How to Clean Your AR-15 the Daniel Defense Way

The AR-15-style rifle has been around since the late 1950s and has been called “America’s rifle.”

Here is how to clean and maintain it.

Jim Ross with Daniel Defense holds class in the above sub-30-minute video on the simple art of keeping the AR platform running like a clock. The company, of course, makes the DDM4 carbine and pistol variants as well as the DD5 rifle, which all share the same free 47-page manual.

“There’s been a lot of questions out there about, ‘hey, how do I properly clean my weapon, what’s proper lubrication look like?'” says Ross. “Today we are gonna cover all those things in a very basic video.”

Ross walks the user through having proper PPE and having a safe and clear firearm, then starting at the 1:36 mark begins the basic field strip of the gun, laying it out on the table Mickey Mouse towel-style.

By the 2:26 mark, he is into taking down the bolt carrier group, explaining not only how to disassemble it but also some insight on the mechanics and nomenclature.

You know, this type of stuff:

(Photo: Daniel Defense)

At the 3:35 mark, Ross touches on cleaning materials needed– bore snakes/patches, brushes, picks (plastic preferred), swabs, solvent and cleaners.

Around the 5:50 mark and running for about the next 15 minutes, you are into the actual cleaning and he walks you through taking care of both the upper and lower in detail, step-by-step, explaining not just the what, but the why of the process.

Beginning around the 19:10 mark, Ross carries you through lubrication and reassembly, pausing to explain the little tips and tricks of that process. Then comes the function check.

And there you have it. In and out in under 30 minutes, with a clean rifle to show for it.

For some more magic about how Daniel Defense crafts their firearms and the passion behind them, check out the factory tour we did last Fall as part of our Select-Fire series.

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