How to Properly Clean Your AK
Hey all, we here at True Shot Academy have partnered up with Otis Technology to go over how to clean the AK platform. In the accompanying video, Greg Essenlohr from Otis Technology will demonstrate how to clean this prolific series of firearms. While this process remains the same for most AK platforms, there are going to be some exceptions to the disassembly process due to the wide variety of AK style designs on the market. For example, firearms with hinged dust covers and those from Zastava will differ slightly in their disassembly from those adhering to the standard AK pattern. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Safety First
Before getting into the disassembly of an AK rifle, we must remember the old adage of “safety first”. One should ensure that the firearm is clear of all ammunition and safe prior to disassembling and beginning the cleaning procedure. This is achieved by removing the magazine from the rifle and racking the bolt to ensure the chamber is empty. Once the firearm is verified to be clear and all ammunition sources are removed from the equation, cleaning can begin.
Do You Even Need to Clean An AK?
The AK rifle is accompanied by lore claiming they do not need to be cleaned. In reality, this is simply not the case. While this design tends to handle neglect well, this does not mean that they will not accumulate wear and tear. They also get dirty when used, just like everything else. At the end of the day, guns will work better clean than dirty. The absence of carbon and gunk in a firearm’s action will always make for a smoother and unimpeded action. The dirtier and more fouled up a firearm is, the more likely it is to experience malfunctions or hamper its performance.
Cleaning an AK is exponentially more important when utilizing corrosive ammunition. Essentially, these corrosive rounds will spread corrosive salts throughout the firearm when fired. If left unchecked, a firearm can experience erosion and damage in key areas such as the bore, chamber, and action. Generally, a soapy water mixture or products containing ammonia will aid in combatting these corrosive salts. One should then follow up with the usual medley of cleaning products to ensure that the components are cleaned, lubricated, and protected for future use.
Specific AK Cleaning Implements
It should be noted that some AK rifles natively feature provisions for cleaning and maintaining the firearm. These can come in the form of cleaning kits which fit into buttstocks and the cleaning rod found affixed underneath the barrel of most AKs. Some of these cylindrical cleaning kits may come complete with each necessary component or empty. Granted, some commercially available AKs may come with just a cleaning rod or nothing at all besides the rifle and a magazine. These specific pieces of kit can be utilized to aid in full disassembly of the rifle and facilitate cleaning with tools easily stored with the host firearm. If this kit and the cleaning rod are absent, one can still easily disassemble and maintain their AK.
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Disassembly: The Dust Cover and Recoil Assembly
So now that the rifle is rendered empty and verified to be safe, disassembly can truly begin. First, the “button” at the rear of the rifle must be depressed and held down. Next, the dust cover may be pulled off of the top of the rifle. Once the dust cover is removed, the recoil assembly and bolt carrier group (BCG) assembly are visible and accessible. To remove the recoil spring assembly, the same “button” must be pushed forward and then pulled upward once it has moved far enough beyond the retaining groove. Once the recoil assembly is free of its designated area, one must simply pull the unit rearward and out of the BCG.
Disassembly: The Bolt Carrier Group
From this point, the BCG should move freely both forward and backwards in the receiver. While the recoil spring assembly that held it in place is gone, the BCG will still be somewhat retained by the rails inside of the receiver. Simply retract the assembly backwards until it comes free and can be pulled upwards and out of the receiver. With the BCG out, the piston assembly is now completely visible and the bolt can be taken out of the carrier assembly. As seen in the video, one can see that the piston assembly in particular experiences significant carbon buildup. To remove the bolt from the carrier, the bolt must be spun around until it is free of the locking lugs and pulled forward out of the assembly. While the piston is held in place with a pin, this component does not need to be removed for routine cleaning and maintenance.
Disassembly: The Gas Tube
Now that the piston assembly is no longer in the gas tube, the gas tube can be removed. As shown in the video, one can make use of the rails on the BCG to remove the gas tube. This is done by wedging the tab on the gas tube retainer between the rails on the BCG and rotating the lever upwards. From here, the gas tube can be pulled upwards and off of the firearm. From this point, the firearm is disassembled as far as it needs to be to facilitate general cleaning and maintenance.
Cleaning: Chamber and Gas System
Now that cleaning can commence, one will find that the bore and chamber are easily accessible and prime targets for cleaning. This is easily achieved with a bore brush or pull-through design. As shown in the video, Greg makes use of a flexible brush to clean the chamber of the firearm. Next, the area in which the gas tube indexes underneath the rear sight will also feature significant carbon buildup. One can clean this area out using a similar method to the chamber or utilize a straight rod with a brush as done in the video.
