Ohioans For Concealed Carry Discussion Forums

Okay...I have my second AR-15, a Colt LE6920. It seems redundant to me to clean the receiver controls of grease to just turn around and apply new grease so it functions smoothly. I understand clearing the barrel, but how far do I go in cleaning the rifle before first use?

My first AR is a DPMS Oracle, and cleaning it thoroughly was exactly what I did. Then I applied grease and Ballistol until it was wet. That is when I started wondering about grease removal.

Most of the time, firearm manufacturers use a heavy preservative rather than a lubricating grease. In my opinion, it is always best to thoroughly clean a new (or newly serviced) firearm and properly lube it before shooting.

Unless it was a military weapon, intended to be buried in storage (cosmoline) I agree : Shoot it, then clean and oil it afterwards.

One logic is to have the moving parts self-matching to each other by using it before putting the oil and just delaying the break in. But also I agree with you.

Aren't ARs pretty much "oil" guns? As opposed to grease.

Mr. Glock wrote:Aren't ARs pretty much "oil" guns? As opposed to grease.

That's my philosophy - but there are those who prefer grease for certain parts, especially where the BCG slides against the receiver.

Mr. Glock wrote:Aren't ARs pretty much "oil" guns? As opposed to grease.

Yes, the instruction manual says oil, but I have seen MANY youtube videos (and if it is on YouTube it MUST be accurate...right?) saying use grease. Additionally, on an AR forum they discuss grease...but I dunno. I am new to the platform.;

Grease will work - until that grease gets cold.....

And just about anything that you can use as lube will work, too, as long as you keep enough of that lube around on the critical areas on the gun.

But in-reality, what we're looking for here is a lube that's known to work well, and one which won't compromise the physical materials of the gun's critical components (and if anyone is wondering what this might be, take a look at the posts on Primary & Secondary of issued Mk18s and their parts breakage). Towards this end, we can go round-and-round with any of a number of readily available lubricants, both ones that are specifically designed for this type of use as well as ones which can be pressed/adapted into this kind of use.

And here is where we need to ask ourselves the real question - if we're using something that's "adapted," is there really a reason why we are reinventing the wheel: or is it just to make ourselves feel better that we're bucking the system? and if we're arguing that it's a cost savings, have we really taken the time to break down the cost - particularly given the need to reapply - or is it just that we think it may cost less?

Particularly for newcomers to the platform, I really think that it's worth one's time to view this video in-full:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ej-xCW_YQs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The late Pat Rogers has had years of real-world experience - in many different contexts - with the AR15, and his legacy continues to live-on today with many of the top-tier instructors, gunsmiths, and other gunslingers who, very luckily, many of us here in NE-Ohio have direct access to. This is real-world knowledge and experience that we can, individually, either take years and tens if not hundreds of thousands of rounds to prove to ourselves....or we can just take their collective wisdom at face value.

There's a difference between a preservation grease and a lubrication grease. THere's also a difference between grease and oil depending on the design, temperatures, and caliber used.

I personally have used everything from crisco, axle grease, boutix lubricants, engine oil, and feminine cleaning products on AR bolts/carriers without issues. If you're not shooting a lot of rounds/getting it hot/leaving it alone between uses, then really the lubricant doens't matter as long as it has lubricant. Little trick - the holes in the bolt carrier when in battery - you can apply oil directly to those and oil the bolt itself. That alone will take a non-functioning (due to lubricant) AR and make it functioning. It won't fix improperly spec'd parts or assembly.


For extended use however, I'll be sticking to SlideGlide grease on the bolt past the raised ring (above where it thins in diameter and below the locking lugs) to the tail, with Slip2000 EWL on everything else. My pistols all see SlideGlide on the rails and on the hammer/sear/disconnector interfaces (they don't get oil).

^ Be sure to test your handguns in cold weather, if you can - as temps drop below 40-deg. F., particularly with precipitation wetting the gun, even the "Lite" formulation of Slide Glide can become problematic.

TSiWRX wrote:^ Be sure to test your handguns in cold weather, if you can - as temps drop below 40-deg. F., particularly with precipitation wetting the gun, even the "Lite" formulation of Slide Glide can become problematic.

At say 10°F or below, I never found any of the "wonder lubes" that weren't compromised. White lithium grease and dry graphite seemed unaffected.

