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Article Published
Date: 01/28/2008 |
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| Article by Jamie
Mangrum |
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Adobe PDF
Downloadable Version of Article |
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First let me start off by stating that this is NOT
a "How To Clean the AR-15 or M-16 Rifle" article. I
do not show you step by step how to take everything
apart and how to clean and lube your rifle. I could not
really improve upon what the Army and Marines offer in
TM9-1005-319-10. I have included an excerpt from this
manual of
18 pages of cleaning and lubrication instructions in
Adobe PDF
format for you to download and print out if you do
not have it already.
What this
article is about is what tools are available today that
make cleaning the AR rifle easier and help you do a
better job. These tools are not necessarily what you may
carry in your pack while deployed as a soldier in Iraq
or Afghanistan. They are what you should have on your
cleaning bench at home. |
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Figure 1 |
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CTK Ultimate Gun Vise |
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Cleaning any rifle or carbine is made easier by having a
great stand that securely clamps down on your firearm
while
freeing up your hands to do the job at hand. I prefer my
CTK Ultimate Gun Vise when I am cleaning an AR style
rifle or any rifle for that matter. I originally
reviewed this gun vise back in April of 2005. Here it is
just under three years later and it is still knocking
along and works and looks like the day I got it. God
only knows how many gallons of Ed's Red and other gun
solvents have seeped over its surface. I used a plastic
gun vise made by another company for several years and
it slowly but surely disintegrated and fell apart on me.
I know that they are a sponsor of the site so my word
may be less than believable, but I have tried many other
products and they are in my garage covered in gunk,
broken, and gathering dust. |
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Figure 2 |
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Break-Free Powder Blast
Gun Cleaner-Degreaser |
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Manufacturer Product
Description |
| Removes powder, other firing residues,
oil, grease and plastic streaking with a
blast of solvent, citrus oil, and carbon
dioxide (CO2). It is non-toxic and
non-abrasive for a safer environment. Safe
to use with all types of firearms. This
works immediately and leaves metal parts
greaseless, oil free and with a pleasant
citrus odor. |
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If you want to cut down on how long it takes you to
clean a rifle or pistol there is nothing like using Break-Free
Powder Blast Gun Cleaner-Degreaser. Matter a fact most
of the time after spraying everything down there is not
much left to clean. For any gas operated weapon
or especially a direct gas impingement type of weapon
like the AR this cleaner really helps break down the
carbon residue left behind from firing. It is perfect
for dry cleaning of the gas system (not leaving any oil
to capture carbon fouling). I just spray a bit into the
gas tube from the receiver end. The little flexible tube
installed in the spray nozzle really helps make this
easy. Then I run a AR pipe cleaner (covered below) and
my gas tube is clean and ready for my next bout of
shooting. It is a little pricey but it does not take a lot
to do the job so it lasts a while. Most gun stores and
Midway USA carry it in stock. |
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Figure 3 |
| Spraying down my AR with Break-Free
Powder Blast Gun Cleaner-Degreaser . |
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Figure 4 |
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AR-15 Chamber Guide Part #
ARR069 |
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Manufacturer Product
Description |
| Required to correctly clean the AR15
rifle, fits in the chamber to clean the
rifle from the breech end and prevents
damage to the barrel crown, rifling and
chamber, use your standard cleaning rod and
enhance your accuracy and weapon life.
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I like to use a cleaning jag when cleaning the bore of a
rifle. The AR is no exception. The AR is though a
difficult beast to wrangle a patch and the cleaning rod
with a jag on the end. My fingers just do not fit very
easily into the receiver. I have found that the AR is the one rifle that
using a chamber or bore guide is a must when cleaning. I
picked up the guide I am using in the article from
Cheaper than Dirt for under $20 and it is very well
made and is a very tight fit with my receivers. Whatever chamber guide you choose it
will make it easier to clean your bore. |
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Figure 5 |
| Trying to insert a patch for a jag to
push through. |
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Figure 6 |
| Inserting the chamber guide. |
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Figure 7 |
| Now easily pushing a patch though with a
jag. |
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Figure 8 |
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Break-Free CLP (Bore Cleaning Solvent,
Lubricant, Rust Preventative) |
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Manufacturer Product
Description |
| Break-Free CLP is a unique formulation
of synthetic oils and proprietary
ingredients which combine to accomplish 3
important tasks simultaneously: Clean,
Lubricate and Protect (CLP). Penetrates
metal surfaces to clean all residue and
contamination. Long-lasting lubricating film
dramatically reduces adhesion of sand, grit
or other abrasives, and corrosion inhibitors
prevent the formation of rust. |
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What is CLP? |
| MIL-L-63460
is a United States Military Specification for a
type of cleaner, lubricant, and preservative for
weapons and weapons systems. This product is for
use in cleaning, lubricating and short-term
preservation of both small and large caliber
military weapons. CLP is
a highly penetrating, mobile liquid and is
intended for field application to satisfy the
complete need of cleaning, lubricating, and
short term preservation of military weapons. CLP
facilitates the effective removal of firing
residues, gums and other contaminants from
weapon components while providing lubrication
and short term preservation for reliable weapons
operation. CLP must function, as specified,
within a temperature range of -51 to +71 °C (-60
to +160 °F).
