First off...my apologies to the majority of the forum who already know this.

But it is so common I frequently run into it, especially among new shooters, so I figured I'd address it for those who may not know. This is probably a Top Ten issue I deal with.

Usually goes something like this...

Someone brings in their former "pride and joy" and denounces it as a "POS Jam O Matic" which is usually accompanied by a long rant about how it won't work right out of the box, shouldn't NEED gunsmithing to make it work, etc. Most are pretty pissed that it is gonna cost money to make their NEW GUN work correctly.

And so far, in every case, it has been the same issue.

Sure enough I rub my finger along the bolt and it is the same factory packing / preservant that nearly every new rifle is shipped covered in to some degree.

And the magic cure all is...to clean it.

I know that seems obvious to most people but it never fails to amaze me just how many people don't figure it out. I think it comes from being in a semi urban area where people don't grow up with guns and start fresh in their early 20s with little or no guidance.

The thing is this, just because the gun "seems oily" doesn't make it clean or lubricated. The oily stuff factories put on guns to keep them protected while shelfed up to 10 years is a LOT different from the oily stuff you want to have inside a well maintined rifle. You have to think of this stuff like cosmoline lite. While not as thick as cosmoline it does many of the same things, including gumming up any rifle to the point it will fail repeatedly. This is because they are not lubricants.

So you have to clean that crap OFF and then use an actual lubricant like CLP (Break Free) on the moving internals.

So far that simple gunsmithing trick has fixed all the New In Box Jam O Matics I have run into. And it will save you the cost of paying someone to clean your rifle.

Yeah, I have "fixed" plenty of guns owned by other people just by....Cleaning Them!

So true...Yet so sad

Step 1. Clean IT...

My brand new Springer GI needed over 600 rounds, many thorough cleanings, and an extractor adjustment before it worked worth a damn. I'm still nervous about it's reliability, but we'll see.

This will probably be the next paragraph etched on new firearms. Pretty soon they'll look like they were fancy engraved. compliments of the dumbasses.

My memory goes back to the first day on the range with our KATUSAs when we were issued brand new A2's.  The sound of the hammer barely tapping the firing pin with a small "tink" and the confused look on their faces were classic.  

Even more scary was when they finally cleaned them and got them working they started firing at the right range pole (Concrete filled steel).    

I would just charge them the 1 hr gunsmith time to let it sit in a bowel of gun scrubber and then CLP.

And sometimes it's people who think they know better , but don't .

I witnessed a guy shooting an M1A . Every shot was splattering
his face with grease and failing to load a fresh round .

He was perplexed since he had read the manual and used grease
on the spots indicated . The problem was that he suffered from the
More is Better mentality .

After removing enough grease to do the wheel bearings on his
trailer , the gun functioned normally and he didn’t have to clean
his shooting glasses and teeth after every shot

That factory oil smells like cat piss

Good point.  

I don't think I have ever shot a gun without cleaning and lubricating it first.

I've never had any problems firing any of my guns for the first time because I ALWAYS clean any new gun I buy before firing it.  Modern guns are super reliable, but still there is always a chance something could go wrong in the manufacture, so this cleaning also gives me a chance to do a cursory inspection looking for any abnormalaties and resolving them before wasting my time at the range.

Take note of this post future CMP buyers!

My first AR (my first semiauto rifle) was a jam-o-matic...until I noticed how sticky the bolt was. People are used to taking something out of the box and using it right away.

Go easy on them if they are new to the hobby, then laugh at them later.