Cold weather and a reliable gun

[getitdone1]

What do some of you do to ensure reliability with your guns when it's 10 degrees and colder?

I've read that some people take their guns apart and degrease/oil them and apply powdered graphite for lubricant. Mainly people in the colder parts of the U.S.

Reliability would pertain to only certain key parts of a gun so I suppose, if you know for sure what they are, you just degrease them and let the rest of the gun remain lubed.

The way I handle this problem is simply stay inside when it's that cold.

Makes me think of another related problem. Rust from condensation when bringing a cold gun into a warm house. My concern here is as much with the insides of the gun as the exterior. My approach is to put the gun inside a cool case and cool part of house and let it warm-up gradually.

Don

[piller]

If you are hunting, then you are probably not going to be taking many shots. An un-lubed gun should easily stand up to 3 or 4 shots and cycling of whatever type of action it has while sustaining no damage.

[Blaine]

Military CLP would get stiff in sub-freezing temps....M-16 would falter. Military wanted rifle shot wet. I was taught a trick. Get most of the CLP off, and a spritz of WD-40 would not get stiff....

[OldWin]

A wipe on/wipe off of Mobil 1 0W/20 motor oil works well. It is very light and doesn't thicken in the cold.

[MrMurphy]

Blaine, that's because they had you using the wrong lube. Cold-weather you need LSA on an M16.

[Blaine]

Blaine, that's because they had you using the wrong lube. Cold-weather you need LSA on an M16.

Actually, LAW (Lube, Arctic Weather) was the prescribed artic-use lube for M-16s.....Try to find it, though. This refers to only my experience between 1972 - 1992.......You used what they had, and CLP was the only thing I ever saw in numerous arms rooms that I had the pleasure ( ) of using.....

[AJMD429]

I put outdoor gear in the furnace room upon entering the house. If it is optical I put caps on it or in a case before coming inside so it doesn't get condensation.

Same in reverse sometimes in summer; if really humid outside, taking a cool firearm outside will cause it to get 'wet' rather quickly.

These are reasons I strongly DISLIKE the way the forend on most tube-magazine leverguns is attached; you get moisture under there and it is difficult to really dry out or clean. Even well-cared-for leverguns I've looked at (and sometimes still bought) almost always have some rust or pitting under the forend, especially on the magazine tube.

[wvfarrier]

WD-40 works great but keep it away from the mag. It will penetration the bullets and mess with powder.

[Pete44ru]

.

FWIW, I once unknowingly converted a Savage 99A to a single-shot rifle (maybe, no shot), because I had applied WD-40 to it & the magazine before hunting a Maine snowstorm (blizzerd, actually), in the mid-70's.

I guess it was a good thing, that I never got a shot @ a deer that day - because I didn't realize it was frozen solid until I returned to camp at the end of the day.
I had to let the rifle thaw out before it could be unloaded.

I learned my lesson that day, the usual way (the hard way, lol) - and have since followed the practice of removing the lube from magazines, bolts, firing pins, etc before the start of cold weather, using a graphite powder in place of any other lube.
I've yet to experience a gun freezing up, since.

I no longer use WD-40 (Water Displacer #40) as a lube or during anything other than hot Summer weather.

BTW, you're correct - taking a very cold gun into a warmer enviroment will result is condensation on a gun's internal & external parts.

I avoid such condensation by either leaving the gun out in the cold until the next hunt/day (usually inside a vehicle), or inserting it inside an equally-cold insulated/padded soft gun case before taking it to a warmer enviroment, for a gradual warming of both (never close to a heat source, like a stove or fireplace, though).

.

[Blaine]

(Sarcasm Switch On)

FWIW, I once unknowingly converted a Savage 99A to a single-shot rifle (maybe, no shot), because I had applied WD-40 to it & the magazine before hunting a Maine snowstorm (blizzerd, actually), in the mid-70's.

That clearly had nothing to do with freezing metal, and copious amounts of freezing snow, and ice.

[Tycer]

When I lived in MN, I used the same thing I use now. RemOil.

[Sixgun]

Please, I'm trying to enjoy my retirement.

I have to warn you though, it's expensive. ---6

[piller]

Has anyone heard of using DexronII as a lubricant for firearms? There is also Smith and Wesson brand Dry Lube which goes on as a spray and dries to a waxy looking Teflon lube.

[Malamute]

A guy that goes by the name of "Caribou" on the forums, lives by subsistence hunting in NW Alaska. He said they de-lube the guns when they go out in winter, they usually leave them in the unheated entryway of the house when home. If they bring them in and let them warm up, they oil them, and de-lube them if going back out. They sometimes spend time camping out on the trail in winter when hunting. He uses mostly Mosin rifles, his kids use a variety of things, including an AK, which seems to run well in extreme conditions without much special care.

If you've seen the show "Life Below Zero" or something of that sort, you've seen him. He posts on The High Road, and Bushcraft USA.

He talks about what he does with the guns on page 18, some of the rest is interesting, other than when people get carried away with who else they like or don't on the show.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=717379

[Old Time Hunter]

Heck, I just use RemOil and wipe the whole thing down after applying it. Just enough left to leave a slight glaze.

