Just realized that the hand guard on the M&P 15-22 doesnt come off (well the OM doesnt say or show how, lol)...wondering how to oil the ouside of barrel under handguard when its needed to prevent oxidation.

My 15-22 is a year and a half old and has about 12k through it. I've never done anything to Thr portion of the barrel under the quad rail and there no rust or anything else on it. BTW, blued steel doesn't corrode or oxidize.

If you are really bothered, stick a large mop on a cleaning rod and use that to wipe down the barrel.

Pop off the handguard end cap, wrap a cloth around a wooden dowel, spray with oil, stick the dowel between the barrel and handguard.

Yes, that would give enuf clearance to do the job...I will try to remove the end cap next time I clean the rifle!

Thanks!

pop off the end cap, and insert a piece of rolled up paper, allow to expand. spray lightly, and then simply wipe off by rolling the paper tighter around the barrel and gently/slowly pulling up.

Any trick to removing the end cap from the hand guard?

End cap is plastic, just push the tabs down and push end cap out.

Uh, blued steel will oxidize and rust. True, the black oxide will slow down the process, but it will still rust.


I pop out the end cover and run a heavily oiled rag down inside every once in a while.

Didn't say it wouldn't rust. And it takes some pretty long, bad storage to oxidize.

I have blued firearms that are 40 years old with no rust or oxidation and the only real attention the outsides get is wiping down with a silicone rag twice a year, for those I don't shoot much.

Rust is a form of iron oxide. Blued steel will oxidize. Blued steel will certainly rust.
If you've duck hunted in a salt water marsh you can watch rust form from the salt air. It doesn't take long. Take it from someone that lives in South Texas.

Never noticed that, thanks!