Practical Field Maintenance Kits Part II

By Ian Kenney

In the last article, I explained a few easy ways to carry field cleaning and maintenance gear for firearms so that basic cleaning and repairs can be performed while away from the workbench. Now as informative as that article may have been it is really just theory until it is applied in reality, which a lot like the millions of articles on survival kits out there.  They are great to read and can be informative, but afterwards you are still left wondering just how well that stuff would really work when you needed it.  The purpose of this article is to take the theory part and apply it in reality, showing you how some of the components are utilized, as well as some field expedient alternatives.  For this article I’ll only be using tools and components from my Otis cleaning kit and a Leatherman Super-tool.

 

Cleaning

 

The Otis kit that I use was designed to clean firearms of several different calibers in a field environment and it does quite well at this.  The basis for the whole system is the flexible pull through cable with several attachments such as a patch holder and an obstruction remover. 

 

When cleaning a firearm in the field I only break the rifle down as far as I need to, which usually means just removing the bolt.  This lessens the chance of something getting lost, broken, or both. 

  

The barrel can be easily cleaned using the long flexible cable, a patch holder, obstruction remover, and a multi-caliber patch.  Add some oil to the patch, pass the obstruction remover down the barrel and begin to pull it through.  As the patch enters the chamber, rotate it several times while pulling to clean the shoulder and neck portion of the chamber.  I’ll then follow that up with a couple of passes using the bore brush and a few more patches to remove any loose residue.  For field cleaning I don’t really worry about getting every bit of carbon and copper out of the barrel, just whatever loose stuff might be in the bore.  After cleaning the bore I do the chamber, which I feel is more important to keep clean in a field environment than the bore.  To clean the chamber, use the short cable with the appropriate brush and insert the brush into the chamber and rotate several times.  I then like to wrap a patch around the brush and follow the above procedure again to remove any carbon or grit.

A handy item that Otis Technology throws into its cleaning kits is a “J” shaped piece of plastic that acts as a chamber flag and a bore inspection tool.  Insert the long end into the chamber and it signifies the rifle is safe and it channels light into the bore allowing the operator to see any debris or obstructions in the bore.

     

 

 

The short cable used to clean the chamber also serves the purpose of pistol cleaning rod. Using the large patch holder and the appropriate sized bore brush it does a good job of cleaning a pistol.

 

 

 

 The kit also comes with different heads that attach to one of the cleaning rod sections such as a toothbrush, scraper, and a pick. These attachments do pretty well for cleaning the bolt and different parts of the action. 

 

  

While it’s important to keep the lenses clean, it’s just as important not to over clean them since this can wear down the lens coatings, reducing the scope’s performance.  If the lenses do need to be cleaned I’ll use the lens brush to sweep any large pieces of dirt or dust away from the lens.  If the lens has fingerprints or water spots on it, those can be handled with the felt pad section taken from a lens pen.

 

After cleaning up and inspecting bore, making the chamber is good to go, all I need to do is put a light coat of CLP on the bolt, reinsert it, and drive on.  That’s about all that needs to be done to keep the rifle operational in a field environment.

 

No Torque Wrench? No Problem

 

Even though I sometimes carry a torque wrench with me to make sure everything stays tight, I figured I’d show you how the same can be done without one. 

 

Witness marks are an excellent way to make sure scope rings, mounts, and action screws are positioned properly and have the proper amount of torque.  Typically what I do is tighten the rings and action screws to 65 in/lbs and then place an easily visible mark across them with a paint pen.  

 

 

 

I’ll also use small dots or a line to mark where the scope rings or mount has to go so there is no chance of putting the scope in the wrong place if it is taken off.  This method cannot only be used for scope mounts and action screws but anything that needs to stay tightened and has the potential to come loose, like the B.U.I.S. on an AR-15.

 

 

 

This method allows me to easily see if something is loose and the kit provides me the tools that I need to tighten them back up.  If I remove a scope or remove the action from the stock, when I reattach or reassemble it, I only need to tighten the screws until the witness marks line up and I can be sure that I have the proper amount of torque.  As long as everything is put back in it’s original position with everything lining up, there should be little, if any, shift in the weapon’s zero.

