[Guest]

Hey guys, when I was field stripping my AR-15, I decided to dissassemble the bolt carrier group.

Anyway, I got it back together 100% (a lot simpler than I thought!) but where can you find extras of the little pin that holds the firing pin in the BCG? I don't know what it's actually called, but I would assume it's the firing pin retaining pin; I'm scared that I am going to break it when dissassembling it, and would like to have extras on hand.

I have never dissassembled the BGC before, and my firing pin was NASTY. all clogged up with gunky carbon, the bolt itself was all nasty. I cleaned them all off, relubed them.

So here are my basic questions:
1. Extra firing pin retaining pins
2. Is there anything else I should clean/lube when I have this apart?
3. Anything with the extractor? Should I take the extractor off for any reason?

Thanks guys!

 

[Guest]

Firing Pin Retaining pins are exactly what they are called. Either order them from a company that deals in ARs or take out the stock one go down to lowes and match them up with a new one. All of the ones I have seen in our issue M-16s just look like a cotter pin. I have never seen on break however it does a pretty simple job and isn't under much load at all.

I take the extractor out of my issue M-16s to remove any build up under it and around the extractor lip. makes it a little easier than trying to clean under the extrator lip without taking it out.

just push out the pin that holds it in and pull it off. Just don't loose the pin its pretty small and can get lost easily.


make sure you clean the cam pin(the little retangle that rides in the grove on top of the Bolt carrier) very well and clean the channel very well. This is a high movement/load area during operation and if it gets all gunked up can cause the weapon to cycle slow or lead to stoppages.

Also with the AR series rifles Q-tips are your friend.

 

[Guest]

as an internet commando, i will defer(sp?) to those more "qualified"...

 

[Guest]

I am thinking about getting the KNS pin as a replacement for the retaining pin. It's a PITA sometime to get it reinstalled.

http://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/detail&product_id=116

If you lost the retaining pin, do not use a cotter pin as a replacement. They are not the same and you will break a cotter pin. The stock one that comes with the BCG is harden steel.

Really thinking about getting a fully hard chromed BCG as it is a chore to clean it and heard that the hard chrome ones make life easier.

 

[Guest]

as stated, do not just replace it with a normal pin. This pin is set just right to keep a certain amount of pressure. Do not bent it, try to open it up further.. leave it as it is. If you've bent it or tried to pry it open further.. get yourself a new one and replace it.

 

[Guest]

Then I stand corrected on the pin. Sorry about that.

 

[Guest]

I am thinking about getting the KNS pin as a replacement for the retaining pin. It's a PITA sometime to get it reinstalled.

http://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/detail&product_id=116

If you lost the retaining pin, do not use a cotter pin as a replacement. They are not the same and you will break a cotter pin. The stock one that comes with the BCG is harden steel.

Really thinking about getting a fully hard chromed BCG as it is a chore to clean it and heard that the hard chrome ones make life easier.

No, its not hardened steel. The KNS pin is. and by the by, dont bother with the KNS pin. its not worth the money...not only that, but the retaining lips can seperate if not inserted exactly perfect.

stick with the stock pin..

and to the OP. When you have the BCG apart, always check the gas rings. There are three of them, make sure that the gaps in the rings are staggered. if they are lined up, the BCG will not function correctly.

 

[Guest]

Listen to ARin, he is a wise one!

 

[Guest]

I keep a whole little baggy full of the small parts on the shelf at home. My work surface for the gun bench is a padded black mat. Things disapear all the time on me. I'll throw the replacement part in and when I find the runaway I just throw it back in the bag.

For all of you having issues getting your BCG clean.. give SLIP 2000 a try. It's rather amazing stuff.. almost as good as a submersion bath.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all the tips guys!

By the way, i took the extractor off, and cleaned in there, how are you supposed to clean the channel that the firing pin rides in? It's very small, and I can't fit a q-tip down there.I dripped some solvent, and blew everything out with compressed air after a few minutes, then relubed; not sure if I got everything, though.

 

[Guest]

Pipe Cleaners work great for cleaning the firing pin tunnel.

 

[Guest]

Use a pipe cleaner (like grandpa used on his pipe that grandma hated so much) to clean the hole in the front of the bolt and the area that the firing pin goes through. Aside from the basic cleaning kit you will need rags, long, hard-packed q-tips, and pipe cleaners.

Also, the spot in the bolt carrier that the bolt sits in will accumulate a bunch of carbon on the land at the very bottom of the bolt carrier. This is very tough to clean and MUST be done EVERY time you clean. If you've been a good boy and cleaned your rifle as you should, you can use a spare chamber brush to clean it. If not, you may need a dentists pick (or something similar to get the carbon off.

Just remember, Break-Free is your friend. Use lots of it prior to range firing and you will save tons of time in your cleanup later. If you plan on taking your AR out hunting in the field, use less Break-Free to avoid attracting dirt and sand. After every outing, fired or not, clean your weapon inside and out.

Fully cleaning an AR-15/M-16 is a time consuming process if done properly. I guarantee that if you clean it for an hour, I can find places you missed.

Take your time and LEARN your weapon. With care the AR-15/M-16 is a great weapon and those that complain about reliability usually don't clean properly or often enough.

 

[Guest]

I would be carefull using to much break free. As a range coach I see a lot of weapon malfunctions. One of the leading causes is overlubrication and lack of day to day cleaning. They put a half a bottle of CLP in it everyday and expect it to function. All that Extra CLP is doing is attracting all the carbon blowing around in the bolt area and whatever dirt and stuff they may be laying in on the firing line.

