Which lubricant oil or dry lube?

[efm77]

Which do you prefer and why? I always put a thin film of grease on the back of the locking lugs and in the cocking cam. But what about the rest of the rifle? I've always used some form of oil for the bolt body, receiver, exterior etc and wiped off the excess after applying. But lately I've used some Hornady One Shot dry lube and like it too but can't decide which is better. I've heard that the dry lubes might not last as long or lubricate as well as oils. But there's no oily residue to get into places it doesn't need to be (like onto your ammo and into your chamber). And it doesn't attract dirt, dust, etc. as much either. What do you prefer?
Thanks.

[efm77]

Sorry just realized I posted this in the wrong category. Moderator please move to the appropriate location.

[darkker]

Well I used to oil those locales, but don't anymore. My locking lugs have 100% contact, and the lube gets wiped off, and funks up the works. As to the rest of it, I usually just wipe with a silicone cloth.

[GaCop]

I use a powdered graphite in the bolt raceways, doesn't collect crud like oils and grease does. +1 on what "darkker" says, I leave my bolt lugs alone.

[joeb33050]

I had trouble with gun oil gumming up the works on my guns. Some cases where the gun got difficult to operate.
About a year-18 months ago I bought a 4 oz. bottle of SUPER LUBE Synthetic Lightweight Oil (Synco corp.) for $7.50 at the hardware store. I use very little, seldom, and wipe off the excess. It never dries-at least not yet.
I have a model windmill on the porch. The Oilite bearing and other bearings dry out or the oil washes off in the rain, it gets sluggish, and I have to oil it up. I lubed it with SUPER LUBE when I got the bottle, and the windmill is running fine, 12-18 months later.
joe b.

[ourway77]

When I was in the PD we were told to use a product called RIG. I take an old T-Shirt cut in half use about a 1/2 the small jar, keep working the RIG into the rag til it's completly saturated. I store the rag in a tight fit container w/lid I have used this same t-shirt for years.. I have never had any rust on my service revolver in all kinds of weather. I use it on all my firearms it puts a slight film on the surface of the firearm and it will not rust in those area's that it was applied too. Really great stuff. A fellow who lives in california ask the question. What could he use to stop rust in his gun safe as the area he lives is very humid. I told him of the RIG and he thanked me over and over. He said the rig has protected his firearm from that point on. Believe me it's really great suff. Lou

[efm77]

But the rear of the locking lugs is a high pressure area when it cams into the recesses as is the cocking cam. I think a very think film of grease in those areas is what is needed or you will get premature wear. I'll have to check out the other lubes you've referenced. Thanks.

[Ray Gunter]

For inside of the action and bolt..... a very very small amount of ATF

[bigedp51]

WARNING: If you do not lube the rear of your bolt locking lugs you will increase wear and your headspace faster and take a chance of galling your lugs. This is even "MORE" important with neck sized cases and bolts that close tightly on your form fitting cases.

I collect the Enfield rifle and had a conversation with the senior Armourer in the U.K. Captain Peter Laidler on the Enfield rifle. Now here is the funny part of this because we have Savage rifles with a barrel nut.

One of the reasons military rifles have "LONG" headspace is to reduce wear and reduce the bolt thrust applied to the bolt and receiver. On any rifle after firing the case springs back to a smaller size than the chamber and "takes the load off the locking lugs". On a tightly headspace civilian rifle there is much less "wiggle" room and your lugs "MUST" be lubricated.

Bottom line, grease your lugs we all have tighter headspace than a military Enfield rifle and our lugs have more contact time and force applied to them.

Bolt Maintenance Methods & Materials
by Germán A. Salazar
http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/bolt-maintenance-methods-materials

1. The Rear Surface of the Locking Lugs
There are two lugs on most bolts, three or four lugs on some actions. Wipe these clean with a paper towel before re-applying the lube. Dab a little of the grease on the tip of the small screwdriver and spread it on the lugs. This should be a thin, even coat. Just thick enough to cover the metal but not globbed on. This picture shows the lugs wiped clean before lubing. A locking lug recess cleaning tool such as Sinclair Int’l offers is useful to ensure that any grit and bits of brass that collect in the receiver’s lug recesses get cleaned out.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/salazarbolt05sm.jpg

[243LPR]

I use Wilson's ultima lube on locking lugs, Militec on race ways,revolver actions and auto slides/frames.

[darkker]

I guess I'll have to tell my FP it can't have shot 3500+ rounds without lubing the lugs ::)

[larrys1911]

Which lube?
What ever is available when I have it apart, not trying to be funny
I used to shoot IDPA, IPSC, Three Gun, Steel. Most of that was handgun but there was a significant amount of long gun stuff there too.
Ive seen guns go down due to lube probably a couple dozen times from people that new better and a bunch from people following the 1 drop here and one drop there and "DONT OVERLUBE" theory. unless you are in some adverse place where there is sand or fine dirt LUBE IT. If you are worried about sand and dirt and you dont clean or wipe down or spray out your gun then maybe the dry lubes are for you.

