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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Greasing my new AR (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 1/23/2011 3:01:38 PM EDT
| Now that I have completed my build I am looking for a good grease to use on my rails and BCG. I am wondering if there is any type of grease I should avoid putting in my AR? I know I need to stay away from graphite but it seems like there is a wide variety of greases used. I want to get something that is locally available so that rules out Mil Comm and most others ( I also don't want to pay extra for the name "gun grease"). I was just going to go the the Tractor Supply down the road and buy a good lithium/moly grease. I did notice there are also some synthetics with polymers so I wondered if I was going to mess something up if I get the wrong type. Your thoughts are welcome. |
| I guess after years of working on cars and industrial equipment, the sound of metal on metal contact such as the bolt sliding through the receiver makes me cringe. I like the idea of grease on the rails. That seems to be a severe wear point. The rest I will use CLP or oil. |
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I guess after years of working on cars and industrial equipment, the sound of metal on metal contact such as the bolt sliding through the receiver makes me cringe. I like the idea of grease on the rails. That seems to be a severe wear point. The rest I will use CLP or oil. What kind of grease is used on a cylinder wall?  Oil is fine.
Grease is only called for when installing a barrel nut. |
| I look at the bolt as more direct contact on the receiver than a cylinder wall. I think the bolt and receiver could be thought of more like a bearing where it is direct contact as opposed to a cylinder wall where the piston does not actually touch the wall. The piston ring is the only thing that makes contact and it is not direct contact at that. The cylinder would not be a proper use of grease because you need the permeability of oil on the wall and rings. In the case of the bolt you have direct rail contact points that can be greased. |
| Take my advise, use a good oil like Mobile 1. I had a lot of function problems with my new build because of using grease. The BCG and upper were too tight (not broke in) and the grease too thick. My buddy on the local SWAT team finally got me to try the MOBILE 1 and all problems solved! I have been able to put hundreds if not a thousand rounds through my carbine with out having to re-lube. |
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Wheel bearing grease. It stays put & last for ever if you don`t clean much. I agree. The cam pin on any other machine would have grease on it. I use it on the rails too of course. I soak the bolt forward of the rings with regular lube of course. I'd also add that if people are going to use grease, it should be used sparingly and only in select locations. As mentioned above, the cam pin and rails are two areas where I don't mind using a little bit of grease. And (at this point) the only other areas that I'm willing to use grease are the gas rings, and the area where the face of the hammer and the bottom of the bolt carrier are in contact. But even then, with the possible exception of the cam pin, IMHO using grease (as opposed to oil) in these locations is typically unnecessary for most people, most of the time. |
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I use mobil 1 oil for my general lubrication of the BCG.
I use mobil 1 grease on the cam pin and on the carrier rails. The excess is "shaved off" by the upper when you insert it, then I just wipe that off. I've never had an issue with the grease, and the stuff stays put. Don't use it on the actual bolt itself, no need and you don't want it in the chamber. |
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This stuff: http://images.drillspot.com/pimages/447/44768_300.jpg or this stuff: http://www.southbayriders.com/forums/attachment.php?s=8ee19a33de2743305371d2efc1d15781&attachmentid=213202 Thanks. It's the same "stuff" ... Just pick whichever packaging is most convenient for you. I prefer the 1 lb. tub. |
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This stuff: http://images.drillspot.com/pimages/447/44768_300.jpg or this stuff: http://www.southbayriders.com/forums/attachment.php?s=8ee19a33de2743305371d2efc1d15781&attachmentid=213202 Thanks. It's the same "stuff" ... Just pick whichever packing is most convenient for you. I prefer the 1 lb. tub. I thought one was white and one is red? |
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This stuff: http://images.drillspot.com/pimages/447/44768_300.jpg or this stuff: http://www.southbayriders.com/forums/attachment.php?s=8ee19a33de2743305371d2efc1d15781&attachmentid=213202 Thanks. It's the same "stuff" ... Just pick whichever packing is most convenient for you. I prefer the 1 lb. tub. I thought one was white and one is red? Are you talking about Mobil 1 synthetic grease? Because that's what you've shown in both photos ... If so, where did you get information about a red vs. white version ? |
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This stuff: http://images.drillspot.com/pimages/447/44768_300.jpg or this stuff: http://www.southbayriders.com/forums/attachment.php?s=8ee19a33de2743305371d2efc1d15781&attachmentid=213202 Thanks. It's the same "stuff" ... Just pick whichever packing is most convenient for you. I prefer the 1 lb. tub. I thought one was white and one is red? Are you talking about Mobil 1 synthetic grease? Because that's what you've shown in both photos ... If so, where did you get information about a red vs. white version ? Here |
| Grease will never touch my AR15's neither will they touch my AK's. Ichord report released in the 60s said that before the reliablity issues got fixed everybody was using different methods to clean. Including using grease as lube and diesel fuel to clean chambers. |
| For what its' worth I save the grease for my M1A's. I will use Mobile 1 synthetic oil for BCG, LPK, and detents and springs. I find it stays on many of the parts longer due to its' viscocity. It is also economical, you can fill a lot of 1 ounce bottles with a quart. Bought a quart years ago still haven't used hardly any of it. Just remember this is for lubrication purposes only, not for cleaning or breaking down carbon deposits. Give some thought to the pakerized finish on your AR15. If you are constantley exposing your weapon to the elements, lightly spray G96 on the pakerized finish, lightly wipe off any excess. This will give your weapon a bit of a protective film. We use a parts washer with Zep Dyna 143 that strips everything from the weapon. The optics and lights are removed prior placing them in the tank. Eotech and Surefire won't be happy if their products get splashed or dunked in the tank. This is the primary reason for the use of G96 on the exterior of the weapon. You will be surprised the amount of rust you can prevent on the barrel, selector, forward assist, buffer tube nut, and sling attachment back plate. By the way optics won't like overspray of G96, so cover it with a rag, or do it prior to re installing the optic. |
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I've been using Polaris ATV all weather grease. It comes in a tube, and is rated for extreme temperatures, hot and cold, and it goes on nice and thin, too. Stuff has never left me stranded.
