Gun cleaning sucks!

[hobiecat590]

In our patrol rifle class we shot a couple thousand rounds in a week. We were told to run the BCG wet. I was never an AR guy before this class, so I didn't understand what they meant and put on more oil than my Glock needs and thought I was fine.

Before lunch day 1, I had numerous malfunctions. Broke down the gun on the range, the BCG was dry and gritty.

At lunch I cleaned it and had it dripping oil. It was disgusting shooting after lunch, oil was spraying everywhere for the first couple of shots... but I didn't have any more malfunctions. We were laying down in the dirt, getting those rifles pretty messy too.

End of the day the BCG was black, but not at all gritty. Cleaned and saturated it with oil for day 2, then 3, then 4 and never an issue.

Yes, my AR BCGs get soaked before they get shot.


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Thanks for the advice. I really thought the BCG soaking advocates were joking. Would Ballistol do or something like Amzoil Signature 5/30?

 

[Speed3]

Regular motor oil is what i use and its fine

 

[gwchem]

I just use mobil 1 synthetic 5w30.

 

[outrider58]

I do the olive jar oil dunk on all my AR BCGs. Dunk it into the jar making sure the level of oil is deeper than rear of the firing pin. Let it soak for about a half a minute, then using the gas key, I hang it on the mouth of the jar and let it hang there for a minute or so. Then, into the gun it goes.

 

[linkstate]

Thanks for the advice. I really thought the BCG soaking advocates were joking. Would Ballistol do or something like Amzoil Signature 5/30?

Ballistol has its place but in situations where you want your lube to stay wet, it’s not a good choice.

Even a heavy application of Ballistol will “dry out” fairly quickly. Yes it leaves behind some lubricating and protective properties but not enough for the application in question IMO.

 

[rbird7282]

In our patrol rifle class we shot a couple thousand rounds in a week. We were told to run the BCG wet. I was never an AR guy before this class, so I didn't understand what they meant and put on more oil than my Glock needs and thought I was fine.

Before lunch day 1, I had numerous malfunctions. Broke down the gun on the range, the BCG was dry and gritty.

At lunch I cleaned it and had it dripping oil. It was disgusting shooting after lunch, oil was spraying everywhere for the first couple of shots... but I didn't have any more malfunctions. We were laying down in the dirt, getting those rifles pretty messy too.

End of the day the BCG was black, but not at all gritty. Cleaned and saturated it with oil for day 2, then 3, then 4 and never an issue.

Yes, my AR BCGs get soaked before they get shot.


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Yep, this is the way


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[rbird7282]

Thanks for the advice. I really thought the BCG soaking advocates were joking. Would Ballistol do or something like Amzoil Signature 5/30?

Mobil 1 oil works great


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[emerald]

Project Farm did an interesting run down on some popular CLP products:

 

[willtill]

I just have to ask... it's eff'ing killing me....

How many of you oil your ammunition too?

 

[outrider58]

I just have to ask... it's eff'ing killing me....

How many of you oil your ammunition too?

I prefer a nice carnauba wax...

 

[teratos]

I just have to ask... it's eff'ing killing me....

How many of you oil your ammunition too?

I do use NuFinish on the final tumble of my brass.

 

[willtill]

I do use NuFinish on the final tumble of my brass.

Now I have done that. When I reloaded .50BMG

 

[outrider58]

I do use NuFinish on the final tumble of my brass.

Same here.

 

[lazarus]

JFC give it a rest already.

I am highly entertained by it. :-)

I mean, if American civilization and society are going to collapse because people have learned that compulsively cleaning guns on every range trip is actually bad for them...does it really deserve to endure?

Or even...have decided nothing will be harmed, even if nothing is gained by not cleaning, so they prioritize that time with their family, or earning a living? That's usually what I spend my ~5 minutes a firearm X however many I just took to the range. Which often means half an hour of time saved per range trip I can spend with my family or getting back to work and earning a living. Or it is time shifting, that half an hour getting to jump back into other things is a half an hour I can use on something else later. Like reloading, which saves money on not buying commercial ammo.

Little did I know the veneer of society was so thin that not spending more time cleaning than shooting my guns was going to cause it to crack and shatter.

