My 5.56 Bolt

[BEAR]

In the Army our armorers would not make final inspection of fired rifles until we had cleaned them for 3 days (not always possible in the Infantry). When the Army started using Break Free the cleaning of the rifles was a little easier however most of us old timers brought our own cleaning solutions with us. Using the brass chamber brush was always good for getting the carbon fouling off and leaving the finish on.
I have found that the cheaper 5.56 ammo is also a culprit in carbon fouling. The cleanest firing 5.56 I have shot was under the Herters brand (Russian made) but I don't like steel cases. The ammo I like best is Federal/American Eagle. The fouling was similar to military ammo (I wonder why?). PMC is good ammo but it fouls the snot out my rifle, even after fewer than 30 rounds. I don't know about the other cheaper brands but I like shooting with what I'm familiar. The expensive ammo, I'm sure, is much cleaner shooting but I'm not that rich to buy the premium stuff.