 

  

Using the provided wrenches to reattach the scope and tighten the action screws.  Notice how the witness marks are being lined up to ensure proper tightness.

 

 

For those items that don’t have witness marks like the base screws and ring cap screws I can still make sure they are tight enough using a standard T-15 L-wrench.  To check these screws I grasp the wrench by the short end and insert the wrench into the screw.  By turning the screw until the wrench will go no further, which for me actually leaves a small indentation in my finger, I’ve found that it gets me pretty darn close to 15 in/lbs. 

 

 

 

 

Triggers

 

I would not recommend messing with the trigger while in a field environment if it can be avoided, since it has the potential to do more harm than good.  Some triggers are less susceptible to the issues faced in a field environment while others require some consideration to keep them operating smoothly, like the Remington 700 triggers.  An easy way to avoid much of the trigger problems is to use quality parts and if the trigger is adjustable, have a competent individual (i.e. a gunsmith or armorer) adjust it properly.  Besides an improperly tuned trigger, the next most common reason for trigger malfunction is the build up of dirt and debris in the trigger.   If any oils or greases find their way into the trigger it can attract dirt build up, causing the trigger to exhibit an inconsistent trigger pull or some other type of malfunction.  If that is the case, cleaning out the trigger with a good degreaser like brake cleaner or Zippo lighter fluid should remedy the problem.

 

However, if those things aren’t available or don’t work, the Otis kit provides the tools necessary to remove the trigger from the receiver so that it can be cleaned out, or even replaced.  To do this you’ll need one of the cleaning rod sections, the pin punch attachment, and some sort of impact device, in this case, a Leatherman tool.

 

 

 

Using those tools as you would a regular pin punch and hammer, the trigger can be removed without too much of a fuss.  Place the components someplace secure though so they won’t be lost or damaged.

 

The spare parts in the Otis kit can also replace most of the safety assembly should it malfunction, as it did on me once during a long-range competition.  The c-clip holding the whole thing together fell off and from that point the safety assembly pretty much fell apart, rendering it useless.

 

To remove the safety assembly, all you have to do is rotate the c-clip past the two dimples and push it off.

 

At this point the spring can be removed and the retaining pin pushed out of the other side.  This frees up the safety lever, ball bearing, and bolt release lever.

 

 

 In the end you’ll end up with the trigger looking like the picture to the right.  Reassembling it, or replacing missing components, is simply done in reverse order.  Also, the trigger can be reinstalled on the rifle in the same fashion it was removed, using the pin punch and Leatherman tool.  While I don’t recommend performing this kind of task in the field it is certainly doable if the situation requires it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bolts

 

Using the tools provided in the Otis kit, both the Remington 700 and AR-15 bolts are pretty easy to maintain in the field.  Additionally, parts like ejectors and extractors can be replaced if necessary using the spare parts included in the kit. The Remington 700 bolt is pretty simple and usually doesn’t require a lot of maintenance to keep it running.  While there are tools made specifically for removing the firing pin assembly from the bolt body, there are a couple of field expedient methods that can be used. 

 

One method I use is with a piece of 550 cord tied in a loop. The first thing I do is put my foot through the loop. Then I’ll hook the cocking piece onto the 550 cord and pull so that it pulls the cocking piece back. Once that’s done I grasp the cord and bolt shroud to prevent it from slipping off and turn the bolt body.  After a few turns I let go of the cord and the firing pin assembly should screw out pretty easily from there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the firing pin assembly removed from the bolt body, it can be inspected for any cracks or breaks in the firing pin.  If there are any, it can be easily replaced with another one.  Reassembly of the bolt is pretty much the same operation, I’m just turning in the opposite direction.

