bump

Cleaning tips.
Use a barbers shaving cream brush to apply oil evenly over the whole rifle. Acouple of drops and you are on your way. .99 cents @ walmart

Use dental picks from your local dentist office to get to hard to reach places (star chamber). I pick up a set every time a get a cleaning.  FREEBEE!!!!

Aimpoint tips.

You can use a spent casing or a dime to adjust the sight.

One shot zeroing. You will need a partner for this one. Aim at your target. Fire. See where your first round lands. Aim for the same spot again and have your partner move the dot to where you round landed while holding the rifle still. This will save you from the 20 clicks left 7 clicks right sorta thing and bring you down to 1 or 2 clicks. (sandbags or a bench really make this easy)

General

Herculiner makes things gripper. Butt stock, Pistol grip, Front handguard. Its resistent to heat, durable as hell and comes in black, grey and red. Buy only the quart size as soon as you open it you have to use it all. Only cost 20.00

Do not drink before performing weapon clear checks.

Originally Posted By Dace: Do not drink before performing weapon clear checks.

I just read the entire thread. Some realy excellent tips and techniques.

Thanks to all.

Originally Posted By JosephR: This might not work for all of you like it has for me, but it really only cost a few bucks- I had a spare A2 FS and I used our surveying Blaze Orange Marking Paint to give it a nice bright glow.  I walk into the bank with that A2 installed and then when I'm inside, I swap back to the original.  This accomplishes two things- the people who see me first and call the police think I'm just some dumbass with a toy gun- they see the orange tip and the police recognize that as a toy.  Once I get inside, I swap so that those people know I mean business.  They will trip the alarms and the police ought to say "hmm...  We already got a call about that bank.  The dumbass teller must not know the difference.  Let the old security guard take care of that airsoft kid..." It works better for me because Steve at ADCO ensures he picks A2s that will line up without needing peel washers or crush washers.  I can swap my FS out instantly and have it timed perfectly in seconds!!!! I keep a little pack of paintballs with me so i can smash those over my arms and chest.  Everyone outisde will think I was inside playing paintball and am running away with the "loot"

MORON

I'm glad two of you read my post and thought I was serious...

The High-Temp Engine paint was what got my mind on the idea of painting a gun orange.  I think I saw that in a movie a looonngggg time ago and the first Color that comes to mind when someone says High Temp Engine Paint is ORANGE.

Sorry some of you have to act your age 100% of the time you are here and won't allow yourselves to laugh.  It's one thing to make jokes about robbing banks when you shouldn't or yelling fire in a theater, but I hardly think what I said could have been taken seriously.  The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Larry Flynt when what's-his-face sued him for slander.  The Supreme Court basically said "If you believe what he wrote, you are too stupid to be reading..."

Originally Posted By JosephR: I'm glad two of you read my post and thought I was serious... The Supreme Court ruled in favor of JospehR when what's-his-face sued him for slander.  The Supreme Court basically said "If you believe what you wrote, you are too stupid to be posting..."

Actually, I didn't take it seriously.  And I knew it was SUPPOSED to be funny somehow... but, wait here it comes.


HA
HA

I get it.

Go to Home Depot and get a case for your cleaning kit and spare parts:

http://www.fbody.com/members/shocktrp//CleaningKit01.JPG

http://www.fbody.com/members/shocktrp//CleaningKit02.JPG

(Copy & past link.)

For the many uses of the old bike inner tube guys, head over to your local bike shop and ask if you can take some of their flatted tubes off their hands.  The guy at REI told me I had to take at least 10 of them.  

For a thicker grip, wrap it with paracord then slip on a section of bike inner tube for grip.  You can adjust the thickness of the different areas of the grip with more/fewer wraps of paracord or sections of inner tube.

The inner tube also makes outstanding rubber bands for backup securing rail-mounted items.

For a single point sling mount on the (very) cheap you can use a piece of paracord, unscrew the castle nut from your collapsable stock, pull the plate out, watch the spring, then make a loop with the paracord putting the two bitter ends into the hole in the receiver then re-tighten the castle nut/plate.  You can use the paracord to help keep the detent spring aligned.  I have quite a bit of sling hanging time on this setup with zero problems, just make sure you get that nut nice & tight.  You can attach an Uncle Mike's sling swivel to the paracord and then use your standard GI sling as a single point by making a loop out of it.  Not the best obviously, but sometimes you have to improvise.

