What Do You Need To Clean A 22 Rifle

AR 15 Cleaning and Maintenance

How do I ready for AR xv care?

How to unload my AR fifteen?

How do I field strip my AR 15?

How do I clean my AR fifteen?

How practice I inspect and lubricate my AR 15?

How exercise I reassemble my AR 15?

How do I role bank check my AR fifteen?

Where tin I observe more data most AR 15 life?

Knowing how to properly clean and maintain an AR 15 burglarize is a large part of owning 1. The more than you shoot, the dirtier your gun will get. The dirtier your gun gets, the more likely you'll experience a malfunction. Also, you need to audit your rifle every once in a while for damage. What better time to do information technology than when you clean it?

Cleaning an AR 15 is like cleaning any other rifle. Yous scrub away dirt and carbon from key components with a brush and then wipe away residue with an oiled textile. Still, if you're a new AR owner, that's easier said than washed. Therefore, this article will cover how to clean and maintain an AR fifteen burglarize. I'll discuss gear y'all'll need, disassembly, cardinal parts, inspection, cleaning, reassembly, and how to perform a function check.

Before You Begin

There are many ways to make clean an AR-way rifle, simply this is my mode. Some people employ dissimilar solutions, tools, and methods. I use techniques I learned from many years in the U.S. Ground forces, where I served as an infantryman and an armorer, and I also include things I have picked up as a casual shooter.

Before you first, you volition demand a few supplies. These include: a cleaning kit meant for the quotient of your rifle and some cleaning solutions like synthetic gun cleaner, gun oil or grease, copper solvent, and/or bore gel.

Also, make clean your AR in a designated workspace. The ideal location is a place that'south well lit and has a flat surface because you will be handling multiple components, including small-scale parts.

Unload Your AR

AR15 Safety Selector

Safety is of the utmost importance when handling firearms. No matter where you are, at the range, at dwelling, or cleaning your burglarize, y'all should ever follow the four rules of gun condom. Rubber too includes removing all live ammunition from your workspace and unloading your rifle.

Unloading an AR Rifle

Remove the mag from the magazine well.
Lock the bolt to the rear.
Visually and physically inspect the chamber.
If a round is in the chamber, remove it.
Release bolt and put the rifle on safe.

Once yous accept unloaded your burglarize and removed all alive ammunition from your workspace, you can move on to the next step.

Field-Stripping an AR fifteen

Remove Charging Handle

Field stripping an AR 15 rifle is pretty elementary. First, separate the upper receiver from the lower receiver. They're held together by two pins. Second, remove the charging handle and bolt carrier group from the upper receiver, and the buffer and buffer spring from the lower receiver.

Separating the Upper from the Lower

Push out both the front pivot pin and rear takedown pin. These are held in place by detents, so you won't be able to remove them all the way.
Without the takedown pins fully inserted, the upper receiver will detach from the lower receiver.

Removing the Charging Handle and BCG from the Upper

Remove the Bolt

Remove the charging handle and bolt carrier group. These are dissever parts, but when you remove the charging handle, you will pull the BCG out as well.

Disassembling the BCG

Remove the cotter pin from a small-scale hole in the side of the BCG.
Remove the firing pin, which looks like a fencing foil, from the cut out.
Move the bolt in the retracted position and rotate the cam pivot 90 degrees.
Remove the cam pin from the large hole on the side of the BCG.
Remove the commodities from the end of the BCG.
Remove the extractor pin from the bolt (use a punch or the firing pin).
Remove the extractor from the bolt.

Remove the Buffer and Buffer Bound from the Lower

Remove the Buffer and Buffer Spring

Depress the detent in the buffer tube to release the buffer and spring.
Pull the buffer and spring out of the tube completely.
Separate the buffer and buffer spring, and put them aside.

