Just a quick question for the all knowing GN’s here. I’m looking for a good quality grease to lubricate my freshly cleaned M14. I’m hoping a product that I can find at Canadian Tire or Home Depot. Any suggestions are a welcome. Thanks guys… chev
Good Quality Grease
- Thread starter chevneck
- Start date
M-14 lubrication
(quoting John M. Miller, From Ch.7, The M14 Owner's Guide)
"Proper lubrication of the M14 rifle is critical. Many shooters lubricate their M14 with oil. This may lead to malfunctions, especially during rapid fire exercises or in hot weather. The proper lubricant for use on the M14 rifle is grease. Most often used are Plastilube, Lubriplate, Tetra, or military issue Rifle Grease. Plastilube is a synthetic aircraft lubricant that does not liquify when subjected to high temperatures and does not thicken when temperatures are below freezing. While the use of Plastilube is recommended, any of these compounds will work well on the M14. The important point is to use grease, not oil."
Tetra is seen from time to time. Lubriplate is available just about anywhere.
(quoting John M. Miller, From Ch.7, The M14 Owner's Guide)
"Proper lubrication of the M14 rifle is critical. Many shooters lubricate their M14 with oil. This may lead to malfunctions, especially during rapid fire exercises or in hot weather. The proper lubricant for use on the M14 rifle is grease. Most often used are Plastilube, Lubriplate, Tetra, or military issue Rifle Grease. Plastilube is a synthetic aircraft lubricant that does not liquify when subjected to high temperatures and does not thicken when temperatures are below freezing. While the use of Plastilube is recommended, any of these compounds will work well on the M14. The important point is to use grease, not oil."
Tetra is seen from time to time. Lubriplate is available just about anywhere.
Last edited:
Don't spend lots of money on the grease or the gasoline driving around town. I've still got a tube of 12 year old wheel bearing grease bought from Cambodian Tire for $ 2.99 on the go. Real cheap. Some M14 lovers like the white lithium grease from Can Tire since you can easily SEE where the grease is placed and needs placing.
What I will recommend is a curved syringe or glue applicator for all of $ 1.99 from Lee Valley Tools (Glue Section). They are long enough to reach the insides of your boomstick without disassembling the trigger group and then greasing the sear & hammer hook engagements.
Go and get out yer M14 RFN (right now). Pull apart the trigger group. Under pressure of your opposite hand, release the hammer (pull trigger) and let the hammer go forward (weak hand slows it down). Do this a few times: #### hammer back, pull trigger , #### hammer back.
Now examine where the rear of the hammer hooks engage the sear.... place a dab of grease at the contact point. This grease will smooth up your trigger pull. Trust me, I'm a teacher
Remember to grease each bolt lug. The lug raceways, the op rod track, op rod tab that slides IN the track, big dab on the bolt roller and bolt roller hump inside the op rod. Grease the op rod (figure 8 shaped) guide under the barrel. Cycle the op rod and distribute the grease.
Cheers,
Barney
What I will recommend is a curved syringe or glue applicator for all of $ 1.99 from Lee Valley Tools (Glue Section). They are long enough to reach the insides of your boomstick without disassembling the trigger group and then greasing the sear & hammer hook engagements.
Go and get out yer M14 RFN (right now). Pull apart the trigger group. Under pressure of your opposite hand, release the hammer (pull trigger) and let the hammer go forward (weak hand slows it down). Do this a few times: #### hammer back, pull trigger , #### hammer back.
Now examine where the rear of the hammer hooks engage the sear.... place a dab of grease at the contact point. This grease will smooth up your trigger pull. Trust me, I'm a teacher
Remember to grease each bolt lug. The lug raceways, the op rod track, op rod tab that slides IN the track, big dab on the bolt roller and bolt roller hump inside the op rod. Grease the op rod (figure 8 shaped) guide under the barrel. Cycle the op rod and distribute the grease.
Cheers,
Barney
I've put the requirements of MIL-G-46003-A Grease, Rifle into a spread sheet on lubricants. I've researched about thirty different lubricants and put the data into this spread sheet for comparison. Some data was not available through searches online but there's quite a lot in it already.