A light coat on the load bearing surfaces and you are good. Overlubrication also requires extra cleaning since it will attract and hold more crud.

 

[Guest]

I would be careful using to much break free. As a range coach I see a lot of weapon malfunctions. One of the leading causes is over lubrication and lack of day to day cleaning. They put a half a bottle of CLP in it everyday and expect it to function. All that Extra CLP is doing is attracting all the carbon blowing around in the bolt area and whatever dirt and stuff they may be laying in on the firing line.

A light coat on the load bearing surfaces and you are good. Overlubrication also requires extra cleaning since it will attract and hold more crud.

After 21 years in the military, attending the Small Arms Range Course and TONS of range time I can honestly say that I have never had a malfunction due to extra Break-Free while range firing. You can use too much (when you get sprayed with CLP after every shot, you have too much), but the CLP will keep the carbon from baking into a hard, crusty mess. Extra CLP will let you wipe most of the carbon off without scrubbing.

I had young troops use just a few drops of CLP in a few specific locations and then spend hours cleaning and constantly being rejected by the armorer. Meanwhile, I never spent more than an hour cleaning and always passed the armorer's inspection first time out. As for your comment

Overlubrication also requires extra cleaning since it will attract and hold more crud.

The amount of cleaning needed will not be increased or decreased, it will just be easier to remove the carbon.

Whenever I went to the field (or on days that the wind was blowing really hard at the range,) I always used less CLP and fully cleaned my weapon every night.

The biggest offender I have found for malfunctions is improper cleaning, not lubrication. I had many troops fresh from basic training that couldn't properly clean a rifle. Every time I was a range NCO and I had a troop with a rifle that constantly malfunctioned I would find a dirty weapon. The troops would always swear they had just cleaned it, but they never cleaned properly.

 

[Guest]

After 21 years in the military, attending the Small Arms Range Course and TONS of range time I can honestly say that I have never had a malfunction due to extra Break-Free while range firing. You can use too much (when you get sprayed with CLP after every shot, you have too much), but the CLP will keep the carbon from baking into a hard, crusty mess. Extra CLP will let you wipe most of the carbon off without scrubbing.

I had young troops use just a few drops of CLP in a few specific locations and then spend hours cleaning and constantly being rejected by the armorer. Meanwhile, I never spent more than an hour cleaning and always passed the armorer's inspection first time out. As for your comment
The amount of cleaning needed will not be increased or decreased, it will just be easier to remove the carbon.

Whenever I went to the field (or on days that the wind was blowing really hard at the range,) I always used less CLP and fully cleaned my weapon every night.

The biggest offender I have found for malfunctions is improper cleaning, not lubrication. I had many troops fresh from basic training that couldn't properly clean a rifle. Every time I was a range NCO and I had a troop with a rifle that constantly malfunctioned I would find a dirty weapon. The troops would always swear they had just cleaned it, but they never cleaned properly.

I've had the complete opposite happen with my experience. When I use very little CLP then I can usually have my weapon clean enough to pass inspection within about an hr.

On the other hand the first time I went to the range once I got out of Basic I had a coach that loved CLP, and would put it on your bolt and bolt carrier without even asking. I never had a malf. but I believe that was becuase I was doing a basic cleaning (clean the carbon out of the bolt and chamber area, the relube) everyday while I was down in the pitts pulling targets. However when I went back to the armory and had to clean my weapon I wound up spending 4 hrs cleaning the damn thing. Carbon and oil where all over the internal area of the weapon and it was just a general mess where I wasn't able to clean it. such as where the gas tube comes out above the chamber area and the area where the bolt cycles.

 

[Guest]

I use CLP all the time. I don't drench the gun in it, but I don't leave it almost dry either. The bolt gets coated in it, all surfaces that I can tell make contact get it. I just take a q-tip and wipe it on.. and don't wipe off any excess.

Is my rifle dirty after I shoot? yes.. but it's that way regardless of how much CLP I put on. I do notice it being easier to wipe the carbon off though. And I have never had a single malfunction in my rifle. It takes me about an hour to clean mine as well.

I just took a rifle class from someone who is a swat medic, so he has regular experience handling weapons in serious situations too.. he said the AR will run better a little more wet, than dry.. all the malfunctions they see, whether it be with officers, or whether it be with people using AR's at the range where he also works... are usually because of improper cleaning and too little lubrication.

 

[Guest]

I use CLP all the time. I don't drench the gun in it, but I don't leave it almost dry either. The bolt gets coated in it, all surfaces that I can tell make contact get it. I just take a q-tip and wipe it on.. and don't wipe off any excess.

Is my rifle dirty after I shoot? yes.. but it's that way regardless of how much CLP I put on. I do notice it being easier to wipe the carbon off though. And I have never had a single malfunction in my rifle. It takes me about an hour to clean mine as well.

I just took a rifle class from someone who is a swat medic, so he has regular experience handling weapons in serious situations too.. he said the AR will run better a little more wet, than dry.. all the malfunctions they see, whether it be with officers, or whether it be with people using AR's at the range where he also works... are usually because of improper cleaning and too little lubrication.

I also use the wet q-tip application method for my application of CLP on the load bearing surfaces of my firearms. Put just enough on there for my tastes.