I used to use Hoppes and Break Free, and I started having problems with light strikes and FTF. I switched to the Polaris Grease and haven't had a problem since. It smells kinda bad, lol, wouldn't recommend it for a hunting rifle for that reason, but other than that, it works great. This |
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Staying put is not good on an AR which is why grease isn't used on suppressed DI weapons...you want the oil to displace as it loads up with carbon. Apply more oil...it flushesand displaces with the carbon...repeat as needed.
Grease...bad...oil...good. CLP has the C in it to keep carbon soft and in suspension for that very reason. |
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Staying put is not good on an AR which is why grease isn't used on suppressed DI weapons...you want the oil to displace as it loads up with carbon. Apply more oil...it flushesand displaces with the carbon...repeat as needed. Grease...bad...oil...good. CLP has the C in it to keep carbon soft and in suspension for that very reason. This. Grease to prevent wear for range shooting followed by end of day clean up only. |
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Check out Vickers' comments on weapon lubrication.
Snippet from the longer article: Last thing I will cover is choice of lubricant. First off any lube is better than no lube. Just because you don’t have your favorite synthetic gun oil doesn’t mean you don’t lube your weapon. With that being said in my experience the thin light lubes like WD40 and RemOil are to be avoided. They will provide a rust barrier and that is about it; they are not suitable for moving parts lubricant. There are alot of lubes on the market but I still like TW25B for a grease type lube and Militec for a wet lube. My friend Ken Hackathorn swears by aircraft grade Lubriplate and has used it for years as a grease type lube. The grease type lubricants require more effort to apply but tend to stay put longer. TW25B is superb for crew served weapons like belt feed machine guns and is the best lubricant I have ever seen for sandy or wet environments. In my old unit we affectionately call it ‘desert jizz’ because once we started using it the reliability of our belt fed weapons increased dramatically in extreme environments such as the desert. Highly recommended. There are times where applying a grease lubricant is a pain such as high volume range fire sessions. For those applications as well as general purpose use I have used and like Militec wet lube. From my experience it works well even in temperature extremes and is the right balance between being too thin to do the job and so thick it gums up when cold. Keep in mind it is easy to apply so it is easy to come off also. With wet lubes like Militec you have to lubricate your weapon more frequently than with a grease like TW25B. Please don’t get your panties in a bunch since I did not mention your pet lubricant. I am sure there are dozens of excellent lubricants on the market I am not aware of that do a great job; I am simply stating what has worked for me with very good results for many years. In parting I would remind you to remember two key points about weapons lube; any lube is better than no lube and you can run a gun dirty and wet (or lubed) but you cannot run one dirty and dry. Abide by these two rules and they will do you right |
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I have been using lubriplate for a while and it seems to do a great job. Any reason not to use that? I only use it because I got several cans for free. This stuff.... |
| Molybdenum disulfide grease/paste alone, with NO lithium soap based grease blends mixed with it. Pure moly is the slickest form of grease you can use,especially in hi pressure areas that have soft alum. to steel or alum. to alum. contact, where galling can occure.Anti-sieze should never be used as a lube,only on threads for anti- galling.BCG gets moly on the slides and cam pin and charging handle,as well as the trigger group and take down pins. Everything else gets mil-spec LSA oil with teflon. I only use an all in one CLP in the field if something needs to be dousched out ( like dirt or sand) to keep it up and running. I never use motor oils or car greases of any kind. To get you out of a jamb,it's fine.But put the right stuff on when you can.Pure gun/ machine oils dont go bad , harden up , seperate,break down, ect... like motor oils / greases do. They are not full of addiatives and detergents either. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Greasing my new AR (Page 1 of 2)
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