Cleaning Bolt Carrier Group

[aklim69]

Instead of scrubbing with the brush, I tried to get a tool. I got the Otis "BONE" and Real Avid Scraper Tool. Suffice to say, neither of them fit. Reading up, it seems like the M&P10 is DPMS format HOWEVER, the BCG is proprietary. What do you use to get the carbon off the bolt and dig into the carrier? TIA.

 

[Eric300]

A good solvent/lead away cloth/scotch brite pads all work just fine for cleaning the carbon from the back of the bolt. The inside of the carrier shouldn't get too badly carboned up with regular maintenance/cleaning.

 

[aklim69]

I didn't manage to do that. I had to scrape it off. It seems to have built up and baked on.

 

[Baxter6551]

I believe lead away cloths just for stainless and will remove bluing. Not sure about finish on bolt carrier. Those tools didn’t work for me either. Brass brush with bore cleaner and elbow grease works for me.

 

[Eric300]

I believe lead away cloths just for stainless and will remove bluing. Not sure about finish on bolt carrier. Those tools didn’t work for me either. Brass brush with bore cleaner and elbow grease works for me.

Lead Away will work just fine and works well for dissolving built-up carbon on the bolt, and any other areas. Heck, I used it on my blued Coly Python to clean the powder burn marks off the front of the cylinder for years and never hurt any of the bluing.

 

[Racer X]

make up a jar of Ed's Red, drop the bolt into it, and let it soak in your garage until you need it again. Wipe with paper towels. Done.

 

[jdlii]

I may have to try Racer X's technique but, currently use Triple Green to soak the BCG of my AR's, including the .308. A pistol cleaning rod with a bronze brush, cover with a patch saturated in Butch's Bore Shine or Hoppe's Bore cleaner to scrub off the carbon/powder residue from the back, inside where the bolt seats into the BCG. A Q-tip and/or a pipe cleaner for the gas tube.

Clean as a whistle and ready to reassemble, fire and repeat!!

 

[Baxter6551]

Eric - I’m going by what it says on the packages of the kleen bore and others I have used - “not for use on blued or case hardened finishes”. Glad you didn’t hurt your Python.

 

[adrianolsen]

Mpro 7 gun cleaners work well.

 

[Racer X]

one thing that makes it very easy is to either have a nitrided or coated bcg. nitride cost is barely more than a phosphate bcg, if more at all.

I have several lowers and 5 uppers. I use nitrided as one of my purchase criterias for uppers. Nitrided barrels lask longer and are easier to clean as well.

 

[bamashooter]

A decent scraper is made by flattening the bullet end of an expended brass casing.

 

[Eric300]

Eric - I’m going by what it says on the packages of the kleen bore and others I have used - “not for use on blued or case hardened finishes”. Glad you didn’t hurt your Python.

Yes. As long as you just use it on the face of the cylinder where the burn rings are it won't hurt anything. Just don't use it on the entire gun!

 

[eb07]

Tools and brushes only wear the part down.

Scrapers are just bad. Not needed and cause premature wear.

Carbon is not an issue.



Clean with soft towel, pipe cleaners, and or q tips and lube



https://bravocompanyusa.com/content/Filthy 14 bravo_swat_10.pdf

 

[Tu_S]

Have had some married friends use the argument that the thing also clean jewelry to get permission to get one

For a bolt and the amount of time I let things soak I usually still need to brush/wipe some residue off. I could let it run longer to get everything, but it comes right off when going over the parts with oil/CLP, something you really should do anyways.

 

[ChillyDog]

I also have the Otis tool... it works ok to get the heavy off. I bought some assorted size brushes from harbor freight to clean inside of the carrier. I use nitro solvent in a small old cookie tin to soak the BCG in while I'm cleaning the upper and barrel. Then start on the BCG. I've used some fine scotch bright on the back of the bolt. Brushes and patches around smaller brushes in the carrier. When I first got involved in the AR world I used rem-oil on the BCG and that seemed to break down and carbon build up was hard to clean off. I switched to CLP and it seems to hold up better and not break down. Just my opinion.

 

[mckenney99]

For the tail of the bolt, where all the carbon builds up, I cut a patch of a coarse Scotch Bright pad about 1 to 1 1/2 inches square. I saturate the Scotch Bright pad with the solvent and then I wrap the Scotch Bright patch around the bolt tail where the carbon has accumulated and hold the patch in place with my left fingers. Then using the fingers of my right hand, I rotate/spin the bolt while applying pressure to the Scotch Bright pad and the bolt's tail.
This method has worked very well for years for removing the hard stuck on carbon that the bolt tail cleaning tools always leave behind. Eventually you will slowly polish the bolt's tail with the Scotch Bright pad and that just makes cleaning even easier.

 

[Racer X]

nitrided or coated parts make it far easier to clean

 

[aklim69]

For the tail of the bolt, where all the carbon builds up, I cut a patch of a coarse Scotch Bright pad about 1 to 1 1/2 inches square. I saturate the Scotch Bright pad with the solvent and then I wrap the Scotch Bright patch around the bolt tail where the carbon has accumulated and hold the patch in place with my left fingers. Then using the fingers of my right hand, I rotate/spin the bolt while applying pressure to the Scotch Bright pad and the bolt's tail.
This method has worked very well for years for removing the hard stuck on carbon that the bolt tail cleaning tools always leave behind. Eventually you will slowly polish the bolt's tail with the Scotch Bright pad and that just makes cleaning even easier.

I haven't used solvent for a while. Just the Hornady One shot. Or should I be using something better?

 

[mckenney99]

I'm not sure how well the Hornady OneShot works for carbon removal. The only thing I use it for is the final step in cleaning pistol magazines, as the volatile carrier evaporates it leaves behind a dry lubricant. I've always used either, Hoppes or Shooter Choice for bore solvent and general cleaning chores. I'm sure everyone else has their favorite solvents. Point is, you need a solvent that is designed to help dessolve the carbon and does not evaporate quickly so it has a chance to soak through the carbon and get underneath it to help with removal.

 

[Racer X]

I'm not sure how well the Hornady OneShot works for carbon removal. The only thing I use it for is the final step in cleaning pistol magazines, as the volatile carrier evaporates it leaves behind a dry lubricant. I've always used either, Hoppes or Shooter Choice for bore solvent and general cleaning chores. I'm sure everyone else has their favorite solvents. Point is, you need a solvent that is designed to help dessolve the carbon and does not evaporate quickly so it has a chance to soak through the carbon and get underneath it to help with removal.

dry lube sprays are awesome for magazines, and for lubing everything inside a rimfire.