Cold Weather Gun Testing : Cleanliness & Lubrication

[@KitBadger]

You can find links to everything here : kitbadger.com/cold-weather-gun-testing-cleanliness-lubrication/ And get questions answered here : www.patreon.com/KitBadger

[@tntshuffle-9799]

In the mil all we used was clp for cleaning. Didn't matter if it was rifle, pistol or shotgun. It has always worked. One other lube that might be beneficial is militec 1. This is also a good lube for all environments and many professional shooters use this. Good stuff brother!

[@lens7859]

Seems like dryer the better. AK Operator’s Union said to dry/wipe off all the lube in sub zero temperatures to help with running a rifle.

[@jimziogas8978]

Gotta respect an overgassed, mil-spec AR with a forward assist. Just keep it clean and wet. Great content, Ivan.

[@Pooters73]

I just watched a 22-minute long video of a frustrated man shooting his guns in the cold. What is my life.

[@southbama]

Man did this video ever demonstrate the need for a forward assist

[@Gunker02]

I can understand those that will argue the against it, but I'm off the mind that it's not hurting anything to have it so WHY NOT? BTHIANNITNIANHI. 🤷‍♂️

[@martin0thorson]

And that lube makes everything better.

[@TheUnholyLordClownz]

It also demonstrates the importance of using proper range tempature lube. -13⁰F is very cold for a lot of lubes.

[@chipsdubbo5.56]

It sure did!

[@ZSC001]

Clearly you didn’t watch it, because the FA did nothing to help with the malfunctions

[@chrisb9478]

Rob Ski at AK Operators Union, just did a video on prepping AK’s for extreme cold. He must have said to run it completely clean and dry like 50 times. 😂

[@aaronwilcox6417]

Cold weather operation is interesting.

[@robertwilkinson2293]

Working in the desert SW and the northern plains from 120F to -40 F I have found plain old Mobil 1 to work just fine.

[@sirbalanced5486]

What kind of Mobil 1 oil? Or doesn’t it matter?

[@robertwilkinson2293]

the 20-50 motorcycle oil has a lower flow temp and has more additives like zinc. A quart is enough for years.@@sirbalanced5486

[@thor653]

Based on my own testing, I'd use the SOLGW lube for winter and Lucas in summer. Just toss your lubes in the freezer and check them for viscosity.

[@bmxdude1337]

That's a good idea

[@charlesintx1776]

Excellent topic -- thanks for braving the cold to show us the results!

[@jeffbear7897]

Hi Ivan, You have my respect for braving our low Temps right now. Remember oil or Mobil one synthetic car oil is my choice. And yes cold weather really effects reliability.

[@jeffbear7897]

Rem oil

[@nicholasclarence]

Slip 2000

[@Mrgunsngear]

🇺🇸

[@jomohr84]

I've tested my firearms in similar temps, Slip2000 and MPRO7 have worked well for me.

[@markt5450]

MPRO7 👍

[@TrollinCrazyRussian]

This is why I like my gun sporting premium buffer spring or extra powered spring and slightly over-gassed or if it is not, it better be readily jacked up with gas block always broken out of carbon lock after each shooting and already have bigger gas port. But mil-spec buffer spring is not nearly strong enough. I run red springco or geissele super 42 I prefer springco red really it's a beast.

[@nrf2009]

I live in MN where it also gets very cold, and oddly enough the Lucas "Extreme" blue/green you used is worse than the "regular" Lucas red oil in cold temperatures. I've done some impromptu viscosity tests when it's below zero leaving them out overnight and most of the CLP type "lubricants" were actually less viscous than almost every product that was solely meant to be lubrication only at very cold temps.

[@chipsdubbo5.56]

I wanted to try Slip 2000 EWL since that is my go to. I'm happy to report it did outstanding (much better than yours). I waited until the temp got down to -13°F like you, and set a bottle of slip 2000 outside away from the house and any heat source. After 30 min there was no change. After 1 hour the bottle states to get hard but the oil still flowed no problem. After 2 hours 15 min the temp was down to -17°F and the bottle was rock hard but the oil still flowed out the tip and dripped freely. I got some on my fingers and it felt normal. So TLDR; Slip 2000 ewl is still good down to -17°F

[@sc6802]

thanks for doing this. you changed my mind on slick sides.

