How do you effectively clean an A-5

To clean it efficiently, just take it fully apart. And I mean separate the receiver halves. If you want the interior smooth and shiny, check out the maintenance archive for polishing instructions.

(FI)K-9COP wrote: Thanks, but I have already taken it complety apart and still kinda oily, and the polishing, what does that do? Do you just use water?

On the shells:Use hot soap and water with a small brush or tooth brush. Dawn Dish detergent is good. Rinse with as hot water as you can and dry well. Wipe the internal surfaces of the shells with a lightly oiled clean cloth.

Oil the "O" rings on both the hammer and forward bolt. Put three or four drops into the gas feed hole in the ASA; air it up and dry fire it(with the barrel removed to keep oil out of the barrel) 15-25 times to distribute that oil. That is essentially it.

As for internal polish. The inside of the shells where internal moving parts may rub can be smoothed up with steel wool to improve function. Area around the forward bolt and the rear bolt (hammer) may show scuffs...work on those areas first to reduce contact with those moving parts.

I followed up with a felt bob on my Dremel Tool coated with polishing compound to take it to a mirror finish. Then lightly oil those polished areas.

I would suggest you just use steel wool and use it to remove all the overspray paint that is in the areas where the moving parts are: front bolt, linkage arm, rear bolt.  After the paint is all gone with the steel wool, you are pretty much done.  But some people like to use polishing compounds to make it that much smoother.  Once it is to a point where you like it, put it back together and keep the parts and surfaces lightly oiled.  You will notice the gun cycles smoother and cleaner.

carl_the_sniper wrote: yeah if you're gona polish internals.....DO NOT USE SANDPAPER i didn't listen to that and made a mistake, luckily it turned out allright but it could have been really bad.

Don't listen to the above!!! Sand paper is FINE!! but first use steel wool to get the worst off and then use sand paper that is (made for metal) and is GRIT 600 or higher (I used grit 660 sandpaper to be safe) so that you are basically shining the gun not taking much metal off at all.

Then use mothers mag polish and rub it around the inside of the gun (the polish will turn blackish), wipe off the polish, re-apply clean polish, then wipe off, apply more polish, wipe off the polish etc.

For cleaning the gun you could always throw it in the bath tub. lol.

Edited by phil_stl - 21 November 2006 at 8:16pm