How do I clean my new AR15 rifle?

I bought a new rifle, specifically a Sig Sauer RM400-16B-S M400 SWAT 16" 5.56mm.
I took my dad and new son-in-law to the range and we put 3 30-round magazines down range. We had a great time.

Now.... I have to clean it.
And I've discovered that the cleaning rod for my hunting rifle, a 30.06 is way too big for this tiny bore.

What do I need and where should I buy it?

To clean your .223/5.56 bore, you'll need a .22 caliber cleaning kit, either a rod with brush and patch holder (which is probably what you have for your .30-06), or a pull-through cleaning system.

For rods, I like Tipton or Dewey cleaning rods. (Make sure you get one that's long enough for your rifle.)

Tipton: https://www.amazon.com/Tipton-...Brod%2B22&th=1&psc=1

Dewey: https://www.amazon.com/Dewey-R...+coated+cleaning+rod

For pull-through cleaning methods, I like Bore Snakes for quick and simple cleaning, or Otis kits for better cleaning.

Bore Snake: https://www.amazon.com/Hoppes-...e%2Bsnake&th=1&psc=1

Otis kits: https://www.amazon.com/Otis-FG...tis%2B223&th=1&psc=1

or

https://www.amazon.com/Otis-Te...-4&keywords=otis+223

I use a ton of CLP, Q-tips and nylon brushes on my work gun, then follow up with a bore snake.


Personal gun, I just use CLP and haven't cleaned one in over 3000 rounds, and the rest once a year.

When I learned to clean ARs, you just scrubbed on it until the drill sargeant told you to stop. Usually about four hours.

^^ Lol!

I use an Otis pull through system when I clean my barrel.


90 rounds fired, you don't need to clean the bore.


My standard procedure for my ARs is to pull the bolt carrier group, add a little oil to the tail of the bolt, as this is the one place I have seen corrosion on an AR if it isn't kept oiled.

Then put some oil on the bearing surface of the gas rings and the bolt, on the rear of the bolt lugs, and on the bearing surfaces of the bolt carrier, and put the rifle back together.


If I do any actual cleaning it is a simple wipe down of the dirtiest parts of the bolt and carrier with a rag.


I like to shoot a lot more than I like to clean. 'White glove' cleaning is a waste of time IMHO.

You don't disassemble and clean the motor in your car when you change the oil. You just change the oil.

You don't need to clean an AR that much, just change the oil.


Suppressors change the equation somewhat, as there is a bunch of carbon fouling coming down the bore and back into the action.

I do wipe them down with a cloth to get the biggest amount of fouling. Then re-oil.



Precision rifles are a different animal. I take more pains to keep the bores of such reasonably clean.


I use a JP bore guide and a one piece stainless steel rod to clean precision rifles.

+1 to RogueJSK's comments on bore cleaning. I prefer rods over bore snakes, but that's a personal preference. If you go with a bore snake, clean the snake regularly -- otherwise it't no different than pushing dirty patches with a rod.

ARs need adequate lube more than spotless cleaning. Keep the BCG wet. Not dripping all over everything wet, but not bone dry.

IMO the biggest pain of cleaning an AR is the BCG -- primarily the bolt itself. My carriers wipe down easily, but the carbon builds up on the curved cone of the bolt. Understand the bolt doesn't have to be spotlessly clean to function well. I don't scrape the curved cone of the bolt; I just wipe it down with wet patches to knock down the worst of the carbon buildup.

There are tons of options for lubes and cleaners. I doubt there's a definitive study on what works best -- there are years of successful use with just about any product there. I will state that the thinnest of the oils are not the best for ARs, as they dry up or cook off way too soon. You likely already have cleaning solutions and oils. Start with what you have and see how they perform over time.

From start of disassembly to finish of function check, I clean & lube my ARs in about 10 minutes. I do this pretty much after every time I shoot an AR. I realize this may be overkill for many shooters, but my ARs have always cycled flawless and they are amazingly accurate. I also shoot suppressed virtually all the time.

some of these might be helpful
https://www.google.com/search?...0i3k1.68.x9o691nz9p8

Check out this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed9oU8V7-Uk

Pretty straight forward, and mrgunsngear seems like a cool guy.

quote:

ARs need adequate lube more than spotless cleaning. Keep the BCG wet. Not dripping all over everything wet, but not bone dry.

