Basic Firearms Maintenance

With so many new firearms owners entering the marketplace and the constant questions we get about how to maintain our firearms we have decided to create this extensive but basic rifle maintenance video. In this video Jim shows you how to break down one of our rifles, and how to properly clean it.
Link to Bones Tool
www.brownells.com/gunsmith-to...

[@Will-ol9lp]

For the people who don’t know what your talking about you should do closeups so they can see and have a better understanding of what you mean.

[@bassreeves4043]

I came to the Comments to say the same. The presentation is actually really good, but the absence of close ups on the components dramatically undercuts its effectiveness. Comments to say the same. About halfway through I too frustrated at the many references I could not see. I gave up and went to look for another video.

[@des3989]

@@bassreeves4043 Find another video helpful? I'd be interested!

[@Bulldog75stp]

Yeah...um...I'm gonna need a link to the DD branded towel.

[@GamalielRios]

Same here...!!!

[@dls364]

Thank you for the video. Maybe in the future you can do close ups of the part you're working on so we can get a better look at the small parts you're removing or referring to.

[@god_beast_bombplaying856]

Exactly😂, I had trouble seeing what he was doing about 1/3 of the video.

[@erickmartinez4045]

Read the manual, everything is there!!

[@TJ-hd5ym]

Why are you here then !!

[@Mikeynuts21]

Great timing with all the newbs coming into the fold.

[@knifeaddict1014]

Ikr all the ones that wanted it banned to beat it all lol 😂

[@thehightechhermit1143]

Yes I’m one of them and appreciate this content

[@MegaHz11]

Owning any firearm,there is much more to it. This is it,I like these vids. We need more of these,for all those new firearm owners. Thank You. DD is Great.

[@gailpeterson3747]

This is a great video for newer shooters just getting into the AR platform. Thanks Daniel Defense for making this available!!

[@jhalscott]

These videos are perfect for me to give to new AR owners here in the pandemic. Thanks again. Love DD.

[@emanuelhoyos1030]

My first AR was a PSA, the only cleaning I ever did was wipe down the parts with oil and it functioned (probably wasn’t the best idea in hindsight). Just ordered my first high-end AR, so the timing of this video is perfect for me to learn proper weapon cleaning. Thank you!

[@islas357]

Emanuel Hoyos you really don’t need to baby a good gun. With a DD or bcm all you have to do is relube every 500-1000 rounds. I only clean it like at 2k and its only a quick wipe down check parts for wear and relube. Barrel doesn’t need to be cleaned often either

[@tomhawes7498]

Thanks DD!!! Not all of us started buying AR's when ArmaLite & Colt first started to make them like some here. Most of us are capable of learning the nuances of a different weapon though. I have seen other videos claiming CLP is not good for any weapon. I'm gonna say that after watching a DD Rep use it that it must be acceptable for lubing a quality AR. Again Thank you DD, my two new MK-18's will be receiving this video's advice.

[@danno1800]

You did a terrific job showing us all how to do maintenance on our rifles- thanks - much appreciated!

[@Rocket_Stool]

I just bought my very first MK18 and this video is really helpfull ❤ Cheers from Italy gyus ✌️

[@petrikupiainen]

This was the best maintainance video for AR-15! Going to have soon Daniel Defence m4a1 ris3 as my first AR-15 soon. Cheers 🇫🇮

[@RVSquaredSteve]

Really well done, and recent, too! Exactly what I needed for my new V7.

[@renevalentin9522]

This video taught us a lot on how to clean our new Daniel Defense! Being new in the rifle world this was a big help.

[@project86xero]

Yeah he does a few things most cleaning videos don't cover. The parts about cleaning all the carbon out of the inside of your bolt as well as setting the bolt carrier group on its face to make sure the gas rings are good are both good tips. Personally I don't clean my buffer tube or remove my extractor every time I clean. But I do so every so often. Because it is necessary. Either way you found one of the best cleaning videos out there. Long term the only things you might want to buy are a spare buffer spring, set of gas rings, extractor spring/booster washer, and a appropriate length gas tube. A set of Aero spings/pins oops kit couldn't hurt either. Also maybe a spare bolt and fireing pin. But definitely lots of spare magazines. Magazines do go bad. However for the average guy who shoots a few times a year just a few mags is usually enough. But for the truly prepared the other components can never hurt. And, with the exception of the bolt and fireing pin, pritty cheap also.

[@StryderK]

@@project86xero yeah, tip. Clean out the buffer and extractor at around 500 rds or so. The stand on the bolt head to check the gas ring thing, start to do it at around 3,500 rds or so. A good set of rings should last you at least 5,000 rds, more like 6,000 to 7,000 rds if you have a full rifle length gas system.

[@schuetts]

Those Kobalt work benches behind him are really nice. I have one in my walk in closet to cleans guns and stuff.

[@Tony-wo8dx]

Just what I needed. Thank you.

[@samcurry8730]

This is a great video. Thank you!

[@scdave100]

Very good video. Thanks!

[@jonate79]

Please do a DDm4 pdw video cleaning i would appreciate it 👍🏾

[@rdh5961]

Great job

[@jamespayne4459]

Thanks. That was a nice, common sense driven example of cleaning an AR pattern rifle. I'll be sending new shooters to this video because it covers all the important stuff without getting bogged down in the minutia. Thank you for a good basic video. BTW, do you have a more detailed, in depth video for the bench rest type of cleaning?

[@diegolopez5617]

Perfect video, I didn’t get stuck at all along the way

[@deville.c]

Well worth a half hr..just double checking..thank you Learned about metallic click as well

[@nhwnhw02]

Had to smile when you used the chamber flag to push the pins. Got tired of pushing so hard on my fingertips trying to start one of the pins, saw a bright yellow chamber flag and thought sure. The plastic flag won't mar the rifle and saves finger tips and finger nails.

[@MackTheGovnah]

I can vouch for CLP. Used it, loved it. Plus it lasts a long long time for firearms in storage.

[@david25876]

Is rem oil ok as well?

[@MackTheGovnah]

@@david25876 yes

[@jpaul4595]

Very nice video, if you could show close-ups for the specific locations where oil should be placed etc. it would be more valuable to people unfamiliar with the weapon.

[@ronmartblog]

Great video but I really wish you had someone zooming in on the parts as you can’t see squat from the distance you were filming Lots of great tips so it would be awesome if you revisited this one with better zooming in the future

[@nfm7011]

Great job but I’d love a few more close ups. Especially, the way the cam pin is situated and things like that. Also the lower spring removal is difficult to see. Thank you for the video. I appreciate the assistance 👍🏼

[@r.serrano9377]

Nylon bottle brushes work well for those buffer spring housings

[@blackbushido]

Hello. Extremely informative video, very very helpful!! I just got my very first AR DDM4V7, well I’m waiting on the gun shop to call me to pick it up but I would really like to get a video on cleaning my AR?? Excellent video really look forward in using my AR. Do you guys sell any of the cleaning utensils and lubes?? Thank you an thank you for your timely response

[@TheStuart-of-Cosby]

Yes sir. That DD4 is a must have for SHTF. Or a extremely well made replacement rifle. It's just as reliable as my Colt M4. If for some odd reason the ol Colt lets me down. An the Smith&Wesson M&P 15, 2 was to bite dirt. I've still got a damn good one to bring out. Don't get me wrong now. The wesson is a great toss in the floorboard. An put in the window mount of the Track hoe lol. Put behind the seat of the skid steer. An bounce it down the mountain. The Colt deserves my respect and to guarantee its well being. The DD4 was a conversation piece and pretty penny. The mount an nite optics. Flashlight an tripod. Dont tell the wife a good 3500. It's a piece of Hardware to used. But come on Id feel kinda bad for it sliding out the seat into the floorboard. Or to trip up an roll down the mountain side into a rock filled ditch. I've done that as well the wesson took it like a champ. I was bleeding a little. It lost some paint as well an added a little more Tactical grip to the corners and plastic heat shields. A tough spot on the hand gaurd an charging handle. Nothing really bad for a 900 dollar wotk tool.

[@swhedge71]

Awesome take down and cleaning video! Another reason Daniel Defense is top notch!

[@elitetrader5468]

I can vouch for Bore Tech solvents and their AR cleaning kit. Great stuff. Slip2000 for lube!

[@aspindza]

Got exactly what I wanted

[@KainHerringCorey]

Received my DDM4 V7 on the 06/10/2023 😎

[@ritchierich565]

Dang, you pull the charging handle out with ease I struggle with mine.

[@mission664]

When is the next special edition coming out? Thought it was every month.

[@ChristopherWalkenPUA]

Hehe..I've never cleaned the buffer/buffer spring in any of my DD rifles and I've shot thousands of rounds through them. I wonder how dirty they are =D

[@TerminalM193]

Believe it or not, they never get bad. I've shot thousands of rounds through all my buffer devices and the ONLY time I'll take it apart and clean it is if 1) I'm doing a replacement with a different weight buffer or 2) cleaning the rifle for sale. Every time it's had minimal buildup and is a super fast clean.

[@AdultDrinks]

Make a video showing proper cleaning of DDM4ISR please

[@chegonzales4211]

Can you explain why the dd5 bcg has a return spring for the firing pin and why it is important to be reinstalled before firing?

[@wickuscoetzee3957]

Great vid.. But why don't you lub the gas rings and gam pin?

[@PaulMcGroinBigly]

I own the DDM4 PDW and the v11. Daniel makes some very nice gear. My PDW will likely always be my home defense pistol. Her can is still in NFA jail. :-/

[@Not-a-bot222]

Kenneth Lumley I do hope her can is freed for you soon

[@skaight9]

My PDW is currently in jail with the sandman s, and 510c all in FDE. Shot it today and can’t believe how sweet it is. Can’t wait to finally be able to take it home. How’s yours been since this post?

[@PaulMcGroinBigly]

@@skaight9 still running like a champ. I'm using the Sandman K. Keep her cleaned and lubed. Worth every penny!

[@outdooradventureswithjason6275]

When are the PDW’S going to come back out?

[@jayryan7473]

Thank you for the thorough cleaning tutorial. I'm glad you didn't do close-ups of every little part. For anyone asking for close-ups they need to quit being lazy bones and do a quick Google search for the billions of photos that are already out there. It would take an idiot not to know what parts he's talking about anyways because this was filmed in high resolution.

[@uli4384]

I have a question i have the ris2 rail and after shooting it there was a bunch of junk in between the bolts that hold the barrel nut what would i use to get it out or would i have to take the handguard apart ?

[@joeramirez8728]

Do you lube the outside metal parts as well?

[@nuacr0s1]

great job. can you do one on how to dissable, clean and reassemble the suppressor and hand rail of DD AR10 ISR? thx

[@dinoscungilli6390]

That was an incomplete cleaning and lubrication in my opinion. He didn't really clean the chamber. The chamber needs to be cleaned well with a brush wrapped with a patch. And you never want to leave the chamber wet with lubricant, in case you need to use it for defense. And the other thing that I disagree with is that the bolt needs to be wiped with lubricant before it's inserted into the bolt carrier to prevent wear. Wear leads to gas leakage

[@charlieb308]

There is no reason to lube up the carrier except the four rails that touch metal.

[@latincruzer.]

Are you available on weekends to clean mine?

[@david25876]

New ddm4v7 owner here. Should I clean to this level when new from the factory before shooting for the first time? There is a coating of some tacky grease stuff in bolt and carrier group and firing group as well.

[@skaight9]

I just threw 60 rounds through my brand new DDM4 PDW and it seemed a bit dry so def going to clean and lube it properly before the next range day

[@D1G1TALSYNAPS3]

So you remove your optics with cleaning?

[@DJG37S]

Best cleaning tool is a ultra Sonic cleaner. 60 seconds in my ultra Sonic cleaner and my lower is clean.

[@Celsinho1.0]

No oil on the bolt before putting it into the bolt carrier!? No bueno?

[@Ohkayechill]

What mlok plate covers does he have on his DD? Do they sell them?

[@czts4778]

So you don’t lubricate the bolt ?

[@jesusramirez-xs1sn]

Just picked up a tornado 🌪️ grey ddm4v7 right after Hilary 😅

[@ghostdog98]

Where do I get one of those Daniel Defense towels?

[@frussmuluss2989]

Is it correct to lub the carrier group or not ?

[@Snowy0123]

Love reading the""just as good" crowd comments...

[@Snowy0123]

@Hopeless you definitely know your"Just as good"" crowd..

[@ComeOnPelican91]

@Hopeless they're here

[@deplorabledave1048]

OR>>>> retro fit or build a piston gun using Superlative Arms components. Spend 120 seconds after 1000 rounds to wipe off, and then LIGHTLY re oil.. No solvents needed. Need only Two pieces of disposable blue paper shop towels. TWO MINUTES and DONE!...with the upper. For the the lower receiver of a piston gun=Brake Clean and re oil. Grease the trigger sear with AreoShell. This may take you four minutes.....tops. The barrel will be the same as a DI. The chamber will be a bit cleaner on the piston gun if shot suppressed. Use the patented off-gassing feature of the SA piston kit.

[@Marine_That_Loves_Jesus]

OK just purchased the DDM4 PDW. Do I need to take it a part and lube it up before I go play or does it come ready to go out of the box? If there are steps to take before the initial range time what are those?

[@skaight9]

I just put 60rnds through my brand new PDW. Seemed a bit dry so def going to clean and lube it up before next use. Did you end up shooting yours right out of the box? Hopefully I didn’t cause any damage but I imagine DD sends them all ready to shoot.

[@thehightechhermit1143]

How caked on does the carbon get? Will a stiff bottle brush be enough to loosen it?

[@DanielDefense]

David's Quad Zone it really depends on low much you shoot it, a little bit of carbon is okay too. A bottle brush should do

[@brockharris7225]

Should I clean it this way every time even if I've only put 20 or 30 rounds just to sight it in, or after a couple hundred?

[@xdeceitfulx2648]

I usually clean my DD between 200 to 500 rounds depending on the quality of my ammo.

[@shammy3138]

DD needs to make a 12.5 ar15 pistol.

[@frussmuluss2989]

I got rust on the spring and in the stocks tube, Daniel défense say to My dealer in France I do not use it well, but I use it just four time at the stand, lubricate after, and in France you can’t run under the rain with your weapon. Daniel défense have just change the spring and leave the rust in the tube ! I don’t really think you did that, because you say everywhere lifetime warranty So what can I do now ?

[@CA.0verview]

I have a 14.5” M4A1 RID ll upper pin and welded with a DD flash hider and I was curious to know if I could send it in and have the flash hider changed out for a DD muzzle brake or DD compensator . Can this be possible?

[@patrickmurphy8008]

Yeah any competent gunsmith could do that, dont have to send it in, just check for a local gunsmith with good reviews

[@CA.0verview]

Patrick Murphy There not many in my area as to why I ask. I emailed DD 3 months ago this question and they haven’t gotten back to me .

[@RaptorPilot700]

One down... The rest of Vault 2 to go. Get busy!!! :-)

[@DanielDefense]

Link to the Otis Bones tool is in the description!

[@pyeitme508]

Cool thanks.

