All posts tagged AK47 cleaning

Not much of a need for gun cleaning rods

ThereHoppes BoresnakesRifle CleaningHandgun CleaningHandgun Cleaning6 are a lot of things that haven’t changed much with shooting firearms, but the way things are cleaned has changed.   Gun Lubricants are mostly non-toxic anymore and they are much better at doing more than keeping a firearm running, they also help do what gun cleaners did and also help protect rifles and handguns from corrosion.   I have gone through a few gun cleaning rods, all 3 piece ones, and it’s always the 22 caliber rifles that do in those devices.   If you put the wrong cleaning patch on the rod you are going to get it stuck halfway in the barrel and might even not be able to pull the rod out.   Not all firearms can be cleaned with a cleaning rod properly, the M1 Garand,  and Mini 14 and Ruger 10/22.   Sure if you want to clean it from the muzzle you can but that’s not the direction the bullet goes and isn’t recommended.

The only firearm that I don’t use a device like this in are my revolvers because I do find that I need a pistol cleaning rod to brush out the cylinder whenever I am shooting all lead bullets because the Hoppes Boresnakes just don’t seem to get it all.   There are always reasons to have more than a few gun cleaning tools around but it’s also important to make sure you use the correct caliber sizes and don’t force it.    I am presently using a 22 Caliber Boresnake on my AR15s, Ruger Mini 14s and Marline Model 882 and Ruger 10/22.   Just soak the top of the snake just ahead of the bristles and drop the cord through the barrel and pull.

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There are many things you will need

I have owned an AR15 now for close to 12yrs and when I first got it it seems so expensive and I was almost afraid to beat it up.   Then one day I was holding a local shooting event at a gun club and it started to drizzle, several guys with the $2000 rifles didn’t show up to the event because they were afraid their stuff would get ruined.   An old guy that was hanging with us burst out laughing and said he trucked an M1 Garand around for 2 years in the rain and snow and is gun wasn’t ruined.  It’s funny how many prima donna their are in the tactical community and that is so common with the AR15 accessorized and customized world.

I don’t teach carbine courses but I listen to the guys that do and over cleaning seems to do more damage to guns than not cleaning them enough.  I’ve seen many firearms go down due to the lack of lubrication, but many gun cleaning supplies from years ago are out dated compared to what Break Free CLP and M-Pro 7 products are doing.   I use break free products basically to protect hunting guns and for a do it all cleaning, but for handguns and my larger caliber semi-auto firearms I use M-Pro7 gun oils, it seems to last longer and doesn’t evaporate.  Sometimes I don’t get to shoot a gun for a year or more, but I like knowing that nothing drained or evaporated from the firearm.

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More feedback on the Otis System

I recently had a walk in customer look up at all of the Otis gun cleaning systems that we have in stock and mentioned that he never got into the Otis thing.   Well, the gun rod thing works well if you have a good cleaning rod and not one of those 3 piece starter kits that you got for your 22LR.   I’ve bent them myself and seen others do catastrophic things to them.   I’m not going to rave that the Otis System works better than any cleaning rod system, but there are advantages.

About the only disadvantage of the Otis system is that you might not be able to push forward on the cleaning patch as well, but yet again, what the hell are you doing that you need to push a cleaning rod that hard?   The Otis gun cleaning kits are small, compact, they hold the lube, and there is almost no chance that you will have to carry a bottle around with you that will leak all over your gear.   The cleaning systems are advanced or simple and can be used specifically for an AR15 style rifle.

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Otis 5.56 buttstock cleaning kit

This is the cleaning kit you might want to consider throwing in your butt stock if you can fit one in there.   The tools that this gun cleaning kit comes with should get the job done after long firing sessions.  One thing to consider is that gun cleaning sometimes is over done and you can damage a firearm with too much scraping and cleaning.   I have never seen it happen, but I have read several articles in SWAT magazine that referred to people over cleaning AR15 guns.

Cleaning out the chamber is not as important as keep a DI AR15 lubricated, but I have never been one to leave a gun sit un cleaned for more than a week.   The Otis gun cleaning system are well thought out gun cleaning kits that have the brushes and attachments to cleaning various parts of a firearm.  The Otis 5.56 butt stock cleaning kit is even more practical because it fits inside the gun and doesn’t need to be hauled around in a range bag.   Having an Otis kit will probable reduce your need on packing gun cleaning supplies in another bag.

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Otis butt stock cleaning kit

The first time I ever got a hold of an Otis gun cleaning kit I was kinda overwhelmed with the amount of brushes and tools that were in it.   It was a universal rifle and pistol cleaning kit and I was kind of bothered by how much stuff was jiggling around inside the pouch.   I know now that this was a little more than what I really needed, but once I figured out how to use the kit and what all of the tools were for all of the other cleaning kits from Otis were easier to use.   This is from someone that started out with a bolt action 22LR rifle and a Hoppes gun cleaning kit from K-Mart.

The gun cleaning that I have grown to hate usually is from the AR15 direct impingement guns I own.   I have heard numerous firearms instructors tell me that there is such a thing as too much cleaning, and knowing exactly what parts to lube and clean on an AR15 is the key to firearm maintenance.   The Otis gun cleaning kits I use now are specific to the firearm I am cleaning. Hoppes boresnakes have served me well, but getting into the parts of an AR15 especially the locking lugs is difficult without an AR15 brush designed for that type of chamber.  There are times you will need to literally scrape the locking lugs of an AR15 and Otis has the tools and gun cleaning kit for your needs.

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