User Panel
Posted: 12/5/2012 9:34:50 AM EDT
A couple of buddies and I are going hunting up in Utah in January. I'm fully expecting the weather to be horrible, but at the very least I know that where we're going it's going to be pretty cold. I grew up in Texas and have never really done too much cold weather shooting, so I don't have much experience with lube for cold weather. I currently use CLP and am wondering if that will work well for the cold, or if I should transition to something else. We'll be doing quite a bit of hiking in, so it would have to deal with a lot of exposure to the cold without gumming up for when I need it. Any suggestions?
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I've heard that powdered graphite or similar solid lube is best in REALLY cold situations. I have no experience with this, personally, however.
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I've heard that powdered graphite or similar solid lube is best in REALLY cold situations. I have no experience with this, personally, however. Do not use graphite in an AR!! Bad idea! |
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I've heard pretty good things about the mobil 1, anything I need to know specifically about applying it? Or do I just apply it like normal lube after I clean my rifle?
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I've heard that powdered graphite or similar solid lube is best in REALLY cold situations. I have no experience with this, personally, however. Pretty sure that would be a big no no.... |
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I would like to know as well. We are about to start using carbines up here in North Alberta where it sits around -22F all winter. So it'll be sitting in a patrol cruiser freezing.
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Clp has always worked for me, even in extreme cold.
Another good cold weather lube is LAW. |
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CLP should work. IRRC it is/was spec'd to -50 F. I've used it down to around 0 in high mountain desert regions without issue. When I was at Camp Pettawawa (sp?) in Ontario with the Canadian Airborne Regiment (RIP) in '94 they and we used standard CLP.
Good luck, Rob |
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CLP should work. IRRC it is/was spec'd to -50 F. I've used it down to around 0 in high mountain desert regions without issue. When I was at Camp Pettawawa (sp?) in Ontario with the Canadian Airborne Regiment (RIP) in '94 they and we used standard CLP. Good luck, Rob I thought it was -20F, but I could be wrong. Mobil1 in several flavors would work down to -40F pretty well.... |
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Good to hear about the CLP, too. Like I mentioned, it's what I use now and I haven't had any issues, I've just also never used it when it's really cold out.
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Whats wrong with Super Lube? I read a thread on here a while back showing it outperformed Frog Lube by leaps and bounds.
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I used Mobil 1 * 10w30 for late season high mountain hunting, down to -15'/-20'F with zero problems, while a buddies bolt froze/gummed up (he used RemOil).
This was in the 90's so the RemOil may have changed formulas since. I'd probably go 0w-30 now. |
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I've heard that powdered graphite or similar solid lube is best in REALLY cold situations. I have no experience with this, personally, however. Pretty sure that would be a big no no.... Why? Help the ignorant please... - AG |
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I've heard that powdered graphite or similar solid lube is best in REALLY cold situations. I have no experience with this, personally, however. Pretty sure that would be a big no no.... Why? Help the ignorant please... - AG Graphite is abrasive/can break down aluminum, and can cause it to corrode when it comes into contact with other moisture (especially sweat and such).... |
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I've heard that powdered graphite or similar solid lube is best in REALLY cold situations. I have no experience with this, personally, however. Pretty sure that would be a big no no.... Why? Help the ignorant please... - AG Graphite is abrasive/can break down aluminum, and can cause it to corrode when it comes into contact with other moisture (especially sweat and such).... I didn't think that graphite was abrasive... hell it is used as a lubricant. Plus, if graphite (carbon) were corrosive/ broke down aluminum, why wouldn't powder fouling do the same? Not trying to be a wise ass, this just sounds like internet rumor to me. - AG |
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Clp has always worked for me, even in extreme cold. Another good cold weather lube is LAW. BF CLP or Slip 2000 EWL.. Gun oil for guns..... EOTW....or no more CLP.... Ill use mobil...better than nothing and Froglube is a no go |
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I've heard that powdered graphite or similar solid lube is best in REALLY cold situations. I have no experience with this, personally, however. Pretty sure that would be a big no no.... Why? Help the ignorant please... - AG Graphite is abrasive/can break down aluminum, and can cause it to corrode when it comes into contact with other moisture (especially sweat and such).... I didn't think that graphite was abrasive... hell it is used as a lubricant. Plus, if graphite (carbon) were corrosive/ broke down aluminum, why wouldn't powder fouling do the same? Not trying to be a wise ass, this just sounds like internet rumor to me. - AG I have as yet to research the topic on the internet, but now that you mention it, I think I will check it out.... |
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I've heard that powdered graphite or similar solid lube is best in REALLY cold situations. I have no experience with this, personally, however. Pretty sure that would be a big no no.... Why? Help the ignorant please... - AG Graphite is abrasive/can break down aluminum, and can cause it to corrode when it comes into contact with other moisture (especially sweat and such).... I didn't think that graphite was abrasive... hell it is used as a lubricant. Plus, if graphite (carbon) were corrosive/ broke down aluminum, why wouldn't powder fouling do the same? Not trying to be a wise ass, this just sounds like internet rumor to me. - AG Graphite has been used as lubrication but at the same time the structure of graphite makes it very strong and can be abrasive. Graphite is very similar in structure to diamond and carbon nanotubes. |
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Mobil 1!!!!
