advise on how to clean the piston

[720]

i tried searching on this topic, but i was not able to find what i was looking for.

how often should the gas block and piston be taken apart and cleaned? should the piston and/or gas block receive any lubrication? i could not find any information on this topic in the REC7 owner's manual. the reason i ask is that i also have an FN SCAR 17 and the manual specifically says NOT to lubricate the piston or gas block at all. thank you

[LeoAtrox]

I don't really know the answer, but I can tell you that I wouldn't lubricate the piston or gas plug. I did once; it functioned fine, but it was really tough to get the gas plug out. The carbon and lube mixed and made for a tight fit. Better off leaving those parts dry, I think. The piston is chromed and doesn't have a whole lot of contact area. The gas plug doesn't move. Run it dry, I say. Just take it out to remove excess carbon and that ought to be enough to keep it in service.

[720]

I don't really know the answer, but I can tell you that I wouldn't lubricate the piston or gas plug. I did once; it functioned fine, but it was really tough to get the gas plug out. The carbon and lube mixed and made for a tight fit. Better off leaving those parts dry, I think. The piston is chromed and doesn't have a whole lot of contact area. The gas plug doesn't move. Run it dry, I say. Just take it out to remove excess carbon and that ought to be enough to keep it in service.

i sent an email to barrett customer service asking them this question, and they agree with you. here's exactly what they said to me:

"I see no reason to lubricate the gas block/piston. I would advocate cleaning the gas plug periodically - but only because it gets carbon all over it and that makes it difficult to turn. Otherwise, there's no real reason to take it apart. If it is apart, just wipe it down (maybe blow it out with compressed air) and re-assemble it."