Do you grease or oil the bolt on your bolt guns..?

[Geno]

I use RIG Universal grease. It's also a great product for after cleaning, inside and out, when storing firearms for several months.

Geno

 

[heathkiks]

The big cold weather warning I have always received was not oil or grease outside the bolt: it was oil or grease inside the bolt slowing down the firing pin and firing pin spring in cold weather.

I also learned the hard way that with my son's Remington Model 700 muzzleloading rifle, after a season of black powder matches 20 shots per match, seven matches per season, he started getting misfires requiring a second strike. When disassembled, the bolt (which had simply been removed and cleaned externally after every match*) was internally packed with a sludge of powder residue, oil and cleaning products. Cleaning the bolt internally after every match, leaving a light coat of oil on the striker and spring, fixed the problem of light strikes. I presume if we had gone hunting that fall, the sludge would have gelled up solid in the cold.


*Disassembling a Model 700 bolt to get to the spring/firing pin or a Model 700 ML bolt tp get to the spring/cap striker can be intmidating; requires use of a metal cabinet edge and a dime.

You can use some of the best wet lubricant, but the viscosity will always be altered with decreasing temperature. Add in a little dust/gun powder residue to your grease/oil and it gets even worse.

After hunting extensively in Montana and Alaska, I have learned the hard way.

 

[303tom]

Both.....................

 

[Hummer70]

Cold weather will absolutely cause problems and a number of good firearms have been sold when a click resulted in winter instead of a bang.

The gov't lubricant for sub zero is LAW (Lubricant Artic Weapons) and it is good to 65° below 0. It is red and looks like automatic transmission fluid.

Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil is supposed to be good in very cold conditions as well. If I remember correctly it is good for around 50° below zero.

There is a gov't lube called MIL-G-81322E, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: GREASE, AIRCRAFT, GENERAL PURPOSE, WIDE TEMPERATURE RANGE (22 JAN 1992) [S/S BY MIL-PRF-81322F]., This specification covers one grade of general purpose, aircraft grease, NATO Code G-395, formulated to withstand operations at high speeds and a wide temperature range of -54° to 177° Deg. C (-65° to 350° Deg. F).

I use this grease on my bolt guns, ARs etc.

Ed's Red (1/3 Mercon Dexron Transmission Fluid, 1/3 Mineral Sprits, 1/3 k1 Kerosene) was calculated by a Phd Chem Eng I know and he said it should be good to 55 below zero based on the mix ration.

I take down factory bolt and degrease the striker assembly and internal striker tunnel surface and leave both coated with Ed's Red. I guess I use Ed's Red more than anything.
It does not dry up or gum up and I have full confidence in it. The full Ed's Red forumula has acetone in it and I get too much of it on my hands so I leave the acetone out.

This is a excerpt from Aberdeen Proving Ground Technical Feasibility Test M16A1E1 Rifle (adopted as M16A2) referenced cold room testings:


"2.4.4.2 Low Temperature Test

a. it was found immediately upon firing commencement at - 46° C, that the weapons would not function when lubricated with CLP. TECOM was notified and a directive received to clean the weapons and relubricate with LAW. Firing was resumed."

If anyone would like a copy of the full report PM me and I can arrange for you to get a copy. About 192 pages of download.

 

[taliv]

Re: cold weather

I stop functioning long before 0* so lube for negative temps is definitely somebody else's problem!

 

[Life During Wartime]

OIL
lots of oil

because my mosin nagant has a straight steel bolt, not stainless, and it rusts like crazy
I keep it far wetter than it should be to use