[American By Blood]

So it recently came to my attention that I've been abusing my AK. Instead of greasing the rails, I've been oiling them along with the rest of the parts. Oops. Thankfully, I've not damaged the weapon due to it living in a different state from me for the past while and therefore not seeing much use.

Well, last week I was reunited with my AK and picked up the DSA SA58 carbine I've had on order for a while and I'd like to treat them right.

What brand of grease do you use on your semi-auto rifles and why?

[1 old 0311]

I use RIG, but in 99% of the world where AK's are NOTHING is used. It aint a M16.:evil:

[MAUSER88]

I like Militec.

[griz]

I use Mobil 1, a synthetic grease meant for automotive applications. But I think anything from lard to whale oil would keep the thing running for a couple lifetimes if you don't let it run dry.

[Chipperman]

Do AK parts actually rub against each other? :p

[owen]

I would consider it more of a skittery bouncing motion than a sliding motion,

[sgphoto]

Lubriplate-- the same grease I use on M1 Garands.

http://www.lubriplate.com/Products/AutoMarine.htm

also called white grease. Look for it in Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.

A little dab will do ya!

[BigG]

The parts of an AK only have a passing acquaintance. ;)

[the naked prophet]

I've always just used standard Hoppes Elite oil. After 1300+ rounds, it's still not worn through the blue on the rails or on the bolt carrier (that's after sanding the burrs down).

[rangerruck]

I work with electronic moving parts , some with very tight tolerances. Lubriplate is all I use. Hmm never thought to dump some down an ak.

[MechAg94]

I use RIG, but in 99% of the world where AK's are NOTHING is used. It aint a M16. Past lesson learned for me, you don't use grease on an AR which I am sure you know. I haven't tried to use grease on my Vepr. I'll have to look at that. I know my M1's performance improved significantly with grease and new recoil springs.

[armoredman]

Reminded me I haven't torn down the AK in a long time....:uhoh:

[AK103K]

Past lesson learned for me, you don't use grease on an AR which I am sure you know.
I've used grease on all my AR's since the 70's and never had any issues. What problems were you having?

I use grease on everything, usually Lubripalte, TW25B, or Brownells action lube. You dont need much, like the old Brylcreem ad used to say, " a little dab'll do ya". :)

[Crosshair]

I use Pro-Gold grease on all my non-blowback guns.

[Sir Aardvark]

You could probably lube your AK with sand and still have it function OK.

[Sleeping Dog]

I've used grease on all my AR's since the 70's and never had any issues.
I use grease on mine also, usually a synthetic grease. The only problem I see is dirt, especially on the bolt carrier. It gets dirty quicker than grease on a M1, probably because of the way the gas system works. I just clean it off after three or four trips to the range, then re-grease.

Oh, yeah, I use grease on the bolt bits of AK and SKS, too. I don't know if those guns need it or not.

Regards.

[DMK]

Why do you guys use grease instead of oil? Grease is a dust/grit magnet.

[AK103K]

Grease is a dust/grit magnet
No more than oil or any other lube. I think it stays in place better and offers better lubrication than oil.

[DMK]

Grease is a dust/grit magnet
No more than oil or any other lube.Experiment time. Wipe some grease on a large screw. Wipe some oil on another. Drop them both in the dirt. Now pick them up. Which picked up more dirt?


I think it stays in place better and offers better lubrication than oil.I'll agree with the first part and that is the primary reason for using grease, however, oil will always be a better lube than grease if you can get it to stay there. Grease is just oil with solids added to make it clumpy and/or sticky.

[_N4Z_]

I use lithium based automotive type grease on my ak rails.

exxon i think? whatever is in the garage. might shoot just fine without, but it doesn't hurt having it there. not had any problems with dust bunnies accumulating and clogging up my clearances either... :neener:

[the naked prophet]

You could probably lube your AK with sand and still have it function OK.

Use epsom salt. They use it for shuffleboard, and it helps those slidey things slide.

[Koobuh]

That grease might actually cause the action to bind.
I'm sure that's paranoid, but I'm sticking with light application of liquid lubricants at this point. Break Free and Corrossion-X seem to be working pretty well for my Romy build AK. :)

[Trebor]

You could probably lube your AK with sand and still have it function OK.

I think my AK is lubed with sand.

[Thin Black Line]

So it recently came to my attention that I've been abusing my AK. Instead of greasing the rails, I've been oiling them along with the rest of the parts.

No, you haven't been. Who brought this to your attention? Someone
still washing bores with water?

Why do you guys use grease instead of oil? Grease is a dust/grit magnet.
....
Experiment time. Wipe some grease on a large screw. Wipe some oil on another. Drop them both in the dirt. Now pick them up. Which picked up more dirt?

It's also the *size* of the particles that the grease will pick up as opposed
to the oil that will do more wear on your parts. That nice big grain will
do quite a number on scoring a rail.

I've always used gun oils like shooters choice, militec, etc on semiauto
pistols, rifles, shotguns etcs from everywhere in the US to the Middle East.
I've put 1,000s of rounds thru personal weapons that I've traded in to
FFLs who asked if I've ever even fired them. A light coat of quality oil on
the parts that make contact is all you need. Yes, there will be some light
polishing after a few hundred rounds, but after this break-in and if you have
a quality weapon to start with, you will be fine.

Continue using oil.