[@Deadbolt412]

Where I am we have had a mild last few winters. This past night shoot I was having light primer strikes till my gun got warm. Had a little too thin of a lube for how cold it was.

[@caseybrown5183]

Just did this with some of my firearms the other day in negative 10 F. Good adventure.

[@InGratitudeIam]

This is definitely helpful. It's also a great/fun way to explain Physics to kids. When my son was in Afghanistan, which covered part of their winter, in warm weather, he'd clean his rifle about every two weeks. In the winter, about every week with the occasional spot of lube in between cleanings. Thanks for braving the cold, Ivan!

[@99cobra2881]

Wow there is no way I figured the 16" at the 6:00 mark was going to cycle That thing was going into battery in slow mo!!! Great video once again!!

[@Zach_D]

There's a police department in Alaska that uses AKs for this reason.

[@kgreene9881]

Slip2000 EWL is a great cold weather lube. Does really well in the frigid Minnesota Winters.

[@bricketdabrown9607]

Damn all these cold weather videos I keep seein mn comments😂

[@noahwilson8549]

I like these style of videos even tho I know it’s a huge risk and expensive to wreck test your gear. But the commentary is everything

[@laskalives]

Us Wisconsin boys use thinner motor oils year round. Synthetic motor oils are preferred as the molecules are more consistently sized than a conventional motor oil as well as synthetics having detergents in them which I have seen be attributed to easier cleaning afterwards. Using a high quality, thin (0 weight) synthetic motor oil with a high smoke and burn point would be the most optimal lubricant in cold climates.

[@ripthejacker6020]

You're the GOAt bro. Your channel is better than Mrgunsngear.

[@c22m22cc]

Half expected the bottle caps to blow off from all that squeezing. Good information to add to the body of knowledge.

[@marzcapone9939]

Like squeezing jelly through a needle

[@wegoall9188]

Thanks. Good info.

[@Gmar69]

The best oil that I've found here in Idaho for Winter use is Spartan Accuracy Oil. You have to clean it off when returning to hotter weather conditions though.

[@qwertqwert2066]

1. Lock the bolt to the rear. 2. Insert the source of feed. 3. Drop the bolt using the bolt release. You're welcome!

[@PDevoLi]

Good video for those who don't understand that these rifles need lubrication. If you go watch school of the American rifle he has a video that's about 3 years old now showing how he lubes customers rifles as well as his own. It looks crazy at first because he basically drenches all friction points in lubrication, to the point where even I was like wow that's a little to much. But in scenarios like this you definitely want all that lubrication to be there.

[@alexisdetocqueville9964]

You have impeccable timing. This is something I've been dealing with lately. One big issue I've been having is rounds not picking up at all, and/or rounds not going fully into battery. Downloading some rounds helps, esp with 40 rounders and heavy rounds like 300blk subs. The rounds can get a bit frosty and just won't get picked up by the bolt. Also just wiping lube over everything helps a bit, instead of running any wetter (also leaving firing pin channel completely dry).

[@rockcrusherkennels4482]

Good cold weather lubes hydraulic fluid or winter chainsaw bar Lube that are made for cold weather. easily outperform expensive gun oils just running it dries better than oils that freeze.

[@peanut2220]

Loved this one. Cool to see the how cold weather and dirty actions prevented a few of the guns from fully going into battery, and wild to see the forward assist having little to no effect! I'm curious if, after you dropped the mag (thereby eliminating the factor of carrier belly friction), the FA on its own would've been sufficient or if the action still required running the CH to get the gun fully into battery

[@CactusLegzz]

Appreciate the clinical knowledge

[@touge242]

side note: Grime on a striker spring in a pistol can seize and prevent a pistol from chambering and engaging a sear. -10F, or so, really starts to show reliability issues.

[@Korruptor]

So why not a graphite dry lube?

[@curlybill3966]

It works well.

[@wwclay86]

Isn't that old school poly build the TN arms home build?