its easy to apply clean and dip... I keep my left over oil from the bottom of my jugs after I change my oil it give it all a light coat on the BCG it works fantastic cold or hot. |
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Graphite absorbs moisture and clumps together; also there is a potential corrosion problem with dissimilar metals, in this case steel and aluminum, which graphite can exacerbate.
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Clp has always worked for me, even in extreme cold. Another good cold weather lube is LAW. BF CLP or Slip 2000 EWL.. Gun oil for guns..... EOTW....or no more CLP.... Ill use mobil...better than nothing and Froglube is a no go Froglube says it is rated to -40 degrees. Is this not so? |
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Make sure your rifles are super clean...you can use less lube. I rep a race oil line and use their Hotrod synthetic..BTW I am in ND...bring your mittens!!!
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Machine Gunners Lube (from Sprinco) - real god stuff.
*High shear strength, and not susceptible to mechanical wear. High shear strength equates to increased surface tension, which in turn, keeps your parts coated for extended durations. This property also allows the use of Machine Gunners Lube™ for personal carry firearms, as it does not "run off" the pistol. *Stability in extreme heat, maintaining lubrication properties in temperatures exceeding +650°F. *Pour point of -50°F for reliable use in arctic deployment. *Contains NO Chlorinated Esters or PFTE (TEFLON®.) *Reduced carbon fouling deposition, and detergent properties make cleaning residue much easier and faster, even with .50 caliber platforms. *Available "Battle Bottle™" containers are sized to fit in any spare battery storage compartment found on most carbine platforms (grips, vertical foregrips, stocks) allowing the operator quick access to an ample quantity of lube in the field prior to return to FOB. *Unconditional "NO B.S." Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee! Machine Gunners Lube™ was developed to address specific requests from gun team leaders for a lube that would keep their machine guns properly lubricated during extended durations of full auto fire. Like most good gun teams, they work hard to stay on top of not letting the guns run dry. While many currently available lubes maintain lubricity when running "wet", some current war zone deployments do not favor traditional frequent and liberal applications, due to their propensity to attract fine desert silt particles, thereby increasing the risk of malfunctions. Our mission was to formulate a lube that would perform and protect weapon platforms in extreme environments subject to high heat, humidity, evaporative, and mechanical wear, even when applied lightly. Machine Gunners Lube™ meets these standards for all firearms ranging from handguns through .50 caliber machine guns. Machine Gunners Lube™ is made from fully synthetic Group V base stocks. Poly Ester chains in Group V base stocks offer superior protection against thermal breakdown versus PAO's and GTL's, and contain significant natural solvent properties for self cleaning capabilities. In addition to minimizing carbon accumulation, the Poly Ester base oil acts as a water dispersant and corrosion inhibitor, protecting the lubricated parts in desert, jungle, and arctic climatic environments. Unique to Machine Gunners Lube™ is a proprietary re-micronized (0.3 micron) inhibited Molybdenum Disulfide (MOS2) component in colloidal suspension. In layman's terms, this means that the particles remain suspended within the lubricant, and do not segregate to the bottom of the container. Our inhibited MOS2 is specifically modified to retard, rather than induce corrosion. This moly component allows for a solid lubrication barrier in conjunction with the hydraulic lubrication afforded by the host synthetic lubricant. The re-micronized particles are small enough to penetrate the molecular lattice structure of the carbon, stainless, or chromium plated steel working surfaces of the weapon, where they are released under the heat of use to maintain the initial solid or "boundary" lubrication layer. No other moly additives on the market contain particles this small, nor do they share the unique ability to remain in colloidal suspension. Our proprietary manufacturing process allows the uniform distribution of the re-micronized MOS2 both within and upon the lubricated surfaces of the weapon. This ability provides a further advantage over other gun oils in the form of lubrication retention when the host / hydraulic lubricant is removed by mechanical, chemical, or environmental means. Basically, the weapon is still protected and has a functional advantage even when appearing "dry". The melting point of the MOS2 component is in excess of +2700°F !!! |
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The issue is galvanic corrosion when aluminum is placed in contact with graphite. The same thing happens when you put steel in contact with aluminum (to a lesser extent). The way to figure out if two items are going to corrode when placed in contact with each other is to consult a galvanic corrosion table. The farther the materials are from each other, the faster the corrosion will take place. Take a look at this one I just googled up....
