How often do you need to clean the gas tube on an AR15?

C

Correia

New member
I have never removed the gas tube on my AR. It has around 3000 round through it. When I clean it I usually just dismantle the bolt, clean it, the chamber and the barrel.

I was talking to a friend the other day who was in the 82nd Airborne, and he said that they cleaned their gas tubes often.

So I'm curious, just how often should I clean the tube, and how do you go about doing that?
 
Don't ever clean it. If it gets bent on removal or replacement you will have short recoil problems. If you don't get it completely dry on the inside, carbon will build up inside and clog it up, short recoil for awhile then it doesn't cycle at all.

Clean your bolt carrier key by using a worn bore brush, a little CLP and a pipecleaner. Don't use a Q-Tip as lint from the Q-Tip can clog the tube in the carrier key. Clean the outside of the gas tube where it's visible in the upper receiver. This is all the maintenance the gas system normally needs.

HTH
Jeff
 
The only time that I clean my gas tube is when I use abrasives(JB, Rem Clean, USP) to scrub the bore. The abrasives could get stuck in the gas bleed off, and if not removed, could act as a lapping compond from the bleed off to the end of the bore. Just take some brake cleaner and squirt it from the gas tube in the receiver, and you can see the brake cleaner coming out of the gas port and running out of the barrel. The brake cleaner dries really fast, so that is no problem. But only when using abrasive cleaners is the only time that I clean the gas tube. David
 
At one time the Army taught cleaning the gas tube in place using a pipe cleaner dipped in cleaner, rifle bore. I don't know if this is still the approved procedore.

[This message has been edited by Hard Ball (edited March 07, 2000).]
 
I just looke in the current editions of TM 9-1005-319-10 and TM 9-1005-319-23&P (these are the operators and organizational and direct support maintenance manuals for the M16A2, M16A3, M16A4, M4 and M4A1 rifles and carbines. Cleaning of the gas tube is not authorized. For obvious reasons the Army doesn't want soldiers putting things in their gas tubes. But even at organizational and direct support level maintenance cleaning is not listed just replacement of a partially clogged tube.

HTH
Jeff

BTW Hard Ball - I think you are remembering the cleaning procedures for the carrier key. I dug out my 1974 edition of FM 23-9 and it only addresses cleaning the outside of the gas tube. However it does explain the procedure you described on the carrier key.
 
I would not argue with a government manual about cleaning the gas tube. But in the manuals being read, are there any references to cleaning bores with abrasives? That is why I strongly suggest using brake cleaner to clear gas port in the bore because of inadvertent clogging due to the use of abrasives. If not cleared, the abrasive could act as a lapping compound in the rifle bore. In Siclairs 10th edition of Precision loading and shooting they state that they took a competition AR apart, and under further inspection they found abrasive cleaner stuck in the gas port area of the bore. David
 
Correia,
I have always used a pipe cleaner to remove carbon from the inside of the tube. I'd dip the pipecleaner in CLP, and run it in and out a number of times to scrub the crud (carbon) loose. Then dry pipe cleaners until there weren't any traces of the black left on them. This was a long and drawn out process. Now, the Armories have parts cleaning tanks with solvents like PD680 in them, and Citri-clean which we are directed to immerse the weapons in and scrub them. Obviously, the gas tube gets its fair share of the cleaner into it. Drying via compressed air and then pipe cleaners seems to remove a large quantity of the crud out of the tube. This is the 'accepted' cleaning method that the Marine Corps Air Wing's use.

When I was shooting matches more regularly, I'd use Brake Cleaner (Tricloro-triflouro- ethane) squirted down the tube and any other places where carbon was likely to hide, and then follow up with Acetone to wipe off the 'Trike' residue. NOT the perscribed method, but a fast and GOOD alternative. What the armourer didn't see, didn't hurt him!

But DO clean that tube, and DO NOT remove it! It isn't required! Remember, "This is my Rifle! There are many like it, but this is my own!...

Good Luck! Unkel Gilbey
 
never cleaned mine its got well over 15,000 and not a single hitch.bore cleaner should only be used in the bore.never use it to clean areas with moving parts or firing pin holes.when it dries it tends to bet hard and flakey.some officers have used it on there glock to "flush"ther glocks firing pin striker hole and have found it prevents the gun from firing.
 
Never cleaned it in the army, never clean it now. Well over 20,000 rounds through the Colt without a glitch. Over 15,000 rounds through the Armalite without a glitch.
 
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