The gas block closer to the muzzle end of the firearm is also a hotspot for carbon buildup. Cleaning this area can be achieved with a brush or by utilizing a mop as shown in the video. One can easily attach a mop to a straight rod by replacing the previously utilized brush. One can push the rod and mop through the rear sight block to the front gas block to best clean this area. This method can also be used to clean the removed gas tube assembly as the mop and brush will make cleaning carbon out of the gas tube an easy endeavor. The use of mops can be complimented by treating them with CLP to help them break down and pick up fouling and debris. Like Greg said in the video, we will touch on cleaning the barrel and bore at a later time.
Cleaning: Bolt Carrier Group Assembly
As far as the BCG assembly goes, there are multiple important areas to clean and pay attention to. The piston at the end of the BCG assembly is prone to carbon buildup, making it a prime target for cleaning. In the video, Greg utilizes a traditional styled brush to combat the carbon that has caked on the piston assembly and bolt carrier. A bronze brush will be appropriate for this application as the bronze is softer than the steel of the BCG. One should ensure that they are working the brush into the grooves of the carrier assembly, particularly in places where there is supposed to be movement. The brush cleaning process can also be supplemented with the use of wipes such as Otis Technology’s 085 wipes. These wipes in particular come pre-treated with a CLP solution which will clean, lubricate, and protect the metals it is applied to. One of these wipes can be utilized to give the bolt a wipe-down and apply CLP to the component.
Cleaning: Recoil Assembly
The recoil spring assembly can effectively be cleaned by utilizing some of the aforementioned wipes. A CLP treated wipe can be moved up and down the assembly, wiping away debris and providing lubrication to the system. In the absence of wipes of this kind, one can easily apply CLP to a cloth or similar object to achieve the same result.
Cleaning: The Bore
Now we are finally getting into cleaning out the bore. In the video, Greg makes use of a pull-through type design which facilitates the attachment of brushes or islets for patches. Once a patch is affixed to the islet, the patch can be treated with CLP to afford better cleaning capabilities. The pad should be pulled from the chamber through and out the muzzle end for best results, following the path a bullet will take. It is important to utilize an appropriately-sized patch when cleaning the bore of a firearm to ensure that the lands and grooves of the rifling are properly cleaned out.
For optimal cleaning, patches should be followed by brushes to ensure any leftover debris and gunk is cleaned out. Like the patches, one should ensure that the brush diameter is appropriate for the bore of the firearm you are intending to clean. Once the brush is affixed, one can follow the same cleaning procedure that was utilized with the patches. Passes with the brush should then be followed by a pass with a dry patch. This makes the process a three-step process consisting of wet patch, brush, and dry patch passes which facilitate optimal cleaning. This process may be repeated as many times as needed. Essentially, one would repeat the process until the dry patch comes out clean.
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Lubrication
At this point, after all of these steps have been completed, the cleaning process is done. During this process, CLP was applied to multiple areas of the firearm. However, some end users may desire more lubrication. It is at this point where you may add more lubrication to the action of the firearm prior to reassembly.
Reassembly
Reassembling an AK can easily be achieved by simply reversing the disassembly process. First, the gas tube assembly must be reinstalled. The gas tube retainer will either be easily rotated back down to the “locked” position or one will have to utilize a tool if it is stubborn. At this point, one can put the bolt back into the carrier and then reinstall the entire BCG into the AK’s receiver. Once the BCG is back on the receiver rails and in its forward position, the recoil assembly can be reinstalled into the back of the BCG.
The rounded portion of the assembly indexes into the hole on the back of the BCG while the tab with the “button” is placed into a slot at the rear of the receiver. From here, this “button” can be depressed to allow the dust cover to be reinstalled. The “button” will then retain the dust cover by capturing the unit through the hole at its rear. It should be known that getting the “button” to come back out through the dust cover may sometimes be a stubborn process and require a bit of encouragement to ensure retention is achieved.
Conclusion
All in all, this video from Otis Technology and this accompanying blog post will help you effectively clean an AK. Whether your AK is in 7.62x39, 5.56x45mm NATO, or even 5.45x39, these resources will help you maintain your rifle and keep it running. We here at True Shot are thankful for Greg and Otis Technology’s help in making this guide and are happy to carry a number of their products. As always, happy shooting.
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