Lube Failure

I might have to liberate some of that from work... My F150 will start down to -35°C w/ Rotella 5W40 without being plugged in. Got lots of servicing scheduled for most of our equipment, maybe I'll slip on a ninja mask and spray bomb the cameras.... As for another gun oil that's worked well for me in the cold, MPro 7 LPX has never given me trouble in anything I've used it in. Now the packaging states that its good to -85° but somehow I doubt that... I'll know by spring if its got the bacon for Canadian winters.

G96 I can verify works after a pistol has been out in -50 for an extended time. It's also on the RCMP recomended list.

Recently I soak with G96 and add Shell Roteilla 0-W40 full synthetic diesel oil. I can confirm this oil worked great in -54 while in my F350 powerstroke!! Seems to slick up the action better than oils I've tried. With the G96 seems like a good combo. I'll see how it works out. I should add it Makes bolt actions super slick. AR actions too.
 
G96 I can verify works after a pistol has been out in -50 for an extended time. It's also on the RCMP recomended list.

Recently I soak with G96 and add Shell Roteilla 0-W40 full synthetic diesel oil. I can confirm this oil worked great in -54 while in my F350 powerstroke!! Seems to slick up the action better than oils I've tried. With the G96 seems like a good combo. I'll see how it works out. I should add it Makes bolt actions super slick. AR actions too.

Haha I have yet to hear about anybody in the RCMP knowing anything about firearms. Especially in their "lab" where they determine the classification of our firearms
 
Haha I have yet to hear about anybody in the RCMP knowing anything about firearms. Especially in their "lab" where they determine the classification of our firearms

They know what works for the 5946 in extreme cold. I can confirm it. Sub -50 and no problems. By the way anti lock brakes on the Crown Vic start seizing up at those temps.
 
I might have to liberate some of that from work... My F150 will start down to -35°C w/ Rotella 5W40 without being plugged in. Got lots of servicing scheduled for most of our equipment, maybe I'll slip on a ninja mask and spray bomb the cameras.... As for another gun oil that's worked well for me in the cold, MPro 7 LPX has never given me trouble in anything I've used it in. Now the packaging states that its good to -85° but somehow I doubt that... I'll know by spring if its got the bacon for Canadian winters.

I used the 5W40 as well. But it's actually a synthetic blend. Good stuff but the 0W40 is pure synthetic. I switched and it did seem a bit better especially in the extreme cold. I cheated though for -50 with adding an oil pan heater along with the block heater. Canadian tire when in sale it's a good price.
 
I used the 5W40 as well. But it's actually a synthetic blend. Good stuff but the 0W40 is pure synthetic. I switched and it did seem a bit better especially in the extreme cold. I cheated though for -50 with adding an oil pan heater along with the block heater. Canadian tire when in sale it's a good price.

All good info, thanks. We use it at work in our light duty diesel equipment for the winter and charge it out to our clients so I might be able to grab 5l when no ones looking hehe.

Haha I have yet to hear about anybody in the RCMP knowing anything about firearms. Especially in their "lab" where they determine the classification of our firearms

Have a look at the document C77 posted on page 1, it talks about the RCMP's cold weather gun lubricant tests in which G96 was one of three lubricants that passed all test criteria.
 
What did the Russkis use in WWII? Those were some bad winters on the Eastern Front.

Oil mixed 50/50 with kerosene or diesel fuel. At low temps, the kerosene just about stops evaporating.

Outers gun oil turns sold at -25, gunzilla into paste at -15 & cosmoline just about shatters at -20.
 
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"...Frozen solid..." -40 will do that. No lube at all in extreme cold. Unless it's one of the cold weather greases C77 mentions.
"...test commissioned by the RCMP..." Typical waste of the tax payer's money. Instead of asking the CF. The CF did this long ago.
 
"...Frozen solid..." -40 will do that. No lube at all in extreme cold. Unless it's one of the cold weather greases C77 mentions.
"...test commissioned by the RCMP..." Typical waste of the tax payer's money. Instead of asking the CF. The CF did this long ago.

I would not use grease. Burke's for cold weather only for me.

Actually the CF did this so long ago that they still issue the current CLP: Breakfree and for arctic conditions VVL-800 a preservative as the arctic oil. The VVL loses it's newtonian properties below -40 C, which means that it behaves in a non-linear fashion - unpredictably and differently at different temperatures.

The tests I refered to above were a portion of the latests tests by the CF to determine a replacement for these.

