Kyle LewisLike most other Patriotic Americans that bleed Red, White, and Blue, I love my AR platform! These rifles are extremely versatile in what you can do with them, so I encourage you to check out our breakdown of the AR Cost Guide if you don’t have one and are considering buying one. In order to keep the platform in top performing condition there are a few things to consider when it comes to maintenance. Every soldier in the military has a special relationship with their rifle, as it is their tool to help protect Freedom, family, and themselves. This mindset should be the same for the civilian sector, so it’s important to get to know your AR, train with it as often as possible, learn the components and know what to look for if performance starts to falter. It has to be in top operating condition to do its job, so routine maintenance is a must. I would suggest grabbing some extra components for your AR such as an extra BCG, a replacement parts kit and a charging handle.
You must always be prepared if your rifle malfunctions, so having a reliable backup such as an EDC firearm is the perfect solution. If you want some great ideas on that, check out the Glock Blog for our top picks offered by GLOCK for EDC. While there are many other options for EDC firearms, in any situation you may face, it is always better to have an EDC firearm and not need it, rather than need one and not have it! No matter your choice, as long as the firearm fits your hand comfortably, you are familiar with it, and training often, any choice will make a good back-up option. In this blog I will be talking about my go to for a cleaning kit that we offer at Pro Armory. I carry one in my range bag, and one for my rifle case. I do not have to go too far from home to get in some range time, thankfully I live in a rural area and if the urge hits me I just hit the farm for some group therapy! My rifle gets dirty often, and that’s another reason this cleaning kit is my personal preference. I will offer a couple of other topics for magazines and ammunition later in the article, consisting of what I use at every range session with my AR.
My Go To AR Cleaning Kit
Now to really get into the meat and potatoes of this blog. The rod based cleaning kit that I carry for my AR is the Real Avid Gun Boss AR15 compact cleaning kit. I have three of these, some may call it overkill but I call it being prepared. I keep one in my Range Bag, one in my Bug Out bag, and an extra for a plate carrier, or just in case I misplace one of the others. The reason I suggest this cleaning kit is because it is compact enough to fit anywhere or even strap on to your plate carrier or rucksack. These kits include everything that you need for a quick cleaning session at the range or while out in the field. Each piece fits securely in a rubber tray, it can fit a small bottle of CLP in it, held in place by the mesh webbing on the interior of the case, there is plenty of room for extra cleaning patches, and small tools to help get in those tight spots on the BCG and FCG. This Real Avid Kit is a 20 Piece kit and has room for a few extra supplies because you can never have too many maintenance supplies. The contents of the kit are listed below:
- Compact Waterproof Zippered Case
- T Handle
- .223/5.56 Bore Brush
- Star Chamber Brush
- Slotted Bore Patch Tip
- Bolt Carrier Brush
- 3 in 1 Bore Illuminator/Pin Punch/Safety Flag
- 1 Rotating Rod Section
- 6 Fixed Rod Sections
- Angled Cleaning Pick
- Straight Cleaning Pick
- Star Chamber Cleaning Pad Holder Tip
- 5 Wool Star Chamber Cleaning Pads
- 25 Standard Cleaning Patches
Real Avid Gun Boss AR15
$29.99
at Pro Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
And all of that is included in the kit, as I previously mentioned, it has room for a few other items also. Consider adding in extras of the standard cleaning patches, star chamber cleaning pads or you could even add an additional EDC knife, some accessory batteries for your optic or weapon light. In my opinion, I think this is a great cleaning kit and I would suggest it to anyone looking for a reliable and loaded cleaning kit in a compact package for those extended training/range days.
Magazines
Every AR owner at some point purchases extra magazines to feed your AR. A basic combat loadout in the military is 7/30 round magazines which gives you 210 rounds of ammo on your person, or if you are in condition one 211. So with this being said I would suggest a minimum of 7-10 magazines. My personal choice on this is the MAGPUL PMAG 30 RND GEN M2 MOE with WINDOW. I know that some states are restrictive on magazine capacities so I can also suggest the MAGPUL PMAG 10 RND GEN M3. Magpul has so much R&D in their magazine construction and testing and they have always been reliable for me. Again these are merely suggestions, but I do use them everytime I go out to send some rounds down range and have not had a problem with them yet.
Magpul PMAG 30 AR/M4 Gen 2 MOE
$11.95
at Pro Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
5.56 Ammo
If you want to get familiar with your platform and get used to its function, the best way to do that is to hit the range for some practice or training. To do that you will need ammo and plenty of it! My choice for the range is the PMC X-TAC 62gr Green Tip or the PMC X-TAC 55gr FMJ it is reasonably priced and a good reliable choice for range sessions or drills with your AR. We offer a few options at Pro Armory, You should go check out what we have. The reason I am listing both the 62 grain option and the 55 grain option, is if you don’t have an outside range, most indoor ranges will not allow the use of the 62gr because it tears the backstop in the range up since it has a steel core, and that is an expensive piece to repair or replace. So for those indoor range users the 55gr is a great choice!
Conclusion
This blog was some of my personal suggestions for keeping your rifle in good operating order, and some extras you may want to consider picking up. I hope this short insight on the products mentioned helps when you are considering a good maintenance option, magazines, and ammo for your next range day. Train often, stay safe, and stay ready.
PMC X-Tac 55gr FMJ
$11.00
at Pro Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
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