Brownells Gun Techs and living repositories of a vast breadth of firearm knowledge, Steve Ostrem and Caleb Savant separate fact from fiction about gas piston AR-15s. There is a persistent line of reasoning on various Internet forums and blogs that you don't need to clean the piston system. The look on Steve's face is all you need to know about that rumor. Newsflash: The self-cleaning gun has not yet been invented! As long as guns burn powder, there will be fouling, and it has to go somewhere. The standard AR-15 direct impingement gas system blows burnt powder back into the action. A gas-piston operated AR-15 keeps that carbon fouling up front, in the gas block. But there's still fouling. It's just deposited in a different place. If you don't clean the piston, it will eventually seize up, and your gun won't operate. Sure, the back end of a gas piston AR stays cleaner, but this type of gun still needs cleaning - as any Garand, M1A, FN FAL, or AK shooter knows. And you'll still get some blowback from the chamber that deposits a little residue in the action, especially if you're shooting steel-cased ammo. So piston guns DO need to be cleaned. Myth: BUSTED!
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