How to Clean an MSR with Hoppe's

After a fun day of shooting, it's always a good practice to give your MSR a little TLC and clean it up before storing it. Who better to show you a step-by-step guide on how to clean an MSR than the experts in guncare? Our friends at Hoppe’s detail how to break down and clean your MSR and which Hoppe's products to use in the process. 

How Often Should You Clean Your MSR?

It's a great question, but there are a lot of different variables to the answer. How often you're shooting, how much you're shooting, the type of ammunition you're shooting, weather conditions, humidity, and dust are all factors. Your MSR is a mechanical device, which will not last forever and is subject to wear. As with any mechanical device, periodic inspection and maintenance is required and your responsibility as a gun owner. As a general rule, cleaning your firearm "more often" is much safer than "not enough".

Regular, proper cleaning of your firearm will help extend its useful life and ensure proper functioning. Cleaning is especially important if the gun gets wet or if foreign material gets into the action or barrel. Refer to your owner's manual for more details on how to clean an MSR. When something does not sound, feel or look right, seek the advice of a professional gunsmith immediately.

Before You Start

Verify the firearm is clear of ammunition and safe. Never attempt to disassemble, clean or oil a loaded firearm. 

It's best practice to always wear safety glasses when cleaning firearms.

1. Rotate the safety selector to the 9 o’clock position – FULL SAFE
2. With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, press the magazine release button and remove the magazine from the firearm
3. With the muzzle still pointed in a safe direction and your finger off the trigger, slowly pull the charging handle rearward
4. Press the lower portion of the bolt release while slowly allowing the bolt to move forward to lock the bolt open
5. Look in the chamber to ensure it is empty. NEVER ASSUME!
6. Look down into the magazine well to be sure it is empty
7. Verify the magazine is empty.

Disassembly Steps

1. After confirming the firearm is unloaded and the safety is on, close the bolt.
2. Push the takedown pin to the right (it is captive so that it won’t come out completely) so the upper receiver can be rotated away from the lower receiver.
3. Push the pivot pin to the right (it is captive so that it won’t come out completely) so the upper receiver can be separated from the lower receiver.
4. Pull back on the charging handle approximately half way
5. Remove the bolt carrier from the upper receiver
6. Push down on the charging handle to disengage it from the slot and then remove it from the upper receiver.
   
   NOTE: For models with a side charging handle, follow steps 7 – 12. For models without a side charging handle, skip down to step 13
   
   
7. Using a 5/64” Allen wrench, remove the side charging handle set screw
8. Using the straight end of the Allen wrench, push the side charging handle hinge pin out
9. Remove the side cocking handle being careful not to lose the hinge pin or set screw
10. Using a 1/8” Allen wrench, remove the side charger fastener
11. Remove the pull bar by pulling it straight out of the side charger slide bar. It may be necessary to push it gently from inside the receiver to help in its removal
12. Remove the side charger slider bar by moving it rearward and out of the receiver slot
13. Remove the firing pin retaining pin from the bolt carrier
    
    NOTE: Do not try to open the split end of the firing pin retaining pin or replace it with a standard Cotter Pin
    
    
14. Remove the firing pin from the bolt carrier
15. Push the bolt head rearward and then rotate the cam pin (on all models except the MSR 10)
16. Remove the cam pin by pulling it straight up
17. Grasping the bolt assembly firmly, pull it straight out of the bolt carrier
18. With the hammer still cocked, press down on the buffer retainer so that the buffer can be removed
19. Remove the buffer and action spring, inspecting for any signs of excessive wear or deformation. Caution: parts are under tension.

Do not disassemble your MSR beyond this point. 

How To Clean

Be sure to read and understand all of the cautions and warnings on all solvents and chemicals prior to use. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for best cleaning results. 

Always handle your MSR with the barrel pointing away from you. Always start from the chamber end of the barrel, and move your cleaning device through the bore and out the muzzle end. 

Get all the tools you need with Hoppe's Black Universal Cleaning Kit. Hoppe's Black was formulated to clean high-round count firearms, like the MSR. 

