AK Maintenance
- Basic Maintenance
As anyone will tell you maintenance is very important in keeping your investments in good working order. Here we will cover topics ranging from what types of oils to use and different ways to keep your rifle clean.
- Boresnakes/Cleaning Rods
This is probably the handiest thing that can be bought, and not just for AKs. A boresnake will save you money over time, and since most AK barrels are chrome-lined, just one or two passes of a ‘snake will be more than adequate for cleaning purposes. The boresnake can be stored in a pocket, or, if you’re creative, on the rifle itself somewhere. Since an AK can go quite a while without a cleaning, though, I just leave my boresnakes at home. If I encounter a barrel obstruction in the field, the cleaning rod will be infinitely more useful, anyway.
- Cleaning Kit Capsule
While many may consider it useless due to the rifle not needing cleaned often, and many other better-quality items being available for when it is cleaned, this is something every AK owner should have, and they should preferably have enough that each rifle has its own. Why? The kit contains three parts that can be extremely useful in the field: a punch, a screwdriver tool, and the capsule body itself. These are the most important parts of the kit, but it is recommended that you keep the jag and bore brush in the capsule, as well, to cut down on rattling. Now, these tools are useful for a variety of reasons, but here are the primary uses they’ll have in the field when you can’t get to your other items. The punch can be used to remove the cleaning rod (insert through the hole drilled in the head of it), and it can be used to disassemble the bolt, as well as remove various parts of the rifle if needed. The screwdriver piece is useful for tightening screws, if needed (I once had my grip screw come loose on a hike to the point of letting the grip rattle, and my cleaning kit fixed that right up). The cleaning kit body itself can be used to rotate the gas tube lever if it is “sticky,” and can also be used as a swiveling handle on the cleaning rod so if bore obstructions need to be removed in-field. That said, if your firearm can house a cleaning rod, I suggest picking one up for this purpose.
- Lubricants
This is a subject of much debate and many arguments. The AK can be run with very little lube, but it is a machine and machines need lubrication when metal and metal are rubbing against each other. I dont go into the different types of lubrication as that is a subject in its own. What I have used in the past with success is Hoppes #9, Shooters Choice FP-10, Rem Oil and of course CLP. Many users also use red packing grease. When you decide on the choice that is right for you, then make sure not to over lube. It wont hurt your rifle to put more then is required, but it will attract dirt and other contaminates and while the AK is great at fighting those off, it is still something that you dont want. The areas to make sure are lubed are the bolt and the area it rides in the bolt carried and other areas you see inside the gun that have the finish worn off.
- Shooting Corrosive Ammo
It is important to make sure you clean your rifle after shooting corrosive ammo. The salts in the primer will cause premature rust and will eat away at your rifle. And as anyone knows rust is a bad thing. Many people say to use Windex because of the ammonia, but from what I have read and my experiences in the past, just running some warm water down the barrel and gas system will wash away those salts. You want to make sure your rifle is dry afterwards and this is a perfect time to put a fresh coat of oil on the rifle.
- Removing Rust from a Magazine
/u/Jamal_22 put together a how to on removing rust from a [magazine](http://imgur.com/a/mGftS). Looks like all you need is a brass brush and some CLP.
