AR-15 Cleaning: How Often Should I Clean My AR-15?

The AR-15 is a great rifle for anything you might need it for. It is popular for it’s modular design and lightweight feel and handling. It almost seems lie there is nothing this rifle can’t do. However, one thing many people don’t talk about is how easy it is to clean these rifles. How often does it need to be done, what are the best tools? That’s all answered right here.

How Often Should You Clean Your AR-15?

That depends really on how much you go shooting, and what kind of cleaning you want to do. Getting a good cleaning after your day out shooting is always a good thing to do even if it is minimal. Getting away most of the residual carbon from shooting will make it easier for the next time you go out. Fieldstripping and doing a little cleaning and lubing before you shoot will also help ensure some longevity of your AR-15.

However, you want to do a heavy cleaning of your rifle at least once a month, just to make sure everything is clean and spotless. These cleaning will involve a lot more work, but if you keep your rifle at a manageable level of maintenance, then you should breeze through the deeper cleanings.

Depending on the kind of ammunition you use, you need a better gun cleaner, particularly one that can fight away corrosive materials. Wire brushes instead of cloth is also best for getting rid of any lead build up if you might have it.

Why Is Cleaning Your AR-15 Important?

Overtime, while shooting your AR-15, the carbon emitted from each shot fired will begin to build up in a lot of areas around the core components of the firearm. Namely the bolt assembly, the bore, and chamber, and fire control group. These areas are critical areas, and if left uncleaned for an extended amount of time, the buildup will severely affect the performance of your rifle. Rust can build up as well which will ruin the finish of your rifle, and if it builds up in the bore, accuracy and bullet trajectory will be decreased immensely.

Your best option is to keep your rifle clean constantly, and give it a deep cleaning every month or so to ensure the whole gun is completely clean. That will ensure the performance of your AR-15 and its durability for a long time.

Now that you know how to clean your AR-15, why not buy one! Visit Thunder Tactical today to start your 80% Lower AR-15 rifle or pistol build today!