Which grease for bolt lugs?

[Danny Treacy]

Hi All,

I’ve been watching some videos on cleaning rifle bolts and keeping the lugs lubed.

Lots of the videos recommend U.S. products which are either not available or prohibitively expensive here.

What are you using?

I have some white lithium grease, would that work well?

Thanks!

 

[Stalker62]

I have some white lithium grease, would that work well?

I use a soupçon of that very stuff, on all of my bolts.

 

[Smellydog]

Slippy grease.

As a rule a rarely bother. There isn't particularly much going on there.

 

[Heym SR20]

A rifle is really a very simple machine. The bolt lugs are not really under a huge amount of stress and strain when opened and closed. Certainly not under the sorts of stresses of say a wheel or shaft bearing - the sorts of stresses that most greases are used in.

Put it another way, a rifle bolt may be cycled perhaps 10,000 times in its life, most stalking rifles probably only two or three times for every shot fired. A wheel bearing will rotate 10,000 times in just a few minutes.

A wee bit of lithium or molibdinum grease is fine, but a drop or two of light machine oil is also good. Trouble with grease is that it often goes hard and picks up all the crud from firing. The firing crud also goes hard and you can soon end up with a good grinding paste.

Personally I like to keep everything nice and clean with a light film of oil for protection and lubrication.

 

[Tim.243]

Hi All,

I’ve been watching some videos on cleaning rifle bolts and keeping the lugs lubed.

Lots of the videos recommend U.S. products which are either not available or prohibitively expensive here.

What are you using?

I have some white lithium grease, would that work well?

Thanks!

White gun grease.

 

[takbok]

@Danny Treacy a little bit of lithium grease is all you need.

 

[Fosbery Holster]

We were at Bisley for a competition and met a good friend from Scotland, l asked where was he going, I’m off to shoot the “Mad Minute” with my latest SMLE, l asked what’s all the grease for on the bolt and receiver, he says, so the bolt operation will be faster and slicker, off he went.
Not too long after we saw him again, l asked how did you get on, he showed me his rifle, bolt shattered, receiver split wide open and not much wood left of the stock, you won’t be using that one again will you !

Be careful how much you use !

I don’t use any.

 

[paulst]

Be careful greasing things, it’s Very easy to pick up grit and make a nice grinding paste.

 

[MilesW]

Moly Dry Film Lubricant.

Grease (any grease) + dust = very bad.

 

[Heym SR20]

The other real with grease is that bolts go in and out of rifles all the time, as bolts are removed for storage, then travel, then clearing the rifle on the firing point etc. And many carry then it little holsters on their belts.

If fully greased, that grease will just go everywhere.

A dry lubricant is probably a little better. For mountain bikes they make a dry lubricant designed for use on muddy trails. I did have a can and it worked very well. But then it got used up over a few years abd never bothered to replace it. I just use 3 in 1 oil now.

 

[Danny Treacy]

Thanks for the advice and replies, very helpful!

I’ll take it easy and probably stick with the light oil I use on my semi automatic pistols and under lever.

Next question, what do you use for the barrel cleaning?

It’s a.308, so I’ll need something that can cover copper and carbon fouling.

Thanks!

 

[bk]

TW25B - Very good and can be bought cheap off amazon

Excellent stuff

 

[Fosbery Holster]

You mention barrel cleaning, l used to always use Parker Hale 009 barrel cleaning solvent, but now I use Bore Tech Eliminator.

 

[jamesey]

Hi All,

I’ve been watching some videos on cleaning rifle bolts and keeping the lugs lubed.

Lots of the videos recommend U.S. products which are either not available or prohibitively expensive here.

What are you using?

I have some white lithium grease, would that work well?

Thanks!

i use hornady one shot
spray clean
spray leave for 30 seconds then wipe off
its dry and isn't a **** magnet

 

[Scarpa]

I also use a dry lube, this stuff works great.

 

[JonC]

Hi Danny, my personal choice is a very sparing amount of moly grease! Apply a tiny amount to the bearing faces of the lugs and work the action lots to get the grease contacting the bearing surfaces inside the action. Then wipe off any excess so it doesn’t attract any unwanted dust etc! I’ve personally done this for years and (in the target shooting world where I’ve seen friends who “didn’t know it was a “thing””) have seen actions and bolt lugs with quite significant galling! I got a tiny pot of Abbey Moly about 30 years ago and I still have most of that left - apply just a tiny bit with the tip of a cocktail stick!

 

[enfieldspares]

Hi All,

I’ve been watching some videos on cleaning rifle bolts and keeping the lugs lubed.

Lots of the videos recommend U.S. products which are either not available or prohibitively expensive here.

What are you using?

I have some white lithium grease, would that work well?

Thanks!

None! Don't believe everything you read in the internet. Grease attracts AND HOLDS dirt and grit. Those are two of the last things you want anywhere near bolt lugs. Just a light wipe with an oily rag is all.

 

[Stalker62]

Don't believe everything you read in the internet... Just a light wipe with an oily rag is all.

 

[HonestJohn]

When they say grease the lugs, what they are referring to is NOT applying a dollop of thick grease on the lugs, they are referring to a very light application of a good gun oil just wiped over the back of the lugs where they engage in the locking lug recess in the front receiver ring. A rag with a bit of ballistol applied, just gently wiped over the back of the lugs will do. The purpose is to avoid having dry lugs on dry recess surfaces which can run the risk of gradually removing the surface hardening and causing lug set back and creating excessive headspace. DO clean the locking lug recess in your receiver, it is amazing how many rifles I’ve purchased, where massive amounts of dirt, grease!, and all sorts of shjite comes out when cleaned in the recesses. I use kitchen roll with my finger, and then an ear bud that’s bent. I also take a paper clip and bend it at an angle so I can get to the edges just in front of the feed ramp. If grease gets into the chamber, the cases will not grip the chamber walls, you will have a very sticky bolt and over pressure.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Ask Callum Ferguson what he supplies in a syringe with a PRS built rifle.

K