[Maoltuile]

Originally Posted by BigDuffman

I don't see the issue with carrying a small Cleaning kit. I have a boresnake, with a bit of scrub and flannelette in an old camera film tube my webbing. The reason being that the practice of having a day sack is brand new as RDF SOPs.

Only the genuinely committed buy/obtain their own (the rest are happy to sponge off their buddies in my experience). And most senior ranks don't get the idea at all, hence the diligent few being told to leave them on the transport so that everyone looks uniform.

and more often than not whilst sitting round on the range or back of a truck it was always good to get a jump start on cleaning your riddler.

And before then as well. I've been handed a Steyr with a reddish muzzle (rust!) straight out of stores in the recent past.

Hard to carry rods in a personal cleaning kit.

It can be done (the folding-up versions).

[Manic Moran]

As a newb on here I would not dare acost a MOD but there are differences between an SA80 and a Steyr. We have to adhere to DF doctrine I am afraid and there are experts with more knowledge than you, me or Manic that have decided that the Steyr should not be fired with a blocked barrel

Oh, no issues with being argued with, as long as it's civil. I don't believe anyone could say I've ever abused my position for such a reason.

I fully agree with you that no weapon should ever be fired with a blocked barrel, Steyr or otherwise. This goes from 5.56mm to 120mm.



I'm reasonably familiar with the AUG, I own one. My question isn't whether it is safe to shoot with a blocked barrel, my question is what it is that one may have done to result in the barrel being blocked in the first place. The worst I can think of is tripping over and falling with the muzzle impacting into dirt or mud, but I can't see it getting much past the flash suppressor except in fairly rare circumstances which, as Morpheus points out, requires a pushrod. Can it happen? Sure. I am not convinced it happens often enough to be worried about, though.

And a boresnake as another poster says, is the job!

Agreed. One's in my home-made kit.

NTM

[Manic Moran]

Originally Posted by neilled

Repeatedly firing blanks will build up enough carbon to prevent an armourers push through from fitting down the barrel of a weapon - so if you go from a blank - full stripdown then onwards to live fire scenario you have a major problem, weapons may not be fit to fire.

As an aside, and we have no idea why this is the case, but we have concluded that repeated use of an M2 .50 cal barrel to send blanks through will render it unservicable for live fire. It is to the point that every .50 cal in the unit has a designated exercise barrel and qualification barrel, marked accordingly.

NTM

[Morpheus]

same with our GPMG's. blue barrels for firing blank and red barrels for training (stripping reassembling), normal (black) barrels for live fire on range etc.

[Midnight Oil]

Originally Posted by Manic Moran

As an aside, and we have no idea why this is the case, but we have concluded that repeated use of an M2 .50 cal barrel to send blanks through will render it unservicable for live fire. It is to the point that every .50 cal in the unit has a designated exercise barrel and qualification barrel, marked accordingly.

NTM

The blank HMG rounds we have are a disaster. They are completely plastic and after firing a few they start melting in the breach.

[thermo]

Originally Posted by Morphéus

well its simple science really.

A pullthrough, by its very nature, must be fed completely through a barrel in order to be "pulled".

impossible really, if one end is blocked!

A pushrod however only has to go in one end and can force a foreign body back out of the bore.

agreed.
i have one of these with a hopps boresnake and it covers all bases. can be attached to a belt order or vest via the alice clip.

[Maoltuile]

Originally Posted by thermo

agreed.
i have one of these with a hopps boresnake and it covers all bases. can be attached to a belt order or vest via the alice clip.

This is my kit as well. The only addition is the green pot scrub thingies.

[Mr. Tezza]

Originally Posted by thermo

agreed.
i have one of these with a hopps boresnake and it covers all bases. can be attached to a belt order or vest via the alice clip.

Looks handy, I use/have an SA80 desert/light cleaning kit which I got off fleabay and use thatwhenever i'm on the ground, i'll big it out and take a pic of it, only diffeence really is that is uses a lanyard instead of a cleaning rod.

I don't think there is a perfect PLCE setup, only whats most comfortable for you and works best for you...

[thermo]

Originally Posted by Maoltuile

This is my kit as well. The only addition is the green pot scrub thingies.

oops i forgot i had one of them too. the ones that used to come in the ration packs.

[OzCam]

Forgive me asking, but what's the designated position for a FAK in the PDF? And how/why does it differ from anyone else's (USA/UK) position?

[Praetorian Saighdiuir]

Originally Posted by OzCam

Forgive me asking, but what's the designated position for a FAK in the PDF? And how/why does it differ from anyone else's (USA/UK) position?

It must be the tiredness, but, what the hell is a FAK?

[Donny5]

Originally Posted by benwavner

FAK?

First Aid Kit.

[Praetorian Saighdiuir]

Originally Posted by Donny5

First Aid Kit.

Thanks, never heard that before.

[Doctor14]

Originally Posted by OzCam

Forgive me asking, but what's the designated position for a FAK in the PDF? And how/why does it differ from anyone else's (USA/UK) position?

We tend to call them IFAKs - Individual First Aid Kit.

IFAKs tend to be small things usually part of the CELO. The US/UK version of the IFAK is a major trauma thing and won't be seen in the Irish Army for a while. I understand that things are changing and the courses are being done to train people in the use of a full IFAK.

[Manic Moran]

Outside of the nose hose and tourniquet, there isn't actually all that much in the US IFAK that you wouldn't find in the average individual aid kit. The CLS bag, which is usually one per vehicle, is a bit more in-depth.