What cleaner/lube to use for new AR

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  • Roadie
    Bloodstained
    • Mar 2017
    • 26

    What cleaner/lube to use for new AR

    I finished assembling my very first AR today but it is bone dry. I've watched several youtube videos on what to lube on a new rifle but my question is not what to lube but what lube to use. In Google searches I've read everything from Frog Lube to transmission oil to Mobil 1 oil to ...

    I don't really have an area in the garage to clean as the space is taken up with the wife's car and my brewing equipment so something that I could use at a table off the kitchen or at worst on our covered patio that doesn't smell like a chemical factory or that I have to worry about if I get some on me I'll grow a 6th digit on my hand. On my CW I use frog lube and after 1000 rounds or so it's fine but it's always on my body under a shirt and will not be subjected to as much weather and elements.

    Any suggestions for cleaner & lube products for my new rifle?
  • LRRPF52
    Super Moderator
    • Sep 2014
    • 8569

    #2
    Whatever you do, I would not buy Frog Lube. When I had someone bring it to one of my courses, it seized up a Noveske AR15 that had run 100% before then.

    It felt like someone had poured fine sand inside of the rifle, and we were in pretty cold conditions with no sand in sight, still on the flat ranges with cement floors.

    In the cold, that lube became very gritty for some reason. I have seen other organic oils behave the same way during thermal shift from liquid to solid, then back to liquid. You end up with a nice thick oil, and some residual grit or crystals, like with coconut oil.

    What I do recommend is Slip2000, or motor oil. Even regular CLP works well actually, after years of being trashed on by everyone selling their new wonder oil.

    Biggest things with a new AR15 are that you have a rough-textured, hard-anodized aluminum with pretty rough-textured phosphated Bolt Carrier rails grinding against it.

    Additionally, you have hard-anodized charge handles grating against the hard-anodized internal path of the upper receiver.

    I find that the thick oils do very well with buffering these articulating surfaces.

    Another thing about parts: All parts are not created equal and most ignore the real Mil-Spec and Mil-Std, which is to apply a bake-on dry film lubricant to the magazines, inside of the lower receiver extension tube (RET), and the inside of the upper receiver, leaving a dull gray appearance. This dry film lube inside the upper helps suspend lubricant so that it lasts longer and sustains an optimum coefficient of friction with the bolt carrier rails.

    The Military and Geissele are actually working on a deposition coating that will make the parts not need lubricant, and it appears to actually work, even in the wake of the less-than-optimal performance of other coatings that were touted as such before, like NiB. Geissele had some rifles at SHOT with this coating, and they are in deep with SOCOM, USMC, and other units as to specific end-user requests that actually meet and exceed the user requirements.
    NRA Basic, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, RSO

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    Comment

    • Klem
      Chieftain
      • Aug 2013
      • 3507

      #3
      It's true that the gun industry takes lubricants, puts the word 'Gun' on the label and adds another zero to the price tag. The only gun-specific lube additive for firearms I am aware of is wax being added to oil in Sweets to keep it on longer and in doing so, inhibit corrosion. below a certain temperature the wax solidifies and separates from the oil. You have to shake it well and/or leave it in the sun on a cold day to get maximum value from it

      Just plain old motor oil will do just as fine as any product with the word 'Gun' on it. I also use spray WD40.

      Like 52 says, those new parts will be rough but will wear nice and smooth with use.

      Comment

      • A5BLASTER
        Chieftain
        • Mar 2015
        • 6192

        #4
        The old standard 3n1 oil and Remington spray oil from Wal-Mart work great for me.

        Comment

        • Roadie
          Bloodstained
          • Mar 2017
          • 26

          #5
          Originally posted by LRRPF52 View Post
          Whatever you do, I would not buy Frog Lube. When I had someone bring it to one of my courses, it seized up a Noveske AR15 that had run 100% before then.

          It felt like someone had poured fine sand inside of the rifle, and we were in pretty cold conditions with no sand in sight, still on the flat ranges with cement floors.

          In the cold, that lube became very gritty for some reason. I have seen other organic oils behave the same way during thermal shift from liquid to solid, then back to liquid. You end up with a nice thick oil, and some residual grit or crystals, like with coconut oil.

          What I do recommend is Slip2000, or motor oil. Even regular CLP works well actually, after years of being trashed on by everyone selling their new wonder oil.

