I did a search and can’t find anything on this. I don’t intend this to be a dumb question.
If your carbine has one of the popular cage-style comps - like a Battlecomp (most commonly), or the KAC Triple Tap, or the newer Griffin M4-SD and Spike’s Dynacomp - and you fully submerge the device in a nice thick puddle of mud, which is easy to do here in Michigan, what do you need to do before you can safely shoot the gun again?
I ask because it seems that most other devices, whether flash hiders with prongs or big slots, or brakes with one or two big ports, you can generally get all the mud out with a bit of water (maybe a couple ounces from your hydration bottle) or probably just poke most of the mud out with a stick, pocket knife blade or screwdriver, etc., and be back in business with reasonable safety. If the mud is thin it will probably just drain out of most flash hiders, and what little is left shouldn’t harm anything and will probably be blown out completely in one or two shots. With the devices that have very small openings forming a cage, I don’t see you poking mud out with a tool, and it seems like it would take a lot more water to rinse the mud out. In a bad case you might have to remove the comp completely and soak it or use an ultrasonic cleaner, which I think BCE recommends for periodic cleaning anyway. I imagine if the mud didn’t get fully inside the cage you’re OK, but if some of the mud did get well into the cage, it seems like firing would be likely to damage the device or even your barrel, not to mention the bullet will go off course.
I would just shoot it. The hot gasses will evaporate the water and then blow the now-dry dirt out of the comp. I sunk the muzzle of my gun into about 4 inches of mud once, freaked out, and then asked the instructor what he would do. He sunk his rifle into 6 inches of mud, and then fired a few shots out and said nothing else.
ETA: Do watch out for rocks and stuff like that in the bore though. They won’t blow out like watery mud will and can ruin your day real quick.
I definitely would water it out. I wouldn’t shoot it. Trapping dirt/mud in there could get a sand blast situation and bounce dirt particles onto your crown.
(edit: better still… get a regular flash hider and leave the silly gadgets that have these issues off your gun. ;))
So, with a barrel full of mud and gunk he fired a few rounds? That sounds like applied Darwinism to me.
To the OP: Spray it down with a garden hose or something with a bit of pressure behind it to help break up that mud and then lube liberally with CLP. Wipe off excess and shoot.
Appreciate the replies so far, but want to clarify something. I don’t currently own a BC or similar and am debating getting one. I want to know if I get mud in the device during a match, can I clear it within 10-20 seconds, or at worst in a few minutes after that stage, using tools and/or hydration water I’m carrying on my person, and still be shooting the rest of the match?
Anything that requires cleaning with a water hose, taking the device off the barrel, etc. is a non-starter for me, since most other types of devices seem to be something you can easily clean in the field. Given the military fielding of the A1/A2 flash hiders I would sure think it would be known if sticking an A1/A2 flash hider in mud disabled the rifle until armorer-level service. I’m not aware of any comparable fielding of the Battlecomp, Triple Tap or similar, but I’m assuming some people on this site have accidentally dunked theirs in mud while in training or at a match, and can say what worked or didn’t work.
I haven’t had this issue with my BC, but if I did, I would water it out and run a patch down the bore with a good cleaning rod, then get back to shooting. A hose or something with pressure would be preferred, but not necessary to get the gun running. Dried mud in the comp would be a different issue altogether and would definitely require a hose, preferably with a high pressure nozzle.
Water, since it is virtually incompressible, can be just as bad as any other bore obstruction.
Given the military fielding of the A1/A2 flash hiders I would sure think it would be known if sticking an A1/A2 flash hider in mud disabled the rifle until armorer-level service.
I know a soldier who lost an eye in OIF 1 due to shit in his muzzle/bore. There’s a big big reason we’re told never to stick our muzzles in the dirt. Because sometimes shit happens, shoot-off muzzle covers are also issued http://www.optactical.com/m1arshoffmuc.html
It doesn’t take, ‘armorer-level service’–it takes swishing it in some water and then checking. It’s not rocket science, dude.