CLP was developed and is manufactured by
Break-Free, a company based out of Jacksonville,
Florida. |
| Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleaner,_Lubricant,_Preservative |
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The U.S. Army states the following about CLP: CLP -
Cleaner, Lubricant and Preservative - does three things
at once:
- It contains solvants to dissolve firing residue
and carbon.
- It lays down a layer of Teflon as it dries to
provide lubrication.
- It prevents rust from forming.
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Figure 9 |
| Cleaning and lubricating my chamber with my CLP! |
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CLP is just a great all around product especially for
the person not wanting to use a lot of different
cleaners, solvents, chemicals, etc to clean and
lubricate a firearm. After using Powder Blast I spray
CLP into my chamber and on my patches that I push down
my bore with a jag. They I run my bore brush through the
length of the bore to loosen things up. CLP quickly
cleans up anything the Powder Blast left behind and all
I have to do is keep pushing CLP wet patches down until
they come out clean. Then I push a few dry patches
through and I have a clean and lubricated bore. |
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Figure 10 |
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Dewey Rifle Chamber Brush
and Rod AR-15 223 Caliber 8 x 32 Female
Thread |
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Manufacturer Product
Description |
| Specifically designed for the proper
maintenance of your AR chamber. Allows
cleaning of recesses and hard to reach areas
that attract grit and powder residue. This
combo includes the Dewey Fixed Handle 9 1/2"
Brass Rod and the Dewey Chamber Brush. A
must-have for owners of AR-style rifles.
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The AR chamber is a very difficult area to clean.
First you need a two part chamber brush. The front part
is an oversized brush that cleans the inside of the
chamber (where the case of the cartridge is inserted
when the weapon is loaded). The rear part of the brush
is a large brush that clean the face of the breach or
chamber. Last you need a fixed handle short cleaning
rod. For this it is really hard to go wrong with
products made by Dewey. The rod and brush combo I use
can be found at
Midway USA. |
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Figure 11 |
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Dewey Rifle Chamber Brush Double
Diameter AR-15 Style 22 Caliber 8 x 32 Male
Thread Bronze |
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Manufacturer Product
Description |
| Specifically designed for the proper
maintenance of your AR chamber. Allows
cleaning of recesses and hard to reach areas
that attract grit and powder residue. A
must-have for owners of AR style rifles.
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Figure 12 |
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Inserting my chamber brush. |
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Figure 13 |
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Dewey Rifle Chamber Mop 223 Caliber
AR-15 8 x 32 Thread Cotton |
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Manufacturer Product
Description |
| Easily remove oil, grease and excess
solvent from your chamber with these cotton
chamber mops that feature a brass core and
coupling. |
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Once you are finished cleaning the chamber, it is time
to remove all of the grit and dirt you freed up, and any
excess solvent. I used two different products for
this task. The first is a Dewey Ar-15 chamber mop that
you insert and twist around a couple times and you have
a clean and serviceable chamber. Another really
ingenious product I use in conjunction with my chamber
mop is a product made by CJ Weapons, the Barrel
Extension and Lug Recess Swabs. They do make a special
cleaning rod for this but if you already have one like I
do all you need to do is stick the swab on the end of a
.223 cleaning brush and insert into the star like lug
recesses and spin around. Both the Dewey chamber mop and
CJ Weapons Swabs can be found at
Midway USA. |
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Figure 14 |
| Inserting my chamber mop. |
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Figure 15 |
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CJ Weapons Barrel
Extension and Lug Recess Swabs |
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Manufacturer Product
Description |
| CJ Weapons Barrel Extension and Lug
Recess Swabs AR-15 223 Remington Package of
20 |
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Figure 16 |
| My CJ Swab installed on the end of a
.223 cleaning brush. |
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Figure 17 |
| My CJ Swab inserted in my Barrel
Extension and Lug Recess. |
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Figure 18 |
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Pipe Cleaners for AR-15
Gas Tube Package of 20 |
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Manufacturer Product
Description |
| Extra long pipe cleaners for cleaning
the entire inside diameter of the gas tube.
Pack of 20. |
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Last but not least most folks that shoot an AR or M-16
probably know about using extra long pipe cleaners that
are available from just about any place that sells AR
cleaning supplies. A package of 20 runs less than $6 and
you really cannot effectively clean your gas tube
without one. I use a pipe cleaner to clean all of the
holes in the bolt carrier, including the gas key and
hand guard retaining ring. |
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Figure 19 |
| Cleaning my gas tube. |
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Figure 20 |
| I use a pipe cleaner to clean all of the
holes in the bolt carrier, including the gas
key and hand guard retaining ring. |
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I am sure I have only scratched the surface of specialized
cleaning tools for the AR type rifle. Cleaning can be a
difficult and is most certainly an important task if you want to
maintain a rifle in useful order. The list I have given above is
a good start. |
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Adobe PDF
Downloadable Version of Article |
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