boyd@mailer.cc.fsu.edu (Mickey Boyd) (06/15/91)
There have been a couple of posts as of late which ask about general gun
care. Central to this issue is the question of lubrication.
I use three different products to keep my guns slick and rust free. They
are: RIG Universal grease, RIG +P Stainless grease, and liquid Break Free CLP.
I used to be really frugal when applying lube to guns, but I have found that
the greases will stay put and not spray out when shooting (so I put lots on).
Thus, at least for my handguns, I use a kind of saturation technique. I
guess my point is that I feel that grease is better than liquid oil in the
"general" lubricated areas (slide rails, hammer/sear, firing pin assembly,
etc).
RIG greases: I use the stainless stuff on my stainless guns, the old Universal
on everything else. I tell you what folks, if you are a user of a
liquid oil in your guns you will be amazed at what a good grease
will do (I know I was, I only used Break Free for many years). This
is the best kept secret in the gun business! Try this: take apart
your auto, slop a lot of RIG in the hammer/sear area, slide and frame
rails, all over the barrel, etc. If you have the ability to take
the gun completely apart, give every part a thick coating of the stuff.
You can purchase a plastic syringe to squirt grease into dark corners.
Then, reassemble and fondle the gun for awhile, wiping excess as you
go. This will be easy, since you won't be able to stop racking the
slide and dryfiring (it will feel like silk, trust me). RIG will not
gum up, nor will it pick up a lot of gunk (at least no faster than
any other lube). Of course, RIG has the added advantage of being
excellent rust protection (RIG stands for Rust Inhibiting Grease).
Although it sounds messy, it isn't (after you get the excess wiped
off) since the grease is thick enough to stay put and not run. Don't
get any in the chamber when you are greasing the barrel (or wipe it
out if you do, a thin coat is ok). When you shoot the gun, a bit
more may find it's way out under the safety or something, but not
much. After about one magazine, it will stop. Of course, all this
applies to revolvers also.
Break Free: My personal favorite liquid oil. Teflon based, used by the
military, etc. I use it in places where I cannot put RIG :-) , like
inside the mainspring housing of a 1911A1. Also, I run a patch
lubed with this oil through my barrels after I clean them (and usually
I get more gunk out, I guess CLP is a great cleaner in addition to
being a lube) to prevent rust in there. There are other oils that
are good, but none that I have found also have the cleaning power of
Break Free. A little of this along with an old toothbrush will handle
all the "major overhaul" type cleanings. I scrub the gunk loose,
use Gun Scrubber to blow it out of the gun, then apply RIG.
Also, here is a little hint passed onto me by a friend of the family. Go to
a furrier (sp? A place that sells furs!) and ask for a couple of sheepskin
scraps (real sheepskin, with a rough side and a yellow furry side). Two 5"X5"
pieces are about perfect. Take a dollop of RIG and spread it out on the
pieces (just a little will do). Then, whenever you are done fondling your
guns and are ready to put them away, rub them down with these pieces. The
sheepskin will wipe away all fingerprints, and will leave an extremely thin
coating of RIG behind to prevent rust. The sheepskin is thick and fluffy
enough to get down in the small cracks next to controls, or in serretions,
and it will not leave any lint, sheep hairs, or anything else (I guess
sheepskin doesn't like to lose any hairs) except RIG. If you have two pieces,
you can use them as "gloves" and put your gun away with no fingerprints on them
whatsoever. Every couple of months (or every thousand gun fondlings), give
them another dollop of RIG. I have been using this method for years, and
have yet to see one speck of rust on any gun I own. The sheepskin is much
more durable than a "gun rag" (is it just me, or does everybody decide
that some t-shirt is "just too ugly" right around the time you need a gun
rag? I go through more t-shirts . . . :-). Anyway, no matter how you get
it there, a very light coat of RIG grease will prevent your guns from rusting,
and is therefore a good habit to adopt.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is a couple of places where you
want no lube at all. The primary ones are inside adjustable sights, and
on scope ring/mount screws or screw holes. If you don't lube these spots,
they won't loosen up. For example, when I mount a scope I use Gun Scrubber
to totally degrease all surfaces of the mounts, rings, screws, and the outer
tube of the scope. Bolt all the stuff together, seal the screwholes with
nail polish, and they won't move. Loctite is only needed in some special
applications involving SERIOUS recoil. Adjustable sights should not be
deliberately lubed just because they should not need it, and the additional
slickness may contribute to them "shooting loose". A little surface grease
to prevent rust is ok.
When you get a new gun, the first thing you should do is degrease it, then
lube it up again. You will generally find that it feels much better.
The above in IMHO, FYI, etc (god, I love all these abbreviations! They let
me type more in these little comments). Direct flames elsewhere.
--
Mickey R. Boyd | "God is a comedian playing to an
FSU Computer Science | audience too afraid to laugh."
Technical Support Group |
email: boyd@fsucs.cs.fsu.edu | - Voltaire denniss@kodak.kodak.com (Dennis Schrieber) (06/18/91)
In article <35636@mimsy.umd.edu> boyd@mailer.cc.fsu.edu (Mickey Boyd) writes: # #Also, here is a little hint passed onto me by a friend of the family. Go to #a furrier (sp? A place that sells furs!) and ask for a couple of sheepskin #scraps (real sheepskin, with a rough side and a yellow furry side). Two 5"X5" #pieces are about perfect. Take a dollop of RIG and spread it out on the #pieces (just a little will do). I found this comment interesting..... RIG sells this very thing - They call it a "RIG-RAG". I've been using them for years and think there great. denniss -- | Eastman Kodak Co. | Dennis L. Schrieber | | Engineering Systems Division | denniss@kodak.UUCP | | Intergrated Technologies Unit | Kodak Park,Rochester,N.Y.| | CIM Architects Group | Land Line (716)477-1686 |