Hi all,

I need a cleaning kit for my AR and have not had good luck in my search. The local stores (including Bass Pro and a huge LGS) don't really have anything to choose from, so I am forced to pick something up online.

It's been a while since I used a buttstock mounted kit, and I can't really remember what it included. As all the kits I've seen have different components, I'd really appreciate you all letting me know what I need to have in a kit and what is junk. Also, what kind (if anything special) of pipe cleaners I need for the gas tube. Are there specialty long ones, or do I just use the standard craft store stuff?

Thanks!

PS: I already have all the solvents and lubricants I'm likely to need.

Pipe cleaner for the gas tube? Are we supposed to clean the gas tube?

Seriously, I use a one piece cleaning rod with a bore guide every 5-600 rounds to push a few patches through the bore. I also have a one piece rod to clean the chamber with proper brushes.

Most of my cleaning time for the AR focuses on the BCG and for that I have a few specialized tools. You can find them at Brownells and while I rarely clean the bore (I don't want to mess the accuracy,) I always clean then grease the BCG after every match.

And I have never, ever stuffed anything in the gas tube, I have never cleaned the inside of that tube.

quote:

Originally posted by jbn8705:
I need a cleaning kit for my AR and have not had good luck in my search.

+1 for Sig685's recommendations below. Shoot, I've never even tried to clean the gas tube.

DO NOT use a multi-piece cleaning rod. DO USE a one-piece rod and a bore guide. In other words ix-nay on the buttstock mounted kit. IMO you need smaller patches for the bore, a bore brush (nylon or bronze), a jag for the bore (nylon or brass), and some patience.

As Sig685 states, the bolt carrier group needs the cleaning attention because, well, it's an AR. Ignore this area (cleaning and lubing) and learn the consequences. Personnally I clean my bore more often than Sig685 cleans his, but I'm certain he knows what works for his rifle in his level of competition.

Bottom line -- you don't need some uber-massive 123 gazillion piece cleaning kit for an AR -- just a few pieces sized for the task at hand.

In a minimalist frame of mind, I would get the following:

The CAT M4 tool from www.catm4.com It's a neat little gadget that does several things specific to the AR. I always use mine. It's $35.


The upper receiver cleaning kit:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx...ECEIVER_CLEANING_KIT

These chamber brushes in 8-32 so the fit the rod in the cleaning kit above.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx...R_15_CHAMBER_BRUSHES

A one-piece coated rod of the proper length, add 10 inches to your barrel length to get the proper length.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx.../Product/COATED_RODS

And a simple bore guide:
http://www.sinclairintl.com/pr...mi-Auto-Rifle-Guides

With these tools and additional bore brushes and patches, you will be able to easily maintain an AR-15.

Pretty much agree with Sig685 except for one caveat, the group count discussed is for accuracy driven rifles.

For training guns, I only periodically (maybe every case or two) run a bore snake through it, and clean the chamber. I don't do a rod and patch cleaning on the bore as part of my normal cleaning cycle. Once a year I go a complete cleaning which includes cleaning the bore with a rod and patch.

The AR-15, like virtually all other rifles, requires very little maintenance to keep running well. Some people seem to think an AR will jam instantly and can't be depended on to even use as a home defense weapon. Others clean it thoroughly every time they take it out.

As I said earlier and as was reinforced by PPGMD, a minimalist approach is best when it comes to maintenance. Know what to clean and how to clean it and know what to lube and lube it well.

Overcleaning or improper cleaning does a lot more damage to guns than shooting. Keep out of the bore unless the accuracy decreases or you know you have water or some other obstruction in there. Keep the BCG relatively clean and lubed and go enjoy the rifle.

So you guys don't clean anything except the BCG and maybe the chamber after every shooting? Not worth the hassle or detrimental?

Why not a mult-piece cleaning rod?

Thanks for your help and input everybody!

quote:

Originally posted by jbn8705:
So you guys don't clean anything except the BCG and maybe the chamber after every shooting? Not worth the hassle or detrimental?

Why not a mult-piece cleaning rod?

Thanks for your help and input everybody!

Have you ever heard of the concept of a fouling shot? There is a reason this concept exists.

As a competitive shooter, in F-class, with an AR-15, I am all about accuracy. I can assure you that when I clean the bore of my rifle, it needs over 10 rounds to get back to its peak accuracy. (I won't bore you with the level of accuracy, let's just say it's way more than you will achieve with your rifle.)

A multi-piece cleaning rod is a great way to scratch the inside of the barrel,especially with a steel multi-piece rod. An aluminum one will take longer to damage the rifling. Push the rod and see how it bends. So buy a single piece rod (coated) and it will last you a lifetime. I have a few that are 30 years old.

The BCG and the chamber do get dirty, this is a gas operated rifle and that's where you do the cleaning. With the tools I listed above, it will be very easy to do that and you won't have reliability issues.

I have not cleaned my .22 rifles in several years and they still shoot great.

I will mention that I keep a multi-piece GI rod to deal with stuck cases. But that is for my training rifles.

