Moderator Cleaning

everypenny

Hi guys,


I have an ASE Utra AU north star for my 308 and generally clean it with a bottle brush and some light, light oil.


I've heard of some people dunking it in diesel to clean them. Is there a way you'd recommend cleaning it?


God help the good old days when I could just strip down the plastic one on the .22 and throw it in the dishwasher!

Cass

The T8, and Ase family of Mods are a pain in the ass to clean because they do not break down into pieces.

I've tried everything from petrol, buckets of KG, Forest Foam, etc. I even went through the trouble of making a brush that had a long narrow handle and long bristles so i could get it into the Mod and rotate it to clean as much as possible. As soon as i finish i spray or soak it to remove the fouling and then use an air line (with a good moisture trap) to try and blow as much out as i can.

No matter how long or well i've tried it i always end up with something left inside. This can be seen when i fire the first couple of shots and it smokes worse than me on a cold morning.

The baffles in the mod and due to the way they are aligned, and the shape of the muzzle of the Mod, will always allow for some liquid/fouling to remain in the Mod. I had to resign myself to the fact that i've removed the majority of fouling and that some will remain. My concerns over petrol and diesel is the possibility that some may remain in the mod and come back onto/into the rifle. On a blued barrel this would strip the bluing and destroy the look of the gun. It's a slim chance but why take it when Forest Foam, etc does the same job with no real risk.

A small tip is to fill the Mod with whatever cleanser you want to use, and plug each end with ear plugs or some similar material and shake the living crap out of it.

everypenny

Is there any risk that it will alter the POI though, similar to how an oiled barrel will do?


I assume that watching the fall of shot is out as there'd be a big plume of smoke for the first 10 or so shots?

Cass

everypenny wrote: »

Is there any risk that it will alter the POI though, similar to how an oiled barrel will do?

The mod when cleaned may be lighter (depending on the amount of crap that comes out and frequency of cleaning) when put back on and the weight of it on the barrel may effect the harmonics, but if it did it would be so minimal you could ignore it. Plus it would "correct itself" after fewer than 5 shots.

The difference between it and an oiled barrel is the bullet makes contact with the bore/rifling and any excess oil may affect the bullets performance. However as the bullet never makes contact with any part of the mod (there is no rifling) it should not have any bearing on it's performance.

I assume that watching the fall of shot is out as there'd be a big plume of smoke for the first 10 or so shots?

The first two, maybe three (depending on how well you clean out the Mod) would produce smoke, but it'd get less with each shot and within a few you'd be back to no smoke.

You simply wait for it to clear and scope the target to see you POI. If it's game then yes you'd most likely miss the impact unless the game is dead.

Grizzly 45

This is an intresting take on it from Silencer shop in the US who make cans of all kinds for civvie and military use.

DON'T clean them that much,apprently the dirtier they get in CF the better.
Anyways have a watch and read.
http://www.silencershop.com/sonic-cleaners-suppressors/

Cass

I think that is the same as the "break in" debate on barrels.

Some manufacturers say do it, others say not at all. I've done both and found no discernible difference in performance either way.

alan270

I just dips mine into a bottle of wd40 and leaves it in over nite dry it out wit a rag then bang off a shot or 2

bravestar

I have cleaned some mods and not cleaned others. I have never seen an advantage in a clean mod and now no longer bother with cleaning.

With regards, POI shift, I have noticed a shift and a puff of smoke and me nearly sh**ting myself due to something leftover in the mod from cleaning. :eek: That shot went way off, but the following shot was back on where it should be.

Sika98k

What for ? Anyone ever see in the "instructions for use" accompanying their brand new moderator that it should be stripped and cleaned ?

Never cleaned my T8, same with an ASE, and so far have never even thought of cleaning my Hausken. Never seems to have done any harm to the moderator,rifle or me.

Grizzly 45

None were supplied with mine.[ Couldn't find any online either.]Which I finally got to test out yesterday evening.:)
It certainly reduces the vicious bark of the .243 coming out a 20 in barrel to a more or less bark of a 9mm sub sonic.:cool:

Sika98k

Wow! They pay hefty prices in the USOfA for moderators if anyone looks at Grizzly45s link.

Grizzly 45

Indeed they do,as they are National Firearms Act [NFA ] items. All the goodies like silencers,full auto stuff,destructive devices,sawn off shotguns and rifles all are expensive and require a federal ownership permit and a 200 usd tax transfer of ownership stamp .

everypenny

Any issues of corrosion or build up caused by the bluing of carbon if it's not cleaned though?