Originally Posted By JosephR: This might not work for all of you like it has for me, but it really only cost a few bucks- I had a spare A2 FS and I used our surveying Blaze Orange Marking Paint to give it a nice bright glow.  I walk into the bank with that A2 installed and then when I'm inside, I swap back to the original.  This accomplishes two things- the people who see me first and call the police think I'm just some dumbass with a toy gun- they see the orange tip and the police recognize that as a toy.  Once I get inside, I swap so that those people know I mean business.  They will trip the alarms and the police ought to say "hmm...  We already got a call about that bank.  The dumbass teller must not know the difference.  Let the old security guard take care of that airsoft kid..." It works better for me because Steve at ADCO ensures he picks A2s that will line up without needing peel washers or crush washers.  I can swap my FS out instantly and have it timed perfectly in seconds!!!! I keep a little pack of paintballs with me so i can smash those over my arms and chest.  Everyone outisde will think I was inside playing paintball and am running away with the "loot"

i cant stop laughing!!!

For Gas tube assembly/disassembly I drilled a small hole slightly smaller than the gas tube in a pair of cheap plyers. Just clamp the closed plyers in a vise and drill in the area where the two flat sections of the plyers touch. Works great for stubborn ones.

To install the front detent and spring I used a 1/4 inch rod bent into an L shape with a hole at the end of the long section. After the detent and spring are pushed in, just turn it slightly to capture them. A long bolt with section of non-threaded shaft and the threads cut off would work just as well.

On springs and machine screws, I strip ball point pens, bic lighters and all kinds of junk for small springs and machine screws. I have a good selection now and they come in handy.

Bump

Low-mass hammer for use with the 15-minute trigger job for deeper dents in the primers:  Grind off the tail of the hammer to lower the weight.  Since you have less spring pressure acting on the hammer if you did the 15-minute trigger job (cut a leg off the hammer spring), you have to get the mass down to get the hammer speed back up.  Results:  Deeper primer hits and more reliable ignition:

pics here:  hammer pics


If you have a .22 kit (M261) and have done the 15-minute trigger job, grind the firing pin to a vertical chisel point instead of the standard round "pencil eraser"-looking firing pin.  Results?  Reliable ignition from your .22 kit.


When installing a FF tube on your upper, after you finish, take brake or carb cleaner and spray off all the moly lube that squished out of the threads.  If you don't, it'll get all over the upper receiver, case, carpet, truck seats, your hands, etc...  Been there, done that... created a few messes... it's amazing how far that stuff will go.

Bump.

Old tooth brushes can be bent to achive different angled heads, making getting to that hard to reach area easy. Just simply heat up the toothbrush handle a little with a candle

If you put a little grease on your recoil buffer and buffer spring, your rifle won't go BOOooing!!!! everytime you fire it.

Use colored electrical tape to mark your mags as YOURS. You could also color code them to tell you what they are loaded with. I use RED tape for XM193's , GREEN for my M855's etc. By doing this you are always aware of exactly what your gun is loaded with.

A computer dust brush work great for taking off the lint from your AR.

Originally Posted By Dace: In the four wheeling world, there are hundreds of cheap mods you can perform on your vehicle for little or no money.  I dont know how well this will work in the firearm community, but I will give it a try. Use WD-40 to clean cosmoline off a rifle.  Its basically gasoline in a can and cheaper then using Hopes. A .223 / 5.56 shell can be used to adjust the front site on an AR, you use a file to cut some notches and it works perfectly. Instead of buying a $30 piece of plastic for a receiver block when working with the rifle in a vise, use a cheap 30 round USA made steel magazine.  You can go to home depot or any craft store and purchase a do it yourself molding kit.  Pour epoxy or some other material into the mag body to make it stronger.

That's an awesome idea.  Thanks.

ETA: another use for bicycle tubing, use it to secure your tapeswitches to your vert grip.

I knew I came here for something other than all the bickering.

Use a foot long 1" diameter piece of pvc pipe over your spanner wrench handle to provide leverage when removing castle nuts.

Great thread by the way.

Originally Posted By Tweak: Originally Posted By heathen: For Gas tube assembly/disassembly I drilled a small hole slightly smaller than the gas tube in a pair of cheap plyers. Just clamp the closed plyers in a vise and drill in the area where the two flat sections of the plyers touch. Works great for stubborn ones. Why not just clamp the gas tube in the vise and pull it out?

I use this method but pad the vise jaws with soft wood like pine that grips that won't crush or deform the tube, that way I can reuse it or keep it as a spare after I clean the carbon buildup out of it.

For cleaning rust off of guns, or any type of metal - one part molasses, 9 parts water. Let it soak for a few days. It will make anything rusty look brand new. Ive cleaned a few old guns like this, as well as car parts, ect..

Originally Posted By Russ4777: Here's a pic of the o-ring around the front lug trick.  It really does work nicely to tighten the upper/ lower slop problem.  Cheap, quick and if the o-ring does deteriorate or crack with time, it's a $.20 replacement item. www.hunt101.com/img/119144.jpg

Does anyone else have a pic of this?  I'm interested in doing this, but all I see is a "Cupidfish.com" picture, whatever that is.

tag

In after the tack!

