Unless you plan on hunting ISIS in a sand storm, keep is "wet" as it is designed to be. Just don't over do it...

 

I’m not a fan of the gentleman in video. Maybe I missed it because I did jump through it looking for one particular part, stopping where I thought it should be but I never saw it. I was looking for the part where he hosed down the BCG after the rifle was reassembled and the bolt was closed.

I’ve been shooting AR’s before they were popular, my Colt was made in ‘74. When my buds and I talk about running it dripping wet we are talking about hosing the BCG down when it’s in battery.........everything else is pretty much normal lube.

Not that it matters but I use Ballistol......nothing sticks to it. Clean up is a simple wipe-down.

 

Agree with Mark 204, run it wet, and Ballistol is really good, Slip 2000 EWL is good too

 

Mark, are you talking about spraying balistol through the ejection port, or popping the break down pin? I trust your guys' experience way more than mine, but my AR-556 MPR was jamming after every fire until I dried it out. I didn't think I over lubed it, but I did give the BCG a couple of sprays of Remington oil through the ejection port before I left the house to go shooting thinking it needed to be wet.

He didn't hose down the BCG. He applied a drop of LSA to the lower half of the bolt making sure to keep the bolt head bone dry. Then he just wiped down the cam pin with the LSA on his hands, and same for the BCG saying they are made to run without lube, and that the finish provided enough lubricity. He mentioned that if it wasn't lubed enough, you would see wear marks.

 

Mark, are you talking about spraying balistol through the ejection port, or popping the break down pin?

Yes sir, right into the port, bolt closed. My thoughts on Balistol and BCG’s.........if you think you put to much on.....hit it again.

 

Wet, but not overdone, as stated above. If in doubt, more is better, imho.

Thought I was running mine with just the right amount of lube. My boy was shooting mine at the range like ammo is free (is to him, lol). Couple mag dumps and yep, bolt locked up. Little ballistol got er going but lesson learned. YMMV, of course.

 

I posted this in another thread, but fits here as well. New rifles, i run the bolt wet. Defense rifle semi dry, but before it has already had 1k rounds through it to prove its reliability. In that case froglube comes to mind since its dry until you warm the gun up. Less chance the oil will migrate into the chambered round and render it useless during an unknown storage time period. Seen it. Other option leave it wet, no round in the chamber or magazine inserted but ready.

Now this is not sonething i would do, but it proves a point.

 

Not that I'm an authority on any level close to what you guys have, but I do run mine more than dry, but not running down into the action. I use CLP and follow the guide from the US Military that shows a "Generous" amount of lube on the BCG, meaning "it can be spread with a finger". That works for me because my rifle sits 99.9% of the time in the cabinet, away from many dust and fouling sources...heck even the cats are gone, so no more fuzzies. Too much will run down into the buffer tube anyhow and I cannot bring myself in good conscience to run it dry.

I do have an issue with the video and the extremity to which those guys go and then somehow thinks it proves their point. They make it sound like the people who advise against "over-lubing" state that the coagulation of dirt and gunk to lubricant is an instantaneous occurrence. The downsides of over-lubing are a factor of lube+conditions+time. They're removing two factors of the equation...

Of course the guns are going to run if you immediately pull them out of the oil and shoot them a few times. That proves nothing.

Pull those same guns out of the tub and then run around on a mission in the Afghan desert sand in a humvee and see then if the lube attracts dust and dirt. Pull them out of the oil and then stand a 15-hour post in an Alaskan winter and then see if they get gummed up due to the oil's increasing viscosity due to the cold temperatures. Pull them out of the oil and fire a bunch of magazines and then determine whether the fouling is attracted to the lube or not.

That's like dunking a piece of soft steel into salt water and immediately pulling it out and saying it's rust-proof because it didn't disintegrate immediately. Put that same piece of steel in the salt water for a year and then make the determination as to whether it's rust-proof...

To the OP, I think the concensus will be along the lines of do what works for you and adjust to your conditions.

