BCG Cleaning / How Often Do You Clean AR Extractor?

[Abraham]

The title says it all.

Every time?

Every fifth cleaning or so?

Never?

Thanks!

[AF-Odin]

Define cleaning the extractor. Do you mean a detailed stripping of the bolt and scrubbing the extractor and all other parts then re-assembling? Or do you mean scrubbing the bolt face to include the extractor with a cleaning brush and solvent then using a pick to clean under the extractor and then re-insering into the BCG after it has been scrubbed? The second I do after every shooting session. The first I do a couple of times per year.

[PBR]

Define cleaning the extractor. Do you mean a detailed stripping of the bolt and scrubbing the extractor and all other parts then re-assembling? Or do you mean scrubbing the bolt face to include the extractor with a cleaning brush and solvent then using a pick to clean under the extractor and then re-insering into the BCG after it has been scrubbed? The second I do after every shooting session. The first I do a couple of times per year.

pretty much the same for me, unless I really throw a lot of lead down field (500rds or more) then will strip everything down.

[rbwhatever1]

I must have that OCD thing. I always remove the extractor and clean everything after firing. I also stagger the gas rings religiously...

I buy wood q-tips and pipe cleaners in bulk and still run out...

[Abraham]

Thanks all for your input.

To be clear: I meant tapping out the pin and removing the extractor from the BCG in order to completely clean/lube it.

[The Annoyed Man]

I must have that OCD thing. I always remove the extractor and clean everything after firing. I also stagger the gas rings religiously...

I buy wood q-tips and pipe cleaners in bulk and still run out...

I have been told by gunsmiths that staggering the gas rings is a waste of time, because they move around anyway while shooting.....and that once in a while they will be momentarily lined up during a shot, and it doesn't matter because the open gap is so small that the seal is still effective enough to properly cycle the bolt. By the next shot, they are staggered again. But if you are genuinely concerned about it, why not get a JP Enterprises Enhanced Gas Ring? http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/ga ... =452000170. I used this type of gas ring in the AR-10 precision rifle I just sold. Just one of these replaces all three of the regular "circlip-type", and lasts 3-4 times as long as the set of 3. Yes, they are more expensive, but given that they last longer and that they solve your concern about staggering the rings, so what if they cost more?

Also - and this is important to know for anyone who buys this type of product - these enhanced rings do not seal the same way as the regular rings. The standard rings work by being slightly too large for the inside diameter of the bolt carrier, so they are under tension when the BCG is assembled, and they press outwards continuously against the BC's inner surface. That outward pressure, combined with the back and forth movement of the bolt inside the BC is what eventually wears them out. But the enhanced rings don't work that way. Instead, they are precision ground to fit the ID of the BC's inner surface. They fit well enough to provide the seal, but without causing the same kind of wear to either the ring itself, or the inner surface of the BC as the bolt throws forward and backward.

The reason it is important to know this is that the enhanced gas rings will fail the standard test, even when brand new. The standard test consists of extending the bolt, and then standing the whole BCG on end on the bolt face, on a supporting surface like a counter or tabletop. If the standard gas rings are sound, the outward pressure they exert against the inner surface of the BC is enough to hold the weight of the carrier against it collapsing downward toward the supporting surface. But the enhanced rings, being precision ground to fit, don't exert any outward pressure against that inner surface of the BC, and so when the BCG is stood on end, the seal does not support the weight of the carrier, and it collapses downward.

The way you tell if your enhanced gas ring is worn out is if your bolt starts short-stroking when firing. And actually, short-stroking is the same symptom that would cause you to do the test on your standard gas rings anyway, so you can just put the enhanced gas ring on and forget about it.

Thanks all for your input.

To be clear: I meant tapping out the pin and removing the extractor from the BCG in order to completely clean/lube it.

I do it "once in a while", but not by any means every time I clean the bolt. There's no need to, and it's too easy to lose either the tiny little spring or its polymer insert that hide underneath the extractor, just looking for an excuse to pop out and hide in the shag carpet.

[JSThane]

I have never removed the extractor from the bolt head, nor seen the need to. I will dig under the extractor tooth with a pick, and "tension-test" the spring with the bolt head assembled.

As for gas rings, I've seen rifles run with only 2, and I think, 1 once. The absent rings just made the shooter have to deal with a lot more crud blown into the action of his rifle. I'm actually not sure I've ever seen a rifle fail to cycle because of missing/worn gas rings, come to think of it; seen a bunch of failures due to bad magazines, but that's about it.

[mikestuart]

I clean mine after every shoot.

[carlson1]

I strip the bolt completely after about 500 rounds.

I would like to say that TAM came over a couple of years ago (when I was just getting into AR's) and spent quality time explaining each part and the detailed cleaning. I didn't start stripping the bolt down until I watched a cleaning video of Wilson Combat showing how to clean an AR.

[rbwhatever1]

Good info, I had no idea these enhanced gas rings existed. I couldn't find a JP Enterprise ring for 223 but they had McFarland. I'll pick up a couple of these on my next Brownell's order and try them out. I've got a few things in my shopping cart, just trying to fill it up a bit more...

[Abraham]

TAM,

Does it matter which way the gas rings face when new ones are installed in the BC whether they are the standard 3 gas rings or the one enhanced?

Thanks!

[Abraham]

I should also have asked: Is there any one "best" mfg of gas rings of either the 3 standard or the enhanced?

Plus, any mfg. to avoid?

Thanks again!

[cajunautoxer]

I have around 4K rnds thru my bcg without cleaning it. Well I do spay it with clp 2Xs a yr then lube it up after shooting it

[The Annoyed Man]

I should also have asked: Is there any one "best" mfg of gas rings of either the 3 standard or the enhanced?

Plus, any mfg. to avoid?

Thanks again!

The only manufacturer of the enhanced rings that I am aware of is JT Enterprises, but that doesn't mean that there aren't others. A don't know of any that should be avoided.

TAM,

Does it matter which way the gas rings face when new ones are installed in the BC whether they are the standard 3 gas rings or the one enhanced?

Thanks!

I don't think it matters, for either kind of rings.

[Abraham]

Thanks TAM.

It looks like I need to stock a few sets of these rings.

Plus, maybe, a spare firing pin too.

And, maybe some extractor parts as you acknowledged they have a way of springing into hidden spots when removed to be cleaned...