By pushing out the rear takedown pin on the left side of the weapon, the upper receiver of the rifle will pivot on the front takedown pin and allow you access to the charging handle and bolt and carrier assembly for removal. Pull on the charging handle as you would to chamber a round and the bolt and carrier assembly will slide out of the rear of the upper receiver.
| Firing pin retaining pin removal |
The first step in disassembly is to remove the firing pin retaining pin; you may be able to do it with your fingernails but if not, a small pointed object like a nail can begin to free it from the carrier. Make sure to set any removed parts aside safely so they do not get lost. Once the firing pin retaining pin is removed, the firing pin should slide out of the bolt and carrier assembly if it is tipped up. If it is heavily fouled, you may have to pull it out towards the cut out in the rear portion of the carrier. The retaining pin may not require much cleaning, but there will likely be a build up of fouling on the firing pin itself, especially in the area where the retaining pin holds it in the bolt. Heavy build up may require soaking in a solvent, but typically a toothbrush or light wire brush can remove just about any amount of fouling.
| Cam pin ready for removal from bolt and carrier |
For typical maintenance and cleaning, we do not suggest removing the extractor or ejector parts of the bolt. A dental pick or similar instrument can remove any fouling buildup from right under the extractor claw on the bolt face and a toothbrush and light solvent should be all that is necessary to clean this area of the bolt. Running the solvent soaked brush over the gas rings on the bolt is a good idea as well, but always make sure the slots in the gas rings are not aligned once you have done this and before inserting the bolt back into the carrier. Having the gaps in the rings aligned can cause excessive gas leakage to pass by them and affect the cycling of the weapon. Carbon fouling can really build up on the tail end of the bolt, so special attention should be focused here. A light coat of oil on the bolt (except for the bolt face) should be the last step in maintenance before reassembly. The internal areas of the carrier may require solvent and brushing to remove carbon fouling. Any weapons cleaning product purchased at a sporting goods retailer can accomplish this, though most people have their favorite brands. In our earlier blog post on cleaning the AR-15, we provided the names of a few of the most popular brands and their benefits.
Fouling build up in the barrel, chamber, barrel extension, and bolt and carrier assembly can cause malfunctions and decrease the productive lifespan of your weapon. It is best to clean these areas thoroughly as soon as possible after a typical shooting session. It can seem difficult to new owners and time consuming to all to pay attention to and disassemble all of these parts...after doing it a time or two, you will find you have become more proficient and knowledgeable about the key components of this weapon system and how it operates. Here is a link to our website with a diagram of the bolt and carrier parts: boltandcarrierparts.
Thanks for reading our blog. If you have any questions about bolt and carrier assembly or maintenance or about the rifles we produce and parts we sell at www.del-ton.com, please contact us.












