PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-627
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 627
FEBRUARY 2005
PS 627
FEB 05
17
Small Arms…
They
should
not
be
used.
He can research
the question
with the weapon
specialists at
Rock island.
The
only
cleaner to
use in a cleaning tank
is what the weapon's
TM recommends, which
in most cases is a dry
cleaning solvent like
PD-680.
Some weapons like the MK 19
machine gun have parts that must
be
kept away
from solvents that
could wash lubricant out of their
sealed assemblies.
Always
check a
weapon's -23&P TM to
see if the gun has any
parts that shouldn't be
submerged in solvent
before putting it in a
cleaning tank.
But a normal cleaning
tank can do a good job
cleaning a weapon. You
just have to
remember
that after a weapon goes
through a cleaning tank it
must be disassembled and
lubed completely.
if a weapon is stored
with
no lubrication
after going through a
cleaning tank, it will
have
no protection
against corrosion
because the cleaning
tank removes all lube.
As the article pointed out,
ultrasonic
cleaning tanks can do
too good a
job,
damaging a weapon's adhesives,
synthetic fibers, protective finish, and
loosening pressure-fitted components.
That
results
in a
ruined
weapon.
A
better
head-
line would have
been
"No Ultrasonic
Cleaning Tanks."
So keep
those
parts
out
of
cleaning
tanks.
it's also important to remember
not
to mix up parts if several weapons
are cleaned at the same time.
if you get the
wrong
barrel
on a machine gun, it ruins the
headspace, which is dangerous.
sometimes it’s
easy
to
tell right from wrong…
sometimes it isn’t!
oh,
c’mon!
That can
result in
a
ruined
weapon.
…and when you’re
done I want to be
completely
lubed!
if you've ever in
doubt on a
maintenance question,
contact your local
TACOM logistics
assistance rep.
As always, your
first stop
for
how to maintain a
weapon should
be its
technical
manual.
Many of the cleaning
solutions that come with
these cleaning systems
are water-based or have
chemicals in them that
can
harm
weapons.
remember… no
ultrasonic cleaning
and use
only
dry
cleaning solvent…
The headline
"No
Cleaning Tanks"
in
PS 61
7
(Apr 04) has
misled some small
arms folks.
627.16-17(C)
12/28/04
12:12 PM
Page 1
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