Cleaning the AR 15

ar15 gun cleaner

Cleaning an AR is pretty much wiping each part until all the carbon and fouling are removed. You can do near of it with a cotton cloth, brush, and gun cleaner. Nevertheless, in that location are a few areas that will crave additional tools or solutions. Here's a breakdown of what you'll demand for each component:

Lower Receiver - Apply a foaming cleaner and and then wipe with a cotton cloth. Q-Tips likewise work, but you lot might go cotton fibers everywhere.
Bolt - Spray with any gun cleaner and then scrub with a brush and/or contumely scraper.
Extractor - Wipe with a cotton fiber cloth, only exist cautious around the spring and nylon bushing.
Bolt Carrier - Clean with either a cotton cloth or brush.
Bolt Cam Pin - Wipe with a cotton fiber cloth.
Charging Handle - Clean with a cotton cloth and brush.
Upper Receiver - Clean with a cotton wool cloth and brush.
Buffer - Wipe with a cotton fiber cloth.
Buffer Spring - Wipe with a cotton fiber textile.

Lastly, you have to clean the inside of the barrel, what's called the bore. This is a more involved procedure that involves bore patches, gun oil, rods, and a brass castor.

Cleaning the Barrel Bore

ar15 ar 030

Run a patch soaked with a carbon cleaner or bore gel through the bore using a dial rod.
Insert the rod into the barrel starting from the chamber and punch forward through the muzzle. Echo this step a few times.
Attach the brass brush to the rod and dial the rod through the bore starting from the sleeping room and all the manner through to the muzzle. Repeat a few times.
Next, run dry patches through the diameter until they come out clean.
Afterward, I follow up with a patch soaked with a copper solvent. I use ammonia free solvent because ammonia is extremely corrosive. It can destroy a barrel when not properly mopped up. Therefore, I follow up with dry patches likewise.
Once the diameter is completely clean and dry, put lubricant on a make clean patch and dial information technology through the butt. You should use a lite glaze of oil to protect the diameter from rust.

Inspecting and Lubricating an AR 15

Before reassembling your AR rifle, you lot should inspect each part for harm.. During inspection, pay special attending to these key areas:

Bolt confront - look for pitting or corrosion.
Bolt - Make sure gas rings are intact and not aptitude.
Bolt Carrier and Key - make sure key is properly staked and the screws are tight.
Buffer - check for cracks.

Afterward, fix or replace any unserviceable components and then lubricate metal components then they office properly and are protected from rust. Lubrication requires applying a lite coat of oil.

Reassembling an AR xv

cleaning an ar15-2

I typically put the burglarize back together in contrary order.

Install the buffer and buffer spring into the buffer tube.
Install the extractor and extractor pin. Utilize slight downward force per unit area to the extractor while installing the pivot.
Insert the bolt into the bolt carrier.
Install the cam pivot. The bolt must be oriented so that the extractor is visible in the cam pivot channel. The cam will only go in i way, so if it does not fit into the commodities, rotate it 180 degrees and try again.
Rotate the cam xc degrees and install the firing pin.
Install the cotter pin.
Extend the commodities and install the charging handle and bolt carrier associates in the upper receiver.
Join upper and lower receivers, and push the take down pins dorsum in identify.

Role Cheque an AR 15

how to clean an ar15

Earlier doing anything, inspect your assembled AR 15 burglarize. Wait over the entire gun, from muzzle to buttstock, for any loose parts. Pay close attention to the pistol grip, buttstock, and muzzle device. If everything feels secure, move on to the function check.

A function check ensures that the rifle was assembled properly and information technology'southward too a good way to check for worn parts. During the function cheque, again, proceed the gun unloaded and follow all four gun safety rules.

Place the selector switch on fire and clasp and concur down the trigger. Y'all should hear the hammer strike the firing pin.
While keeping the trigger depressed, pull the charging handle fully to the rear and let it go to reset the hammer.
Release the trigger. Yous should hear a mechanical click. This is the disconnector releasing the hammer onto the trigger. If you practice non hear a click, or the hammer completely falls onto the firing pivot, y'all take a worn disconnector, hammer, or trigger and they demand to be replaced.
Place the selector switch on prophylactic and try to pull the trigger. The hammer should not fall. If it does, there is a trouble with your selector switch and/or trigger.

Life with an AR xv

Learning how to clean and maintain your AR 15 is a large part of owning one, but it's just ane function. If you want to know more about life with an AR 15, cheque out our other articles like How to Build a Lower Receiver, How to Build an Upper Receiver, and AR Accessories.