Fortunately I don't tend to spend enough time outdoors in sub zero conditions for a holstered handgun to become that cold. If we start doing slung long gun OC educational walks in January, the temperature could be a problem since the gun would be outside my coat.

TSiWRX wrote:^ Be sure to test your handguns in cold weather, if you can - as temps drop below 40-deg. F., particularly with precipitation wetting the gun, even the "Lite" formulation of Slide Glide can become problematic.

When Hell freezes over in Ohio ?

If your car is going to crank and start in sub zero Ohio weather, it is unlikely that your gun won't work. In the coldest winters, I have never thought that my crankshaft would seize, even using conventional motor oil.

You do hear about GI's having to {inappropriate language} on their guns during the Korean war to un-freeze them, but I wonder what the hell they were using to clean and lube their weapons (otherwise urban wartime myths? How cold can Korea be? Looking it up on google, it seems the average lowest temps are around 9degF-- which is mild).

CCIman wrote:

TSiWRX wrote:^ Be sure to test your handguns in cold weather, if you can - as temps drop below 40-deg. F., particularly with precipitation wetting the gun, even the "Lite" formulation of Slide Glide can become problematic.

When Hell freezes over in Ohio ?

If your car is going to crank and start in sub zero Ohio weather, it is unlikely that your gun won't work. In the coldest winters, I have never thought that my crankshaft would seize, even using conventional motor oil.

I've seen plenty of this happen - and I was just as dumbfounded as you when I first read about it happening to a friend of mine in their first handgun class. In that particular case, the lube was what I mentioned above as an example - Slide Glide's "Lite" formulation (it's billed for use at 30 deg. F+, but that class was run in a cold rain, at around 40 deg. F.: https://www.glocktalk.com/threads/slide-glide.1304103/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; that's one of the documented mentions of this instance, but the first time I'd read about it was in his AAR on our local car Forum, which is now sadly defunct ) .

I've seen the same kind of deal several times in beginner-level classes (because of two things: [1] most of the more seasoned shooters know that this can happen and have already vetted their gun/lube combo so that it won't and [2], because....) here in NE-Ohio, run in the colder and often wet weather that sometimes occur in our early spring weeks (...as these classes tend to be offered up first, so that the instructor/school can build their customer-base for their training progressions going later into the year).

Make sure your gun runs in the kinds of weather that you will encounter.

It's just like doing homework with one's chosen defensive ammo.

CCIman wrote:

TSiWRX wrote:^ Be sure to test your handguns in cold weather, if you can - as temps drop below 40-deg. F., particularly with precipitation wetting the gun, even the "Lite" formulation of Slide Glide can become problematic.

When Hell freezes over in Ohio ?

If your car is going to crank and start in sub zero Ohio weather, it is unlikely that your gun won't work. In the coldest winters, I have never thought that my crankshaft would seize, even using conventional motor oil.

You do hear about GI's having to {inappropriate language} on their guns during the Korean war to un-freeze them, but I wonder what the hell they were using to clean and lube their weapons (otherwise urban wartime myths? How cold can Korea be? Looking it up on google, it seems the average lowest temps are around 9degF-- which is mild).

Go toss your favorite (gun) lube bottle in your freezer for 2-3 days and see what happens.

And remember, your engine oil has enough low temperature viscosity that it drains back into the oil pan, then is circulated via high pressure and quickly warmed oil pressure passages. There is no oil pan on your gun, so thin oil would just drain off and not be useful. The trick is an oil that stays in place but also works in very cold weather without an oil pan, pressure feed system and an internal heater.

Oh, and the Chosin Reservoir battle, which is the one you are referring to in the Korean war, it was minus 35 F (cold front from Siberia). Good luck starting your car.

In 1976, it was -25 for three days running. When I went to start my Toyota Celica GT on the third day, the starter would grunt, but not turn. I decided to roll the vehicle down the hill in my driveway, but it wouldn't roll. I had to tow it down the hill with my Bronco and then use the truck to push it to start. With the clutch disengaged, the rear wheels slid for about twenty feet before they started turning. I let the clutch out and the engine almost stopped both the Celica and the truck before it started turning. Another 100 feet before it could catch and run very roughly. So, yes, in Ohio, even engines can freeze up.