Did I mess up my new SCAR 17s?

DPWLHR01

I recently purchased a beautiful SCAR 17s FDE off GunBroker. After receiving the rifle, while patiently waited for the weekend to arrive, I read through the manual and did a downtown disassemble and clean/lube job. I then took it to the range and put about 20 rounds through it when I suddenly realized that I had not done an initial clean on the bore!!

I then went back through the manual and found that FN explicitly advises the whole rifle be cleaned and lubed prior to the first shooting. One of the main reasons is that an anti rust agent is put on many parts of the gun at the factory, and apparently this should be completely removed before first fire...

What do you guys think? Did I do any permanent damage to the bore by firing it with factory grease present? Can burned factory grease somehow hurt the chrome lining? Are there potentially residual machining metal flakes in the barrel that might have scratched the chrome lining since I neglected to clean it out??

Ahhhhhhhhh

p3skyking

I doubt it's ruined. Clean it, shoot it, see where the holes are. That is the only test you need to pass.

mark christian

It is not a highly tuned match rifle; it is a military service rifle. You'd have to do a lot more than skip the initial cleaning of the bore to cause any damage.

DPWLHR01

So generally what is the risk of firing a gun with rust prevention grease in the bore? Is there any risk? Or is the main reason manufacturers recommend the bore be cleaned prior to first fire just to ensure no debre is present from a safety standpoint?

p3skyking

quote:Originally posted by DPWLHR01
So generally what is the risk of firing a gun with rust prevention grease in the bore? Is there any risk? Or is the main reason manufacturers recommend the bore be cleaned prior to first fire just to ensure no debre is present from a safety standpoint?


In the case of a thick perservative like cosmoline, you can split a barrel or shear off bolt locking lugs. It's nothing to play around with. Cannons used to be self-destructed by putting a double charge in and then filling the barrel with mud or clay and firing.

Since your weapon (and you) is still in one piece, I would assume manufactures use a thin and light coating now just to protect themselves from the forgetful or amateur folks.

beantownshootah

quote:Originally posted by DPWLHR01
I recently purchased a beautiful SCAR 17s FDE off GunBroker. After receiving the rifle, while patiently waited for the weekend to arrive, I read through the manual and did a downtown disassemble and clean/lube job. I then took it to the range and put about 20 rounds through it when I suddenly realized that I had not done an initial clean on the bore!!

I then went back through the manual and found that FN explicitly advises the whole rifle be cleaned and lubed prior to the first shooting. One of the main reasons is that an anti rust agent is put on many parts of the gun at the factory, and apparently this should be completely removed before first fire...

What do you guys think? Did I do any permanent damage to the bore by firing it with factory grease present? Can burned factory grease somehow hurt the chrome lining? Are there potentially residual machining metal flakes in the barrel that might have scratched the chrome lining since I neglected to clean it out??

Ahhhhhhhhh


I STRONGLY doubt you hurt the bore. Gun was probably test fired at the factory, and I don't think FN is so sloppy as to do that with metal flakes in the bore! IE, they're not shipping out guns in a state where if you fire the gun without cleaning, they're ruined.

I'd assume that AFTER the gun is tested, they coat it with a light layer of oil/protectant to keep it "fresh" during storage until sale.

Part of the initial clean is to get rid of that, but MORE important, its to force you to become familiar with tear down and cleanup.

Whatever protectant was in there probably burned out with the first few shots and chrome lining would have protected it too. Clean it out, and don't worry about it.

As said above, if the gun shoots OK, it *IS* OK.

DPWLHR01

Thanks all, I appreciate the feedback very much!

Happy Father's Day !!