The RCMP test was commissioned exactly because they used the original CF arcticization orders and found that it caused stoppages in their modern issued firearms in cold weather in places that they regularly operate. They were able to produce repeatable, statistically significant results that produced an useful operational recommendation. Not a waste at all as far as I can tell.

What works for one firearm in one temperature will not work for all firearms in all temperatures. Some lubricants increase in volume and viscosity as the temperature decreases. In some cases a single drop on the bolt can lock an action where it would work only a few degrees warmer. So beware the error-net recipes that worked for one guy on one gun at one temperature.

Many current CF weapons will not function in the cold without suitable lubrication.

I based my choices on observed tests that involved firing thousands of rounds through samples of several different firearms across the entire cold weather temperature range.
 
Frog lube. I was not the only guy at the shoot having a lube problem. Another guy had an Ar lubed with Frog Lube and the gun would not work at all.

I cleaned my rifles last night and lubed with G96. Now I am waiting for cold weather. That may not happen here in southern Ontario.
 
Throw some CLP in a deep freeze (-20) and it turns to honey. At above 0 it is to thin to lubricate properly and burns off super fast.
I can get CLP for free yet I buy and use Slip 2000 EWL.


There is an Alaska highway patrol test from a few years ago. Only two lubes that passed their tests were Rem-Lube (which surprised me) and Slip EWL.

I will look for the test report when I get home.

Do you mean Remington Dri-Lube?
 
I use to use lockease when running that cold.
Graphite works great.

Never use graphite in any gas operated firearm. It does not work. Gums up the gas system and causes stoppages.

There is graphite lube with an NSN in the CF - for the M2 .50 BMG recoil operated MG.

Dry lubricants do not move fouling and dirt, they do not conduct heat between parts, they do not displace water effectively and they do not protect from corrosion particularly in phosphated components.

Dry film lubricants also have less wear resistance and often produce higher surface temperatures form friction - sometimes to the point of damaging surface treatments.
 
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Frog lube. I was not the only guy at the shoot having a lube problem. Another guy had an Ar lubed with Frog Lube and the gun would not work at all.

I cleaned my rifles last night and lubed with G96. Now I am waiting for cold weather. That may not happen here in southern Ontario.

Did you lubricate using the heat treating instructions for frog lube? Just curious because my 858 is lubed with froglube and it ran like a champ in -30 last year. I heat treated and soaked the parts as per instructions and wiped off all excess. 5 rounds in the frog lube heated up and everything was slick.
 
Just wanted to add. Save your money and don't use Rem oil. When stored it will turn into that yellowish varnish crap. I used it for a bit with G96 as my base. The G96 kept everything going. The Rem oil became a yellow that wiped off thanks to the G96 underneath.

I only use the Rotella full synthetic 0W40 on the high wear points with a G96 base on everything.

The other advantage to the G96 base is cleaning time. It cut my cleanin time in half. Bolts and actions wipe clean. No scrubbing of carbon.
 
Did you lubricate using the heat treating instructions for frog lube? Just curious because my 858 is lubed with froglube and it ran like a champ in -30 last year. I heat treated and soaked the parts as per instructions and wiped off all excess. 5 rounds in the frog lube heated up and everything was slick.

The 858 would run with sand for lube !

Frog lube does indeed freeze. Sure it thaws, but those first five rounds are doing no favours to the rifle in terms of wear, especially with the bolt froze to the reciever.
I made the mistake of using it on my 223 bolt action before shooting coyotes last week. Called in five at once, only got one because the action was frozen shut.
I do love the smell of frog lube though !

I wonder how the fire clean is in low temps ?
 
Never use graphite in any gas operated firearm. It does not work. Gums up the gas system and causes stoppages.

There is graphite lube with an NSN in the CF - for the M2 .50 BMG recoil operated MG.

Dry lubricants do not move fouling and dirt, they do not conduct heat between parts, they do not displace water effectively and they do not protect from corrosion particularly in phosphated components.

Dry film lubricants also have less wear resistance and often produce higher surface temperatures form friction - sometimes to the point of damaging surface treatments.

Graphic was from the C1A1 family.

It also causes Galvanic corrosion in anaodized aluminum in addition to gumming into a cement block like structure inside a weapon...
Will make a C6 or C9 stop DEAD. (it was issued in Afghan for a bit before folks learned, about half way into the use of the weapon after lubing it with graphite)

The M16FOW already has dry film lube sprayed inside the receiver - it works so well that we use wet lube...
 
^ agree with both KevinB and C77

Graphite is by far the worst thing you can do to your gun, I have seen it fail in Afghanstan first hand and on a winter warfare EX.
 
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