Some advice for AR15 users.

I like to shoot my AR15 but with today's ammo prices and availability (even primers are impossible to find for those who reload) I have resorted shooting 22 LR through an AR15 using an adapter which allows me to do so......So here is the problem. This particular weapon I have been using exclusively for 22 LR and cleaning it regularly however the one area in the AR15 which is hardest to access and clean is the gas port. In the military we would run long pipe cleaners down the gas tube and get it clean but there was no way to get the pipe cleaner through the gas port. 

AR15 Bolt top, 22 LR adapter bolt bottom.

The 22 bolt-adapter does not utilize the gas system to operate the bolt therefore it is not regularly 'blown out' via normal operation. Recently I was changing the barrel on this particular weapon and found upon removing the gas block from the barrel that the hole in the gas block and barrel was completely blocked from carbon and lead, and well blocked, so much so I had to use solvents and drill bits to clean it out. The carbon was almost as hard as steel, I realized if I had tried to revert back to 223 in this gun it would not have functioned at all and I would not have been able to 'field fix' it either, this weapon had about 1500 to 2000 LR rounds through it.
So here comes the advice, I will say I have not put this to the test yet however I just discovered the problem in the last few days and I think it will work. If you shoot using one of these adapters after each range session remove the bolt and with a can of solvent (carburetor cleaner works good) and with the aid of those little plastic tubes the solvent comes with shoot a quick burst through the gas tube and watch to see if it blows out in the barrel. After the solvent dries install the AR15 bolt and fire one or two rounds of 5.56 ammo to ensure it is operating and 'blow out' any remaining crud in the tube and port. This would ensure the gas system was functional and let you know if it needed more cleaning.
This is my solution, maybe someone else has other ideas.

Weapons Cleaning

A while ago I was reading over at Tam's blog about gun cleaning and it reminded me of some experiences I have had cleaning weapons. I remember in years past standing at a cleaning table and dis-assembling my M16 and cleaning it for hours with Q-Tips and a butt-stock cleaning kit.

 Weapons cleaning Al Asad airfield Iraq 2004, Awaiting C-130 to Kuwait

I did develop some other techniques though. Once (stateside) it was about 0100 in the morning, I had to turn in a clean weapon at 0600 and I needed sleep. I had learned break-free loosens carbon while you sleep and it was best to get it all off. I went around behind the chow hall, pulled the front pin on the upper and broke it in half. I then took the steam hose and cleaned the whole weapon, because the gun was now very hot it dried almost immediately, I gave it a light shot of
lube and put it away. the next morning I turned it in with no problems even though they use a Q-Tip to inspect it and probe any spot they think was missed.
In Iraq we took our weapons everywhere, even to the shower so I would routinely open it up in the shower and rinse all the red dust out, it was so arid it would dry quickly so I would oil it lightly, swab the barrel and it was good to go.

At home my quick clean consists of oiling them down thoroughly then blowing it out with a high pressure air hose, following it up with a swab down the barrel and wiping the outside with a lightly oiled rag. This seems to work well in between major cleanings.

Additional Note: Water will not hurt anything on an AR as long as you dry it. The places to watch would be the buffer spring and the bolt. They could be taken out if needed. Remember, they were designed to be used in jungle weather, rain and river crossings.

Interesting  footnote, This is the M16 A1 I carried in Iraq, it was a Vietnam era arsenal rework, It was issued to me right out of the crate from rework facility.  It  is marked Colt AR15, (not M16) Property of US Government. It's hard to see but  the selector switch has 'auto' on it. It did have the forward assist and the barrel was an upgrade.  Almost all Marines and Soldiers  had the 3 round burst and they found this 'full auto' one a novelty.