I'm not an expert by any means, but the piston Ruger SR556 just works very well for me. I lost count a long time ago of the rounds fired. I've thoroughly cleaned it maybe 3 times. It was a waste of time each time IMO. It is a heavy beast.
You need better quality components, not a piston system. And someone mentioned cleaning too much, that is also an issue with many AR shooters who learned from the old guys. Modern ARs perform well even filthy.