How To Oil An Ar 15

How To Clean an AR 15 – Consummate Guide (Videos + Pictures)

And then y'all just bought your very first AR-15 and took it out for some practice shooting. Now y'all've blasted your way through a couple boxes of ammunition and information technology's time to take your new firearm home. Merely what comes adjacent? Yous're gonna need to know how to make clean your AR 15, but you're non sure how. Possibly you lot've pulled the pins and detached your upper and lower receivers. Where practice you go from here? You're about to learn how to clean an AR15 step by step.

It may seem like a daunting task, maybe even a bit confusing.

I assure yous, it's not. And in this epic guide to AR xv cleaning and maintenance, I'll teach you lot everything you need to know.

When you're done reading this, you'll be able to take your AR15 autonomously, make clean it thoroughly, and put it back together again with ease and satisfaction.

Let's jump right into information technology.

one Become Nifty Guns and Ammo Deals!
2 Steps on How To Clean an AR 15
iii AR-15 Cleaning Kits
4 AR fifteen Cleaning Brushes and Bore Snakes
v AR-xv O-Ring Failure
6 How To Clean an AR-xv – Conclusion
7 Recommended Reading

Become Great Guns and Ammo Deals!

Steps on How To Clean an AR 15

Step #one – Tools for Cleaning a AR 15

Yous'll need to get the tools necessary to clean your AR-15.

If you already ain a handgun or a standard rifle, yous should already have almost everything yous need to make clean your AR-fifteen. This is bold that you're a responsible gun possessor who knows to clean your firearms regularly.

The but key tool yous'll need to option upward for your AR-15 is a bore brush for your specific caliber. Don't worry, y'all won't spend an arm and a leg on cleaning tools. On the opposite, a good bore brush can exist institute for under five bucks.

Brownells sells an AR-fifteen chamber brush for just $6.99 and information technology tin can as well exist used to clean an M16.

BROWNELLS - M16 & AR-15 CHAMBER BRUSHES

AR-15 Cleaning Kits

If, for some reason, you don't already have cleaning tools, you can put together your own AR-15 cleaning kit or shop around for a pre-prepared cleaning kit.

Cabelas offers an AR-15 cleaning kit that comes with everything you need including the same bore brushes, a slotted patch tip, a punch pin and a rifle mop. Information technology generally retails for around 35 bucks.

Real Avid Gun Dominate AR15 Gun Cleaning Tool Kit

Real Avid Gun Boss AR15 Gun Cleaning Tool Kit

So is it meliorate you lot just go out and buy 1 or are you better of building your ain?

This ultimately comes down to personal preference.

If you just want a basic kit and yous don't plan on using your gun on a frequent basis, y'all may exist happy with a pre-made cleaning kit.

On the other paw, if yous are a loftier-volume shooter, you're going to want a comprehensive kit for cleaning your AR15.

There are pros and cons to buying a pre-fabricated cleaning kit. For starters, most of them aren't as in-depth as the kind you could put together on your own. And while at that place are some decent options on the market, they won't be of much assistance if you lot're a competitive shooter.

Tiptop five picks for pre-prepared AR-15 cleaning kits:

	Production Name	Where to Buy
	Marksman Precision Universal Gun Cleaning Kit
	Existent Avid Gun Boss AR-15 Cleaning Kit
	Militaria M16 & AR-15 Cleaning Kit
	Precision Tactical Gun Maintenance Brass Cleaning Kit w/ Wood Box
	DAC Winchester Super Deluxe Soft Sided Gun Care Case

Marksman Precision Universal Gun Cleaning Kit ($79.99)
Existent Avid Gun Boss AR-fifteen Cleaning Kit ($27.99)
Militaria M16 & AR-15 Cleaning Kit ($fifteen.99)
Outers Gun Maintenance Contumely Cleaning Kit w/ Forest Box ($41.95)
DAC Winchester Super Deluxe Soft Sided Gun Care Case ($47.54)

When purchasing whatever of these viable options, y'all want to make certain that they incorporate the right size diameter brushes and snakes, and all other tools that your AR-fifteen requires. You'll want to match your caliber to the caliber size of the cleaning kit tools.

Alternately, if you decide to build your own cleaning kit, y'all're going to want to choice up a sizeable tackle box to business firm all your cleaning accessories.

Personally, I utilize a Plano 3-Tray Tackle Box with Dual Top Access. It's super affordable at just under xv bucks and it's got plenty of compartments for a variety of tool sizes.

Yous may also desire to pick up a gun cleaning mat. They go for around twenty dollars so they don't pause your depository financial institution, but if you're feeling frugal, you tin just as easily go along a tablecloth or white sheet around.

