New rifle, best lubricant for dry, dusty conditions?

[njc110381]

Hi chaps. Having only really hunted England up until now, a light coat of oil on the bolt rails etc is the accepted method to keep firearms running smoothly. As I was sat dry cycling the bolt of my new rifle last night it made me wonder if the same method applies in Africa? With all the sand and dust, would a dry lube be a better approach? I'm worried that dust would be attracted to the oil and snag things up?

My friend in Canada used a lot of dry lube, has said because the cold weather can make oils and grease gum up? His guns were very smooth so it obviously works, but offers less corrosion protection too?

Oh, and you know what this means... I've got my new Rigby!

 

[Adrian]

Unless you get caught in a sand storm or fall over or drop your rifle in the dust I don't think you will notice too much problem with dust in the action.
All I do is take a bore snake and two dusters which have been pre sprayed with WD40.
I pull the barrel through each day even whether the rifle has been fired or not, take the bolt out and wipe everything down with one duster to remove the dirt and then wipe everything with the clean one.
Each to their own of course and I expect everyone has their own rifle routine.
I have never found my rifle is a dust magnet and never had an issue.
I also have a small leather pouch on my belt with a microfibre cloth in case I need need it in the field.

 

[Ridgewalker]

As Adrian, I’ve never had an issue, but I don’t soak my rifle with oil. It is pretty dry when in the field, even when in Alaska. I often have electrical tape over the muzzle, just in case. I carry a boresnake, breakdown brass rod and clean microfiber cloth usually left in the bakkie in my daypack. Knock on wood, but to date in Africa I haven’t had an issue. Now Alaska on the cost, a whole different situation!

Since it’s your new Rigby, you might consider a leather gunsleeve to keep it in? just a thought.

 

[Von S.]

I use Boeshield which is made by the aircraft company Boeing.

It makes everything slipperyer then a pack of greased eels having sex in a bucket of snot.

 

[Pheroze]

The best, period.

http://www.g96.com/faqs/general/

 

[Shootist43]

Congrats on finally having the rifle in your hot little hands. I totally agree with the previous folks that suggest a pass through with a bore snake and a general wipe-down is all that is necessary for most African ventures. There may be locations and or specific hunts that require additional measures. I would however recommend that you take a basic cleaning kit for the caliber(s) being used. Prior to departing for Africa I clean my rifles thoroughly and lubricate them. I run a bore snake to remove oil from the barrel prior to checking the rifle's zero. As a general rule I do not do a thorough cleaning job in Africa since only a relatively few rounds will be fired. Be advised that cleaning rods available in Africa may not fit the brushes and or jags you normally use.

 

[CTDolan]

 

[Waterbuck2008]

Use only as much as absolutely necessary for keeping the action running and keeping rust away. A light, light coat is all that's required. Our hunting on the Great Plains can go from wet to dusty in a matter or hours, and we've found light oil is always better than heavy.

 

[BRICKBURN]

...........
My friend in Canada used a lot of dry lube, has said because the cold weather can make oils and grease gum up? His guns were very smooth so it obviously works, but offers less corrosion protection too?
.........

The UK might be just a little more damp than where you are plotting to hunt.
You won't be storing the gun there, so less oil will help keep the crud off your gun.

What Waterbuck2008 just said, bare minimum of oil or any lubricant.

The only place I have experienced an amount of dust of any concern was in Botswana in the Kalahari. Fine, fine powder dust, very much like talc. It got into everything.
I just wiped the rifles down with a dry rag. I never had a concern about the barrel.
At home they got a cleaning.

 

[Divernhunter]

Lighter Fluid. Squirt down the bolt and trigger group and let it evaporate. Put rifle back together and you are good. Learned this at the SCI convention a couple years back. I put just a light film of grease on the back side of the locking lugs also.

 

[Hogpatrol]

+1 on the above, Lighter fluid and a smidgen of lube on the rear of the locking lugs.

 

[njc110381]

So a light oil will be ok, that's good to know. In that case I will probably use what I use here - Tetra gun grease. I think it has PTFE in it so you put on the tiniest amount then wipe off any excess.

For field use I like the Otis cleaning kit. It's a pull through that uses proper brushes and jags - almost as good as a rod. You can screw any calibre cleaning tool to it just like you would a rod, the only down side is I miss using spear tip jags! Loops jags are a bit of a pain.

 

[Hogpatrol]

If I were to use a liquid lube, I'd use the same stuff used on aircraft, Tri-Flow.

 

[Nyati]

+1 for the Otis, very convenient !

 

[Newboomer]

I've got the remnants of a towel that I've used for decades to wipe excess oil and grease off my guns. It's got a film of oil on it that works just fine for a wipedown without leaving much behind. I roll my boresnakes back and forth in the towel between my hands before pulling them through the barrel and it does the job--just a film in the barrel. Not even enough to have to pull a dry rag through before shooting.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

A one hour and eleven minute video on a 10-15 minute task.

 

[Philip Glass]

I don’t think you will have too much trouble. I’ll have a boresnake and Remoil wipes and that’s all.

 

[Newboomer]

Well. Nothing new there. He could have covered the whole topic in about ten minutes. Must be an engineer in his day job to complicate such a simple task.

 

[Shootist43]

The potential use of Mineral Spirits as a powder solvent was a new one on me. Although I wonder what it might do to the protective coatings on some rifles. Particularly the relatively inexpensive ones. Synthetic stocks, no problem. Another "opinion" that I disagreed with was the need to remove copper fouling. I agree with part of his theory that the initial few shots "fill in" the low spots and are a good thing. In my experience it is always best to fire a couple of rounds after a thorough cleaning before shooting in earnest whether that be for hunting or score. In defense of the overall video a "newcomer" to shooting sports might find it a very thorough treatment of something they know little or nothing about.

 

[zephyr]

You will get as many different opinions (all good) as there are posters on this site....
If it is a brand new Rigby (congrats by the way) ask Rigby it's their rifle...

I have been using Mineral Spirits to clean my hand guns after a day at the range and any other metal surfaces that are in need of cleaning. Also use on my Shotgun Gun Stocks Field and Clay's at the end of the season to clean any dirt or residue