Lube for suppressed AR

[Near miss]

I have used Castrol motor oil for my MR223 and it is perfect for it. But I read about how motor oils actually worked after seeing a video about coagulation/flocculants of water which diverted me to wikipedia, to read about motor oil additives.

As ARs do not regurly have oil filters on them the flocculants that work in the motor oil collecting dirt to be picked up by the oil filter, just ends up running back and forth in the action with the bcg as sludge.

In practice, when shooting MR223 breaked I do not think there are any parts getting dirty except the bolt head, that gets a light carbon layer to be wiped off. Very clean.

But with the suppressor (Ase Utra SL5, legacy model, not a blow through) the gun gets rather dirty and when motor oiled the same way when breaked, the motor oil collects quite huge amounts of dirt.

So last time I oiled the gun using CRC Power lube, a heavy duty / premium PTFE lube.
I was originally going to add the PTFE to the motor oil but I decided to just try the thing solely.

And the results look very good, after the last shooting session I could not tell difference in friction or feel when pulling the charging handle and I got the gun cleaned with a small piece of maintenance paper. Motor oiled gun took a lot more wipes, however I also added it slightly more. However, overall dirtiness is less and there was no sludgy stuff, but testing shall be continue, next I will try with the motor oil but keep the amount down.

I shoot in the cold at the moment (though now it has been quite warm, 30F) so I would like to find a lube that works well in the cold, is plentiful, not harmful and does not have a ridiculous price tag.

I'd like to know how everybody else is doing suppressed?
Do you lube like you normally do? Or has running suppressed changed your lubing routine?

 

[kl3309]

You're overthinking it.
Apply whichever lube, re-apply when you need more lube. Clean when done.

 

[roostercogburn98]

I use motor oil on the 1919, works great

 

[Near miss]

Thanks. I guess motor oil will do a good job, I will try using less of it. This started when I noticed that on my fingertips the motor oil had much, much more friction compared to pfte. But as it is good enough for a gun, this was just a side-track looking for even better stuff.

 

[MadDuner]

I shoot my CZ Scorpion suppressed, but the bolt slides on plastic. I’ve been using silicone spray that dries and remains very slick. It appears to be doing a great job and doesn’t attract or accumulate any of the carbon soot. I pull it apart and blow it out with compressed air - and there is very little left to clean up. I do however need to admit that it seldom sees more than 250 or 300 rounds between cleanings.

 

[...]

1) the type of lube you use absolutely does not matter.....firearms are not demanding systems and any lube you use is likely WAY more capable than the gun actually needs.

2) guns dont need a lot of lube....personally i take the bolt apart, put a few drops of oil on my fingertips at a time, and rub the oil over the parts until they have a sheen on them.....thats really all you need.

if you have oil dripping out of the thing....thats too much oil, it wont hurt anything, just make a mess.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Thanks. I guess motor oil will do a good job, I will try using less of it. This started when I noticed that on my fingertips the motor oil had much, much more friction compared to pfte. But as it is good enough for a gun, this was just a side-track looking for even better stuff.

Probably better stuff for an ar platform. I was being somewhat facetious as the 1919 is a belt fed and needs tons of lube to play nice. I’ve been using some brownells friction defense lately BUT I don’t run my guns hard that much with the exception of my G17.

 

[Abbotm2]

DI gun I run WET, usually with slip 2000. Always suppressed

 

[striped1]

A dearly departed trainer used to use vagisil to lube your rifle if you ran it dry and it choked. Your AR will run "lubed" with vagisil. (it was not mine that was used as an example, but I did see it happen)

 

[trackdonkey]

https://geissele.com/alg-go-juice-grease-4-oz.html

https://geissele.com/gjtm-4-oz-bottle.html

I'm a fan.

 

[Victory]

ARs are like women. Keep them wet, and they will always be happy.

 

[alamo5000]

Definitely over thinking it. I live in a warm environment so I use grease rather than liquid lube of any type. Liquid lubes can have what I call "micro evaporation" which means the lightest stuff evaporates off particularly in storage situations and it leaves a sticky film on the parts.

Grease doesn't do any of that. It stays put too so on really hot days my guns don't weep out lubricant.

There are numerous types of gun grease. I can't recall what brand mine is.

 

[E-Tool]

Fire clean aka canola oil

 

[whawk]

I dig the Mil-Comm grease. It has helped me clean off hardened carbon fouling and stays slick and in place.

Welcome - MIL-COMM

mil-comm.com

 

[loveha]

Only thing I use on my bolts is Cherrybalmz where it is needed. It's a light weight grease that only goes on contact points. I don't like using oil on my BCG any more. Have no issues with running suppressed, but all my BCGs are from Cryptic Coatings and nothing realy sticks to them any ways.

Shop | cherrybalmz

www.cherrybalmz.com

 

[Near miss]

The Power lube is actually not dry, it has some other stuff added to it that makes it stay as thin liquid

Most of the oils mentioned here are not sold here, but I have thought of buying Slip2000. But considering I usually clean the firearm just in case as it has rained or snowed almost every time, I do not know if it is sensible to pay €170 / $207 per litre for an oil. I have never seen carbon stuck in the action so it does not give me much benefit.

Canola oil idea I like as it is healthy and plenty and cheap. I will try it too.

 

[loveha]

There is always the option of turning "empty" motor oil containers upside down if you change your own oil. Let them drain out into another smaller bottle.

 

[Slevin182]

Never put that much thought into my lube. I was impressed enough by what people were saying about Weapon Shield to give it a try. Use it on everything now.

 

[rg1911]

I run my ARs with silencers and wet with CLP. Have tried a number of other oils and greases and none showed any advantages over the CLP. As always, YMMV.

 

[AngryKoala]

Something with ZDDP in it as the main additive will provide plenty of lubrication, corrosion inhibition, oxidation resistance and anti-wear.

When people say the lube doesn't matter, they are correct and incorrect at the same time. Use a lubricant designed for gun lubrication. The additive package is more often than not designed specifically for the application.

PTFE is good in greases as it really drops the COF.

 

[db2000]

I like Lucas but have used Go Juice too for 5.56 suppressed FA.
M-Pro 7 is a good cleaner.

 

[Mban2]

You want something with low viscosity that has a high burn off temperature. LSA and white lithium grease works wonders.