IMO the biggest pain of cleaning an AR is the BCG -- primarily the bolt itself. My carriers wipe down easily, but the carbon builds up on the curved cone of the bolt. Understand the bolt doesn't have to be spotlessly clean to function well. I don't scrape the curved cone of the bolt; I just wipe it down with wet patches to knock down the worst of the carbon buildup.

OK. That makes sense. Thx.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike S:
Check out this video.
Pretty straight forward, and mrgunsngear seems like a cool guy.

Good video! Exactly what I was looking for. Thx.

On a new gun, be sure to clean your chamber really well. There are chamber cleaning brushes out there pretty cheap. On the first PSA gun I put together, I didn't clean the chamber well enough before the first range trip and had a number of rounds that did not go fully into battery. A thorough scrubbing of the chamber solved that problem.

Did the Sig not come with a manual, including how to clean it?

quote:

Originally posted by Dwill104:
Did the Sig not come with a manual, including how to clean it?

It came with a manual, including how to clean it, but I get more useful information by asking questions here on Sigforum than just by reading the manual. Also, the manual doesn't make specific product recommendations.

Yes, you can put many thousands of rounds down range without cleaning, but you have to keep it lubed.

I just run a bore snake one or twice, wipe the rest down with a slightly oily rag and re-lube. I can tell you as a career IN soldier and officer, all the spotless cleaning we have done a these years is a slightly detrimental (increased wear) waste of time. We still can't break the habit in the ARMY because when there is an inspection, the weapons have to be dry and white glove spotless (for no other reason than dysfunctional bureaucracy.)

Also since it's probably a good time to get a new toothbrush, sage the old one for cleaning.

And if you don't have an old toothbrush, go buy two and a tube of toothpaste/ can of tooth powder.

quote:

IMO the biggest pain of cleaning an AR is the BCG -- primarily the bolt itself. My carriers wipe down easily, but the carbon builds up on the curved cone of the bolt. Understand the bolt doesn't have to be spotlessly clean to function well. I don't scrape the curved cone of the bolt; I just wipe it down with wet patches to knock down the worst of the carbon buildup

If you want the perfect carbon removal tool that is basically free, simply pick up a spend brass .223/5.56 cartridge. Crimp the mouth flat with a pair of pliers. Use flattened case mouth as a scraper. You now have a perfect tool for removing that tough carbon deposit that cannot damage the bolt in any way.

Common mistake I see people make, is to run a .22 caliber bore brush down the barrel a few times, and call it done.

The most important thing to clean on an AR15 is the chamber. A .22 bore brush completely misses the chamber.

You need to buy an AR15 chamber brush.


The other mistake I see people make, is to WAY under lubricate this rifle. I have never seen a rifle that needed more lube than an AR15. You can literally drown an AR15 in lube, and it will work perfect. They choke when they run out of lube. So use lube. A lot of it. And a thicker viscosity lube when hot (Weaponshield, Slip 2000 30 etc). Pre Iraq/Afghanistan, the prevailing logic was to use just a little bit of lube. Now they recommend a shit ton of lube. A sandy gun WILL work if heavily lubricated. It will choke with light lube.

The easiest way to clean the chamber locking lug recesses, that I have found, is to place a rag on the floor. Place your flash hider on the rag, and invert the upper in a vertical fashion. Use a spray can with the little red/yellow straw (I use aerosol Remoil) to blast all the gunk/carbon/brass shavings out of the chamber nooks and crannies and down into your catch rag.

And use this guide to tell you about all the proper lube points.
https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar...UBE_POINTS/7-548967/

quote:

The other mistake I see people make, is to WAY under lubricate this rifle. I have never seen a rifle that needed more lube than an AR15. You can literally drown an AR15 in lube, and it will work perfect. They choke when they run out of lube. So use lube. A lot of it.

And use this guide to tell you about all the proper lube points.

Ok, that's helpful:

My new son-in-law likes my new rifle: