Gun oil down the barrel?

[nachosgrande]

Why is it that some of my gun manuals instruct me to use gun oil on a patch to clean the gun barrel and others advise against it? Is it different theory, or should each gun barrel be cleaned differently?

 

[Marcus84]

Was wondering this myself.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

Maybe I can be corrected by others who know better.

I clean my gun this way...

Bore Brush with solvent.

Then solvent on pads wrapped around brush.

A pile of dirty pads later, I start pulling dry pads through until the gun is clean.

Then one pad with a TOUCH of gun oil, just a touch down the bore.

And that's it; that way the gun will not rust.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Hmmmmmm........Good Question.Never even noticed.I hope to see some logical answers and good reasoning here, until then I'll keep doing it the way I was taught as a boy, not the way some engineer thinks it should be done.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Hungry, get a bore light. At times with closer inspection, you may want to repeat the brush step a few times. In the case of leading and copper buildup maybe even a different type of solvent could be added to the routine.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

Much appreciated Throttlejockey, only can see so much aiming a maglight down the chamber off the firing pin plate back up the bore. There always seems to be a little left over way down where it's hard to get to sometimes.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

the bore light is only a couple bucks, there are a few different types, some just amplify and redirect light from the room, and some actually use batteries and a bulb, but they are nice. just put it in the chamber pointed out the end of the barrel, and look in.

 

[Oro]

others advise against it?

I haven't seen a gun manufacturer say not to lightly coat the barrel with oil. Who says this?

 

[Funderb]

I oil the crap out of mine.
they sit in the safe so long between uses its worth it.

 

[chabanais]

Last time I checked, the proper oil in a barrel does not cause it to rust.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Oil is a very poor cleaner. It is advisable to leave a thin coating or film of oil in the bore to prevent rust, especially if the gun will be stored long term. Any oil film will be blasted out with the first shot, but don't leave large globs or droplets in the bore as this may cause pressure problems.

 

[SpecialKalltheway]

went to the range yesterday then got called by some buddies for some emergency beers a the bar, so I just locked up my gun at home and headed out without cleaning it. Now, I have to head out and run some errands with a dirty gun! ewwww! icky! Oh well what else is Saturday nights for besides sitting at home alone cleaning your gun?

I always use lots of oil(with in reason, I'm not freaking free pouring it on) then wipe the majority of it off. I like shiny objects.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I prefer to keep my cleaning and lubrication products and procedures separate. Substances marketed as doing both do neither very well, in my experience.

 

[lesterg3]

I always oil my barrels, the last step in cleaning. But before I go hunting or shooting I run a dry patch down the tubes, to clean out any excess.

 

[Average Joe]

Where does it say not to put oil in the barrel ? Every manual I read, says to oil the barrel....

 

[Ed Ames]

Some barrels don't need to be oiled.

Too much oil in the bore creates a readiness/safety problem (in order to shoot safely you'll need to swab the bore to clear the oil or overpressure conditions can result).

As an outlier: some people argue that using petroleum oils with some types of ammunition (anything with blackpowder) can cause hard fouling.

If I was writing the manual for a weapon with a stainless or chrome lined barrel I would probably not advise oiling. It isn't that I would advise against oiling though.

 

[bhk]

Stainless barrels will still rust. Chrome can also under extreme conditions. I always run a patch with oil on it after solvent cleaning and then follow it with a dry patch. This still leaves enough of a coating to protect the bore, but not enough to cause any kind of pressure problems. I live in the boonies and feel I can pull any gun of my safe and shoot it, if the need arises. No problem.

 

[wrs840]

I always run a patch with oil on it after solvent cleaning and then follow it with a dry patch. This still leaves enough of a coating to protect the bore, but not enough to cause any kind of pressure problems. I live in the boonies and feel I can pull any gun of my safe and shoot it, if the need arises. No problem.

ditto. If this is not a good idea, I'd like to be educated.

Les

 

[Ed Ames]

Stainless barrels will still rust. Chrome can also under extreme conditions.

"will"?

They can, sure, but apart from blackpowder guns or use of corrosive primers (even there, if properly cleaned what I said was right) they are unlikely to rust if cleaned, dried, and stored normally.

On a boat/near the ocean? Everything rusts. I found rust on things stored on my boat that I didn't even know were ferrous . Abnormal circumstances, abnormal results.

Small amounts of oil can cause lint, dust, and other foreign matter to adhere to a surface. No problem on the outside of a gun, moderate problem in the action (can lead to jamming), possible major problem in the gun barrel (can lead to overpressure).

Not will, can. If you oil your bore (and on MOST GUNS you absolutely should) you should dry swab before firing, just in case.

 

[rcmodel]

Somebody needs to contact the Army & Marines and tell them this important information immediately!

Even with a chrome-lined bore, the manual says to run a lightly oiled patch down the barrel as a last step in cleaning.

It is for corrosion protection in wet combat conditions.

rc

 

[Ed Ames]

Military practices rarely translate well to the civilian world.
A soldier who cleans his/her rifle constantly, and shoots it regularly, is not going to have the same sort of build-up that a typical recreational shooter who leaves their guns in a rack, case, or safe for long periods can face.

At the same time, military practices are often adapted to conditions that recreational guns rarely if ever face.

So... nobody needs to contract the army or marines... but the fact that a marine does something doesn't mean you should.

 

[bhk]

Stainless is certainly more resistant to rust than chrome moly, but it still can if neglected. In my part of the midwest, I have seen quite of few stainless guns with rust on them in used gun racks. I have also read about quite a few Alaskan hunters that have found a real need to oil their stainless guns, especially those with a matt finish (a finish a bore doesn't have, of course).

I have been hunting and shooting for almost 50 years and have never heard of damage caused by excessive pressure from an extremely light coat of oil in a bore (as left by a single dry patch following an oily one). Nor have I ever heard of this extremely light bore coating attracting enough foreign matter to cause a problem. Maybe I haven't been around long enough yet.

I would much rather take this almost nonexistant risk than letting by bore rust from excessive moisture in a damp climate. If I lived in the desert West, I certainly wouldn't worry about stainless rusting. I don't live there.

 

[Sam Boca]

Too much oil in the barrel (and chamber) can seep into and foul a chambered round over time. This can cause a dangerous situation with a misfire or squib load. Easy does it with oil in the bore. A light coating of CLP on a patch is all you will need.

 

[TRGRHPY]

but the fact that a marine does something doesn't mean you should.

Marine =
Muscles
Are
Required
Intelligence
Not
Essential

Just kidding guys....

But if they do their procedure for worst-case-scenarios with regard to firearm conditions, how can it harm a civilian firearm? It can't. It may be overkill, but not harmful.

 

[Boba Fett]

I always run a patch with oil on it after solvent cleaning and then follow it with a dry patch. This still leaves enough of a coating to protect the bore, but not enough to cause any kind of pressure problems.

Likewise.