How to Clean an M16/AR

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Get a good cleaning kit designed specifically for your rifle.

   It should contain lubricant, cleaning rods, bore brush and cleaning clothes.
   
   It is also good to buy silicone wipes. , Take the magazine out, rack the charging handle multiple times and chamber check the barrel., Pull the charging handle back with one hand, and with your other take a cleaning cloth with a small mount of lubricant and go up and down the handle., Take down the back take down pin and pull the upper and lower apart.
   
   This will allow you to take another cloth with lubricant and apply a generous portion to the bottom of the bolt assembly., Take the cleaning rods and your bore brush, and sweep the barrel very carefully.
   
   This will loosen some of the chalked powder.
   
   Make sure you go all the way through and outside the other end of the barrel and THEN come back through, never pull the cleaning rod backwards inside the barrel.
   
   This causes the bore brush to scratch the inside., Apply lubricant and go in and out of the barrel until your clothes come back mostly white., Charge the charging handle to remove the dust cover on your rifle, lubricate the inside of the dust cover and the outside of the bolt.
   
   Charge the handle again to get spread the lubricant around., Remove the hand-guards and lightly lubricate the gas tube.
   
   This isn't required to be done every cleaning, but it does help.
   
   Also the hand-guards can be tricky to get back on by hand., Do any last minute cleaning/checking you would like to do then put the upper receiver and lower receiver back together., If you bought silicone wipes then take them and apply them to any outside metal piece.
   
   Silicone provides great protection against rust and dirt.
   
   If you don't have silicone at hand, apply a VERY thin film of lubricant or oil protectant ., Do a quick clean after every shoot to keep your rifle in optimal shooting condition.
2. 2

   Step 2: Empty the weapon.

3. 3

   Step 3: Lubricate the charging handle.

4. 4

   Step 4: Separate the lower and upper receivers.

5. 5

   Step 5: Cleaning the barrel.

6. 6

   Step 6: Wrap a cleaning cloth around the bore brush.

7. 7

   Step 7: Lubricate the outside bolt and dust cover.

8. 8

   Step 8: Remove the hand-guards.

9. 9

   Step 9: Put your rifle back together.

10. 10

    Step 10: Apply a silicone/protectant film.

11. 11

    Step 11: Clean after every shoot.

Detailed Guide

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