"Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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N00b here so forgive me if this is the wrong board.

A month after acquiring my "gateway rifle" as it was described elsewhere I'm finally lined up to hit the woods and actually FIRE the damn thing. I've read endless contradictory accounts of whether I need to treat my brand spanking new S&W M&P 15 in any special way during the first hundred rounds.

"Run 'er wet!" "Swab the barrel every three rounds!" "Rider 'er hard and put 'er up wet!"

Figuring that the average IQ & education on this forum may be a few points higher than those on Bubba's Gun Shack & Plumbing Boards I seek whatever wisdom ya'll might offer.

Thanks,

M-
Worker bees can leave.
Even drones can fly away.
The Queen is their slave.

Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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MARS822 wrote:N00b here so forgive me if this is the wrong board.

A month after acquiring my "gateway rifle" as it was described elsewhere I'm finally lined up to hit the woods and actually FIRE the damn thing. I've read endless contradictory accounts of whether I need to treat my brand spanking new S&W M&P 15 in any special way during the first hundred rounds.

"Run 'er wet!" "Swab the barrel every three rounds!" "Rider 'er hard and put 'er up wet!"

Figuring that the average IQ & education on this forum may be a few points higher than those on Bubba's Gun Shack & Plumbing Boards I seek whatever wisdom ya'll might offer.

Thanks,

M-
I put at least 500 rounds through my first AR without giving much thought beyond running a bore snake through the barrel and a couple drops of CLP on the BCG.

Remember that the AR15 was designed with grunts in mind. It's not rocket surgery. That said, cleaning it more often won't hurt. Get a cheap, "AR Cleaning Kit" for under $20 from either your local big box store or Amazon. Everything you will ever need will be in there, save for the cleaning products and some paper towels for part sorting/scrubbing. I recommend CLP Breakfree and MPro7. They are cheap, go a long way, and won't stink up your house if your only option for a cleaning surface is the kitchen table.

There are hundreds of websites that'll offer the, "best" way to clean your AR. You can start here:

https://www.pewpewtactical.com/ultimate ... nce-guide/
LGC Texas - Vice President

Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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The AR is known to like running 'wet'. A drop of oil here and there can't hurt. Any old oil will do fine, or you can buy overpriced gun oil like me. I use Hoppe's Gun Medic for general lube, because it comes in a small convenient bottle.

For your first AR cleaning kit I recommend one from Otis. Most of them come with a plastic-coated cable that you can attach a brush or a swab slot to. Far more compact than an old school cleaning rod.
Glad that federal government is boring again.

Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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For a common semi-auto rifle, I wouldn't worry about barrel break in. If you get into precision shooting, a bit more effort into the initial process might be warranted- Didn't break in the AR, did break in the McGowan target barreled rifle. Also did it with the Pac Nor. Just keep it clean and lubed and you'll be good to go.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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shinzen wrote:For a common semi-auto rifle, I wouldn't worry about barrel break in. If you get into precision shooting, a bit more effort into the initial process might be warranted- Didn't break in the AR, did break in the McGowan target barreled rifle. Also did it with the Pac Nor. Just keep it clean and lubed and you'll be good to go.
Yup. This is what I was gonna say. Just go shoot it and clean it when you're done.
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Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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What is this "clean" you all speak of?

(When I do clean my guns, it's before a range trip. Range trip verifies function then it goes back into storage with a wipe down/bore snake. Prolly not the right way, but mine are tools rather than works of art and I shoot non corrosive ammo. If I had a Python, my approach might be different.)

Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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Thanks very much folks. Will give it a wipe down and a few drops of oil on the BCG before I hit the woods. I'll be in the company of two Army vets so I anticipate some expert advice on care & feeding.

Much obliged,

M-
Worker bees can leave.
Even drones can fly away.
The Queen is their slave.

Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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featureless wrote:What is this "clean" you all speak of?

(When I do clean my guns, it's before a range trip. Range trip verifies function then it goes back into storage with a wipe down/bore snake. Prolly not the right way, but mine are tools rather than works of art and I shoot non corrosive ammo. If I had a Python, my approach might be different.)
Well...never like 100% clean as that's pretty much impossible. After all you're just gonna go get it dirty again.
I do baby the Winchester Lever action in .45LC though. :D
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.

Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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Mine are scrupulously clean essentially all the time. Just another little OCD quirk. Actually, the fouling in a direct impingement AR was one of the reasons I sold mine. I hated cleaning it and I hated when it was dirty. Coupled with the fact I never bonded to the rifle, this dilemma made it easy to part with when I decided to sell it.


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Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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I'm really not good with my hands, aka L1, stuff. If you can stick an Ethernet cable in it...sure...got that...TLS to POSH a .VHD, etc. But I'm pretty sure that anything I attempt to disassemble will be reduced to useless piles of parts. I guess I'll figure out the BCG first, then I can get as compulsive as need be.

8 days until I get out in the woods...
Worker bees can leave.
Even drones can fly away.
The Queen is their slave.

Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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MARS822 wrote:I'm really not good with my hands, aka L1, stuff. If you can stick an Ethernet cable in it...sure...got that...TLS to POSH a .VHD, etc. But I'm pretty sure that anything I attempt to disassemble will be reduced to useless piles of parts. I guess I'll figure out the BCG first, then I can get as compulsive as need be.

8 days until I get out in the woods...
You can do it. There are plenty of online resources, including here. Remember, these things control little explosions, so they are pretty resilient to blunder hands. Just mind the little springs flying around if you change out triggers, saftey selectors or grips. The rest is pretty fool proof (this fool can do it).

Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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I'd get a proper-sized bore snake. Much kinder to things than a cleaning rod, does bore & chamber pronto. eBay, Amazon, eTc.

That and a toothbrush are 99% of what tools it takes to keep an AR alive.

Solvent wise, good ol' Hoppes is fine and any good oil (Car oil really stinks--it gets hot) for lube. LSA was the original juice.

Subs
"Oozing charm from every pore, he oiled his way around the floor."

Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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Cleaning the AR really shouldn't result in springs flying everywhere on a basic takedown. The direct impingement gas system certainly makes a mess of things though. I really should convert mine to piston.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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shinzen wrote:Cleaning the AR really shouldn't result in springs flying everywhere on a basic takedown.
Correct. My caution was limited to swapping out other gizmos, as stated. ;)

Pulling the rear takedown pin and pulling the BCG out the back is easy, peasy. It you pull the charging handle out, it needs to be put back at an angle. This confounded me the first time.

Re: "Breaking In" A New Rifle?

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I'm a newbie at it myself but figured it out. Run a bore snake thru it and spray the BCG liberally with CLP - I mean soak it. They like to be run wet.

I do love taking it apart and getting after all the gas tubes with a cotton swab and all that. But I also concealed carry two guns. Not because I need two guns but because I really like guns. Cleaning a firearm is quiet time and very calming to me. Kinda like kata or meditation.

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