What’s the most important way to keep your AR-15 running reliably?

• Magazines
• Extractor
• Ammo
• Lube

While I can’t give away all of my secrets, examining those parts will solve the gross majority of AR-15 headaches.

Let’s examine these items one by one:

MAGAZINES
Many feeding problems are directly linked to a bad magazine. Magazines are replaceable items with a limited life. When they fail to function, throw them away and buy some fresh mags! You can also mark the suspect mags and use them for range use.

EXTRACTOR
Nearly all failure to extract problems are associated with a bad extractor. This is easy to test if you have a spare bolt carrier group or extractor you can swap in and tes. The extractor hook should be sharp to the touch and not rounded over or chipped/broken. The extractor spring and o-ring is also a good idea to check and replace as needed.

AMMUNITION
Having a problem with a particular gun with a particular brand/type of ammo? Try some different ammo of course! Some guns will simply not feed or run reliably with cheap steel cased ammo. A properly built gun should eat anything you throw through it, but some guns just take some time to break in.

LUBRICATION
Your gun is a machine and much like the engine in your car it needs proper lubrication and maintenance to function at its best. The proper method for lubricating an AR-15 is a slight oil film on surfaces that rub and two drop of oil in each of the exhaust ports of the bolt carrier. This lubricates the bolt rings and the interior of the carrier. An AR-15 DOES NOT need to be run dripping wet!

Do you have a sick AR-15? Bring it to Cory at CDS Arms to get it working good as new! In the meantime try these tips and tricks.