Cleaning the Thumper

[Hoot]

Am I the only weirdo here... I've never cleaned the gas tube or had to, however, I am picky about my powder choices. Guess maybe someday I will have to buuttt..

..t

+1
Once I shot some high pressure solvent through a gas tube when I was changing out the block and had it off. I sprayed through it onto a sheet of white printer paper and after the solvent evaporated, the sheet was as clean as before I did it. A little puckered, but no sign of debris and it was a strong HFC solvent. Its a matter of personal preference and a confidence builder. If you seriously believe it will improve your shooting, it probably will.

I think we can all agree that more harm comes from not enough than too much. Where we don't agree as much is what constitutes adequate?

Billy, while unfortunately true, that's an amusing observation.

Hoot'

[kottke_35]

Well, now that I think about it, I suppose the gas tube could be considered "self cleaning". Every round fired blows it out. However, this would seem to make the chamber "self dirty-ing"...

Hence one reason for the piston system being developed.

B.

[wildcatter]

Well, now that I think about it, I suppose the gas tube could be considered "self cleaning". Every round fired blows it out. However, this would seem to make the chamber "self dirty-ing"...

Hence one reason for the piston system being developed.

B.

Well, kinda..

I have been building and shooting piston systems since the 1970's, then as is now, the real reason for pistons is to reduce chamber over-heating. In the SOPMOD Program, wherein I had allot of input, over-heating was a real issue, in an Australian Peel Maneuver. Now, as I still query Spec. Ops. Troopers about the Peel and who has actually done one in real combat and I receive responses, something akin to.."we only do it in training".

I stand as one of the few who see the piston system as an overall negative. They stress the system, thereby, weakening the action, an vastly increasing the unset of a Premature Transmission Failure. In other words, Piston Systems, though popular, do not trump the De-Bugged Direct Impingement Gas System, in overall execution, unless, you've got unlimited funds and can take new guns into the field every time you mount up, for fear of having a catastrophic failure at the moment of truth.

Pistons Systems, are a cure, looking for a problem..

..t

[Colohunter]

I've never cleaned my gas tubes, but I typically will clean the bore and bolt carrier assembly very 2-3 range trips. I clean my duty rifle after every range trip, just for that little extra piece of mind.

[BD1]

I'm trying to remember if I've ever cleaned a gas tube beyond wiping off the bolt end. The only time I can remember even thinking about it was the time I ran 500 rounds of cast boolits without cleaning and I pulled a pipe cleaner through the gas tube out of curiosity. Nothing was in there. In my experience nothing is ever in there. In my opinion far more rifles have been ruined by excessive cleaning, than by excessive shooting.
BD

[Jeepejeep]

Yeah, I saw some of those really long pipe cleaners at a gun show and figured that tube just HAD to be dirty. Ran one in there with come cleaner stuff on it and it barely came out slightly grey. Far as I can tell, those tubes never need cleaning.