I haven't been impressed with most pre-built cleaning kits. I make my own and keep it in an ammo can. I use the Tipton Deluxe carbon fiber cleaning rod, some Break-Free CLP, cotton patches, q-tips, stiff brushes, brass jag, bore brush.

quote:

Originally posted by jbn8705:
So you guys don't clean anything except the BCG and maybe the chamber after every shooting? Not worth the hassle or detrimental?

Why not a mult-piece cleaning rod?

Sig685 nailed the cleaning rod issue.

I clean my rifles' bores relatively frequently, but I do my best not to screw things up. This means using a bore guide, a one-piece cleaning rod, not forcing things, and using mild chemicals (Hoppes Elite as a cleaner). This seems to work for my rifles, however every rifle bore is different. And I suspect other methods might work just as well, or possibly better. I don't pretend to shoot at the distances or levels of others -- my experience comes from more informal 50- to 200-yard target work.

My ARs (Wilson Combat M4-style, and RRA with a Wilson Arms barrel) group consistently out to 200 or 250 rounds, then their accuracy begins to fall off very slightly (i.e. groups open up a bit). Both these ARs had .5 to 1.0 MOA high cold, clean bore shots when they were fairly new and while using cheaper ammo. Now that they have a little mileage on them, and since I now know what ammo works best in them, my unfouled shots don't seem to be different than fouled shots.

My Kimber .22LR can be finicky with ammo. If I don't have an uber-thin lube on a cold clean bore, it takes 2-4 shots for it to settle down. If I do have an uber-thin lube layer in the barrel, 1 shot settles it down. It shoots fine for maybe 250-300 rounds with low-wax ammo (Federal GM Target), but only goes 150-200 with heavily waxed ammo (Federal GM Match, Wolf, some Eleys).

My Winchester model 70 in .270 requires 1 or 2 fouling shots to be accurate (cold clean bore shot is 1 to 1.5 MOA high), then needs cleaning after 60-70 rounds. This could be a combination of many things, especially due to the gun's age and a tendancy to foul with copper pretty badly.

I'm just in the early stages of using a GA Precision .308 with a Bartlein barrel. It has received pretty frequent light cleaning during the initial sighting in and ammo testing, but so far I see absolutely no difference in accuracy between cold clean bore shots and hot dirty (sorta dirty) shots.

My bottom line -- I accept the hassle of cleaning the BCG after every shooting session and the bore after most sessions. This works for me, but maybe not for everyone and every gun.

I am partial to these two kits...

Otis 5.56 field cleaning kit

KleenBore 5.56 field cleaning kit

I will probably get beat up for my recommendation of a kit with a segmented rod, but if you are careful and follow the proper procedures, you will be ok. KleenBore also sells one piece safety clad rods for those who are serious about preserving their bores. The one piece rods are the best, but I find them impractical to take out in the field.

Boresnake

Thanks everybody for all your advice and help in setting me straight. I'm transitioning from "free-loader who shoots all his friends guns and never has to clean them" to "solid American citizen with his own weapons" and your posts have been very helpful.

2 more questions:

1) Using a bore guide - I've never used one. If my rifle has a flash suppressor on it, should I use one of these? Or is the crown protected by the Smith Vortex?

2) Cleaning my new P7 - I got my P7 PSP from TGS last week and picked up a cleaning kit for it (one-piece brass rod, bore brush, etc.) The pistol has a fixed barrel and that meant I had to go in through the muzzle. I was careful not to slam the crown, but should I be looking at getting a bore guide for it and/or a short flexible rod to clean from the chamber side?

Sig685,

I sent you an email at the address listed in your profile and it bounced back. Is that address still valid?

Thanks for pointing it out. I updated the email address in the profile. I'll look for the email.

quote:

Originally posted by jbn8705:
1) Using a bore guide - I've never used one. If my rifle has a flash suppressor on it, should I use one of these? Or is the crown protected by the Smith Vortex?

The bore guide I am talking about fits in the upper of the rifle and help you fit the rod into the barrel from the breech. You should NEVER clean an AR-15 from the muzzle, or any rifle that has any degree of accuracy. You should always clean from the breech to the muzzle and never change directions in the bore or pull back a patch from the muzzle.

otis Resupply & Accessories

If you get a kit you'll have paid for a bunch of stuff you'll never use.

All you need is:

- flexi rod (caliber specific)
- slotted tip attachement
- bore brush
- patches

You can cut your own patches to work with the otis system, but you run the risk of using the wrong size and getting it stuck in the bore. Otis patches are cheap and you can use them more than once - up to six times.

Other stuff you'll need:

- m16 brush, or any old toothbrush
- m16 chamber brush
- multi piece GI guide rod (segment works well with chamber brush)
- q tips, rags, solvent, etc

oh, and Cleaning kit ideas.

I use otis rods for pistols as well, and pulled through a few patches throuth my 342 the other day.

Does not cleaning the bore hold true for the 7.3" bbl on a cmmg pistol in 5.56??
Thank you

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
Boresnake

My thoughts exactly, I also use a Glock rod to clean the chamber. I learned that little trick from Steve I think.