Forum: F-16 Procedures

After I go to the range with my little .22 and put a few hundred rounds through it, I know I have to clean and maintain it. Thankfully, cleaning and maintenance are pretty easy on my .22 Very Happy

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I was wondering how often you clean the gun on the F-16 and what routine maintenance is required? Do you only clean it after it's been fired or more often? Do you use a typical (albeit a bit bigger) cleaning rod with a brush and patches like a typical smaller firearm (rifle or pistol)? What is the typical maintenance for the rest of the gun (everything other than the barrels) and how often is it performed?

Thanks in advance for all your time everyone Very Happy

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Well the gun is removed for maintenance every so many flight hours, or rounds fired depending on which one is reached first. As I remember it every 1000 rounds or 120 days. Also every 800 flight hours. This is all on sketchy memory however. As for what they do for the cleaning, I have no idea. They remove that part to our back shop maintenance for extensive maintenance. It takes them about 3 days if they are in a hurry, or two weeks if they are very thorough.

IDCrewDawg, thanks for the info! So the gun is maintained separately from the aircraft, that makes perfect sense as it's probably pretty complicated. Does anyone have any better info? Thanks all!

It's every 18 months and/or I think somewhere around twelve thousand rounds or more. Every thirty days a lubrication is accomplished. The shop put the components in a washer and then inspected and reassemble as required.

Thanks chickenlegs! I knew it was every so many months. I just couldn't rember the frequency.

There are a 30 day, 1000 rnd, and 18 month/15K rnd inspections. The flight line folks never run a brush down the barrels. The M61, like your .22 should always be cleaned from the breach. The barrels stay very clean, unlike small arms, the power residue is next to nonexistent and the copper rotating band is also very easy on the barrel. Pressures are very close to small arms BTW, PGU ammo ups the mark slightly but not that much, Keeping everything under the 60k CUP was a big concern when the PGU ammo was coming on line. Even so there have been some wear issues with it. The single biggest improvement you get from PGU is the round ogive shape, it is more aero which raises the BC for better long range performance. The old M56 ammo is shaped like a cylinder with a cone attached. It is a lousy round when it comes to BC. BC=ballistic coefficient.

Actually, the gun is clean/lube insp every 30 days not fired, every 30 days or 1000 rnds fired, every 18 months or 30000 rnds fired. The 15K rnd insp is for barrel errosion.

Any way you look at it, the gun is cleaned every 30 days, it is removed from the jet at least every 18 months.

Thanks guys! I'm used to rifle ammo (especially .22) which fouls pretty bad. Unfortunately, I can't clean my rifle from the breech without a gunsmith, so I use a muzzle protector. It's interesting to hear how a gun like the M-61 is maintained!

Can't clean from the breach! Never dude, that 1022/597 gets cleaned with an Otis cleaning system. From the breach only. Mine do. http://www.otisgun.com/

EriktheF-16462, THANK YOU!!! I have a Marlin Model 60 that my grandfather gave me before he passed away. He always told me that because you couldn't get a cleaning rod down the barrel from the breech, you had to go at it from the muzzle with a muzzle protector. I didn't know about that Otis system - I'll have to go pick one up or add it to my Christmas list!!! Thanks again!!!

Don't clean the barrel till you see a decrease in accuracy. I have spent lots of time on the range tuning my squirrel rifles. I have a couple of real tack drivers in the safe. The Remmy 597 is good for .5 at 50yards. I have bedded the action, put in aftermarket parts and pretty much had a great time with it.

I pretty much have to clean it after every outing, otherwise the action gets really gunked up with fouling. Have fun with your rifles!

Forum: F-16 Procedures

Gun Maintenance and Cleaning