Then I leave it outside, have a rack on my porch. -20'F outside, -20'F on the porch.

Ain't never had any issues except the skin ripping off my trigger finger when the temp was -36'F and so was the trigger where it touched my bare skin on my finger. Still got the 'yote though.

Been cold this winter so far though, 17 of the last 30 have only had highs in the single digits, both positive and negative. Count the wind chill f***er and we have not had a positive temp all day since November. Get'n used to bare hands in 0 temps...changed the spark plugs Sunday, forgot to put gloves on.

[Blaine]

Please, I'm trying to enjoy my retirement.

I have to warn you though, it's expensive. ---6

I've heard nothing but good, but have never tried it. Been using Fluid Film lately. ...jury is out....

[Griff]

Indoors... I try very hard to never let it get that cold indoors. And if I have a choice, I DON'T go outside in those temps!

[yooper2]

Never had any issues with plain old RemOil down to -20 ambient. I apply it lightly in the areas needed, same as in the summer.


Eric

[Grizz]

condensation is more a problem in SE AK, although we did get strings of 5d days. leaving the gun outside on the boat meant leaving it in pouring rain. we brought the rifles in, opened the action, and flooded the barrel with WD-40. then leaned the guns against the oil stove to warm up. by daylight all evidence of the wd flood had disappeared, and the barrels remained pristine.

as for the metal inside the wood, I disassembled the guns in the Fall and heavily coated with vaseline all the metal in contact with wood, and all the non-moving parts of the action. this positively preserved all the invisible metal for decades in some guns. it was much harder to keep rust off of the outside because I didn't want a slippery gun. my sbh has one small pit on the trigger guard from one day hunt, riding in a holster in a soaking rain.

[MrMurphy]

Yeah... LAW not LSA. Was typing with an armful of 1 yr old and screwed up.

[madman4570]

What do some of you do to ensure reliability with your guns when it's 10 degrees and colder?

I've read that some people take their guns apart and degrease/oil them and apply powdered graphite for lubricant. Mainly people in the colder parts of the U.S.

Reliability would pertain to only certain key parts of a gun so I suppose, if you know for sure what they are, you just degrease them and let the rest of the gun remain lubed.

The way I handle this problem is simply stay inside when it's that cold.

Makes me think of another related problem. Rust from condensation when bringing a cold gun into a warm house. My concern here is as much with the insides of the gun as the exterior. My approach is to put the gun inside a cool case and cool part of house and let it warm-up gradually.

Don

Bunch of good answers here.

Just the way I do it, maybe not the best way?
Normally in storage gun in safe with anti-moisture rod.
When lets say deer season comes I wipe gun totally dry few weeks before season. Get all the stink I can get off it.

I then leave it out of safe away from other stinky guns.
I think it is a superstitious deal but I usually blast a good one every year so who knows?

Gun stays in cold all day during the hunt. I mean if I come in for some reason during day it is on screened in patio.
At night it comes in. I don't mess around I just bring it in set it on the bar counter and in about 30mins I with a clean dry cloth wipe down gun. I run a dry patch down the barrel.

Deer, bear sure got good sniffers and if I am taking precautions with myself sure gonna with gun.
Those few shots you going to do, if that hurts gun, its a stuff gun!
That's just my kludged self though!

[PaperPatch]

Condensation is the issue here on the cold prairie. After arriving indoors, 5 minutes with an electric hair dryer has everything dried out and up to room temperature.

[O.S.O.K.]

Thoroughly degrease and apply 0-157 LAW oil or something like Rem Oil that's rated for low temps. Also as said - manage the condensation.

This isn't rocket science!

[7.62 Precision]

Don't mess with dry lubes or stuff like that. Lube does not hurt on many parts of a rifle in the cold, it can be a problem on others. There are light lubes that work fine on some moving parts in the cold.

Remove all oil of any type from the inside of a bolt, firing pins, firing pin springs, and plunger-type ejectors. This is the main thing.

You can use Militec by putting it on the metal, heating the gun, and then wiping it off - it stays inside the metal. It is not as good for preventing rust as CLP, but in cold conditions, seems to give some lubrication without the presence of standing oil.

I don't recommend using WD-40 on guns, though it can be done if used carefully. WD-40 is a rust remover. Bluing is a controlled rusting. So WD-40 will remove bluing over time. WD-40 also does not compress, so it can make dangerous pressures if it is in a bore and chamber. It will actually dent a case that is fired with beads of WD-40 in the chamber. It also penetrates ammunition and kills powder and primers, and it will badly penetrate wood stocks as well.

For warming a cold gun, the best I have found is to keep a case outside and then bring the gun into the warmth in the case to warm slowly. If you don't use a case, then heating it very fast helps.

A case that is not very tight and lets a lot of air through can be worse, though, because then you will get a wet gun in a case - a recipe for very quick rusting.

[mack]

I grew up on some simple old rules for cold weather in a duck blind....Below about 10 degrees F- model 12 pump w/dry lube or no lube. Above 10 degrees F- Auto 5 no lube. Above freezing it doesn't matter. Never had a mechanical failure.

