mljdeckard
Member
Had a novel experience this week. After spending half a day out in the woods and firing a grand total of eight blanks, I spent three evenings back in garrison cleaning my weapon. (It only took me an hour, but we were told up front we would do it for three nights anyway.)
So, after arriving and seeing that the cleaning implements were worn and dirty, with no cleaning agent of any kind provided, (does this sound familiar to any other soldiers?) I saw some other guys had brought stuff from home. So on day 2, I went and bought a can of gunscrubber and my own breakfree. (Spending my birthday money on things the army should provide. I know.)
After making the rifle suspiciously clean, I handed it in, to find that there was significant carbon buildup in the ring of the ledge in the bolt carrier where the rear of the bolt seats. Apparently, since this is a training post with no personalized weapons, no one had reamed this part out on this rifle in a really long time. It had hardened to the point where it wouldn't even show on a dry finger. So I took it back and used the rest of the gunscrubber to blast it out. I was the only guy who did it effectively, because I cheated. Everyone else who got checked for it was there for a long time, rubbing it with swabs ad nauseum.
My point is, I guess I had never seen a bolt carrier that bad before, because all of my personal weapons and all the army rifles I had used before that were cleaned regularly and thoroughly enough that this buildup didn't happen. The armorer told me that the problem is, it builds up so thick, that the bolt can't seat, and won't lock. (I was thinking to myself, that when the rifle is in the process of firing, the carbon is soft enough to be displaced and this kind of failure is unlikely. The impact and heat of prolonged firing would prevent it from accumulating that much.) I shut up. You never win an argument with someone who outranks you.
Was this buildup the result of prolonged use with sloppy cleaning, would it have eventually caused failure to lock, and did I do the best thing I could to clean it? I'm not a certified AR genius of any school, and while I may not have seen it all, I've seen a heck of a lot. This one was new to me.
So, after arriving and seeing that the cleaning implements were worn and dirty, with no cleaning agent of any kind provided, (does this sound familiar to any other soldiers?) I saw some other guys had brought stuff from home. So on day 2, I went and bought a can of gunscrubber and my own breakfree. (Spending my birthday money on things the army should provide. I know.)
After making the rifle suspiciously clean, I handed it in, to find that there was significant carbon buildup in the ring of the ledge in the bolt carrier where the rear of the bolt seats. Apparently, since this is a training post with no personalized weapons, no one had reamed this part out on this rifle in a really long time. It had hardened to the point where it wouldn't even show on a dry finger. So I took it back and used the rest of the gunscrubber to blast it out. I was the only guy who did it effectively, because I cheated. Everyone else who got checked for it was there for a long time, rubbing it with swabs ad nauseum.
My point is, I guess I had never seen a bolt carrier that bad before, because all of my personal weapons and all the army rifles I had used before that were cleaned regularly and thoroughly enough that this buildup didn't happen. The armorer told me that the problem is, it builds up so thick, that the bolt can't seat, and won't lock. (I was thinking to myself, that when the rifle is in the process of firing, the carbon is soft enough to be displaced and this kind of failure is unlikely. The impact and heat of prolonged firing would prevent it from accumulating that much.) I shut up. You never win an argument with someone who outranks you.
Was this buildup the result of prolonged use with sloppy cleaning, would it have eventually caused failure to lock, and did I do the best thing I could to clean it? I'm not a certified AR genius of any school, and while I may not have seen it all, I've seen a heck of a lot. This one was new to me.
