AR15 Questions

S

Steve Koski

New member
1) The owners manual lists an incredibly long and detailed process for cleaning. Field strip, remove bolt, remove extractor, clean gas tube, etc. Is this really necessary to do each time, or can I still maintain reliability using an abreviated cleaning job, but do a detail job every so often? What should I focus on?

2) The manual says to lube darn near everything. In my experienced oil shoud only be put on sliding parts, and that oiling the crap out of stuff just makes them gunk up faster and harder to clean. Where do you lube and how much?

3) Is it OK to fire the imported steel cased ammo in the Bushmaster chrome lined barrels? It's a fair piece cheaper than other ammo, but I'd hate to damage the chamber with the steel cases.

Thanks guys,

Steve Koski
skoski@geneva.com
 
Oil everything liberally! Oil the bolt carrier group right before firing. If it gunks up just clean it with gun scrubber which removes 100% of the lubricants on the metal. Make sure you reoil well after using the stuff though.

The steel ammo is fine, but it will wear down your extractor a little bit faster than the brass ammo does.
 
AR-15 rifles are dirty guns. The design is so weird in that the gas is conducted to the bolt and bolt carrier rather than using the mechanical piston (like m-14) to eject the brass. However, you get trade-off here. This design will eliminate the moving parts while a bullet is leaving the muzzle. Thus, AR-15s are accurate. You do need to clearn them not because AR-15 rifles need more maintenance but because they are inherently dirty. When people shoot AR15s and get jams, the first rule is to learn the rifles.
In the bushmaster FAQ, steel case ammo is not good for AR15 because this kind of ammo will wear out ejector soon (hard steal vs soft brass) and no harm to other parts. If you have some spare ejectors, I think you will be safe to use.
 
here is the nam era soldiers guide to the AR: http://homes.acmecity.com/thematrix/one/40/da1.html

pg32.jpg


HTH!
doc Zox
 
Steve, I agree with my colleagues that thorough cleaning is a must.

A trick for the bolt carrier assembly - get a can of spray automotive carburator cleaner and go nuts with it. You still should get a "Bolt Carrier carbon scraping tool" to remove the carbon buildup from the actual bolt housing but the Carb cleaner is fast and effective. Be warned that this cleaner will remove ALL traces of any lubricant so proper lubing after the cleaning is important.

Like others, you will experiment with lubricants that you will like and dislike. I have heard good things about Break Free - CLP which as of now I do not use.

One of my favorites is the "Tetra Lubricant". Tetra has cleaners, grease, and lubricant. The grease, I feel, it too damn viscous. The lubricant is magnificent. It's not oily or greasy, it's an advanced lubricant that I use in the gun (bolt carrier, upper reciever bolt guides, barrel bore and the gun exterior). It keeps the outside of the AR deep black, again with no oily residue. That's where I am right now with cleaners and lubricants. Remember, do not lube the bolt lugs.

Concurr also with the steel case ammo issue. I will wear on the extractor more than the brass. How much more? Who knows. An extractor costs about $7. Shoot the steel case if you want and spend the 7 bucks for a new extractor, if indeed yo ever have to.

Good shooting.

Join NRA, GOA and vote!
CMOS
 
Over the past few days I've been seeing more and more familiar faces here and on Glock Talk. I guess I'm not the only one who needs to get a fix since the AR15.com site has been down. It's nice to see you guys again. Everybody has given you good advice, take good care of your AR and it will take care of you. If you want to shoot steel case ammo, buy a spare extractor as a little insurance and go for it.

Walker
 
I think I'm going to do just that. Keep it clean and lubed, and keep a spare extractor in the "hide-a-key."

Thanks everyone for your help. I'm sure I'll have more questions soon.

Like, where in the world is the "drain hole" I'm supposed to make sure isn't plugged. I can't find any drain holes.
 
The AR15 design directs high pressure gas down the gas tube which, impinging on the bolt as a fixed piston, blows back the carrier, venting the spent gas out the two holes in the ejection port side of the carrier. The gun is not necessarily more dirty than others, in my experience, but care should be taken to either use good quality factory ammo, US military ball ammo, or reloads with the appropriate powder. I say "appropriate" because ARs are designed for faster burning powder than some other rifles. If the powder is consumed, as it should be, prior to the bullet passing the gas port, much less carbon or residue can be blown back into the bolt carrier.

I particularly like the straight line design of the AR whereby you can separate the two receiver halves, pull the bolt and carrier and clean from the breech. Using carb cleaner will get the goo out of the nooks and crannies, as many of y'all noted. Lube it the minimum unless you are in a severe climate. Then use your judgement, i.e, in severe cold, you want it dry so it don't freeze up. I saw firing pins that would not strike the primer in cold due to excessive lube in the bolt blocking the firing pin hole! So, use your head and the rifle will serve you, and many generations after you.

Incidentally, if you have the Colt hinge, you can get a push pin from Brownells for about a five spot. Get one!

As you may guess, I'm an AR buff. :D Hey to all AR15.com brothers!

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Yankee Doodle
 
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