Cleaning Internal Parts

1. Thoroughly clean the bolt assembly, inside of the bolt carrier, cam pin and firing pin with Hoppe’s Black High-Performance Gun Cleaner. Use brushes, patches and picks.
2. Using a cotton swab, thoroughly clean the bolt face, ensuring the extractor and ejector move freely.
3. With a soft cloth, clean the buffer and spring, inspecting for any signs of excessive wear or damage.

Cleaning the Barrel

1. Lay the upper receiver on a surface horizontally with the barrel pointing away from you
2. Using a small amount of Hoppe’s Black Copper Cleaner on a bronze brush, push the cleaning rod through the barrel several times from the chamber end
3. Unscrew the brush from the cleaning rod and replace it with a patch tip
4. Push a new patch soaked in the cleaner through the bore starting from the chamber end out of the muzzle
5. Push a new dry patch through the bore starting from the chamber end and out of the muzzle
6. Repeat the prior step several times until the patch comes out clean
7. Push a new patch saturated with Hoppe’s Black High-Performance Gun Oil through the bore
8. Push a dry patch through one last time to remove any excess oil from the bore. 

Alternatively, you can use a Hoppe’s Boresnake by applying a small amount of Hoppe’s CLP to both sides of the Boresnake and running it through the barrel from chamber end and out of the muzzle end several times. 

Check the bore carefully to be sure there are no obstructions (pieces of cleaning patch, cleaning brush, clean rod). A barrel obstruction can cause excessive pressure upon firing and result in gun damage or personal injury to you or a bystander. 

Oiling

1. Apply a light coat of Hoppe’s Black High Performance Gun Oil on all interior metal surfaces. A very thin film is sufficient protection. Do not over lubricate
2. Apply lubricant along the shafts of the takedown pin and pivot pin
3. Apply lubricant along the whole length of the bolt carrier
4. Liberally coat the sides of the cam pin with lubricant, being sure that some also runs down the shaft
5. Liberally coat the sides and top surfaces of the charging handle with lubricant.

Reassembly

1. Insert bolt assembly into the bolt carrier, aligning the cam pin hole, positioning the extractor at 10 o’clock and the ejector at 5 o’clock
2. Install the cam pin. If the cam pin will not go in, rotate the bolt assembly inside the carrier 180 degrees. The system is designed so the cam pin can only be inserted in one direction
3. Rotate the cam pin. On MSR-15 models, the cam pin will need to be rotated 90 degrees.
4. Install the firing pin. On MSR-10 models, install the firing pin and firing pin spring.
5. Install the firing pin retaining pin starting from the large counterbore
6. Grasp the face of the bolt assembly and pull it forward 
7. Push the action spring and buffer back in to the butt stock until they snap behind the buffer retainer
8. Turn the upper receiver upside down and insert the charging handle aligning the notches
9. Insert the gas key into the charging handle
10. Carefully slide the charging handle and bolt carrier fully forward into the upper receiver
11. Position the upper receiver and lower receiver so that the pivot pin can be pushed completely to the left, joining the two halves
12. Rotate the upper receiver and lower receiver so that the takedown pin can be pushed completely to the left. Ensure the pivot pin and takedown pin are seated properly and locked into position (sides flush with the receiver). An unsecured upper receiver and lower receiver may separate during firing and injure the shooter.
13. Without loading any ammunition into the rifle, verify the disconnector is functional by dry firing and continue holding the trigger, cycling the charging handle, then release the trigger. A “click” should be heard. Pull the trigger again and the firearm should dry fire. 
14. Cycle the action and engage the safety several times to assure that it is functioning properly prior to loading prior to loading with ammunition.

Storage

• Always store your firearm in a locked safe or cabinet
• Ensure that all firearms are unloaded at all times
• Always store ammunition in a locked location, separate from any firearms
• Store at room temperature in a dry environment 

There you have it! That's how to clean an MSR! Regular cleaning and maintenance will help extend the life of your MSR so it's ready to hunt or spend a day at the range at any time!