If you would like a complimentary copy of this comparison spread sheet of lubricants, just send me a request to leeace99@hotmail.com I'll delete your e-mail upon reply. You will not be added to any marketing list.
I also put together a FAQ on M14 Preservation and Soft Lubricants here: www.imageseek.com/m1a
The thing that surprised me the most from MIL-G-46003-A, the USGI military specification, is that the M14 is really designed for a grease with a NLGI rating of 2.5. A NLGI rating of 3 is in specification. NLGI # 2 grease is at the high end to just above the limit for consistency (worked penetration test per ASTM D217). IMHO, NLGI # 2 grease is fine as long as the oil viscosity is in the proper range, 108 to 172 centiStokes at 100 degrees F. You'll just have to replace it a "skosh" more often than NLGI # 3 grease. But that can be fun too.
I have to make two qualifications with the following choices: 1) I'm ignoring the water resistance (ASTM D1264) results because most of the manufacturers don't provide them online 2) there's hundreds of greases on the market and the spread sheet only covers thirty or so. Out of the thirty I got data on, these are my top five picks.
1) Fiske Brothers Refining Co. Lubriplate 930-A
2) Fiske Brothers Refining Co. Lubriplate 630-A
3) Mobilith AW-3
4) Valvoline Durablend
5) Plews & Edelmann Red Lithium Complex Equipment Grease
Bottom line, if you use a calcium or lithium based grease with NLGI rating of 2 or 3, you're good to go.
If you would like a complimentary copy of this comparison spread sheet of lubricants, just send me a request to leeace99@hotmail.com I'll delete your e-mail upon reply. You will not be added to any marketing list.
I also put together a FAQ on M14 Preservation and Soft Lubricants here: www.imageseek.com/m1a
The thing that surprised me the most from MIL-G-46003-A, the USGI military specification, is that the M14 is really designed for a grease with a NLGI rating of 2.5. A NLGI rating of 3 is in specification. NLGI # 2 grease is at the high end to just above the limit for consistency (worked penetration test per ASTM D217). IMHO, NLGI # 2 grease is fine as long as the oil viscosity is in the proper range, 108 to 172 centiStokes at 100 degrees F. You'll just have to replace it a "skosh" more often than NLGI # 3 grease. But that can be fun too.
I have to make two qualifications with the following choices: 1) I'm ignoring the water resistance (ASTM D1264) results because most of the manufacturers don't provide them online 2) there's hundreds of greases on the market and the spread sheet only covers thirty or so. Out of the thirty I got data on, these are my top five picks.
1) Fiske Brothers Refining Co. Lubriplate 930-A
2) Fiske Brothers Refining Co. Lubriplate 630-A
3) Mobilith AW-3
4) Valvoline Durablend
5) Plews & Edelmann Red Lithium Complex Equipment Grease
Bottom line, if you use a calcium or lithium based grease with NLGI rating of 2 or 3, you're good to go.
Wow, thanks all for the suggestions. Sounds like whatever I find at CT under $10.00 will do. Hungry, I will be following your steps for the application of the grease. I just have to find a curved syringe. I’ll try the hobby store. And Different, I never seen your web-site before, it is one of the best I have come across. I will be defiantly referencing it on many occasions for maintenance and accessorizing my M14.
It never fails; any and all questions I have are answered fully, in a timely fashion and without call for a debate. If I could only get my wife to do the same, I’d be a happy man.
Thanks again guys…
It never fails; any and all questions I have are answered fully, in a timely fashion and without call for a debate. If I could only get my wife to do the same, I’d be a happy man.
Thanks again guys…
Without putting too fine a point on this I use the USGI grease or Tetra,but you can use ordinary Canadian Tire wheel bearing grease with good results.I clean off the grease and re-lube with each cleaning anyway.For application,just use a round toothpick,or better still one of those plastic pins that used to come with milady's hair rollers.I remember dragging my FN thru the rain and slime of the Minissing (sp?) Swamp 40 yrs ago,but few of us civvies need to operate in these kinds of conditions.