 

[lazarus]

In our patrol rifle class we shot a couple thousand rounds in a week. We were told to run the BCG wet. I was never an AR guy before this class, so I didn't understand what they meant and put on more oil than my Glock needs and thought I was fine.

Before lunch day 1, I had numerous malfunctions. Broke down the gun on the range, the BCG was dry and gritty.

At lunch I cleaned it and had it dripping oil. It was disgusting shooting after lunch, oil was spraying everywhere for the first couple of shots... but I didn't have any more malfunctions. We were laying down in the dirt, getting those rifles pretty messy too.

End of the day the BCG was black, but not at all gritty. Cleaned and saturated it with oil for day 2, then 3, then 4 and never an issue.

Yes, my AR BCGs get soaked before they get shot.


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Mine do on initial assembly. Some high temp lithium grease on the high wear points of the BCG and then just dunk it in 0W20 synthetic oil. Then leave it in another jar for an hour or so to let the excess run off. Reassemble. My ARs don't get that high usage, but when I do clean them up thoroughly I'll spray it down with carb cleaner and then repeat that lube procedure. Never had a failure on any of them in the 3-4k rounds I've put through all my ARs over the years. Only my 16" have I cleaned off and relubed the BCG probably around 2k rounds and 4 or 5 years of ownership. Wiping out the upper and a patch through the barrel is maybe a 1k round process for me with a pull through patch. Usually the BCG doesn't seem like it needs anything at that point.

And yeah, a freshly shot, newly assembled AR lubed with the dunk likes to spray oil the first few shots. I make sure to have a spare pair of shooting glasses so that after the first magazine I can swap safety glasses and clean the first pair off when I get home.

 

[lazarus]

I just have to ask... it's eff'ing killing me....

How many of you oil your ammunition too?

Oil no, but lead gets lubricated.

 

[lazarus]

Mobil 1 oil works great


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Really any oil can work. Synthetic will work better and lower viscosity will generally work best. Higher viscosity will provide some increased level of protection, but over a reasonable lifespan of the gun, not really worth while IMHO.

A higher viscosity of oil CAN cause issues if the gun is running close to the edge of functioning, because it is more viscose and thus more drag.

A high viscosity oil would be a BAD idea if used in very cold weather. Realistically though, the differences are minor. A 20w50 would be a bad choice, be realistically is only a 20C difference on the cold end than a 0W20 is. And the pour point is already well below 0C.

But you know, if you are going to be hunting wolf with an AR in Alaska in the winter time, then selecting an oil that is a 0 weight on the low end is a better idea. Actually there, if really using well under 0F, you'd probably want to switch to a dry lube.

 

[willtill]

I am highly entertained by it. :-)

I mean, if American civilization and society are going to collapse because people have learned that compulsively cleaning guns on every range trip is actually bad for them...does it really deserve to endure?

Or even...have decided nothing will be harmed, even if nothing is gained by not cleaning, so they prioritize that time with their family, or earning a living? That's usually what I spend my ~5 minutes a firearm X however many I just took to the range. Which often means half an hour of time saved per range trip I can spend with my family or getting back to work and earning a living. Or it is time shifting, that half an hour getting to jump back into other things is a half an hour I can use on something else later. Like reloading, which saves money on not buying commercial ammo.

Little did I know the veneer of society was so thin that not spending more time cleaning than shooting my guns was going to cause it to crack and shatter.

I said (meant to convey) that it's ONE of the many reasons why our society is collapsing. Not the sole reason.

Death from a thousand cuts. It's happening.

 

[rbird7282]

A study on weapon lubrication from Aberdeen Proving Grounds

Heavy lubrication shown to improve M16, M4 effectiveness - Military News, news from Iraq, photos, reports from the war - Military Times

US Military News. Exclusive, original, in-depth, late breaking military news and analysis - Military Times

web.archive.org

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[outrider58]

I said (meant to convey) that it's ONE of the many reasons why our society is collapsing. Not the sole reason.

Death from a thousand cuts. It's happening.

It may not be a reason(as you said), but could be a sign or symbol. A simptom. Definitely not a cause.