Ar 15 gas tube cleaning

[oldglock]

Perhaps this question has been posted here before but here it is:
Has anyone used the pipe cleaner type gas tube cleaning devices?
Common sense tells me that residue has to be building up in there yet I read somewhere that more problems have been created than solved with the long pipe cleaners.
All I have ever done is drip as much Hoppes down the tube as I can from time to time and never a problem through maybe 2K rounds, still that stuff has got to be growing in there.

 

[Armyguy78]

I've always used pipe cleaners and never had a problem, but I'm sure someone will tell you that they put one in their gun and it exploded the next day. If the Army trusted us meatheads with them I don't see the issue.

 

[kdf9511]

I've always been meaning to pickup some pipe cleaners but haven't yet. I just put the little red straw on the can of gun scrubber and shoot it down the tube. Seems to work ok for me so far.

 

[dennishoddy]

Is it really necessary?
I think there is about 20,000 psi in the gas tube.

 

[Armyguy78]

It does build up in there Dennis.

 

[michaelclm]

I never stick anything into the gas tube...despite what the Army taught me (and insisted) to do.

http://www.ar15.com/content/swat/keepitrunning.pdf

Read and digest the article, then (as with all things you hear or read) keep what you believe and challenge the rest (or all of it, for that matter). I can tell you that 8,000+ rounds is a pretty good test and my gas tube is still wide open.

 

[Wormydog1724]

What builds up in there?

 

[Matt1911]

Is it really necessary?
I think there is about 20,000 psi in the gas tube.

^^^ this.
There's so much pressure going through that tube, there's not a snowballs chance in Hell of something actually getting built up to the point of causing a block.

Shoot the damn thing and leave the gas tube alone.

 

[Spiff]

I have literally never ever ever cleaned a gas tube in an AR-15. The last one went 10,000 rounds before I replaced when I sold it with the barrel. It might still be going for all I know.

 

[sharpshooter]

I have literally never ever ever cleaned a gas tube in an AR-15. The last one went 10,000 rounds before I replaced when I sold it with the barrel. It might still be going for all I know.

+1

 

[dpd0710]

Speaking as an Law Enforcement AR Armrorer, ditto what Matt says...leave it alone. The pressure will blow anything out. And keep that foaming gun cleaner away from it too. If you have ever had the guy at the tire shop hate you, because you used fix-a-flat...same thing.

 

[Corey]

I have literally never ever ever cleaned a gas tube in an AR-15. The last one went 10,000 rounds before I replaced when I sold it with the barrel. It might still be going for all I know.

My thoughts are I have never cleaned it, I have not had problems with it, why mess with it

 

[Armyguy78]

I've never had one fail either. I've cleaned them with pipe cleaners and I haven't used them on my personal AR. The guy asked if it a pipe cleaner would mess his gas tube up. My comment was that I've never seen it mess a gas tube up, but I added that somebody would probably put a horror story on here as my comment stated. If you run a pipe cleaner down the gas tube you will pull crap out of it. Does it matter if the guy wants to take the 10 seconds to clean that part?

 

[Troy]

I've been doing this without thinking about it. I'm guessing this also applies to the tube that goes through the bolt carrier?

 

[Corey]

To the OP I am glad you posted this question, I have wondered if other people use a pipe cleaner (mainly when I see pipe cleaners for sell)

Armyguy78 thanks for your post also.

My worries have been if I have shot several thousand rounds with out cleaning it would I be packing debree in the tube. If I start now.
After Austin & Matts post I am going to not worry about cleaning it.
I know Austin shoots a lot of matches & well Matt he gets lots of trigger time in before he times out. Jk

 

[oldglock]

Well, the responses seem to be somewhat mixed.
Majority opinion seems to hold that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The bolt carrier key, where that pressure disapates, sure winds up with a lot of gunk in it but is easy to clean.
Seems a wise course would be to keep shooting until/if malfunctions start to occur attributable to insufficient gas pressure.

 

[Spiff]

Allow me to amend my previous response:

I have literally never ever ever cleaned a gas key in an AR-15. The last one went 10,000 rounds before I replaced when I sold it with the bolt carrier group. It might still be going for all I know.

We're talking lots of pressure here, man. Chamber pressure is somewhere between 50,000 psi and 60,000 psi. Even if the gas is a measly 5,000 psi by the time it gets to the carrier, carbon is going to have a very hard time building up to any degree that would impede function.

Also, it's much harder to get stuff stuck in your gas tube and gas key if you don't put anything in it.

 

[Matt1911]

I Matt he gets lots of trigger time in before he times out. Jk

Nice

 

[Clint Dismore]

This may be a stupid question but, with the relatively low cost of a gas tube, why not just replace it every 5000 - 10000? Then you don't have to worry about messing something up cleaning it. I think the last rifle length gas tube i bought was about $12.

 

[nikatkimber]

Ummm.... if you can get a wimpy little pipe cleaner through it, don't you think 5k+ psi gas will go through?