          Biggest things with a new AR15 are that you have a rough-textured, hard-anodized aluminum with pretty rough-textured phosphated Bolt Carrier rails grinding against it.

          Additionally, you have hard-anodized charge handles grating against the hard-anodized internal path of the upper receiver.

          I find that the thick oils do very well with buffering these articulating surfaces.
          I've heard about FL seizing up in cold weather and know it's definitely a problem when FL and any other oils mix. With my CW I used a degreaser on it and then applied the FL and haven't had any issues but again wanted something different for the AR as it will potentially be exposed to cold and weather. I've seen a lot of folks recommend Slip 2000 EWL so will probably give that a try as a lube. Do you also use their bore cleaner? I understand all of their products don't come with the nasty chemical smell.

          Comment

          • rwh
            Warrior
            • Jun 2014
            • 188

            #6
            I use EWL for lube. It seems to work a little better than my second choice which is Mobil-1 5w-40. I've been using M-pro 7 bore gel with a bronze brush to clean my barrels. The MSDS for m-pro 7 says it contains DGBE plus trade secrets. I bet the trade secret is oil soap. Whatever it is gets my barrels clean and it doesn't stink.
            Last edited by rwh; 01-01-2018, 01:39 PM.

            Comment

            • slickshot223
              Unwashed
              • Apr 2017
              • 19

              #7
              I'm told he military uses brake clean and Break Free !!

              Comment

              • bj139
                Chieftain
                • Mar 2017
                • 1968

                #8
                Rem oil doesn't smell like a chemical factory which is why I've been using it for 20 some years. It seems like mixture of light and heavy oils and says it contains teflon. After 3 months of non use, oil is still on the internal parts.

                Comment

                • mdram
                  Warrior
                  • Sep 2016
                  • 941

                  #9
                  ive been using remoil as long as i can remember

                  for cleaning i always go with the old standard hoppes #9. it just smells like a gun
                  just some targets for printing
                  https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...xQ?usp=sharing

                  Comment

                  • grayfox
                    Chieftain
                    • Jan 2017
                    • 4295

                    #10
                    CLP break free foam, then use Slip 2000 (I don't use the EWL even tho I have some, the 2000 works great for me). I would also vote against FL, and as far as Rem-oil I think (operative word - think) it was involved in one bolt-sluggishness/FTFire I had in 2012, almost ruined my hunt... I've quit it for the 2000 and never looked back, no more problems. The Cleaner after 1 round of clp foam is the MPro bore gel... again works great.
                    last, I might be a little different than others as I don't use much lube when running the bolt group etc, I'm more of a "dry" guy as opposed to "wet" - seems when I used "wet" it gunked up more by holding carbon deposits (could be I went too far "wet" but o well)... anyway so if any lube on the bolt it's very lite for me. Also dry-cycling the action a few times helps smooth out some of that the roughness.
                    "Down the floor, out the door, Go Brandon Go!!!!!"

                    Comment

                    • bj139
                      Chieftain
                      • Mar 2017
                      • 1968

                      #11
                      grayfox,
                      Did the Rem oil thicken in cold weather?
                      I had a bolt from a bolt action rifle I had to keep warm during one deer hunt. First deer I saw - click. Put bolt up sleeve. Next deer I saw I quietly placed bolt back in rifle - boom. Venison.

                      I saw that one trigger manufacturer recommends lighter fluid for lubrication.

                      Comment

                      • 65Whelen
                        Warrior
                        • Sep 2014
                        • 671

                        #12
                        Slip 2000 for me, keeps grime suspended and stops a majority of carbine build-up. I use WD-40 for cleaning but never for lube. In cold weather it gets tacky and can cause malfunction.

                        Comment

                        • LR1955
                          Super Moderator
                          • Mar 2011
                          • 3355

                          #13
                          Guys:

                          For cold weather, get some cold weather CLP. You won't have any problems.

                          LR55

                          Comment

                          • bj139
                            Chieftain
                            • Mar 2017
                            • 1968

                            #14
                            Here is real research.

                            Comment

                            • NugginFutz
                              Chieftain
                              • Aug 2013
                              • 2622

                              #15
                              A shame the report is 22 years old. I'm certain there are a few products that have been introduced since 1995 that may out perform some of the lubricants mentioned (bi-lingual packaging aside).

                              Good dig, bj139.
                              If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?

                              Comment

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