Aqualung

 

A complete coating is all that is required. Any excessive lube will just be forced out from between the mating surfaces.

Over the past few years, I have read a number of people reporting problems with frog lube.

 

I've also had problems with FrogLube. Used it on the slide rails of a 1911 one time, and after 30 days it took two hands and a gun vise to get the slide to move.
I have either been using REM Lube, or milltek oil, with very good consistent results.

 

Here is one i did earlier tonight to prove my point.

 

If you do nothing else, keep the chamber clean with a good chamber brush, keep the bolt where it slides in and out of the BCG nice and wet, and keep the lugs wet.
Lots of trips through surf, swamps, and jungles with thousands of rounds fired, and no problems encountered.

 

I bought an AR-556 MPR, and noticed the manual didn't really get into cleaning or a break-in process. Following suggestions on this forum, and youtube, I broke it down, cleaned it and made sure it was well oiled. Taking it out for the first time, it shot excellently but wouldn't feed using Federal American Eagle 223 FMJ.

I broke it down, and dry swabbed the BCG, and throat completely, making sure there was still lubrication on the bolt, and the gun suddenly worked great with no issues!

Cleaning and lubing any new or new to you gun is always good advice.

The rest you answered yourself. Besides what any real or imaginary expert tells you your experiences is what you should go by. You said you slathered it with lube and had issues. Then you said you wiped it down and it ran great. There you go as long as you have some lube on your contact surfaces to mitigate wear you should be good to go. Lubing non-contact surfaces helps keep things easier to clean.

Per chance did you use Frog lube. As a Frog luber myself I will say most bad experiences are most likely due to improper application or use.

 

Ballistol and or Lucas oil.........keep 'em drippin'!

 

If you do nothing else, keep the chamber clean with a good chamber brush, keep the bolt where it slides in and out of the BCG nice and wet, and keep the lugs wet.
Lots of trips through surf, swamps, and jungles with thousands of rounds fired, and no problems encountered.

And lots of trips through the desert with hundreds of rounds fired proved this is a poor choice for that environment. The OP has answered his own question, but regardless the shooting environment must be considered.



.

 

Keep it wet.

 

I still use LSA simply because it works. Keep it wet.

As time goes by look into some specialized cleaning tools.

The Best AR 15 Cleaning Tool For 2023 - Gun Cleaning HQ

An important part of owning an AR is cleaning it at periodic intervals. This article talks about the best AR 15 cleaning tool available today.

guncleaninghq.com

They sell the Real Avid Multitool at the Fort Hood PX. A number of troops use them and carry them everywhere.

 

As time goes by look into some specialized cleaning tools.

Aggie, I found the BGC scraper for carbon removal nice in the link you posted. Personally I don’t use/have the need for one. I run my Colt wet with Balistol........nothing sticks to it, including carbon. It’s a simple disassembly and wipe down. YMMV

 

If you are in the Viet Nam jungle, hose the action down with CLP .... then in the middle of a fire fight when the gun jams, hose it down again with CLP. This should keep you going for another 40 rounds or so.

If you are NOT in a Viet Nam jungle, apply a drop of gun oil to the BCG and spread it over the entire surface until it feels dry to the touch. This will allow the AR to function properly for at least 100 rounds before it needs cleaning. Why? A direct Impingement system has a gas tube that blows burned powder residue directly into the bolt's gas key. After about X number rounds have been fired (depending on internal fit) powder residue will build up enough where the gun starts having feeding problems. This is why the forward assist button exists.

Over the years, I have owned a couple Colt AR-15s and now have a Ruger AR556. All of these ARs function just fine for at least 100 rounds .... probably longer but I never shoot more than 100 round per session and I always clean the gun after each shooting session.

Or .... do whatever works for you!

 

I see people using the word "attract" but I don't think they know what it means.

Lube doesn't "attract" dirt. Stop. Period. End of story.

A magnet will attract ferrous metals. A static charged balloon will might attract dirt. But lube???? Nope. You can smear lube on your hand and hold it over a pile of dirt forever. That dirt is not going to jump the gap.