http://www.corrosionist.com/galvanic_corrosion_chart.htm You will see that graphite is at the far end of the chart... a whole lot of stuff corrodes when in contact with it. |
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Don't use Rem oil, I took a pistol course in what was pretty much a blizzard and the person who had used Rem oil had the gun start to freeze. I was fine with my CLP and Gun Butter.
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Don't use Rem oil, I took a pistol course in what was pretty much a blizzard and the person who had used Rem oil had the gun start to freeze. I was fine with my CLP and Gun Butter. I have not had any issues. Everything must be super clean, and then a light film of it wiped on. Too much, and you will have a problem. Have done it for years. I took my CC course in January here back when we had to qualify, and I was one of about 4 that made it through without issue. |
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If you look at lab tests, good synthetic motor oils are more efficient lubricants than essentially any gun oil, and they're engineered to operate at very low temperatures. I keep hearing people say "use gun oil in guns and car oil in cars, but I fail to see what magic juju goes on in guns that makes motor oil unsuitable. They way I see it, motor oil lubricates a steel piston, powered by a small explosion, as it moves in an aluminum tube. What is an AR-15 cycling? A steel piston, powered by an explosion, moving in an aluminum tube. Obviously, motor oil doesn't do a damn thing as a cleaner, but as a lubricant, it's very good and very cheap.
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I am certainly open to the motor oil. We have been hit hard with earlier than normal cold weather, and I have an abundance of 0w30, and 5w30 synthetics. I will likely be at the range this weekend. If it remains as it has for the last few weeks, it will be right around 0* if not lower...
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SUPERLUBE I use superlube for a lot of things, but the grease definitely gets sluggish at zero F and below. RCMP did testing at arctic temperatures (-40) of a bunch of different lubes several years back. Their recommendations are as follows: EEzox TW25b FP10 g96 Here is the report (hosted on g96's website, couldn't find it anywhere else) www.g96.com/TR-01-97.pdf |
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I didn't read the entire thread.... but my Benelli did not like low recoil slugs at Ft Benning in 26F weather with the lube I use in Florida (Mercury Outboard 2 cycle racing oil) and I was given a sample of an oil called INOX which is made in Australia... stuck some in the refirgerator freezer and it remained thin when the Merc oil turned solid... used it for the 2010 match and worked fine....
http://www.inox-mx3.com/inox.htm |
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SUPERLUBE I use superlube for a lot of things, but the grease definitely gets sluggish at zero F and below. RCMP did testing at arctic temperatures (-40) of a bunch of different lubes several years back. Their recommendations are as follows: EEzox TW25b FP10 g96 Here is the report (hosted on g96's website, couldn't find it anywhere else) www.g96.com/TR-01-97.pdf I posted this information on my previous post. Your list, tho, is a bit misleading. Just because a lube says a certain designation doesn't mean it is the same as some other maker's lube of the same description. Very weird, I know, but in reading the report and it is made clear. I was pretty surprised as I figured if a lube was designated this or that, this or that was what it was. I guess not. |
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