C7 Performance in Cold Weather?
- Thread starter y2k
- Start date
CLP or Arctic oil is fine for any weather the shooter can be effective in. Clean the parts as normal and ensure you wipe off all excess oil on the surface of the metal. Condensation and melting snow, freezing rain, etc on the gun will eventually get into your action if you are shooting and then letting it freeze in cycles so the operator should cycle the action periodically to break the action free from freeze up. Do the drill as you would a press check every time you have the opportunity to ensure its not frozen when needed.
Graphite is not recommended for use by Colt Canada for C7/C8 FOW despite units sometimes buying it locally purchased and using it. Take that FWIW for all other AR family of weapons.
In freezing rain and blowing snow the issued C79 scope cover is your friend. Yes, its slower to get into action but its better than not having optics at all. Have an absorbent lens cloth warm, dry, and handy if you use any optic in bad weather. If you are using an issued C79 scope, switching back and forth to irons is not realistic every time the weather gets bad. The whole platoon (or whatever group) switching to irons in the winter and losing the benefits of optics for target ID etc is not an option. Train in the snow and cold more with your equipment and work through the problem. If Canadian troops can't fight in the snow who can?
When I was in the CF I used what I was issued, the C79. Most of the Exersizes I went on were in the winter b/c of my civvy employment, and I was always wiping that C79. Maybe the lens coatings were worn off, b/c my civvy scopes are pretty good in winter.
Metal on metal wear parts. Cam pin and groove, bolt wear ring, locking lugs, and carrier wear surfaces. A wet q-tip should suffice - excess oil is as bad as no oil.
I've never lubed the gas rings in 20 years, but even some people at the factory disagree.
My thinking is that I don't want any oil in any gas affected areas that can turn into carbon and sludge. The gas rings on a proper weapon (read:M16/C7/M4/C8) are working against polished chrome that is quite slick anyway.
Oil IS required in arctic conditions, just less. It should also be used to displace water when required - such as in the trigger mech after getting wet, from melted snow of condensation from taking it inside. Weapons still rust in extreme cold and droplets of water can freeze springs.
WD-40 will not do this, and it promotes rust.
I've never lubed the gas rings in 20 years, but even some people at the factory disagree.
My thinking is that I don't want any oil in any gas affected areas that can turn into carbon and sludge. The gas rings on a proper weapon (read:M16/C7/M4/C8) are working against polished chrome that is quite slick anyway.
Oil IS required in arctic conditions, just less. It should also be used to displace water when required - such as in the trigger mech after getting wet, from melted snow of condensation from taking it inside. Weapons still rust in extreme cold and droplets of water can freeze springs.
WD-40 will not do this, and it promotes rust.
Interesting read. http://www.failzero.com/images/stories/failzero_test_report.pdf
As far as VV-L is concerned:
The pour point is -57C, but the CF and the VV-L-800 Spec both say:
"This oil loses its Newtonian properties at very low temperatures, as indicated by the viscosity requirements. Its use at temperatures below -40 degrees C (-40 degrees F) is limited by a number of machine design factors."
In very basic terms, this means that the shear force, lubricity, viscosity and other factors are unpredictable below -40C. In a non-Newtonian fluid, the relation between the shear stress and the shear rate is different, and can even be time-dependent. Therefore a constant coefficient of viscosity cannot be defined.
Pour point is not the only factor to consider. Lubricants also keep moving parts apart, reduce friction, transfer heat, carry away contaminants & debris, transmit power, protect against wear, prevent corrosion, seal for gases.
Dry film lubricant (applied during manufacture of C7 and C8) helps reduce friction, but does nothing to transfer heat or carry contaminants away.
In the end, the only true test of cold weather lubricant is a proper high round count low temperature test with samples of all the weapons to be lubricated
Gunnerlove
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vancouver Island
No, Naptha is nothing but a solvent.
Good read indeed thanks for posting, but it leaves me a little confused
. The way I understand the tw25b situation (i love the stuff and use it on everything I have an excuse to use it on...) Kleenbore is merely repackaging it from a bulk Mil-Comm source. I buy mine from Mil-Comm and didn't even know KB was licenced to sell it... but licenced to sell it is all they are, right? They aren't manufacturing it. Which leaves me supremely puzzled. How can the Mil-Comm pass the tests, but the KBore fail? How much lube were they using? It doesn't any sense whatsoever. 
Shelldrake
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Right behind you,,
- Location
- Edmonton mostly
Generally, whenever the army tells me what to do in regards to weapons, I do the opposite. I have a personal loathing for CLP. I do not favour the Elcan either. But I have to play with the same toys as everyone else. In winter I run light air tool oil or dry to no ill effects thusfar. Coldest firing blanks was -32, coldest live fire was -36.
Well it seems to be substandard and not deserving of the moniker tw25b. If joe dingo sells lard as officially recognized grade '5w40' someone steps in. I would hope the same for a grease, non? I could understand if Milcom wants credit, but if the stuff is crap... it can't be good for business.
Sorry for the hi-jack.
