Should I be oiling the inside of my barrel?

[SimplyComplicated]

Hey all, I'm still really new to this gun maintenance thing, and I got to thinking yesterday about how to best take care of my S&W stainless revolver.

I was originally thinking about what I would do if I got a rifle to keep it happy during extended storage (no gun safe, at least not one big enough to fit a rifle in ), and I decided that I would run some ballistol down the inside of the barrel and then clean it out before firing.

Then I realized that my handgun is probably going to be exposed to more moisture than any rifle I might own, as the day my LTCF comes, I'm probably going to start carrying as much as possible.

If I were to oil the inside of my barrel with ballistol, does that have any ramifications if I want to go and then shoot the gun at a range? The biggest problem I see is it's flammable, and it also will attract lint. If these aren't problems then I think I want to start doing that...

So, help me weigh in, should I oil the inside of my revolver's barrel?

 

[rcmodel]

Run a oil wet patch through the barrel & chambers, then run a dry patch through them.

That will leave just a very thin film of oil to protect the metal, but not enough to cause any problems collecting dirt or shooting it.

SOP for military weapons for as long as I can remember, and way before that too!

rc

 

[Bovice]

I have some variety of barrel solvent from Pro-Shot (I think it's Pro-Shot, not sure) that removes copper (from jacketing) and leaves behind a light lubricant. It's perfect for the inside of any barrel.

In fact, I use it to clean the entire firearm. It doesn't build-up as long as you're good about wiping out the residue and other junk from shooting or carrying. That way, everything is protected in terms of rust and oxidation.

Now, for LUBRICANT (not in the bore, mind you), I use shooter's choice (a grease) exclusively. Oil gets flung off of semi-autos and makes a mess. It's also completely gone after about 100 rounds or so. Grease, however, stays exactly where you left it.

 

[GLOOB]

Oil is a no-no in rifle barrels because of the possibility of bulging a barrel. (Also, barring a blowout of the barrel, the first few shots will not be at POA). But I suspect it would be nearly impossible to create this problem in a garden variety pistol. The velocity, barrel length, and pressures just aren't there.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Oil is a no-no in rifle barrels because of the possibility of bulging a barrel.

I oil all of my rifle and handgun bores just as rcmodel described it. In 40+ years of doing this,I have never experienced any problems.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

A thin film as described above is OK. If you know you will be storing it for a long time there is no harm in getting the bore and chamber(s) a little wetter, but large droplets will cause problems if you don't clean it out before shooting.

 

[W.E.G.]

Pour it in.

Patch it out.

Put it away.

Shoot it again another day.

 

[Robert Wilson]

I have always oiled my bores for storage. I dry patch the bore of a revolver before shooting and have never noticed any POI change.

Rifles are a different matter. I have few centerfires that will put the first shot into the group. This is true whether I remove the oil with a dry patch or with a solvent patch followed by a dry patch.

 

[augustino]

If a firearm will be stored long term oil the heck out of it and be sure to store it with the barrel pointing DOWN. This way over time oil that "runs" will run down and away from the firing pin and wooden furniture. Thus less liklehood of wood splitting or staining.

If it's a routine cleaning well clean it good, apply oil with wet patch, follow with dry patch. Leaves enough of a protective film.

When shooting any firearm whethe it was stored long term of used & cleaned as recently as last week. ALWAYS run a dry patch down the barrel and give it a cleaning and DRY that puppy before putting it to work!

Done this forever and a day, no problems yet!

 

[Shadow 7D]

Yes, but the question is of how much, I was taught to clean, then oil with a wet patch, if I'm going to use anytime soon, I follow with a dry, if it's going to be stored, leave it wet.

 

[Manco]

In my defensive pistol, after cleaning I always leave a barely visible film of oil (one that is known to inhibit corrosion well) inside the bore, and dry-patch the chamber until the oil just barely disappears. I consider the pistol fully ready to fire at this point, and then I simply don't worry about it anymore. So far nothing bad has happened as a result of following this common practice, so I'll continue doing so. For long-term storage, I would leave in as much oil as the barrel will contain or coat the inside with a corrosion-inhibiting grease (obviously it would not be ready to fire until cleaned).

 

[DPris]

RC has it.
Denis