Your Guide to the CAT M4 Cleaning Tool
Over the last two decades, the AR-15 has become the rifle of choice for both professionals and gun enthusiasts alike because of its versatility and ease of use.
Like us, operators spend thousands of rounds on the range, on the farm, and even in combat. When all is said and done, there’s still one more job to do—clean your rifle! And like us, many operators grab their CAT M4 Tool to help get the job done right.
Keep reading our guide to the CAT M4, and why it makes the task of cleaning your firearm much easier.
Why You Need the CAT M4
You may be the proud new owner of an AR-15. If you’re like us, you’ll want to put it through its paces, getting practice and good use out of it. But the frequent use will cause carbon buildup. You might wonder how to keep your firearm clean, as you want to protect your investment.
Fortunately, cleaning your AR-15 is straightforward, and the right cleaning supplies make the job easier.
We created the CAT M4 cleaning tool to make it remarkably easy to remove all of the carbon from your bolt carrier assembly. Additionally, tools like our Talon Tool and bore brush kit are a must, as they reach the hard to clean places in the recesses of the BCG.
Maintaining Your Bolt Carrier
Any AR-15 owner will tell you that the bolt and bolt carrier are the hardest parts of your rifle to keep clean. This fact is especially true if you do a lot of shooting.
Firing rounds causes carbon buildup in your weapon. Excessive carbon in your bolt carrier group can result in suboptimal performance.
Even worse, it can cause your weapon to malfunction. It’s vital to clean your weapon regularly for these reasons.
Why Invest in the CAT M4?
The CAT M4 is an essential tool that will help you keep your bolt carrier clean. You’ll make easy work of removing carbon with our tool.
You’ll find the bolt carrier group is the hardest part of your rifle to clean, particularly the bolt tail. Many a soldier and police officer have told us they destroyed their tactical knife trying to scrape this carbon buildup off the bolt. We created the CAT M4 Tool to fit perfectly around the tail, which makes cleaning a snap. What used to take operators 10 minutes can now be done in seconds.
As a result, cleaning your bolt carrier is a much easier task with our CAT M4.
Exactly What is the CAT M4 Tool?
The CAT M4 is a scraping and cleaning tool we manufacture using stainless steel. We designed it specifically to remove carbon buildup from the components of your AR-15 rifle. These components include:
- Bolt
- Bolt carrier
- Firing pin flange
We designed the CAT M4 cleaning tool for fast deployment. It’s ideal for use when regularly cleaning your firearm and is trusted by policy officers, military personnel, and gun enthusiasts around the world. Essentially, it is the most efficient tool on the market for cleaning the most critical parts of .223/5.56 rifles.
The Difference Our Tool Makes
With the CAT M4, you can do away with brushes and elbow grease. The bolt tail of AR-15 rifles fits perfectly into our bolt scraper.
All you need to do is apply lateral pressure and scrape along the edges. The carbon will simply peel away.
Next, you’ll drop the firing pin into the firing pin hole. You can then turn the CAT M4 in either direction to scrape carbon buildup off the flange.
Our cleaning tool also has a quarter-inch hex head. It provides extra torque, making it easy to adjust hex bits on your firearm.
The CAT M4 also has a patch hole for cleaning patches. Simply run the cleaning patch through the hole at the end of the tool, insert the CAT M4 into your bolt carrier, and the pad will absorb the excess carbon as you scrape the interior clean.
Using the CAT M4
When you first set your eyes on our CAT M4, you may not know what to make of it, but once you use it, you’ll never want to clean your bolt or bolt carrier with anything else.
It’s a small three-and-a-half-inch tool. Nevertheless, the M4 does a remarkable job of helping you effectively clean your bolt carrier.
Cleaning Your Bolt Carrier
It only takes a few simple steps to clean your AR-15 rifle. First, make sure you’ve cleared your rifle of any ammo.
Next, push the pins out and separate the upper and lower receiver. The next step is to use your finger or a punch to press down on the buffer retainer. Now you can remove the buffer spring from the tube.
Remember, the retainer is under pressure so don’t push it down too far because you could lose it once you get the components out. If you push down too far, the retainer might shoot across your workspace when you let it go.
Now, your bolt carrier is ready for cleaning.
The CAT M4 Gets Results
You owe it to yourself to give the CAT M4 tool a try. The first thing you’ll notice is the M4’s impressive engineering.
The rear end of the bolt slides into the tool’s bolt end. When you slide in your bolt, you’ll notice that the CAT M4 has an extremely close tolerance. As a result, it can loosen up any carbon buildup easily.
Furthermore, we’ve built our CAT M4 to last; you can count on it for years of service.
You may wonder about the cost of the CAT M4 tool. After all, it enables you to clean your AR-15 in a fraction of the time.
The answer is it retails for only $29.97. It will pay for itself many times.
CAT M4: The Best Tool for Maintaining Your AR-15
The CAT M4 cleaning tool is our flagship product here at CAT Outdoors. Law enforcement officers, military personnel, and firearms enthusiasts around the globe trust our tool to keep their AR-15’s operating at peak performance.
Also, trusted experts in the firearms industry consistently provide excellent reviews about our cleaning tool. What’s more, we’re proud that Navy SEALs see fit to rely on CAT M4 as one of their combat application tools to keep their AR-15s on the ready.
Don’t wait. Order your CAT M4 tool today.

Justin Trump is the managing editor and owner of CAT Outdoors. The son of a Vietnam veteran, he’s an avid gun enthusiast and 2A advocate. He holds two firearm patents for the CAT M4 and Talon tools. When not managing CAT Outdoors, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, rooting for Michigan sports teams, and serving his church.