Thread: Grease not oil on bolt actions?

An Observation from History...........During WW 1 and WW 2, the British manufactured the reliable Lee Enfield battle rifles and every one came with oil in an oil bottle within the butt.

Originally Posted by mimms2

Different guns like to run different ways.
Semi is largely non-issue any more, but they like to run dry and any grease will attract and hold dirt and blowback/blowby crud.
Same is a bit true in bolts.

I lightly lube, either a 10w oil, or graphite. Just enough to act as friction modifier on sliding faces. But then I pretty much mirror-polish the bits anyway.
Then, I'm quite happy to strip into as many pieces as it can be, and clean.
If all you ever do is take the bolt out.... I'd go light oil over grease. Grease will go hard over time and I dont think it "sticks" where it needs to better than oil.
YMMV.

I ran my AR15s wet.
Wetter than, well a few things.
Fire 1000 rounds and it’s getting dirty?
Squirt more Battisol over the bolt carrier group and keep shooting.

But as you said, irrelevant these days.

Bolt : tiny dab of molybdenum disulphide (?sp) on the lugs

Semis : nice and wet. at least thats the way I was taught in military service, and did the same for several years of competitive service rifle shooting. never had an issue. Most common 22 semi issue I see on ranges is a bone dry bolt

On my Benchrest rifle I spray a bit of WD-40 Silicone on the bolt and a dab of Pro Shot Pro Gold grease lube on bolt lugs, all other rifles get a dab of copper anti seize on the bolt lugs and a wipe with an oily rag.

Originally Posted by Hermitage

Ok I'll just put a very small amount on the lugs from now on and nowhere else on the action. Hope you two are correct

Rifle hunting bolts usaully last many 1000s rds.Use an old tooth brush,scratch around the fire pin and lugs will clean out any micro shit after every hunting trip or range use.Maybe if you fired 20-50 rds at the range,scratch with tooth brush as above,put a micro spot of oil in the little moving parts and rear bolt cam.Wipe down and put away.Years ago i had a old mossberg 308,put at least 4000yds thru it,most barnaul ammo on roos befor a bolt lug broke.

1000s of rounds? I would have a far greater expectation of bolt life than that.
Bolt lugs breaking would have a more sinister cause.
Lack of lube on the lugs (and keeping that area clean) can lead to an effect called gawling which is not desirable.

Originally Posted by zimmer

For my CFs which includes my Barnards -
I use GA50 – Moly based assembly & anti-seize compound ..

I do the Scotsman's version of that. Automotive lithium/moly grease for suspensions comes in grease gun tubes. I repackage it in 5cc syringes and keep a closed cell foam cap on the nozzles. Ideal for lugs/cams.

One of the youtube "gun" channel guys did a vid several years back, trying to see if they could get an AR to fail by over lubing it.

If my failing memory serves, I think they started of by dunking the BCG in a tub of pretty goopy vehicle engine oil, give it a quick shake and letting rip.

Functioned fine

Newer ceramic based lubricants such as Ballistol GunCer Gun Oil work well on all action types.

Being old-fashioned and military-conditioned, I clean my firearms after every use.

I've probably learned more from this old dude's YouTubes than anyone else online. He has a few off-topic quirks I'm not into, and you might find him a little longwinded at times. But he can become addictive. Some vids are better than others depending on your interest. A lot of us might learn a trick or two from this one and a follow-up one on gun cleaning. Apart from anything else, he would have you minimise the oil and grease you put around the bolt and action of a rifle, for several well argued reasons.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?v...5wtGwZgyrDRwpA

I use high temp lithium bearing grease on all moving parts for use in the field. Goes on, stays on and doesn't dry out. One tube of it will last a life time and is cheap as chips.

Oil wise for the barrel and other metal parts i either use Corrosion X Red for short term storage and general cleaning before being back out in the field. Longer term storage i use Corrosion X green. The product was developed for the US Navy to use on their ship guns etc...

Again is heaps cheaper than "Gun Oils" and once on, stays on, especially the green stuff.

Red
https://www.corrosionx.com/collectio...cts/corrosionx

Green
https://www.corrosionx.com/collectio...onx-heavy-duty

A wipe over with a lightly oiled rag is all that is needed. A SMALL amount of lithium grease or copperkote on the cocking cam does no harm. Excess oil, gumming oils, and grease should NEVER be used inside a bolt as they will gather dust, as well as causing misfires in cold weather.

Originally Posted by gundoc

A wipe over with a lightly oiled rag is all that is needed. A SMALL amount of lithium grease or copperkote on the cocking cam does no harm. Excess oil, gumming oils, and grease should NEVER be used inside a bolt as they will gather dust, as well as causing misfires in cold weather.

Ah yes...the gunsmiths 'secret' to controlling rust....an oily rag.

Well a lot more posts and information has come through regarding rifle bolt lubrication.

I've decided to now apply a negligible amount of grease on the bolt lugs and cocking cam and just use the good old 'lightly oiled rag' wipe over on the bolt.
I came on this method from reading the posts but also knowing that a rifle bolt is a shear action, high-pressure environment... so grease rather than oil (I would say) is needed. And grease is also corrosion-resistant, doesn't readily oxidize even over prolonged periods and provides good high pressure and shear resistance for the lugs and cam.

I've also read (but never seen) that no grease on the bolt lugs can result in the (rare) case of 'galling' (cold welding). And if that happens it's an expensive gunsmith job to recut the galled lug seats and bolt lugs and then re-chamber the barrel for proper headspace.
So a bit of grease is a bit of insurance.

Originally Posted by Mauser308

Nothing wrong with cleaning - provided your technique is not inducing wear or damage. Poor cleaning technique destroys more guns that everything else except rust in the age of non-corrosive primers and cleanish smokeless powders.

All my rifles are sighted in with clean bores given first shot placement certainty fits all practical applications. There are so many gun-friendly products available it takes a special genius to stuff things-up.

Originally Posted by Dago

There are so many gun-friendly products available it takes a special genius to stuff things-up.

You'd be surprised by the level of "genius" out there...

I know of at least a couple of target barrels ruined by guys waiting for a "clean" patch while using an abrasive polish like JB paste