Got a chance to get my new LMT rifle out for a little fun yesterday. A friend had some SUPER crappy Israeli surplus ammo that we used. I mean this stuff was dinged all the hell and back. Some of them you could even see where the projo was out of concentricity with the rest of the case. We tried to avoid these naturally but I wasnt too picky about what I fed it. This was sort of a baptism by fire exercise. Just wanted to see was it was capable of right out of the box.
She ate everything I fed her. Out of close to 500 rounds I had about 7 misfires but that was the ammo’s fault.
Im wondering if I should clean it or just lube it a little and keep going?
Agreed, I would also like to point out that ammo is part of the operating system. Bad ammo can give bad results without any fault of the carbine, just something to keep in mind. Glad you like your LMT, mine has been good to me as well.
clean it. The Marines believe in cleaning their weapons . I do too. A Marine will clean his weapon thoroughly the day he shoots it and then he’ll clean it for three consecutive days in a row whether he shoots it or not.
Who told you that? I’m an 0351 but for the most part when I was in the Corps had no money,so I was an 0311.WE were never told that specific cleaning regimen.
CLP continues to dissolve carbon and other combustion byproducts.
A weapon that is “clean” can actually have dirt still in it.
The CLP breaks this down and it comes out the next time you run a patch
down the bore.
I remember the shock that went thru my unit when the Army changed from LSA to CLP.
The first time we used it we couldn’t really see any difference. Next day
OMG!!! Patches coming out of the bores were BLACK and GREEN and colors
we did not ever remember coming out of an M16.
I will admit we had a lot fewer problems with getting the troops to thoroughly
clean their weapons.
When I was in, we would draw our weapons out of the armory and do what we needed to do. Whether if it was just doing dry runs through a rope house or doing rush ranges, the weapons would go back in cleaner than they came out. With that said, I have the mentality if the weapon was used it should be cleaned, because you don’t know when you will have another chance.
Agreed. With a new purchase, cleaning it, the first few range sessions, gives you the chance to eye ball all the parts to ensure proper function and no parts failing. Then shoot the crap out of it. Over cleaning, to Marine Corps Recruit Depot D.I. standards, will damage your weapon more than simply shooting it. There is no need to get that anal about cleaning. See this thread for good tips on cleaning here https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=35490
FWIW, I only clean my weapons every 3K rounds or so. Just lube it well and shoot it.
I’d personally avoid using any questionable ammo unless absolutely necessary.Ive seen a couple bad scenarios with old/bad and dinged up ammo and its not worth risking damage to a nice new LMT.
Cleaning routine:
I believe the 3 day cleaning routine goes back to the days of corrosive primed ammo,and in some cases corrosive powders like cordite.Required to simply make certain the corrosive residues were removed as the oils and solvents displaced them from the initial cleaning over a series of days.
I was taught the same 3 day cleaning routine by two military types,one from WW2 and the other Vietnam era.True riflemen too.The cleaning did not include any white glove inspection techniques and no metal scraper or the like were allowed as it would damage the weapon and its finish.Sharpest object allowed to scrap with was a sharpened stick.That said the weapon I started out shooting and hunting with in the mid to late 70’s was a 1903 Springfield that was purchased in the mid 50’s from a pile at Sears.It was also fed corrosive 40’s-50’s M2 ball.So the routine was for a reason.
Being a milsurp at heart I have a large collection of WW2 era weapons and partial to the K98K of which I shoot alot of surplus ammo from the 1930’s-1950’s.So I continue to use the three day method on those weapons.Otherwise my more modern weapons just get a good once over after use.
That said we,the whole family no matter the generation have always followed the rule of clean and lube after use and I continue to do it to this day.Golden rule “the sun never sets on a dirty weapon.”
Im still shooting the weapons Ive had all my life and there have been no negative results in regard to my routine.
In fact with the humidity and temp swings we see here in Tennessee things will either rust or grow mold in 48 hours,so if nothing else its cheap insurance to PM the weapons after use and make sure everything is good to go.
Not to mention the fact that a proper inspection after use ensures that any part on the verge of failure maybe caught at that time,which to me inspires my confidence in my weapon.
So Im certainly not going to make faces or poke fun at folks who do PM their weapons,and dont honestly understand why anyone would…and if folks dont want to clean their weapon thats fine too,just not my belief system or my weapon…
The 3-Day cleaning regimen is unnecessary unless you face white-glove inspections.
A shift to functionally clean is needed in many units in the military.
Firearms are not eating utensils, they are tools.
Blind adherance to military procedure is silly. Understand the concept before buying into the technique.
WTF ! Geez ? All it takes is one word to sound like a smartass. I thought I was getting away from that attitude they have at TOS. Please don’t disappointment me here.
I know you have a pretty high post count and I don’t. You should know better.
You’ll learn pretty quick I don’t care for sarcasm.
Apparently this ( the cleaning regime) was something you didn’t know about.
Your “GEEZ” comment was uncalled for.So in the future FYI I don’t put up with any bullshit.
PS I moved to this site because I got tired of the sarcasm and rudenss the trolls at the TOS had.
Until today I have had no problems at all with smartasses
This is the reason it should be done
CLP continues to dissolve carbon and other combustion byproducts.
A weapon that is “clean” can actually have dirt still in it.
The CLP breaks this down and it comes out the next time you run a patch
down the bore.
I remember the shock that went thru my unit when the Army changed from LSA to CLP.
The first time we used it we couldn’t really see any difference. Next day
OMG!!! Patches coming out of the bores were BLACK and GREEN and colors
we did not ever remember coming out of an M16.
I will admit we had a lot fewer problems with getting the troops to thoroughly
clean their weapons.
Carbon on operating parts does not make the weapon less likely to function.
Lack of lubrication is waaaaaaaay more likely to cause an operating problem.
I know for a fact that an M4A1 can and will work over several months and 3,000 round with no cleaning so long as proper lubrication is applied. I know this because I have done it.
If you really like to have your guns sparkly clean and only use CLP, the 3-day thing is right up your alley. If you like to keep a gun running for as long as possible with the most efficient application of effort, it is unnecessary.
I agree with keeping the weapon wet.Lubrication is more important than the weapon being clean.
A clean dry weapon will not function as well as a dirty wet weapon. I agree with this totally.