Not really a trick, but, don't buy cheap mags, it will just cost more in the long run.

Originally Posted By OG10807: Some RTV sealant (silicone) in the hole between the A2 pistol grip and the trigger guard saves your middle finger from irritation.  Crude but it works.

Hot glue works too.

tag

Okay time to contribute to this very useful thread (going to try the milkcrate rifle holder in a couple of weeks...might need two). The gro

- Local sports store has $2 tarps and $14 "camp" tables with wooden tops. Great for a portable table (about the same size as the folding chairs).

- The gas tube of an AK is about "13" gauge. 12 gauge shotgun brushes and mops are the perfect size.

- Installing bolt catch on an AR. Nail + Hammer + 2 layers black electrical tape. No damage.

- Cheap (but small) dump pouch. Take an old USGI mag pouch and cut the top off. Line inside with duct tape and cardboard.

- De-cosmoline various nasty parts like AK front sight blocks. Scunci Steamer (as seen on TV). Melting point of cosmoline is about 160-180F. Steam it...cosmo runs right out. Let dry to prevent rust, or, if it's small enough, throw it in the oven for 20 minutes (great for mags). I decosmo'd my entire AK style rifle in about 1.5 hours (aside from the wood).

- Commercial parts bins mag great mag storage/sorter bins.

- Harbor Freight sells electonic ear muffs (mono) for $20.

- To prevent ring marks on scopes and flashlights, line the inside of the rings with a piece of black electrical tape. It's just wide enough for most rings.

- Airsoft mag pouches work great for range use ($10).

- Oily fingerprints on your A2 buttstock? Rub in some CLP all over the stock then wipe off.

- Minwax matte texture marine varnish spray works great at refinishing AK wood.

- Use a twist tie on the hammer spring ends (where they sit on the trigger) when removing your AK trigger group. Pull the ends up and cross them "over" the hammer ears. Twist tie them in place. Prevents you from getting stabbed.

- AR trigger pin walking? Shave down the hammer spring a bit to fully seat it in the trigger pin detent.

- Good hand cleaner for oil, grease, ammo residue = Orange Goop (or other orange cleaner). Not exactly a "secret" since it's used in auto mechanics areas, but for those of us glues to a computer...


Some don'ts:

- Don't use a LULA on the last 10-15 rounds in a Beta C-Mag. It will likely dent the cases

- Don't pour cosmoline filled water down the drain

- Don't use MPro-7 with red shop towels. It will transfer the red dye to whatever the towel sits on (like wood, pants, etc.)

-To take the wobble out of CAR stocks:
 Slide the stock off the buffer tube, and tape the lower (flat) sides of the tube with layers of  1/2" filament tape and check. If it still twists, add more tape to the sides or even top of the tube. And to avoid looking like a dumbass, only put tape where it will be hidden at all times.

Homemade Firearms-Related Products

(including homemade Foul-Out)

CETME front sight adjustment tool
* large flathead screwdriver(a phillips might work, I haven't tried one)
   -diameter of shaft cannot be larger than hole on the top of the Front sight hood
   -Dremmel/grind tip width to where it will just go thru above mentioned hole
   -Dremmel/grind a prong on each side of the tip, grind the prongs to fit in holes of the front sight post

Detent pin for front takedown pin
Prior to installing your detent pin, cut a piece of clothes hanger the same length. If your detent pin is lost you'll have a substitution until you can get another pin.

an old mesh bag works great for the home camou job.

ETA-
Cheap tool for putting in that pesky detent pin
-one 7.62(.308) rod section
-drill hole the size of detent pin
-bend a 3" section opposite end of hole
-slide end w/ hole thru front take down pin holes
-slide spring an detent pin thru hole usinf a very smal diameter punch
-turn 90degrees(that is what the bent end is for)
-use front take down pin to drive rod out and seat detent pin (this is the tricky part because it must be done fast and with one strike)

Found mag pulls for ten bucks at a gun show this weekend.  I spent fifteen on some 550 cord and weed wacker string (wws)  to do the same thing.

I cut the 550 into 6.5 inch pieces and pull out the guts, and cut wws in 3.5 inch pieces.  Knot one end of the 550 and slide the wws into the cord and knot the other end.  Remove the bottom plate of your mags half way and put knot into the bottom of the mag.  When you get done it should make a loop that stands up.  If it doesn't pul up at first just roll it betwwwn your thumb and finger till it does.  I put them on seven of the mags I have and probialy have enough left over for almost a hunderd more.

