Lubricate or not?

LawrenceN

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OK, what's the consensus my fellow shooters? What brought this up was a discussion on semi auto rifles. I kept lube off the gas system on my old FN C1A1 when I was a serviceman, back before the Dead Sea was even sick. The hard chrome was designed (I was told) to function without lube as any lubricant would bake onto the metal from the heat of the gasses and make it harder to clean. I practice the same protocols when I clean the gas system on my Mod.100 Winchester. I don't lube the gas piston, just clean off any carbon fouling and leave it spic and span. What do the rest of you guys do with your semi's?
 
I only used Hoppes solvent in the action and barrel of my Remington 760 Carbine, 30-06, and nothing else.....always worked. Likewise with my bolt actions, single shot and semi-auto shotgun, Hoppes only, NO oil in the inside. Light oil coating on the exterior is perfectly fine on wood and metal, not synthetic stocks.
 
No oil, run them dry, they are designed to be and will only gum up and attract carbon if they are oiled even lightly. Do not oil a gas piston and wipe, You are right about the coatings and carbon gumming up eventually being baked on like a shellac. A VERY light coat of grease on the necessary surfaces of locking lugs and that’s it aside from corrosion protection. I also like g96, smells very nice and works well.
 
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No oil, run them dry, they are designed to be and will only gum up and attract carbon if they are oiled even lightly. Do not oil a gas piston and wipe, You are right about the coatings and carbon gumming up eventually being baked on like a shellac. A VERY light coat of grease on the necessary surfaces of locking lugs and that’s it aside from corrosion protection. I also like g96, smells very nice and works well.

Where's my Parker Hale mag that I paid you for?
 
I clean them off with Crud Cutter, let it flash, then hit it with Hornady One Shot. Once that's flashed off it goes back together. Crud Cutter cleans better than One Shot (One Shot doesn't really do a good job degreasing old lube/oil/etc), but One Shot is a dry lubricant that cleans very easily with a cloth after the metalwork is treated. I've been running that pairing in all my semi auto rifles and shotguns, and I use One Shot in trigger assemblies and bolts all the time without fail, never gums up. Even at -30.
 
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