[treehugger49]

I'm sure that I'm overlooking something very basic here, but for the life of me I can't get the answer on my own except "very carefully."

For those of you who have free-float handguards that aren't designed to be readily removed (I have an 18" SPR 6.8 SPC w/ Midwest Industries 12" Super Single handguards), how do you accomplish periodic cleaning beneath the hardguards or deal with proper maintenance after an outing in the weather?

 

[Dirty Rod]

Hose it down with Break Free, blow with compressed air, and let dry. Works best I you get the can of CLP so you can blow it down in there. Unless It's really dirty though I just wipe it down.

 

[John A.]

What exactly are you intending to clean under there? There are no moving parts, and nothing there except the exterior of the barrel.

Barrels are adequately parkerized to form a coating to protect against corrosion and oxidation.

As for spraying it with lubricant, although that would be another step to prevent corrosion, if you go overboard with it, it's going to smoke and burn off the next time you go shooting anyway.

 

[MPDC]

Use a long q tip and sparingly paint it with clp or a rust preventative if it bugs you. Probably won't be a problem though unless it is emersed in water or constantly in salty air conditions. You might spray it with Birchwood Casey's barrier, which dries pretty fast and the synthetic safe type won't discolor anything or dry sticky.

 

[treehugger49]

Yep, just a gas tube and parkerized/S-carbed barrel. I just thought over time the dust and moisture would build up and would need cleaning out.

I pull the carbine handguards off my 5.56 RRA periodically and clean those areas and lightly coat w/ CLP, and just felt negligent by not giving the same attention to the 6.8, but, as you say, probably not necessary.

I guess an occasional shot from my compressor will suffice.

Thanks.

 

[gordonw1]

Just a random suggestion, you could use a bore mop covered in CLP on the end of a rod and run it down there. Would that work?

 

[treehugger49]

In my specific case, I have a trim ring just forward of the gas block that caps off the foregrips and precludes anything from being ramrodded into that area.

The holes in the handguard itself would lend itself to insertion of Q-tips or the like, but it would be pretty tedious, and as has been pointed out, probably unnecessary in the overall scheme of things.