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I am completely new to the AR platform. I have owned a couple of AR's, but never actually broke one down and cleaned it. I purchased a Daniel Defense a year ago. The Annoyed Man (TAM) sighted in my Eotech and we went shooting about a month and a half ago.

TAM showed me how to completely break it down. So, today I finally bit the bullet. It was filthy. It is now all clean and put back together with no extra parts left over.



Many thanks to The Annoyed Man. No I just have to make sure it will shoot again without any failures.

Who is TAM again?

Must be something in air...I just cleaned mine tonight after a few range trips.

Those cleaning stars are great for the chamber...

Still need some pipe cleaners for the gas tube though and after switching to grease I'm switching back to oil. I'll see if it makes a difference in cleaning.

The AR is put back together and lubed with the faint scent of Hoppes 9 lingering in the air

I used oil from Wilson Ultimate II Grease. I forgot about the pipe cleaners for the gas tube. Well I guess I get to get pipe cleaners a break it down again. Repetition is good for the soul.

I seen these for the gas tube. They are extra long and extra expensive.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1544 ... E-CLEANERS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

carlson1 wrote:I used oil from Wilson Combat. I forgot about the pipe cleaners for the gas tube. Well I guess I get to get pipe cleaners a break it down again. Repetition is good for the soul.

I seen these for the gas tube. They are extra long and extra expensive.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1544 ... E-CLEANERS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Don't panic. Yes, you want to clean the gas tube occasionally. No you don't need to do it every time. In fact, I haven't cleaned my gas tube since I re-barreled my upper with a HBAR.....about (mumble) rounds ago. Before that, I never did it. Ever. There's one school of thought that says you shouldn't do it at all or you might push dirt and grime down into the gas port, blocking it. I don't have an opinion, I'm just a little lazy. Anyway, it isn't something to obsess over. It's like scraping carbon off the bolt. It ought to be done once in a while, but it doesn't need to be done with every cleaning.

.....at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Still need some pipe cleaners for the gas tube ...

I've owned and shot an AR for about 6 months now but I'm far from being an expert on the M4 platform so take what I say with a grain of salt. I know 3 different people who say most people will probably never come close to needing to clean the gas tube. One of the guys is retired Marine gunnery sargeant, one is a former Navy firearms instructor, and one has been a gunsmith for 20+ years. They've told me the AR is more likely to break down before you'll need to clean the tube. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it though.

That's all I know about their qualifications to make that statement so maybe someone else on here can say whether or not they agree.

I am completely new at the M4 AR. TAM does make since when he said some say, "it may push dirt and grime down into the gas port, blocking it." Well at least I have not done anything wrong yet.

Those cleaning stars are great for the chamber...

Where did you pick up your cleaning stars and how are they used? I used a dental pick to clean out the chamber.

I too just got a Daniel Defense a few months ago too...my first AR. Any good online resources for properly cleaning / lubing (for those who can't utilize TAM)? I've only shot about 100 rounds through it so far. Thanks!

Somewhere I watched a video from Wilson Combat. I can't find it anymore for some reason. I watched many videos on You Tube. I like this one the best.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=7kLkXJWfwLQ[/youtube]

carlson1 wrote:

Those cleaning stars are great for the chamber...

Where did you pick up your cleaning stars and how are they used? I used a dental pick to clean out the chamber.

I got mine from cabelas but I think bass pro and academy have them too. You still need a pick to get at all the gunk trapped in the tiny crevice around the chamber but they get %99 of the gunk out.

They are shaped like the bolt head and pass through the locking channels to fit in the breech just like the bolt. Screw them onto a rod and soak one in hoppes and you can easily clean out the breech area.

carlson1 wrote:I am completely new at the M4 AR. TAM does make since when he said some say, "it may push dirt and grime down into the gas port, blocking it." Well at least I have not done anything wrong yet.

No need to fret, depending upon the cartridge/load used and length of the gas system...the pressure at the port will be several thousand pounds, a little bit of dirt/grime doesn't stand a chance of blocking the port. Over time (a long...long...time) your gas tube can accumulate enough residue to reduce the I.D., at which point you spend $12.00 and replace it.

Probably won't happen in your lifetime.