 

If the rifle is giving me ejection problems, the first thing I do is check to make sure the ejector button is operating smoothly.  Sometimes brass shavings or grease will cause it to seize up or otherwise malfunction.  An easy way to free it up is to put a drop of oil on the ejector button and try to work the ejector back and forth with a cleaning rod section.  If that doesn’t work, the ejector can be removed and cleaned using the tools I added in the Otis kit. 

 

To remove the ejector I use the cut down 1/16” pin punch and the Leatherman tool to punch out the retaining pin.  The ejector is under spring pressure so put something over the front of it to catch the ejector when you remove the pin punch.  If the ejector doesn’t come out, do not put your face up to the bolt to see what’s going on.  Try some more oil around the ejector button and in the retaining pin hole.  Once it’s out clean the spring, ejector, and hole as best you can to remove any grit or debris.

 

 

With the ejector removed, access to the extractor is also easier should it need to be replaced.  Keep in mind that the Remington 700 extractors are a one shot deal, so if one is removed it must be replaced with a new one.  With the exception of the older riveted-style extractors, the newer ones can be pretty easily replaced in the field.

 

The ejector can be reinstalled with the help of a snap cap or empty cartridge case.  First I have to get the retaining pin set in the hole, replace the spring and ejector and press them down with the cartridge case.  I also make sure the notch on the ejector gives me a clean look through the retaining pin hole, otherwise the pin just isn’t going through. A few taps of the Leatherman tool and presto…the ejector is fixed.

 

 

 

Now that was just the Remington bolt, the AR-15 is easier in some ways to fix and about the same in others. The disassembled bolt carrier group looks like this.

 

 

 

 

During each cleaning I’ll inspect the parts for cracks or breaks of the major components and replace them if necessary.

 

To break down the AR-15 bolt, first punch out the small pin holding the extractor in.

 

 

With the extractor removed, it can be replaced or inspected and cleaned.  The ejector can be removed in the same manner as the Remington 700 ejector using the same pin punch. 

 

The gas rings can also be removed and replaced using the Leatherman tool, however, I would only do this if necessary. 

 

To check to see if your gas rings are still good you'll have to reassemble the bolt carrier group.  Make sure the bolt is fully extended and place the BCG on a table or hard surface.  If the bolt slips back into the BCG the gas rings should probably be replaced. Using the tools in the kit I can completely break down the bolt for inspection or repair and then put it back together again.

  

While the above certainly proved that it can be done in the field, I feel that breaking down the bolt assemblies on both rifles should only be done if absolutely necessary to fix a problem.  For general field maintenance I leave everything intact and clean what I can see to prevent anything from getting lost.

 

Magazines

 

My take on magazines is that they are expendable items and that if one starts to go bad, simply replace it with another one.  However sometimes that’s just not possible and the magazine needs to be cleaned out or the feed lips tweeked. 

 

Most magazines break down the same way using a cleaning rod to lift the cover plate and slide it off the magazine body.

 

 

   

With the cover plates removed the magazine spring and follower can be removed and wiped down while the toothbrush attachment can clean out the inside of the magazine. 

 

 

 

 

If the feed lips have to be adjusted, the needle-nose pliers on the Leatherman tool can get the job done as well.  When I put everything back together, I keep the springs dry and free of oil, so that they don’t attract a lot of dust and carbon.

 

Also I number all of my magazines, whether it is for the bolt gun or the semi-auto, so that if one magazine does have an issue, it can be isolated and taken care of later.  This prevents a magazine from going back into circulation and causing problems over and over again.

 

Things Not Covered

 

In this article I showed you some of the capabilities that my improved Otis kit offers in terms of performing field maintenance and some minor repairs on a few different kinds of rifles and pistols.  However I still wasn’t able to cover everything like the broken shell extractors that can remove a broken cartridge from the chamber in that unfortunate event. Hopefully they won’t have to be used but I like to think that it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.  I still feel strongly that the Otis kits offer the best blend of capability for size when talking about a portable cleaning kit.  If you choose to get one and modify it in a similar fashion I strongly urge you to become familiar with the tools and how they are to be properly used so that if you do have to use them you lessen the chance of damaging a prized possession.