Cold Weather Gun Lube?

350 Mag

350 Mag

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Just got back from Late Season Moose&Deer. I seen 10 Moose all cows & calves so no luck there but I did get a small 4x4 Whitetail.

However my Browning Bar jammed after first shot!

Follow up shot wasn't neccesary as buck was DRT.

I pretty much de-lubed and dried action before I went hunting so pretty sure it wasn't froze. I also stored the rifke outside so it basically got cold and stayed cold no condensation. I also meticilously kept the action clear of ANY snow.

Before the hunt I was at range several times and never experienced and FTF or FTE?

Now I am thinking I should have lubed with low temp oil?

I have some Moly grease that is light and rated from minus 100 F to plus 400 F.....

Wondering IF its worth trying some of this on bolt and lugs?

Or should I try an oil like FP-10?
 
Strip and clean everything and leave a film of G 96 gun treatment which works great in very cold temps. Sprayed through a straw its great for cleaning purposes too.
 
350 Mag said:
Just got back from Late Season Moose&Deer. I seen 10 Moose all cows & calves so no luck there but I did get a small 4x4 Whitetail.

However my Browning Bar jammed after first shot!

Follow up shot wasn't neccesary as buck was DRT.

I pretty much de-lubed and dried action before I went hunting so pretty sure it wasn't froze. I also stored the rifke outside so it basically got cold and stayed cold no condensation. I also meticilously kept the action clear of ANY snow.

Before the hunt I was at range several times and never experienced and FTF or FTE?

Now I am thinking I should have lubed with low temp oil?

I have some Moly grease that is light and rated from minus 100 F to plus 400 F.....

Wondering IF its worth trying some of this on bolt and lugs?

Or should I try an oil like FP-10?
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When you say de-lubed, did you actually take the bolt apart? If not, it very likely had the old lube still inside, diligently hanging on to the firing pin.

Dry graphite powder works well, though I have heard that if you are taking in and out, that you can still freeze it up with that.
 
I use synthetic gun oils good to -40 and have not had an issue yet. Many semi autos need some lubrication to work, my Beretta A303 won't cycle dead dry as I learned the hard way. There are also dry lubes like graphite that might slick things up enough without the risk of gooey oil or grease.
 
rral22 said:
For extreme cold, don't lube anything. Wipe all the lube off as clean as you can without solvents and go shoot it.
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I have to agree with this. A semi auto with good tolerances and high reliability like a sks (say what you want about them but they are reliable as hell) is best cleaned well and no lube for cold weather shooting. I have shot 100 rounds without a hiccup over about an hour span on a -30C day sighting in and plinking with a Russian sks.

Even in spring/summer and the warmer weather I tend to just clean and leave a very light skim of oil by applying the oil last and quick wipe , whatever is left on there is it.
 
ive had good results with removing all the original oil then giving a very light coat of remington dri-lube. Its goes like a dry white powder-film. Works great on my pumps,bolts and semi's up here where the temps reach -40C.
 
VancouverS4 said:
Eezox solidifies at -70C. Great protectant, decent lube.
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Stuff I have is Dow Corning Molykote medium. Light white grease good to minus 100 deg F.

Dow Corning Molykote 33 Medium- Extreme Low Temperature Bearing Grease Off-White is a thickened silicone oil that is used for lubricating plastics, rubber, and antifriction bearings. It is recommended for meters, plastic clock motors, freezer cart castors, low-torque instruments, and conveyor equipment. It provides good shear stability, wide service temperature range, inertness, and resistance to corrosion, moisture, and oxidation.
 
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Hitzy said:
I wouldn't use any kind of grease on a semi in cold weather.
I also wouldn't use a semi in cold weather.
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semi can work in cold temp: but you need to give and show them some love. cant imagine the number of trappers over here using sks or cz/vz ... cant imagine if the ar15 were freed ...
 
G96. Have used it and shot a target AR 308 DPMS lr-308 in sub -30.no problem. Have also shot a pistol in -50 and again no problem. The only issue is you freeze quick!

G96 with full synthetic oil such as 5W 30 or 0w 40 shell roteilla full synthetic diesel on the high wear points. Cheap and works great in all weather conditions. But for extreme cold past -30 it’s safest just to use g96. The 0w 40 shell diesel may work to -50. Haven’t tried it in a gun at those temps. Only in my truck.
 
My vote goes to G96 along with cleaning/degreasing thoroughly beforehand. Careful with graphite, IIRC, when used on dissimilar metals (eg steel/aluminum in an AR receiver and bcg) it can cause galvanic corrosion - but don't quote me on that. You should also cycle the action (not fully obviously) every 20-30 mins to mitigate sticking/freezing.
 
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