AR fifteen Cleaning Brushes and Bore Snakes

Moving on, yous're going to want to buy your brushes and bore snakes/rods. For near gun owners opting to build their own kit, it's in their best interest to buy several smaller kits and combine them to build a sort of "Frankenkit."

Hither are some kits that include many of the items you'll need for AR-xv maintenance:

	Product Proper noun	Where to Purchase
	Gunmaster 223/v.56 AR Burglarize Cleaning Kit
	Marksman Precision Universal Gun Cleaning Kit
	Otis Modern Sporting Burglarize & AR Cleaning System

Gunmaster 223/5.56 AR Burglarize Cleaning Kit ($18.99)
Marksman Precision Universal Gun Cleaning Kit ($88.98)
Otis Modern Sporting Rifle & AR Cleaning System ($fifty.24)

These kits include the brushes, punches, bore snakes and sundry other items y'all'll need for cleaning your AR-xv. They may include lube, solvents and clean patches. If you don't know how to use a bore serpent, our detailed guide might assistance you.

If you desire to go the actress mile and enter into the realm of gunsmithing, you lot can go a more than in-depth punch gear up such as the Ultimate Arms Roll Pin Dial Set ($19.99) or Grace U.s.'s Ultimate 27-piece Punch Set ($206.99).

Another good tool to take is the AR-15 Gun Vise ($119.99) which secures your gun while working on it without marring the weapon.

Every bit for lubes, here are some of my favorite lubricants and cleaning solvents for maintaining the AR-xv:

	Product Proper name	Where to Buy
	Remington Rem Oil
	Hoppe's No. 9 Gun Diameter Cleaner
	Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber
	Ballistol Multi-Purpose Aerosol Tin Lubricant Cleaner Protectant

Remington Rem Oil ($6.50)
Hoppe'due south No. ix Gun Bore Cleaner ($17.71)
Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber ($18.99)
Ballistol Multi-Purpose Aerosol Tin Lubricant Cleaner Protectant ($31.47)

Rem Oil is great at removing grime and removing moisture that causes rust and corrosion to develop. The Teflon-based formula reduces metal-to-metal wear which is good if y'all store your AR-15 with other firearms that come in contact with it.

Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber works to eliminate jamming and improve accurateness. It'south a adept spray to go along around because it can exist used on any firearm.

Ballistol Multi-Purpose Aerosol Tin Lubricant dissolves traces of copper, pb, black powder residue and contumely, protecting your firearm from these and other harmful elements. It reduces acerbity and is great to keep around the firm for full general household maintenance (it works on leather, forest surfaces, etc.).

Ballistol Multi-Purpose Aerosol Can

Stride #2 – Articulate Your AR 15 Earlier Cleaning

At present you're going to want to prep your cleaning expanse and clear your firearm. Remember, don't ever begin the cleaning process without first making sure that your magazine is empty or removed and your chamber is empty.

If this is your first time clearing a firearm, here are the basic measures you need to take:

Point the rifle away from yourself in a condom direction
Remove the rifle's mag
Lock the bolt to the rear
Audit the chamber and remove any ammo that may exist in information technology
Release the bolt
Identify the weapon safely on your cleaning area

Lay out a cleaning mat or tablecloth (bed sheet, whatever) and put on a pair of gloves. I like to social club Diamond Grip Microflex gloves in bulk. A box goes for $25 and contains 300 gloves per box.

Diamond Grip Microflex. AR 15 Cleaning Gloves

Microflex gloves are good all-purpose gloves, whether you're changing the oil on your truck or cleaning out your gutters. They'll also relieve you the trouble of trying to go gun oil off your fingers. And too, some cleaning chemicals can be toxic.

Once your gloves are on and your AR-15 is laid out, you're gonna want to remove all ammunition from the tabular array.

Step #3 – Cleaning Your AR 15

Separate the upper receiver from the lower receiver. Push your take-down pins out and pull the halves apart. Have care with the tool yous use to dissever and remove them as you may run the adventure of scratching your burglarize's finish.

Upper and lower receiver

A nylon punch is the best road to go when separating your receivers.

Pace #four – Remove Charging Handle and BCG

Bolt carrier group

Remove your charging handle and commodities carrier grouping. There are helpful how-to videos on YouTube for newbies that are cleaning their AR-15 for the commencement time. Click here to check out i of the simpler explanations of how to remove your charging handle.

Step #v – Disassemble BCG

Then you're going to disassemble your bolt carrier grouping. You start by pushing the commodities to the rear and removing the firing pin, retaining the pivot with your pick tool.

