staked in Or I woul have pulled it apart.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: smithnsig,

It won't hurt anything to try to shoot it out, except then it will be stuck inside the expansion chamber of the bolt carrier.


It will be easier to get out of there.


You can still take apart a staked carrier key if it comes to that.

Shooting it out was my first thought, but in practice I’d probably try a pipe cleaner or even a somewhat flexible wire. Did you do that?

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Shooting it out was my first thought, but in practice I’d probably try a pipe cleaner or even a somewhat flexible wire. Did you do that?

If it exists, and I could put my hand on it, I tried it.

Compressed air

How about a fine dental pic? The one with the small hook that sticks out 1/16 to 1/8 “.

Push it into the key past the q tip end then rotate it as you pull towards you. The hook might grab the q tip end and allow you to draw it out. Possibly add a drop of oil to slick things up a bit.

If it were me, I would probably get a small wood screw and thread it down into the cotton and yank it out. Maybe first soaking it in water or wd-40 to help hold it together.

Air compressor and a blow gun.

Shoot it out. Worst case, the obstruction causes a failure to cycle. I'm surprised that a pipe cleaner didn't push it out.

You could also try the compressed air solution mention above.

In theory, shooting it out shouldn't be a problem. I suppose.

But you have a type of obstruction near the chamber of your rifle. Let me say that again -- an obstruction near the chamber of your rifle.....

Use an air compressor.


There is no good reason to put a q-tip in the gas key. If the incredibly unlikely event that it's totally gunked up? Soak it in some kind of cleaner, for hours or even days. Maybe use an ultrasonic cleaner. The guts of an AR don't need to be spotlessly clean. Somewhat clean works. Well lubed works. Shoot enough rounds through a suppressed AR to wear out a barrel and you'll realize that sort-of-clean is good enough.

Air compressor didn’t work. Gonna go shoot it. I’ll put one in the mag to lock it back after one shot. Take it down and look. I don’t want to chamber a second round without looking at it.

I know not to use a q tip on the gas key. I did it anyway for some reason.

You're not the first to make that mistake.

You won't be the last.

That little nozzle is just sitting there on top of the bc saying “clean me....you know I got some carbon in here.”

Tweety bird said it best. "If I dood it, I dit a whippin, oh well, I dood it.

Sometimes, you just have to.

Thanks for passing on the experience, I have in the past slipped a Q-tip in there but won't again. I keep a pile of nice coarse pipe cleaners in my kit for those places that just beg for it.

Either you were using cheap, ( non- Q-tip brand Q-tips ) or you were really going to town with the Q-tip in there.

Soak it in some WD40, Hoppes #9 solvent, etc, use some .32 or .42 thousandths lock wire, or maybe a pipe cleaner as was already suggested. Air compressor if the above fails.

I've seen Private Joe Snuffy who was using cheap q-tips break the tip of one off in a carrier key and forget about it, then months later, try to qualify with the same rifle.. it was a bolt action M16. No problems with the rifle otherwise and once we cleared out the carrier key, the rifle was good to go.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
Compressed air

for the win!!

quote:

Originally posted by smithnsig:
Air compressor didn’t work. Gonna go shoot it. I’ll put one in the mag to lock it back after one shot. Take it down and look. I don’t want to chamber a second round without looking at it.

I know not to use a q tip on the gas key. I did it anyway for some reason.

Oh well. No win.
Pays to read the whole thread....

Straighten a barbed fish hook and stab that swab. It should pull out, and the barb will hold it.

quote:

Originally posted by matthew03:
Straighten a barbed fish hook and stab that swab. It should pull out, and the barb will hold it.

This would work I think!