[Blaine]

Take 40 "experts", and they all have a different Bull Pelosi story about WD-40......Funny, I must have the only firearms in the world ever effected by WD-40....Yep, I'm callin' ya out, Tex....Use it like any other lube (wipe off the excess) and there is not one thing bad about it. Think about it. After fifty plus years, the Company still has gun use printed right on the can. If it EVER harmed a gun, the lawyers would have yanked that off the can, and warned against it. I worry about some of you. I worry a lot.

[Canuck Bob]

I've hunted some cold weather a bit. I was brought up to clean and oil the field strip and wipe it off vigorously before assembly. If possible I'd try and keep the gun cold but truck travel ruins that and my rifle ain't travelling in the box. Later I used lithium low temp grease from a tub in the parts store but well wiped off. That was with levers. In the artillery we kept the FN clean and dry in the winter.

I've heard of frozen firing pins and magazine stickiness and allowing snow to collect in the action. I once had problem over looking the tube magazine in my 444.

[hayabusa]

I had a 742 Remington 308 that WD40 stuck the firing pin back so tight the pin would not move when trigger pulled. Total dissemble required. Rifle in safe & no cold weather. My old gunsmith friend just laughed.

hayabusa

[Blaine]

I had a 742 Remington 308 that WD40 stuck the firing pin back so tight the pin would not move when trigger pulled. Total dissemble required. Rifle in safe & no cold weather. My old gunsmith friend just laughed.

hayabusa

Impossible.....Sort of like "I had pancakes for breakfast, and then got a bad sunburn...I'll never eat pancakes again"

[hayabusa]

Blaine, neither the 742 or myself didn't get a sunburn!
Must had held my mouth wrong.

busa

[Blaine]

I think I'll go with my 40 plus years experience, and other professionals....Not, Bubba's 3rd cousin who told a guy that I think married my bosses sister.
http://wd40.com/news/in-the-news/wd-40a ... un-owners/

As to your stuck firing pin, WD is a good penetrant...It would have desolved and tried to remove whatever else was in there....

[hayabusa]

All that was in there was dried & congealed WD 40, really.
We took it apart & that was all that was in there, no rust or dirt or brass or anything else.

busa

[7.62 Precision]

All that was in there was dried & congealed WD 40, really.
We took it apart & that was all that was in there, no rust or dirt or brass or anything else.

busa

I've seen that plenty with guns from the bush after years with WD-40 in the action - gummy deposits everywhere. The truth is that it is the same whether it is WD-40 or Rem Oil, or CLP. You can get build-up over the years, and some of the guns that are more difficult to disassemble, like leverguns and auto shotguns (and inside the bolts of bolt-action rifles) end up really bad because people just keep spraying stuff in and never cleaning stuff out. (Not saying this was the case with yours, I have just seen some that were really bad - mixture of WD-40, carbon, and spruce needles.)

I'm not saying that I would never use WD-40 - I do sometimes. It works really well for taking rust off, or for freeing a screw or bolt. I don't put it in a bore, though, or a chamber, and it will attack some bluing - you can see the difference on the guns that have had WD-40 on them for many years. I usually don't care much and I would rather have WD-40 and thin bluing on my rifle than rust.

[hayabusa]

7.62 Precision, it was working perfect when put into the safe. You are correct as it was several years when I decided to hunt with it again. Went lever guns almost exclusively for years. The gunsmiths first question was, WD40? He had seen this too many times to count in his 50 plus years gunsmithing career.
That was the last time for WD40 on the interior of the moving parts of guns for me. Fast learner or just plain lucky?
Not anymore stuck firing pins or sluggish actions yet, and it has been a lot of years since that incident.

busa

[Blaine]

All that was in there was dried & congealed WD 40, really.
We took it apart & that was all that was in there, no rust or dirt or brass or anything else.

busa

I've seen that plenty with guns from the bush after years with WD-40 in the action - gummy deposits everywhere. The truth is that it is the same whether it is WD-40 or Rem Oil, or CLP. You can get build-up over the years, and some of the guns that are more difficult to disassemble, like leverguns and auto shotguns (and inside the bolts of bolt-action rifles) end up really bad because people just keep spraying stuff in and never cleaning stuff out. (Not saying this was the case with yours, I have just seen some that were really bad - mixture of WD-40, carbon, and spruce needles.)

I'm not saying that I would never use WD-40 - I do sometimes. It works really well for taking rust off, or for freeing a screw or bolt. I don't put it in a bore, though, or a chamber, and it will attack some bluing - you can see the difference on the guns that have had WD-40 on them for many years. I usually don't care much and I would rather have WD-40 and thin bluing on my rifle than rust.

This hits pretty close.....Though, you really should spray some WD on something, wipe it down properly, and look at it later. There is nothing there but a coating of preservative. The wet carrier will evaporate very quickly. If there was something there in the first place, it would become gooy. I CAN tell you that my Grandpa used 3-1 oil on his Browing 22 Auto, and when it was pass on to me, the entire action was gummed up with a hard, yellow, waxy gunk (which WD-40 cleaned up very nicely). If it was't in there before the WD, it won't be in there AFTER the WD