Water in Surefire Socom

[Batteriesnare]

Looking for some ideas and suggestions. I recently soaked my Surefire Socom RC in CLR to try an clean out some of the caked on gunk inside (it was 4oz heavier than new). That idea came from this thread:
https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Cleaning_Surefire_Socom_RC_5_56/20-440940/

Minimal success in cleaning out the gunk, but now I'm trying to find a way to get the residual water from rinsing the can out. I've left it to dry in the house for a week and can still shake water out, tried using the air compressor with limited success - any thoughts? My next idea was to put it in the oven on a low heat for a few hours, but the better half isn't stoked on that idea. I could also be overthinking it, but I remember being told that shooting a centerfire rifle can wet was a bad idea due to pressure and increased baffle strike risk if the bullet was knocked off course.

Also, any thoughts on getting some of the crap out? Thanks for your time!

[Hoser]

Put it in the oven at 150-175 for a few hours.

[C Ward]

Yup put it in the oven I cook my TBAC's at 250 ish .

CLR works great but you need to agitate the junk after the CLR loosens up the carbon . A pressure washer is magic but shop air and the kitchen sink sprayer work OK also . Soak rinse and repeat , 4oz of carbon is alot and isn't going to come clean in one shot .

[Batteriesnare]

What pressure washer are you using? I thought about getting a cheap water flosser to try and blast some of the junk out - do you have a better tool for the job?

[Joe_K]

Blanks? Or just shoot it out with live rounds.


“Don’t go slow, be careful” Jedi

[C Ward]

The hotsy here at work , 2000psi machine IIRC .

Anything that can get inside and rinse out the stuff that the CLR loosens . A blow gun with a long noozle that you can pass all the way through does OK .

How are you soaking ? The plug the muzzle and fill is OK untill the chemical reaction starts and some of the liquid is lost . I submerge mine in a plastic graduated cylinder with a rubber washer to get some stand off from the bottom and allow the whole thing to fill and let is soak for 24 hours at a time typically . Also you don't have to use new chemical every time , I can get by with 5 or 6 cleanings just topping off .

Don't use the expensive name brand CLR go to Home Depot and get the Zep branded stuff , comes by the gallon and is cheaper than a quart of CLR .

4 oz is a huge amount of carbon and will take more than one cleaning cycle to get out . I and most of the guys that I shoot with never let more than 1 oz build up before cleaning . They are all precision rifle cans and not hard use carbine cans though and the weight change at the muzzle matters more . Works out to about once a month they get cleaned .

[C Ward]

Blanks? Or just shoot it out with live rounds.


“Don’t go slow, be careful” Jedi

You don't want to shoot a center fire rifle can wet because of the muzzle pressure being way higher the rimfire and pistol . It can cause the liquid to violently expand and damage the can . Think along the lines of a hydraulic case forming die , air compresses and liquid doesn't so it's got to move somewhere .

[Batteriesnare]

Thanks, I'll look into it. I made a little soaking container with PVC pipe that would stand up, so the whole can was submerged. Baked it last night and it seems to have gotten all the water out, planning on a range trip this afternoon to test it again. I was shocked at the weight prior to cleaning (21+oz, new is 17...), but I think I'll need to get some sort of blaster in there to break up the crap. Thanks for all the help!

[Irving]

What was the weight after the oven?

[Joe_K]

You don't want to shoot a center fire rifle can wet because of the muzzle pressure being way higher the rimfire and pistol . It can cause the liquid to violently expand and damage the can . Think along the lines of a hydraulic case forming die , air compresses and liquid doesn't so it's got to move somewhere .

Huh, the KAC NT-4 I was issued said right in the manual you could shoot it wet. Maybe the Knights stuff is/was overbuilt.


“Don’t go slow, be careful” Jedi

[Batteriesnare]

Will check it tonight - range trip went well, though the smell of CLR through the gas tube was kinda fun.


What was the weight after the oven?

[Batteriesnare]

Weight after first go around is 19.75oz.

[Irving]

So better, but still more cleaning to go?

[Batteriesnare]

So better, but still more cleaning to go?

Yes, think I'm going to get a water flosser to break up more crud, but I could see metal around the baffles which is an improvement!