[@TheSaikou96]

Are you guys still looking to betray gun owners and the second amendment? Asking for a friend

[@shammy3138]

oscar trujillo stfu

[@pikslide360]

A more closeup video of the smaller parts would be helpful.

[@hikerjoe3827]

Very thorough and helpful. It would have been far more helpful with some close-up video shots.

[@MS4RS]

If I tried to clean my AR like that, all the fouling would stay in place… Or maybe DD rifles are magic?

[@chinchilla641]

They are 😍

[@StryderK]

Tip: save your old cotton socks. Cut them to size. They are super absorbent and great for grabbing gunk out of your gun.

[@whatsamcgee]

Damn you're poor

[@StryderK]

@@whatsamcgee it’s not about being rich or poor, it’s called “doing what work” and old cotton socks work the best out of what you can buy here.

[@CaseyCJL]

is he cleaning an MK18?

[@pal7888]

Zoom in would have been nice for small parts otherwise very good.

[@joecosello2188]

I like cleaning my guns.

[@islas357]

you really don’t need to baby a good gun. With a DD or bcm all you have to do is relube every 500-1000 rounds. I only clean it like at 2k and its only a quick wipe down check parts for wear and relube. Barrel doesn’t need to be cleaned often either

[@Not-a-bot222]

sturmgewehr357 I agree 100% but still knowing how to clean a rifle properly is important. Not everyone owns the BCM, DD quality ARs.

[@islas357]

Branden Kovacik agreed

[@brotherafrika]

Can we get some detailed closeups? What kinda production is this? Camera is 5+ feet away as he describes detailed components. It’s like showing us a map of the United States while talking in detail about Texas.

[@DG-xj7pm]

Great video, just can't see much.

[@olugo999]

A huge pain in the ass to clean all those small parts on the field.

[@zacharythomas5934]

Is that a MK18 I see 🧐

[@flowergun4868]

Look forward business cooperation

[@bloodmutt]

I've seen people go years without cleaning and they run great. It's weird

[@Slampiece88]

This guy would scream heresy if he saw Lucas Botkins' rifles! He says he never cleans them and just adds lube.

[@murasakiiro447]

That made me cringe too when I heard lucas say that.

[@OtisFlint]

Most high volume shooters do that. ARs will run very reliably when heavily caked with carbon, as long as they're wet enough. The few guys i know who shoot 30K+ rounds a year clean their ARs around every 5K...by which point they're absolutely caked with carbon.

[@4g63mark]

That's a lot to clean after only a few hundred rounds. Why do you have so much carbon in your gun? Maybe it's time to consider a piston upper.

[@JJGuccione]

DD should manufacture at least one Piston operated AR-15. DIs are a train wreck.

[@rrsatx]

I use almost the same process. Except i put all the parts in the washer with my underwear with a scoop of fast orange and gtg Two birds one stone and done

[@harleybutler389]

when did al neri leave michael to work for daniel defense? this guy is a weapons expert and very dangerous. watch out!😂

[@Mikeynuts21]

Nobody here for 5w30 synthetic?

[@c39v26]

Glad I have an AK-47

[@robertdepesci3418]

toothbrush is your friend

[@sk8inrj1]

Those extended takedown pins are making me cringe!

[@ilukeberry]

that's way too much oil on BCG, oil attracts dirt.

[@wehtjns]

need to be zoomed closer for the detailed parts, please. otherwise great.

[@patrickmcdaniel4628]

Quit watching when he didn't actually show the part where he removed the firing pin.

[@danielfoerster3416]

Thats not JR xD

[@dalechambers5234]

he is destroying the bolt stem with that tool..will soon be undersized from grinding that carbon on the stem

[@daviddavidsonn3578]

480p only?

[@anonymous_friend]

Need a better camera person and editor... Let's show closeups, when we are talking about certain areas of the rifle. We dont need to see the entire room...

[@belovedLion80]

Foshiggady