Has anyone seen how many rounds they can fire through their favorite suppressed AR, before the associated filth starts to compromise reliability? I applied a grease/oil mixture, after my last cleaning, and started counting; only just got past 200, as I haven't done any high-volume practice yet. Anyone else have an idea on their rifle's capacity, in this regard? I know everyone's setup is different, and I am not asking what other folks have seen in an effort to inform my own cleaning or lubrication schedules; I'll inform them myself. I am asking for the sake of conversation, and to hopefully get some idea of an average that I can then use to measure my setup's performance.

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

I do NOT mean for this to sound smart ass lol…

My suppressor typically sits on my most expensive rifle, comprised of over 5k in parts including the suppressor, so guess which one would be the last to experience a torture test LMAO!

I have a cheaper thread on .223 that lived on a bolt action for a long time and now sits atop an 18” upper. That one might be a candidate but it’ll be a minute as it gets shots about as much as a bolt action.

I just don’t have the money to test it, I’m too particular about my hardware.

I took a rifle class a few years ago and used an M&P15 with a Saker. Total round count was around 450, BUT...I cleaned it at lunch (I can't help myself). The rifle had no issues. Lubed with BreakFree CLP.

I don't consider any of this a torture test. No unreasonable stress or damage is being inflicted; just some nastiness. If I saw the BCG became bone-dry, I suppose it would be wise to introduce more lubricant, to avoid unnecessary wear in that regard, and that's about the only damaging circumstance I can imagine developing.

So far, based on Chris' example, seems like 500 may be a goal. I hope to hear from more folks. I know fritz and offgrid have plenty of experience here.

quote:

Originally posted by KSGM:
I don't consider any of this a torture test. No unreasonable stress or damage is being inflicted; just some nastiness. If I saw the BCG became bone-dry, I suppose it would be wise to introduce more lubricant, to avoid unnecessary wear in that regard, and that's about the only damaging circumstance I can imagine developing.

So far, based on Chris' example, seems like 500 may be a goal. I hope to hear from more folks. I know fritz and offgrid have plenty of experience here.

I've probably got about 500 on one of my AR-15s running a suppressor. I don't shoot it often. But when I do I usually just throw some lube on it and shoot it more.

I honestly just really hate cleaning long guns for some reason. Don't mind breaking down the BCG and giving it some love. But cleaning the bore and chamber... blah... so many other things I'd rather do.

It's more important to keep it lubed than clean. I have done week-long classes (teaching and as a student) of several hundred rounds with just adding lube daily. Keep after the bolt carrier group.

I am revising the OP, to better reflect my original intent. It seems that shots fired between lubrications is more what I am after. The original idea was to determine how much reliable use one could expect to get, during a prolonged "engagement"; a situation thay wouldn't permit the application of more lubrication; whether it's realistic or not, that was my original curiosity.

So, for folks that care to comment, I am curious as to both: round count between lube applications and round count between cleanings.

quote:

Originally posted by DaBigBR:
It's more important to keep it lubed than clean.

That would make a killer T-shirt.

I'm curious to see how regularly running a can affects cleanliness of a direct impingement system (AR) vs. a piston system (like my AUG).

DI is dirtier. Some piston systems are cleaner than others, but they're all cleaner than a DI AR.

I have a Coastal direct thread on can in 308. My buddy who owns a company that makes specialized bullet absorbing concrete blocks for shoot houses got a Army contract for some house or grenade house. The Army wanted all of the blocks shot with green tip 5.56 (that they supplied) so they could prove the blocks would work….at some point some kids broke into his safe and stole his rifle and can…he drafted me to do the shooting for his contract.

I shot from about six inches away and found that within one magazine my carbine had problems due to crud building up. When I was cleaning it to get it running again I found a lot of concrete dust had somehow been sucked into the rifle thru the suppressor and was slowing the weapon.

From there on I shot the blocks from about a foot or more away.

Since then I got a Sig762qd that I use on my ARs. It has never been cleaned. I can run what I want at a range session and clean it later. As long as it’s wet, it runs fine.

I am gonna have to clean the gun, so my endurance test will unfortunately be restarted. I dunked the front end of the gun into a stream, and I don't want that moisture hanging out in there. Oh well.

Total round count before cleaning was 235. Upon initial disassembly and BCG cleaning, the gun isn't terribly dirty. The BCG cleaned up pretty quickly/easily; it was definitely helped by the finish on the components. The inside of the upper is not going to be fun, but there doesn't appear to be any significant buildup, and I don't think proper function was even close to being impeded. The oil/grease mix was still wet and slick.

The typical "combat load" is 210 rounds. That being said, I think this gun could likely shoot that x2, before it maybe starts to experience difficulty as a result of filth. That'd be one helluva situation, to take this particular gun to the brink of it's performance. I intend to restart the round count after this cleaning; hopefully I can keep the gun safe from any odd circumstances that would have it cut short again.

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

KSGM, keep us updated on your round counts between cleaning as I am interested in that. So far, I am at about 200 rounds between cleanings but as mentioned, I keep the AR well lubed with no issues.

I am glad you reminded me of this thread; I had a revelation, in considering a response.

I did attempt to renew my round count, but had to abandon it again, after another shooting event that resulted in the rifle getting wet, due to heavy rain, requiring a cleaning. During that event, though, I did experience a malfunction; upon performing a reload, and dropping the bolt, the bolt didn't go all the way into battery. I attribute the sluggish bolt to accumulated filth and my use of a carbine buffer; I have since installed an H2.

In addressing the malfunction, I succeeded in inducing a double feed, which is where the revelation potentially lies. I started another thread recently, concerning an end cap strike I incurred on that same outing. I had totally forgotten about that malfunction, which could have damaged a projectile, causing excessive yaw, leading to the strike. Seems unlikely, but certainly possible.