Clean inside BCG

[GStephen]

What do you use to clean the flat part at the bottom of the hole that the bolt goes in?

[jtallen83]

Brass scraper is ok, Otis BONE tool is real handy.

https://otistec.com/blog/meet-the-otis-bone-tool/

 

[shooterrex]

^^^^^^this

[98Z5V]

The first tool I found for M4s - all AR15 variants - that was badass was the CAT M4 Tool.

 

After that, I picked up the OTIS BONE tool for a 5.56, then the one for the .308s.  It's a great tool, and works superbly.  However, the CAT m4 tool kicks WAY MORE ASS on the small-frame guns, than that OTIS does.  Neither are bad - but it's the level of work that you want to put in. The CAT just does more than the OTIS BONE does.

Well, CAT makes a 762 tool... 

https://catoutdoors.com/product/cat-762-tool/

[GStephen]

I figured there was a better way.  I have been using a hard plastic tool that I filed down to the appropriate size to fit inside the carrier. I didn’t want to take a chance of scratching the part that the gas rings seal against 

[98Z5V]

OTIS BONE tool cleans the inside of the carrier very well - no better than that CAT tool.  The CAT too just does more.  If you just want to clean the inside of the carrier, both work well.  Cleaning the inside of the carrier really, honestly, isn't that important, for the function of the gun, over any kind of cyclic term, though.  It's a "cleaning last resort" to do, as a last-ditch effort, if your gun is fucking up, and you have no idea why. 

So, since everything is fukked, the gun doesn't work, and I can't think of anything else to do - let's clean the inside of the carrier and see if THAT works...

That's how important it is. 

When was the last time you removed the cylinder heads off your car engine, and cleaned the valve seats, valve faces,  and combustion chambers?  Got all the carbon deposits out of there?  Or worried about the carbon buildup on the tops of your pistons?  (You know, when you had those heads off, anyway, to clean them...)

Yeah, never. 

I can co into my thoughts on this in depth, but I'm just sayin' now - it's not that important for the cycle of the gun.

[BrianK]

The DIs impressed upon me the importance of a clean M16. I'll probably never be able to have a filthy weapon ever again. Due to that training I always clean inside the BCG.

FWIW, Blems of the CAT tool are available for a substantial price reduction. As one of the reviews stated, or what I got from it, it's to be used, not to be looked at.

[jtallen83]

My CAT broke while gouging out some carbon, I rarely if ever clean a rifle so it was a hard pile, I don't think I can break the BONE.

[Rsquared]

What's this "cleaning"thing you guys are talking about?

[Armed Eye Doc]

11 minutes ago, Rsquared said:

What's this "cleaning"thing you guys are talking about?

I didn't want to be the one to call these neat-freaks out.  But, since you said it, are you really supposed to clean these guns?  I thought you were supposed to get more guns so you don't have to clean them. 

[Rsquared]

13 minutes ago, Armed Eye Doc said:

I didn't want to be the one to call these neat-freaks out.  But, since you said it, are you really supposed to clean these guns?  I thought you were supposed to get more guns so you don't have to clean them. 

Right there with you brother. I'd rather build another one than clean one.

[ARTrooper]

As long as it works, why clean it? Don’t fix what isn’t broken! 😂 just keep it lubed. 💦

[BrianK]

I shoot with another older gent and one match he was getting malfunctions. So I asked him when the last time was that he cleaned it. The answer was "Never.". I asked how many rounds were through it and he told me 20k. He further stated that it was time to bring it to a gunsmith for cleaning. 

Sure, firearms can be over cleaned and destroyed by it. Just look at the rifles in the military and how muzzles are belled by GIs running the jointed rods in and out of the muzzle hundreds of times. But I nearly embarrassed my undies when he told me that. Yeah, that would be a really good reason for malfunctions. I didn't ask if he lubed it. 

BTW, this same gent only changed the battery in his red dot when it ran out of juice. I saw it happen 3x right in the middle of a stage over the years, and he tried to guess where the dot would have been so kept shooting. Good luck with that. He handled it like nothing was wrong, just another day. I'd be kicking myself in the butt.

 

[BrianK]

Dodging the issue of whether or not the inside of the BCG should be cleaned... My CAT tool arrived the other day. BTW, prompt shipping. I saved a few bux and got a blem. Who needs a perfect finish on a tool that will get pooped on? OK, I couldn't see any blemish, and definitely none that affect performance. I have a Brownells tool that only does the inside (cylinder) portion of the BCG but it's much larger and looks sorta like a  reamer on a screwdriver. That tool does one thing and is intended for use at the bench. The CAT tool is NOT that! It's smaller and flat, it could easily fit in a GI nylon M16 cleaning kit. My BCG was clean inside so the portion that cleans inside wasn't of much use and neither was the patch slot but clearly would do the job. I thought the firing pin was clean but that portion of the tool got down to the radius and I could feel the carbon coming off. That's all that I was able to test and it worked fine. 

IF one wants to clean the BCG I would buy this tool over the Brownells tool unless one has a gunsmith shop. Maybe even then. The CAT tool works fine. Is the tool worth $10 more for a perfect finish? I don't think so. My $ saved can be used for other things. I wouldn't even buy a pristine one as a gift, no one would ever know unless you told them or they figure out what the "B" means on UPC tag.

[98Z5V]

I love the Cat M4 tool - it really works.  I don't have the bigger version yet, but I'll pick one up now, based on what you're saying.  I do have the OTIS Bone Tool in both small frame and large frame.  They work well for cleaning the BCG, just as well as the CAT, but that's all they do.  The CAT does a few other things that the Bone Tool (single function) does not.

Right on, man.    Thanks for writing that up...

Post the link where you found the blems, and I'll grab several.  

Edited December 17, 2022 by 98Z5V

[BrianK]

I wrote that the tool cleaned the firing pin. That was a senior moment. It cleaned the the "tail" of the bolt that gets carboned up. Sorry, I don't know what to call it. It gets cleaned by putting it lengthwise between the prongs of the CAT tool. 

Blems... $18 ... https://catoutdoors.com/product/cat-m4-tool-blemished/

 

[98Z5V]

Did they have the blem 762 tools?  I'm grabbing a couple more M4s, just because.

nevermind, I finally found the page where that was at.  No blem 762s, but the deal on the M4s is sweet!

https://catoutdoors.com/product-category/tools/

Edited December 17, 2022 by 98Z5V

[NightStalker]

I scrape it out as best I can with a scraper or even a screw driver. Then I have a little round brass brush I put in the end of a military barrel rod, (it slides in) and brush back and forth around the entire area. It takes it all out.