 

I dunno if its been said but....when working with small springs detents etc...I do it in the shower with the curtain closed and the drain shut. Gives small bouncy things not far to go and makes them easy to see and recover due to the white back ground.

tag

Originally Posted By Knife_Sniper: 1) Never, under any circumstances, use cheap products to paint a rifle. When you think about painting a rifle the word you really should be focused on is refinishing your rifle

Good lord... +1


I've had a bad experience...

tag

Some of you with VLTOR stocks might be aware of the battery cap mod.  Modified the mod a little bit.  If you use a slightly longer tether, you can attach it to the stock.
Place one knotted end of the 550 cord through the battery cap as before, but leave a lot more length than you will think you will need, and don't tie the other end yet.
Remove the battery compartments and you will find a small notch on the inside.  Route the untied length of tether through that notch to the rear, and pass it through one of the lightening holes in the spine of the stock.  Secure the battery compartment by holding it in place.  Then route the tether back forward through the notch on the other battery compartment and snug it back along the stock body.  Insert the screws and nuts and tighten slightly.  Play with the length of the cord so that the battery cap that is already secured has enough slack to be pulled out and inserted without difficulty.  You just want enough tether length to allow you to remove the cap and have it hang freely, you don't want 6" of cord hanging around.  Once you've got the tether length comfortable tighten the screws to where you want them.  
With the untied length hanging out forward, thread it into the battery cap as before.  Measure out a similar length to the other secured end, and remember to make it a little longer so that you will have enough left to knot inside the cap.  Cut the cord, burn, and knot.
Even with the tubes tightened, there is still some play in the cord and you can even it up if you're worried about it.  The extra slack in the tether can be tucked back into the voids of the stock underneath, and the levers on the caps will help hold it down.  

Don't buy target stands!  Wait for election season and collect the signs after the election.  Some politicians and sign companies actually pay you to collect them!  They make great target holders, you don't even have to staple/tape targets to them...depending on which party's signs you collect.  Real estate signs are even sturdier!!!

Originally Posted By BC-Sgt-USMC-3rdRec82: Don't buy target stands!  Wait for election season and collect the signs after the election.  Some politicians and sign companies actually pay you to collect them!  They make great target holders, you don't even have to staple/tape targets to them...depending on which party's signs you collect.  Real estate signs are even sturdier!!!

Woah great Idea I never would have thought of that!

Thanks!

tag

Posted by Mike_L My dad tried that on his Blackhawk and it made it black, but still shiny.  Didn't help his glare problem at all. I doesn't surprise me that it didn't work on a Blackhawk.  If the gun's finish is shiny (stainless, blued, etc...), the marker doesn't work.  On an AR or other gun with a matte finish (ie phosphate, parked, etc..) it works very well. FB

I dunno... on mine, I find that CLP creep makes any matte surface glare.... and a burning spoon sounds like it would get you in trouble at some ranges (burn ban, indoors, etc)  I'm reluctant to try alumahyde due to cost and aforementioned CLP creep.   Still looking for the solution to sight glare.

paracord, I use it as mentioned previously on the forearm heat sheilds, but also on the pistol grip.  Cut a length and start wrapping from the middle of the cord, then cross the ends each time around and go back the other way.  Put the cross on the sides to build up a bit of palmswell.  Start from the top of the grip and work down.  You'll have to experiment with lengths and tie-off methods.  Illustrations of the finished product here

inner tubes: for bigger ones, go to a motorcycle shop.  cut narrow widths of the right diameter for holding rolled up targets.  Put them on your mags to keep them from clinking together (similar to previous post about wrapping with colored tape).  Also, put them around cans and bottles that have spray tubes, so that you can slide the tube under for storage (rather than that peice of scotch tape that held the tube on when you bought it).

+1 on Ed's Red

nalgene bottles: quart size specifically.... fill it with ed's red and drop all your bolt parts (including the carrier) and cap it off while you do your other cleaning.  

magnets: strong ones can be found inside computer hard-disk drives.  use one to fish your parts out of the nalgene bottle, by placing it on the OUTSIDE and sliding stuff up till you can reach it with your fingers.  Many other magnet uses described previously.

a length of 1/2" PVC pipe is a good way to protect a full-length cleaning rod from bending - so you could store it in your soft-side rifle case.

economy paint brushes (aka "chip brushes") in 1" and 1/2" widths (half a buck each at Lowes) are great for brushing away dust, sand and other garbage.

empty bottles of eye drops to carry a little CLP in your pocket (and apply precisely).  add a few BBs to help keep it mixed.

(I'm sure I have more that I can't think of at the moment.)

tag

Dawn dishwashing soap to remove Cosmoline.

taggie

Just like someone said, Bic lighter spring for a detent quick replacement.