recommend a bolt cleaning tool

[ogfarmer 138]

A couple 4 min cycles once the water is hot

[olderguy 0]

A couple 4 min cycles once the water is hot

Thanks.  Any problem running other parts(i.e. polymer parts) through it?

[Lalo 13]

Primary Arms has a sale on the Talon Scraper and M4 CAT tool.

 

https://www.primaryarms.com/High-Sierra-Group-CAT-AR15-Tool-Bolt-Carrier-C-p/catm4.htm - $19.99

https://www.primaryarms.com/High-Sierra-Group-TALON-Field-Kit-p/talonkit.htm - $49.95

[Wastegate 9]

Hoppe's and  cheap tupperware.  Let soak over night or for a day or two.  Remove and wipe clean.

[NYMetsFan86 9]

I am open to new ideas when they work better and faster than the way I am doing things currently.

 

When I can clean my bolt to a satisfactiry condition without any risk of damage to my parts and reassemble my rifle by the time you have chucked up the Dremel, that is ineffecient and not a new idea worth adopting. IMO

 

I have seen more weapons damaged by over-enthusiastic cleaning than by leaving them a little bit dirty, just sayin'

 

 

please elaborate when you get a chance. I want to make sure im not scratching the NiB coating of of the bolt or damaging anything. I have used a tiny brass bristled brush but am switching to a toothbrush...is the brass to abbrasive?

[mipafox 438]

 

Just FYI, Carbon on the bolt tail is no big deal and you can actually do more damage to the bolt cleaning it too enthusiastically than the carbon itself will ever do. A quick spritz of some of the cleaner of your choice and a wipe with a rag relatively soon after shooting will suffice for function and reliability purposes.

 

 

^This.

 

If you never clean the carbon off the bolt tail, it will never have any effect on the performance of your rifle.

[raz-0 1,259]

Well, I finally got a some spare time to do some gun maintenance, and got to play with the cat m-4 and the Otis bone.

 

The cat cleans the tail more effectively over the whole surface. They do about the same to the surface right behind the gas rings. The bone cleans the inside of the carrier MUCH better where the gas rings seat. The cat reaches all the way back, which the bone does not, but you are basically wiggling it around while twisting it to knock off the big chunks. I didn't have any firing pins that were excessively dirty, the cat got it a little cleaner, but I'd consider the difference negligible. The bone can be used as a t handle for threaded cleaning rods. The cat has a hex hole you can in theory put tool bits in. I think that is heavily theoretical.

 

The cat does have corners and a flat bit at the end you can scrape at other bits of the bolt with.

 

The bone is heavier and shorter. The cat is lighter and flatter.

[High Exposure 5,662]

Guy on the team has a CAT tool. I checked it out. If you use the CAT tool to clean inside the carrier and are holding it by the "forked" end, make sure you wear gloves or cover it with a patch/rag. The inside edge of the "fork" is sharp and will cut you. Ask me how I know...

[HavocMan 13]

The only reason to worry about cleaning all the carbon out of an AR is if you're dealing with an OCD afflicted Drill Instructor or armorer, lol.

 

Otherwise, forget it. Wipe it down with some SLiP 2000 and move on.

[checko 180]

The only reason to worry about cleaning all the carbon out of an AR is if you're dealing with an OCD afflicted Drill Instructor or armorer, lol.

 

Otherwise, forget it. Wipe it down with some SLiP 2000 and move on.

 

 

+1

 

I've long since stopped worrying about my guns being spotless.  I haven't had any issues either

[mipafox 438]

Cleaning is more about inspection than cleaning. You got to check your shit. But you don't have to clean it.

 

That being said, if you shoot some weird or dirty ammo you will see a bunch of gunk that should at least be swabbed out. And if you shoot steel case in an AR you probably should clean the chamber. Because AR don't work like that. Then there's corrosive commie or 8MM ammo. You gotta clean.

[raz-0 1,259]

The only reason to worry about cleaning all the carbon out of an AR is if you're dealing with an OCD afflicted Drill Instructor or armorer, lol.

 

Otherwise, forget it. Wipe it down with some SLiP 2000 and move on.

 

The last thing I am worrying about is keeping my AR spotless. However carbon build up in the carrier can affect function, and I've gotten in the habit of giving it a cleaning come winter time when the cold weather reduces gas pressures. I can go at it with solvents, burshes and patches, and the cat tool was more or less useless other than to let me ignore it unless it gave issues in the field and I could see if knocking the big chunks off helped. The Bone actually let me finish the winterizing maintenance on all my AR uppers in the time it'd take me to do one with chemicals. 

 

I also care more now because I built a gamey 3-gun upper with a really aggressive break. That combined with hand loads has lead to some SERIOUS increase int he rate of gunkification of the the upper. anything that creates more back pressure will put more carbon nastiness into the upper.