wet bar?

[x_wrench]

my brother is having me sight in and give his Browning B.A.R. (hunting rifle) a work out and test. he bought it about a month and a half ago, but had shoulder surgery just prior to buying it. i shot it today, and it had a few malfunctions. 3 fail to feeds, and 2 fail to fires (factory ammo). the action looks pretty dry, other that what looks like a dab of grease in the locking lugs. he bought this used (30-06) and neither of us have owned one before. typically, do brownings like to run wet? or like it dry as the Sahara? i am waiting until tomorrow to look into taking the bolt out when i am rested and more coherent. i downloaded a owners manual for it, but i just glanced thru it tonight. most of my semi auto pistols do not really care one way or the other. this is a 1972 grade 1 (plain jane) model if that makes a difference. if they like to run dry, any pointers would be appreciated. thanks.

 

[powder]

I dont run mine dry, but I tear down 2-3X a year with lots of shooting.

Tear it down, see what you find, dry clean it, hose it down and dry it. Use light grease on high friction wear points you can spot. That's a nice plain jane, IIRC...(72?)

 

[x_wrench]

well, i spent 6 hours digging thru this rifle, and found why it was acting up. there was a burr in the inside of the rotary bolt inside the bolt housing. a few minutes of filing and polishing, and a lot of cleaning. now it works like silk. as far as oiling, i just put a few drops of oil on a cleaning patch, and on the end of a q tip, and wiped a thin layer on the parts where they moved. as big of a job as it is to completely clean this rifle, i figured this was a case of less is more.

 

[Slamfire]

well, i spent 6 hours digging thru this rifle, and found why it was acting up. there was a burr in the inside of the rotary bolt inside the bolt housing.

Very good for the discovery. However, let me say that all automatic mechanisms require lubrication. There is this military memory of Korea, with its arctic weather with frozen oils jamming rifles, that memory has somehow worked its way through the civilian gunowner community and created advocates for running guns dry.

Firearms are mechanical devices, you run them dry you increase wear and increase friction. Lube them up and wipe off the excess.

Unless you are in the arctic. Then run them dry.

 

[x_wrench]

its not really dry per say, just not a lot of oil laying around all over the action to collect dirt and burnt powder. every piece that moves at all has lubrication. just not a lot of excess. if the gun was even half way easy to clean, i would slop it up, and wipe off whatever flew out of it. i have had to do that on my sons 22 auto. it just refuses to run any way except dripping wet. of course, once it gets some rounds thru it, that may change. and that should soon. we just got him his first hunting license.