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Posted: 11/10/2010 10:41:57 AM EDT
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OK, new AR 15 owner here. Do you use grease, or oil, on your bolt carrier group? And why do you use what you use?
Which grease do you think is best, if you use grease? |
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Quoted:
OK, new AR 15 owner here. Do you use grease, or oil, on your bolt carrier group? And why do you use what you use? Which grease do you think is best, if you use grease? I use a lightweight grease most of the time. I only apply to the contact/wear points and locations that need lube... many erroneously smear lube all over the exterior of the BCG which just causes problems and is why many don't like grease type lubes. Although if you have a brand new rifle, grease is not recommended until you get a little mechanical break in. Typical recommendation is to use a lightweight oil like Rem Oil, applied heavily for the first 200 rounds or so. The most commonly recommended grease type product is TW-25b. I've used SuperLube grease for years as a firearms lube and it works very well, it's my lube of choice for handguns. More common heavier/thicker greases are not the best for ARs, although can be used if applied very sparingly. If that's all I had I would probably mix it with a little motor oil or something to thin it out and make it more fluid. |
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I use Breakfree CLP on the outside of the gun and all parts except the bolt carrier. I use it to clean pretty much everything except the bore which gets Foaming Bore Cleaner. Bolt carrier, bolt (including extractor and ejector), firing pin, and cam pin get a nice generous (some might call it "wet") coating of Breakfree LP (CLP without the cleaner, thicker and more lubricating). I haven't used it myself but Slip 2000 EWL (Extreme Weapons Lube) gets very good reviews from many people, some of which are big names in the industry. I want to give them a try once I run out of LP... Which is going to take at least several years.  |
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It would seem that grease makes more sense.
By the way, I disassembled my M4 last night, and field stripped it and lubed the entire BCG and down the tube too. I'm very proud. But as I was using CLP I thought, this sure seems runny, and grease would seem to make more sense. |
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Only places i use grease, and its very little are:
The ejection port cover detent (since i've worn out an upper to where the port door doesnt stay closed anymore) The recess in the upper that the charging handle latch hooks onto. The sides of my charging handles that have extended "tactical" latches. |
| I use grease on everything. Why? It stays where you put it. TW25B on rifles and Shooter's Choice High-Tech on pistols. If oil is necessary I'll use either MC2500 or FP-10, but only on hard to reach areas or to dillute the grease. Are these the "best" lubricants available? That question is subjective. Just find one that you like & use it. After 30 years of shooting, this is what it's boiled down to for me. |
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I used wheel bearing grease on my recoil spring and buffer, a very very thin coat to resist corrosion, but I think I'm going to take it out and replace it with CLP. Went to the range yesterday and the BCG seems kind of "lazy".
Since everything in the rifle is new I thought about putting it together dry and letting cycling wear everything in. Instead, I used CLP on everything but the buffer parts. Before I go out again I'll put a light coat of CLP on the buffer parts. I was taught to run my 1911's dry, and they work fine. Mike |
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50/50 synthetic motor oil and Dex3 ATF. For about $6, you'll have a half gallon of it.
The ATF seems to make the upper and BCG a bit easier to clean. The BCG still looks wet even after quite a bit of shooting; with Breakfree CLP, it usually looks dry after not much shooting. For most people in most situations, oil or grease should work fine. Until you start getting int temperature extremes, incredibly dirty environments, or long durations between cleaning, IMO, lube choice is relatively immaterial so long as you keep it lubed. YMMV. |
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So to throw another question in the mix.
Those that use grease? Which I am leaning toward. White lithium grease? Wheel bearing grease? Or what? I also have Mobil ! but was thinking of using the lithium grease. I have a new AR that has not been shot or lubed yet. |
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Quoted:
So to throw another question in the mix. Those that use grease? Which I am leaning toward. White lithium grease? Wheel bearing grease? Or what? I also have Mobil ! but was thinking of using the lithium grease. I have a new AR that has not been shot or lubed yet. Those are far to heavy/thick, especially for a new AR. With brand new rifles it's usually recommended to use a light oil like Rem Oil, motor oil, even WD40 for the first couple hundred rounds or so. Then clean it out and replace with the regular lube of choice. Typical automotive greases are much too thick for use in an AR, other than say the trigger to hammer contact point. Try the TW25b, or superlube or something similar that has a consistency more like a gel and not a heavy paste. |
| I use grease and oil. Slight touch of light weight Slide Glide on buffer/spring/tube and on selected BCG points, (tact latch, etc. as mentioned above), thin coat lugs and a touch on wear points trigger group. SL2000 everywhere else needing lube...some places wetter then others. Super light Gunzilla wipe down everywhere else inside and out that isn't a lube point. Gunzilla replaced CLP in my kit. |
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Quoted:
OK, new AR 15 owner here. Do you use grease, or oil, on your bolt carrier group? And why do you use what you use? Which grease do you think is best, if you use grease? Grease = TW25B Oil = most any brand is good I had good luck with Old skool BF CLP Been useing MPro7 LPX & WS with good results |
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