Field strip the AR-15 especially the bolt carrier assembly. Use an effective carbon cleaner and soak if needed, followed up by using a bronze brush to scrub the accumulated powder off the gunmetal surfaces.

NOTE: Make sure these AR parts are on your cleaning checklist:

• The bolt cam pin slot is an important part to clean thoroughly.
• Clean the bolt carrier key.
• The bolt lugs are critical.
• Also check the bolt gas rings, if applicable.

NEXT: Clean out the chamber with the specifically designed chamber brush, along with the locking lugs. Tetra Gun makes a useful cotton mop version of the chamber brush, aptly called … are you ready? the chamber mop.

Tetra Gun ProSmith Rifle Chamber Cleaning Brush 308 Cal 8 x 32 Thread

Spray Action Blaster into the upper receiver and charging handle to attack that carbon fouling as well.

In the bore (technically the more accurate term for looking down the barrel), run cotton patches to clean out fouling, followed by running lube oil down there. Or, alternatively, CLP. Also, drop a little bit of CLP down the gas ports. Dry gas holes are not a good thing. And you might want to oil the charging handle.

NOTE: Your last cotton patch should come out visibly dry and clean.

The carbine rifle – AR-15, M4 or any other relative by any other name – share the need for powder residue removal and lubrication thereafter. This applies to both .308 and .223 / 5.56x45mm sized rounds, or others. It doesn’t matter.

Disassemble your magazines every once in a while, especially when you start to feel the crud buildup. Clean, then lube. Keep them in tip top shape to avoid those annoying feed failures or with the ramp / mag well.

As they learned with the M16 during the Vietnam War, this style of rifle works best “wet” as universally understood, meaning that it should be well oiled. However, Tetra Gun Obex Prime light grease (technically) is polished in until not visible and delivers a dry life effect. You can get the same effect with the spray version, the Tetra Gun Lube spray. In both cases, you want to polish this special lube into the metal so it penetrates. From that point on, future buildup will be much less prevalent since you are treating the metal with a barrier coating of lubrication. With that, you can dry wipe gun parts down after a shoot and it will still be lubed despite seeing carbon black come off on your cotton patches or gun wipe cloth.

Obex Prime is not even in the same class as other products so the terminology can be confusing. Oil is not oil, and grease is not grease. Not by a long shot. If you choose an automotive brand, even if its repackaged and rebranded for guns, don’t be fooled.

If you are a high-volume shooter at the range, be honest, does the gun lube you use hold up for 1,000+ rounds? Obex Prime does, and then some. Yes, on one lubrication treatment, assuming you didn’t contaminate with solvent residue which is every firearm’s worst enemy.

Overall, always follow the firearm manufacturer’s application instructions in the user’s manual if there is one, or search on the internet. The factory is always your de facto source for accurate advice, but they do tend to generalize any reference to lubricants intentionally.

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