Polishing up a feed ramp.

C

CrociJA

New member
Have a "build-up" of carbon on the feed-ramp of my Bushmaster AR. Anyone have any thoughts on how to clean up this carbon residue. The rifle has less than 120 rounds through it and I've never used anything but Federal, and some "soft-nosed" reloads from an indoor range.
I've tried CLP, BirchWood-Casey's Gun Scrubber, and Hoppes Powder Solvent. Any suggestions? Abrasives are not an option.

Thanks
 
Why not abrasives? I have a Craytex wheel for my dremmel that works just fine. It's abrasive impregnated rubber and works quite well on feed ramps.
 
Badgerarms,

I take it from your post you've done this before, and the use of a abrasive impregnated rubber dremel will in no way hurt the chromed feed-ramp. I'm going to take this as a yes.
Just thought there would be some kind of solvent out on the market that would simply "dissolve" the carbon, without resorting to any tools.
But this does bring up the fact that I should probably add a dremel to my growing supply of equipment to keep my guns in good, working order.

Thanks for the reply!
 
This sounds wierd but does work.Buy a can of Marvel mystery oil and soak it over night with this oil.It does a good job of dissolveing carbon.Pour it into a pan and put the parts in and let it soak.

------------------
Age and deceit will overcome youth and speed.
I'm old and deceitful.
 
Never had any problems with cleaning my M-16 in the Corps using just the issued equipment; bore brush, chamber brush, double ended nylon toothbrush, slotted jag,patches, and Breakfree CLP. Sounds like you just need to break out the brushes and use some elbow grease.
 
Personally, I don't believe you can use an abrasive Dremel wheel on your chrome without the risk of damage. If you must use something abrasive, try something like Flitz and a small rag by hand. It's much too easy to get carried away with a Dremel tool and grind off more than you intend.
 
I definitely second johnwill's motion Not to use cratex for cleaning purposes! The problem is that it can and probably will recur, and if you use cratex each time, eventually you won't have a feed ramp left!
crankshaft
nralife, goa, jpfp, fcsa, smvfm
paranoia is a pretty good thing to have when they're actually out to get You!!
 
First of all, I doubt seriously that it's a chrome plated feed ramp. If it is, the craytex usually polishes the chrome for a long time before it wears through. The bore is chrome lined but the feed ramp on my AR's and every one I've seen has been parkerized or otherwise finished.
Secondly, the craytex that I use is a polish and not a harsh abrasive. I know there are different grades, but the grade I use does not remove metal, but only polishes the surface.
Finally, with a light coat of synthetic oil you will never have to do anything but clean the ramp again. I suspect that the buildup is not carbon but merely finish if it is that difficult to get off.

Also understand that the chrome lining was to prevent damage to the chamber and the bore, not the feed ramp. This was also Vietnam and the problems were mainly a product of ill-equiped and trained soldiers. Assuming the feed ramp was chrome lined and you did polish it off, you would still end up with what virtually every other rifle on the market has, a non-chrome-plated surface. Oil it and don't worry about it. Heck, this isn't rocket science. You'd have to go through a case of craytex to remove any appreciable amount of metal. Have at it.
 
Someone tipped me on something that has worked great and saved me the cost of a dremmel tool.

Put a Q-tip in a power drill and tighten it down on it like it was a drill bit. Set it for high rpm, apply some Flitz metal polish, and polish away. It works great and won't take off layers of metal. About 10 minutes of this and it looks like glass.

------------------
"It is easier to get out of jail then it is a morgue"
Live long and defend yourself!
John 3:16
NRA lifer
GOA
GSSF
KABA
 
Birchwood-Casey (sp?) Lead-Removing Cloth. Cleans like magic. Also, I'm gonna try the q-tip in the dremel trick with Flitz and my nickel-plated Colt .380.

Regards,

Ledbetter
 
Q-Tip and Dremmel tool works good. When I cut Barrels on Shotguns or Rifles and crown them, I always do take 600 grit sandpaper and spin the barrel between my palms while applying pressure on the sandpaper. Put the sandpaper on a rag. I used to do the same thing with my rivet sets in the Air Force.

I digress, The Q-Tip thing is a REALLY good idea. I'll have to use that.
 
Everyone that replied,

Thanks for the info. Flitz and a Q-tip I can do, add a drill and I'm good to go. As for the Birchwood-Casey Cleaning Cloth, dunno, I'll put that one on the back burner for now.
BTW talked to Bushmaster and the head gunsmith also recommended taking the bore brush, putting a 3M cloth on it, spraying it with WD-40 and than cleaning the chrome.
Didn't work.
Gotta be residue, this is some tough crap!
All because I was ORDERED to fire lead-nosed bullets at $8.50 for 20 at an indoor range. Next time, and for the rest of the rifles history I'll stick to the great outdoors.

Well anyway thanks for all the info and the good ideas! :D

Jon
 
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