In one case you've removed the firing pin and gear up it bated, you'll and so rotate the cam pivot by xc degrees and take it out. While the bolt is supposed to slide out, you lot may have some problem your offset time out. Here's a helpful video for disassembling your commodities carrier grouping.

Step #six – Cleaning Your AR15 Remove Extractor

Now yous're going to detach the bolt using a punch and a mallet to extract the extractor pin. From here, you'll accept out the extractor and set up information technology aside for later.

Step #7 – Buffer Pin and Spring

Buffer spring and pin

With your punch, you're going to remove the buffer and buffer bound from your buffer tube. Be sure to take care when pushing down with your punch equally the retainer is under pressure level.

Again, there are useful tutorials on YouTube that should assistance you get started.

Step #8 – Clean Barrel Back to Front!!!

Once the buffer and buffer spring are removed and set aside, you're going to clean the chamber and barrel. Everyone has their ain way of doing it, then you lot'll probable develop your own method.

Just brand sure that, no matter what method yous use, you are careful to make clean each of them from back to forepart. NOT front end to back. Back to front end. This is considering yous want to exist certain that all debris leaves the barrel. No thing what, you do NOT clean your AR-15 from cage to chamber.

At present's a skillful time to add some of that Bore Cleaner to your rifle.

Step Nine – Make clean BCG

Give all components of your commodities carrier group a skillful in one case over. Keep an centre out for whatever carbon buildup. If there'southward build upwardly, make sure to scrub information technology vigorously.

Clean the extractor thoroughly with a white rag then you can see what's coming off of it.

Step #10 – Make clean Buffer Assembly

Later this, you'll clean your buffer assembly, squirting a little lube on a clean rag and wiping the whole matter down. Once you've wiped then buffer and spring, you're proficient to go.

Stride #xi – Make clean Charging Handle and Upper

At present you're gonna clean the charging handle and upper receiver with a lightly oiled rag. I like to keep at least four rags around when cleaning my rifles because yous don't have to go along running back and along, washing oil and debris off one rag between steps.

If you've cleaned your charging handle and upper receiver properly, the charging handle should move inside the upper receiver with ease.

Step #12 – Clean Lower Assembly

Here, you'll clean your lower receiver and FCG (Fire Control Group). If you lot don't know what your fire command grouping is, take a look at this.

You desire to make sure that there are no cracks on the hammer or the lower.

Step #13 – Putting it All Dorsum Together

You've washed it, my friend. Now it'south time to put it all back together again. You're going to reassemble your rifle working backwards from step twelve.

Step #xiv – More than Lube

After your rifle is intact once once again, you may want to lubricate it. Everything from your charging handle to your bolt carrier grouping should receive a lite coating of oil. When you're done, it should exist gleaming.

Your fire command group, commodities catch button, mag release and prophylactic selector should all receive a drib or two of lube.

Step #15 – AR 15 – Part Bank check

Last footstep on how to clean an AR-15. This is when you should perform a function check. Look around and brand certain there is no ammo laying effectually. It should notwithstanding be safely secured and stored abroad.

Like y'all did at the beginning, pick up your burglarize and point information technology in a safe management. Pull the commodities to the rear and release it. Place your safety on and requite the trigger a proficient squeeze. If the hammer drops, you're in problem. If the hammer doesn't drop, you're in the clear.

Take the safety off, railroad train your firearm on a safe target and pull the trigger. If the hammer falls, you lot're all set.

You've done it, the difficult function is over. From here, you should clean your magazine the same fashion y'all cleaned your buffer assembly (come across: above).

When information technology comes to maintenance, you should consult with the manufacturer of your AR-fifteen to determine the precise maintenance schedule you should keep for your firearm. All guns are dissimilar in this regard.

AR-15 O-Ring Failure

The average failure that occurs with most rifles is the O-ring being compromised. If your rifle develops a problem with its bolt carrier group or other components, be sure to piece of work on that area first and foremost.

E'er keep your rifle lubricated and you should be alright. Lubrication is key to burglarize maintenance.

Always audit all components during each cleaning.

How To Make clean an AR-15 – Decision

There you become, that's most everything y'all need to know about cleaning and maintaining an AR-xv. See, I told you it was simpler than you idea. If yous follow these steps on how to clean an AR-15, you lot should have a long and positive experience with your AR-15 rifle.

Be certain to take your time when cleaning and pay attention to the status of all components. Happy hunting.

Forgot to mention – love your AR? Every idea of upgrading your setup and getting the best scope possible?

How To Oil An Ar 15

How To Clean an AR 15 – Consummate Guide (Videos + Pictures)

Become Great Guns and Ammo Deals!