What's your AR-15 cleaning/lubrication routine?

[BerksCountyDave]

Well I get my new AR tomorrow and I'm wondering what everyone's cleaning/lubrication process involves.

Also, some specific questions:

1. After how many rounds do you feel your AR needs cleaned?
2. Where are all the lubrication points? Any diagrams online?
3. Do you run a patch of oil/CLP down the bore after cleaning it?
4. Is a bore guide absolutely necessary? I have to order one online and I really don't want to wait til it arrives to fire my new baby!

So, what's your cleaning/lube routine?

[Michele]

Tagged....

[Lycanthrope]

Chamber brush with FP-10. Boresnake with FP-10.

Done.

Lycan3minthrope

[spabula]

your suppose to clean these things?!?!?!?!

[antixx]

Bore snake with Hoppes 9 (reapeat a few times), solvent soaked rag inside of upper and lower receiver, solvent soaked q-tips for hard to reach spots. Then I lightly oil the metal to metal contact points with rem-oil and push a rem-oil soaked patch through the bore.

[BerksCountyDave]

How often is it necessary to disassemble the bolt carrier and clean the bolt, firing pin, etc?

[Pete D.]

How often is it necessary to disassemble the bolt carrier and clean the bolt, firing pin, etc?

When it doesn't work. The more you take things apart, the more chance there is that there will be unintended damage.
I use a good bore cleaner - FP-10 works for me too - and the bore snake. So two votes for that routine. I spray TSI301 on the parts that move.
Pete

[BerksCountyDave]

When it doesn't work. The more you take things apart, the more chance there is that there will be unintended damage.
I use a good bore cleaner - FP-10 works for me too - and the bore snake. So two votes for that routine. I spray TSI301 on the parts that move.
Pete

So basically I just clean and lube the outside of the bolt carrier until I get malfunctions and then disassemble it at that point? Sounds good.

Here's what I have on hand:

Hoppe's #9
Shooter's Choice Copper Solvent
Blue Wonder Gun Cleaner
Breakfree CLP
Toilz HD Firearms Grease

I'm thinking shooter's choice for the bore and CLP to lube everything . .. what do you guys think?

[Lycanthrope]

How often is it necessary to disassemble the bolt carrier and clean the bolt, firing pin, etc?

I never had a malfunction from not cleaning the bolt and carrier and I wipe it down after every few hundred rounds or range trip (often over a few hundred rounds). I went over 1000 rounds on my cheapest gun without cleaning to see if it developed any problems....but it ran just fine. I do, however, polish the bolt where the carbon tends to develop with 2000 grit paper and it comes off easily when I need to scrape.

Lycanhatescleaningthrope

[Seventy4Blazer]

umm... being in the military i tend to clean mine less than i have been trained too, BUT its because i dont put a demand on my AR to work. its a fun toy. if SHTF then i will break it out and clean it.

so, on average after 500 or 600 rounds i break it ALL the way down and clean it. it jumps in the shower with me for a cold water rinse after i have cleand it and then it gets cleaned and lubed again.

q-tips hit EVERY crack and crevice. when it is done, it is inspection ready with as close to ZERO dirt in it as can be. then it gets some CLP and put away.