Do You Oil Your Guns Before Taking Them To The Range?

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The Night Rider

The Night Rider

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It occurs to me that for most of us our guns will get the most wear on a firing range.

I oil my guns when I clean them and when I do periodic maintenance but when I'm getting ready to go to the range I make a specific point of putting a few drops of oil on the slide rails before I leave for the range.

Is this a common practice?
 
I always grease the rails and run a bore snake through the barrel before heading to the range. It only takes a few minutes. Just part of my pre range rituals while packing up the bag. I always take along a little firearm specific smithing toolbox as well.

Dont forget your first aid kits... just in case. Coffee thermous as well because I tend to stay out there for a while when I do make time for it. A note pad and pen is good to have as well.
 
On contact points, anything more than a very light coating is going to be gone after the first round is fired. Realistically a few extra drops isn't going to hurt or help anything.
 
Night Rider said:
Do You Oil Your Guns Before Taking Them To The Range?
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No.

I have a mini gun cleaning kit I take to the range that includes a small squeeze bottle of oil (Breakfree or any motor oil I am using). When a gun needs any lubrication during a range session, I will put oil drops where needed and wipe off with paper towel (I also keep a roll of paper towel < Only cloth-like Kleenex Viva for me > in all of my vehicles in case I need toilet paper :p)

And if I don't have an oil bottle handy, drops of oil from car's dipstick will do in a snap. ;)
 
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I usually just wipe them down with EEZOX when I return.

When I clean them I lubricate the moving parts, but I don't do that every time I shoot them.
 
Light oil in bolt carrier tracks,

maybe half the time.

I certainly don’t clean internals after each session.

With the PTR-91s’ (I have a pair) heavy residue accum. due to being “roller-delayed Blowbacks”, I clean the nasty internals after every 2-3 sessions.
 
I normally do unless it’s lubed recently from cleaning or maintenance. I also test them after setting long periods to see if they function dry. My 1911 always did. I sometimes carried it 4-6 months and shot it dry and full of lint to test and it never failed me.

I shokt my Blackhawk more often so it’s never dry. I try to wipe it off once a week or more.
 
Inspect before placing into service. A sealed gun (loaded carry piece, etc) usually gets no maintenance if stored well (the gun cage) but daily checks when in the field.

An empty gun gets a function check before loading. If it's very very dry, yup it gets a spray of the range bag oil. Not rote checklist, but as needed. That's... rare. Twice a year maybe at the most.

If at a long match, a class, or otherwise something where I am shooting a couple days in a row, I'll do a minor cleaning (I have become big on clean-only-as-needed) at night due to round count, but oil can drip out etc so I usually barely oil on re-assembly, spray down and cycle a bunch either before leaving the room then bag it (and wrap in a rag if too drippy) or when I get to the range, depending mostly on what range facilities are like. E.g. big match often doesn't have as good a place to manipulate the gun, so I do as much as I can pre-range.
 
Back before I was into CherryBalmz Black Rifle Lube or Forward Controls Design Snake Oil, yes. But since then, nope.

But I still bring oil with me in my range bag as a just in case like I always did before swapping over to gun grease.
 
Most of the time I oil at cleaning. Then may oil before going to the range.
Some guns I shoot often. Some not.
If I'm not planning on shooting a gun anytime soon I don't oil at cleaning. Because oil is bad to collect dust. I will wipe it down with wd40. Then, Oil before going to the range.
 
Nope. I oil them when I clean them and thats pretty much it. I have found that many firearms don't need nearly as much oil/lube as a lot of people like to use.
 
No. I rarely plan range trips, so when I go it's typically because I have some time to myself. That's a rarity, so I grab stuff and make tracks.
I keep 2 ammo cans in my vehicle unless I'm heading on a trip and need the space. One has a variety of .22 ammo and the other at least 50 rounds of every handgun (lack of convenient place to shoot centerfire rifles means those range trips have to be planned ahead) caliber I own and a cleaning kit. I keep hearing protection and my prescription glasses in there too.
 
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Sometimes, but I always have oil in my range bag and if anything needs it before shooting I oil it. I wipe all guns down with a home made Rig Rag after range trips, but that doesn't get lube inside.
 
for the most part no. usually you can work and action and feel, when they need a bit more oil, but usually they don't.
 
The night before every match, the weapon gets a look see, and usually a drop of oil, or a bit more grease on the locking lugs, cocking cam. My 1911's always get wiped off to dry the exterior, as I store them in plastic baggies after wiping them down with an oily rag. Live near the coast, and you will be paranoid about rust your whole life!

Before putting them in the pistol box, I cycle the things, usually put a drop of LSA, (summer time) or Mobil 1 when it is cool, on the slide rails. Wet is good.

I consider a wet 1911 a happy 1911, a wet Ruger MKII a happy MKII, and always ran my AR15's wet.
 
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