General guideline is where ever there is metal to metal put oil on it, where ever there is some type of

[dcloco]

NON petroleum based - these ALWAYS attract and hold dirt/grime. You also have the chance to have a little fire in there. Petroleum will seep into a wood stock and stain some synthetics/plastics.

Ponsness Warren makes a great lube - STOS. You will have NO wear after you clean the metal and apply a dab of STOS. If you want to actually see and feel the results....lock back the slide on your semi auto, release the slide and feel the slide go back in battery. Now, clean the pistol, lube with STOS, and do the same drill. It will be faster AND smoother.

[82boy]

I found that there is certain areas of the bolt that need grease, it is especially critical in a high end custom actions like a Bat, or a Panda to grease these areas, or galling will occur. (High end custom actions will have extremely tight tolerances, ((around 1 to 2 thousands)) and 100% lug contact.) I lube my Savage just like a high end custom action. The problem with the Savage design is that the grease placed on the lugs is wiped off by the front baffle; this is why SSS modifies their bolt heads to relocate the spring washer so that the baffle doesn’t wipe the grease off.

I use a product that Sharp Shooters Supply sells, and highly recommends, called CMD gun lube. This stuff is ultra slick, and sticks well, and is very hard to wipe off. I place a small amount on the contact surface of the lugs, a small amount on the cocking ramp of the bolt, and a small amount on the primary extraction ramp on the bolt handle. I also use a product called "Bolt Magic" (Too bad Dave Doorman passed on, so it is no longer made, but a Friend of mine is making it and calling it Benchrite.)In the raceways, and it really slicks things up. http://benchrest.com/class/index.php?a=2&b=3359

[82boy]

I also forgot to add, that I also wipe off all the greese, and reaply every time I clean. I also use a chamber cleaning tool to get into the raceways, locking lugs, and chamber.

[Salvo]

I live near the coast, and have discovered that Mobile One synthetic motor oil protects my firearms from rust better than any of the various gun oils. It doesn't dry or gum up, stays oily.

One can of it is like a lifetime supply, or close to it. I give the plastic container a shake, remove the cap and wipe a patch on the inside of the cap, where the oil splashed up and clung to it. - This is usually enough oil to wipe down a long arm before it goes into storage.

I have an old bolt-action shotgun that is an oil sponge. If you oil it up, the barrel and action generally looks dry within just a day or two. The Mobile One stays oily on that gun much longer than anything else I've tried.

I'm doing good with 10W-30 - but you may need a different weight depending upon the climate, the operating conditions - and the mileage on your firearm.

For anything that has to be greased up, I use Hoppes gun grease, I like the smell of it.

For some autoloaders ( especially rimfires ) I use Dry Moly lubricant, to keep powder residue from combining with oil to make icky, sticky mud.

Autoloaders that do not like Dry Moly get Rem-Oil spray, or Break-Free strategically applied with a Q-tip.

I'm not proud though, I'll use 3-in-One oil if that's what is handy, and be glad that I've got it.

[squirrelsniper]

I use Pro-Shot Pro Gold grease to lube the bolt lugs, cocking ramp, and where the cocking pin slides against the bolt body.

Internal or other small parts get Break-Free CLP that sits for a few minutes then the oil gets wiped off so that only the film is left behind. The outer surface of the bolt also gets CLP.

The external parts such as the action and barrel get a coat of Break Free LP (yes LP, not CLP).

What I use to lube the bore depends upon the rifle and how the clean cold bore shot (CCBS) is affected. Of course I run another dry patch through the bore before firing, but that oily film is still there. I've been told by so-called "experts" not to use an oil containing teflon of PTFE to lube a rifle's bore, as the teflon can build up sort of like moly. I try to use that advice, but a couple of my rifles make their best CCBS when the barrel had been lubed with Break-Free CLP. So, depending on the rifle, the bore may be lubed with Break-Free CLP, Butch's Gun Oil or Kroil.

[ellobo]

As any old timer who hunts in very cold weather (under 32F and especially very under, say 20F) its best to wipe all oil from working surfaces and interior parts of the bolt. I douche the bolt in laquer thinner to get the oil out of the bolt. Grease and oil can congeal into a very thick glue that slows down firing pins and glues bolts closed. After the season re-oil as you like.

El Lobo

[efm77]

Lots of different opinions on products. Thanks for all the replies. This turned into a longer thread than I imagined. It's probably more important that you use some sort of lube rather than what brand. It's also important to wipe off the excess so there's only a film on the interior of the action. You don't want oil or grease running into your magazine and getting on the cartridges. That would make them too slick to grip the chamber properly upon firing and increase the amount of rearward thrust they put on the bolt. So de-grease your chamber before shooting and wipe down the bolt and raceways after applying lube to get the excess out to keep it off your ammo.

[DonArkie]

Weapon Sheild, just a drop is all ya need
http://www.steelshieldtech.com/mainpage/retail-product-weapon-shield.html