Cleaning the AR's recoil spring.

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yankytrash

New member
Yesterday, I was talking to a friend of mine that used to be in the Army. We were fiddling with his new Mossberg and he got to telling me his stories about keeping his M16 clean in Saudi Arabia.

He related one particular very funny story how he used to bring his M16's lower into the shower with him and stick it right onto the showerhead to blow all the crap out of the recoil spring & tube.

Now I'm wonderin - would I be committing mortal sin if I were to unscrew my collapsible stock on my SP1 to clean it, and put it back together with no locktite, so I could take it off for every cleaning?

This stock hasn't ever been removed - it was bought new in 1980 by my stepfather (it's now mine).

I realize that spray lubes are probably doing the job just fine, but now he's got me lying awake at night thinking about all the built-up crude in the stock's tube....:eek:
 
Is there some reason you can't simply push the little detent down that holds the buffer in place, and remove the buffer and recoil spring in the conventional fashion? You could then clean the tube in the conventional fashion. Do you know how to strip and clean the rifle properly? I think you should pay a visit to AR15.com before you do anything. You have a bit to learn about your rifle. If it is a circa 1980 SP1, it worth a few coins and you don't want to go damaging it in your ignorance.
 
That's not the first time I heard about the detent. Mine has a, well, for lack of a better word, a no-screw in it. It's got the kind of screw in it that you can tighten with a flathead screwdriver, but in the reverse direction flats are removed. You know what I mean? Kinda like a screw that was pre-stripped at the factory.

Do you have an SP1 circa 1980-81? Is this the correct setup, or has somebody been messing with it? For as long as I can remember, this is the way it has been with this gun. I rememjber, when I was younger, my stepfather cussin and raisin hell over this screw.
 
I think you are looking in the wrong place for the detent pin. the detent is on the inside, where the reciever and buffer tube meet. push it down and the spring the buffer thing comes out
 
xray.jpg



You can see the little spring detent for the recoil spring and buffer(vertical orientation) right behind the rear lug of the upper receiver where the rear take down pin is.


If you cock your hammer or remove your hammer then push this detent down the buffer and buffer spring will shoot out into your hand so that you can clean it, normally there isn't a need to clean this area of your AR15 unless you've made a habit of dropping oil into this area. If you keep this spring dry it shouldn't attract dirt, if you oil it or lube it then it will attract dirt and get it into your buffer tube which can have a sort of sand paper effect on the inside of the buffer tube. About the only excuse I hear as to why people oil or grease their recoil spring is so that they can try to eliminate that "pogo-stick" sound that all ARs typically make, that classic "BOOOOING!" sound that you hear transmitted through the stock.
 
It sounds to me like you are talking about the pivot pin!?! There are two pins that hold the upper (upper receiver, barrel, etc) to the lower (lower receiver, trigger, stock, grip, etc). The back pin is the takedown pin which you push out to hinge the upper so that you can get to the bolt and clean the barrel. Are you refering to front pin where the upper hinges or pivots on the lower?

If so, follow Chinks instructions. Open the rifle up by pushing out the takedown pin. In the inside back of the lower receiver, just above the pistol grip, is the thread were your stock is screwed into the lower. In the bottom of this thread is a little pin (detent) that sticks up and holds the buffer in. Push on the buffer with your thumb and use something to push down on this pin. As you release the buffer, it will slide over the top of this pin and you can remove the buffer and spring.

As for removing the stock, you will want to consult with the guys over at ar15.com. It is not hard, but there are more detailed instructions over there. You just want to be sure you go step by step because there are a couple of little springs that you need to keep track of. You will also need a hook spanner wrench or a strap wrench may work. Unless you buy a collapsable stock tool (the hook spanner wrench) from a gun store or an AR supply house, you may have a hard time finding one. Check with your local liquor store. It is the same one that is used to tap kegs.

-Red-
 
Thanks for the votes of confidence, guys. :rolleyes:

I looked at a friend's postban Colt AR today and found that he has the detent where I have a screw head. Went to the sheriff's office, and one of the sheriffs had a preban Colt in his trunk with the same detent. They went through their box o' parts and were nice enough to give me a detent and a spring that looked like it fit.

Now, it's time to:
get screwdriver-happy and damage its value.
Click to expand...
;)
 
Just trying to help you, man. A neophyte, a screwdriver, and a gun are not a good mix. I've seen too many (what should have been) beautiful guns with buggered up screwheads and marred finishes because a neo got "screwdriver-happy." It does seem that your rifle had the detent replaced with a non-standard piece, but everything you've posted indicates nonfamiliarity with the gun. Put the screwdriver down and don't pick it up until you've done your homework. The rifle has worked as-is for years, it can wait a little while longer. AR's are pretty far from rocket science, so you should be able to get up to speed pretty quickly.
 
I'm thinking now that maybe a cold-chisel and hammer would work better.

Or maybe a hacksaw? Heck, why bother with all that handwork when I can just throw it on the bench grinder?

Whatcha think, Golgo-13?;)

Thinking, "hmmm, since I got me my hammer out, maybe I kin make this a 7.62NATO if I jist pound this here 308 casing in that big hole....":D
 
Oh, just in case you didn't get the joke, here's the finished product:
ardetent.jpg


Ignorance of the rifle I grew up with notwithstanding, I somehow managed, thanks to Redhook's real advice, to install the detent by simply unscrewing the stock a couple revolutions. I re-installed the stock with a couple twists back in the original location, and reset the dimples on the castlenut.

The scan doesn't show it well, but there was a slightly sloppy fit of the detent plunger due to the larger diameter screw that used to be there. I had to run a drill bit in there (by hand, so I could make sure I wasn't going at it too hard) to clean up the nasty-looking threads. Screwing the stock on seems to have fixed the sloppiness. I've cycled the action manually with blanks and everything seems kosher.

Somehow did all that without marring the finish, with the exception of three marks where I had to re-ping the dimples (to be fixed soon with a couple dabs of model paint).

Jumping the gun and assuming somebody's ignorance might be the norm over at AR15.com, but you won't last long here at TFL with those attitudes.
 
Out of curiosity, have you ever given your AR a bath? If it is that old, it sounds like it could really use some good hot soapy water to clean it up. Break it down and bathe it! You'll thank me for this later! :p
 
USMCsilver

Don't get them started about bathing guns! Most don't get it. There was a thread a few years ago about showering a gun, actually I think it was a dishwasher and a Glock, but in any case someone claimed you could not, under no means wash a gun.

US Army M-60 serial 191934 was indeed washed in HHC's mess hall! Many times!
 
Mine got bathed in big trash cans many times as well with Joy dish soap. A good high pressure nozzle will do wonders for your gun parts!
 
Immersion heaters!

Although I've done the garbage can cleaning on Protective Masks for yearly cleaning/inspection, I've never had to clean a weapon in a garabage can.
But the neat high pressure hoses in the chow hall work great!
 
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