So, the bolt tail....how hard can I scrub that thing to get the **** off of it. I know you can use items like a penny, some sort of blade, etc., but now much do I need to worry about the black coming off?? Can I scrub it with a bronze brush? It seems to be that I COULD get the carbon off, but to do it would require the black coming off, resulting in shiny look. Should I do that? I was in the Army form '76 to '80, but I can't remember how hard we scrubbed, or didn't scrub them.

Doesn't need to be shiny clean.

Take a look at the CATM4 tool. Couple twists, done.

A little bit of steel wool works for me.

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-John

Brass brush won't hurt it. That's some pretty hard steel. I always used a small pocket knife. Slow, but effective. Now I use a tool that is similar to the CatM4 shown above. It works pretty good. I think I got it from Botach when they were on sale for 9 bucks.

OTIS Bone tool

Otis B.O.N.E Tool : Cabela's

A knife blade or steel wool will remove the finish.

i just put some hopes on it, let it sit 10-15 minutes while I clean something else then go at it with a bore brush & rewet with #9 as needed - takes a few minutes at most

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Steve

Meh. Some folks are picky, some are not.

If you're like me, then you want the gods of rifle cleaning to be standing over your back smiling as you pick every last visible/tactile bit of carbon deposit off that gun. Some guys never clean it.

I remember Pat Rogers talking about never cleaning his range guns. He swore up and down that as long as it was lubricated, it would continue to function, and carbon removal was not his idea of the purpose of his weapons. I think there is still a video up somewhere if his cleaning habits, and the tests they would run into the 30-40 thousand round range without cleaning the guns. If that guy is confident about it, I'd bet money he was right.

If you ever see a pocket knife or scraper tool take the finish off a bolt, then IMO that bolt was of poor quality manufacture. That finish is made to be extremely hard, and bonded to the surface of the bolt/BCG. Don't worry too much. You're scraping carbon off the thing, not the finish.

Soak it. Drop it in a small dish of solvent - of your choice - I use seafoam, and let that thing drown for a night. Get up in the morning and wipe it off. Scrape if desired.

I'm not a vet, I've never used my weapons for war, and I don't claim to know anything apart from common sense. I am OCD over my guns. I clean them until you cant tell - apart from wear markings - that they aren't new. And if a gun has no wear marks, whats the point? >;D

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Here, a grain of salt.

A standard phosphate treated BCG isn't as sturdy as you think. Take a scraper tool to one, and it will eventually rub off. Steel wool and copper wool pads will do the same. I did it to the phosphate treated bolt tail on my old 15-Sport V1.0. Does it matter much? Nope. Just keep it lubed. Keep firing. Almost everything on an AR-15 is a wear item that will eventually need to be replaced at the 10K round mark (using copper jacketed, brass case ammo).

There are sturdier applied surface treatments such as NiBx and others. They too will eventually rub off. It will take a very long time, but they will. NiBx can run dry, no lube. Fouling wipes off with a terry cloth rag.





+1 on Seafoam.

You sir are a perfect candidate for an inexpensive ultrasonic cleaning machine.

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-John

GASP... And ruin the long drawn out contact high I get after each range trip? You devil!

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Here, a grain of salt.

I soak my BCG parts in ANY name brand (currently Super Tech made by Wal-Mart) brake cleaner. I use my old tooth brushes to clean my AR parts and the inside of the receiver, with Grizzly Grease, brake cleaner, and CRC Quad Cleaner. I have even run them through a dishwasher cycle.
I use Grizzly Grease, a 90/10 mixture of M1/MerconV, and 3IN 1 oil to lube everything. Not all of these at the same time, just what I am in the mood for at that time.
I add Techron to my gas tank every 5-7.5K miles. I think I will try that very soon.

You can also use a cartridge case to scrape carbon off. The case mouth has the same curve as the rear of the bolt.

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Registration? NEVER!

Load in hot water, cleaning solution, drop parts in and watch the ultrasonic cavitation instantly degrease the part. The grease clouds off the parts. Dirt and fouling are cleaned from areas you can't ever reach.

You still get the contact high when putting it all back together with fresh lube.

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-John

Ditto. This is what I do.