Thursday, April 24, 2014

Periodic maintenance on a 5.45x39mm AR-15

Well, this is sort of pointless after the truly pointless ban on surplus 5.45 ammo but I neglected to put this in my definitive article on the 5.45x39mm AR-15 so here goes.

Every 2,000 rounds or so, you need to remove the flash hider or muzzle brake  on your 5.45 AR-15.  Use a 19mm wrench and steady pressure.  Then put it forward end down and take a look.






That's not supposed to be there!  Light tapping with nearly any tool will show you that is indeed built up carbon.  Do note that I've never seen this actually cause a problem in 27k rounds.  I assume the rounds exiting the flash hider self regulate the carbon wall from obstructing the bore but might as well spend 10 minutes chipping this away and then soaking in my favorite penetrating oil and repeating the chipping process.  You don't have to get it perfect; just knock out most of the wall of carbon with a flat tip screwdriver or any other tool you have laying around.

Gratuitous pics!











8 comments:

  1. Looking forward to your GLS holster review.

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  2. Just got it in and wearing it now! Will test in dust/dirt this weekend but so far, VERY impressed! About ready to order one for myself outside of this T&E unit. Too bad Amazon only has lefties in right now: http://goo.gl/uzYmhf

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  3. That is too much work for gun maintenance.

    Thanks for the info, before I jumped into the 5.45 fray.

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    1. You'll get the same thing with pretty much any muzzle device on any rifle. Once a year or so, I pull the muzzle brakes off of my 3-gun rifles and go over them with a bronze brush in an electric drill.

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  4. Screw it, I've got over 10k rounds left. Let's just see what happens when I don't do this anymore :) In Sean's honor!

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  5. That looks like the inside of my 22/45 receiver. :D

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  6. Whether it is a handgun, rifle, or even artillery, they have to go through periodic maintenance. In my class, I teach my student not just to use handguns but also how to keep them and maintain them properly.

    Regards,
    Scott Edvin
    MA Gun License

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