[@gunsncars1157]

The hoppe’s weather guard lube is good for cold temps like up here in Minnesota, just know it doesn’t stay on as long because it’s quite watery

[@hedonisticpunkvatos]

A lesson I learned: Just because you can run an AR dirty and it can handle it with a quick lube doesn't mean you should let it stay dirty. Buildup happens over time and you don't want it to malfunction when the time comes you need it to save your life.

[@AndyOamo]

Just drench everything in full synthetic 0w20, then switch to 10w30 or 5w30 when it warms up. Dry guns/parts don't last, and are more prone to malfunctions.

[@masonjohns208]

This is the secret sauce

[@pewpewbbqs]

Rancid at the end? SUBSCRIBED

[@ToddDavey]

I'd be interested to know if a chrome bcg would have made a difference in the supressed guns

[@PDevoLi]

Not really. At this point in time consensus is that a nitride finish is pretty much a go to for Suppresed shooting. Mainly because the coating alows for lubrication to seap into the metal and stick around much longer then slicker coatings like NiB or Chrome.

[@masonthorpe7327]

Going to come in super handy when we see snowball earth in about 10-20yrs!

[@nategross7568]

I heard that 40yrs ago. Besides, how’s it gonna get so cold if it’s warming?

[@knighttrider]

Oh no.. the climate scam fear mongering😅😅😅 ..probably got all those "life saving" vaccines too 😅

[@jasonrad9332]

Good test. Can’t/won’t let my guns be that dirty. If anything, I clean too much thanks to the Army.

[@Brimwald]

Solution: have an AK for cold weather days

[@ilsirent9726]

AK will also struggle without proper maintenance and not suitable for the temperature lubrication. I'm not trying to say that AK is somehow bad thing to have but it never was indestructible boomstick as it is being portrayed sometimes.

[@ripthejacker6020]

This makes you realize why chrome lining is so important when you might not be able to clean your rifle for a while.

[@Brykk]

If we learned nothing else here, we see exactly why some of us dont own ar’s without forward assist. For me, it also shows me why i prefer an ak in cold weather, and why i also like nickel boron bcg’s in my ar’s. I can run them dry and they have less chance of problems. I stick with clenzoil or aeroshell grease if i have to use something. Been good so far in montana/idaho winters.

[@brad_1388_]

As someone who has to shoot in -30 to -40 Celsius each winter, an ar must be freshly cleaned, and lubed with a PROVEN clp that’s gone through real cold weather quals. Otherwise expect problems as seen in this video, where it was only -25. G96 synthetic oil has been great for me. Sometimes you may need to bang on the forward assist to chamber from bolt lock, but I’ve never had another issue.

[@brad_1388_]

To add one more thing - remove that extractor oring, and use a geissele super 42 buffer spring. That extra force compared to a milspec is a lifesaver in the -40 region

[@HK-wq1ei]

would love to see a cold weather layering video.

[@Pompomgrenade]

0-20 Mobil1 + 30%Lucas Oil Stabilizer 🤑 Best bang, for the buck🔥 All weather sticky slick stuff

[@andyprairiedog]

Excellent testing of the different gun oils in those temperatures. Thanks for doing this video and going through that weather. BTW, what camera and battery you using that it continues to operate too.

[@peachfuds]

You can unscrew the needle on the lucas bottle to open up the mouth wider....

[@prone_wolf8871]

I live in Alaska.....made sure my latest build had a forward assist hahaha....coldest I've been shooting is -28 testing tetra gun lube now....says -60 ..not sure I believe that hahhaa also giving kroil a try Dry graphite spray worked ok but felt sluggish by 280 rounds. . .....

[@toshmiller5571]

I've read that alot of people in Alaska run their guns dry without lube in the winter months to prevent fouling. I don't know if this is true

[@prone_wolf8871]

​@toshmiller5571 I know people up here that run dry in the winter...I still like lube...so I just test them in the super cold days like he did here....... But I don't see how running dry would prevent any type of fouling.....ARs are dirty guns lol.. I find the oiled parts clean up easier then bone dry

[@dirt-0636]

Hi Ivan, did you have o-rings on any of the extractor springs? I hear they can get stiff in the cold.

[@xforce708]

I try and keep guns clean, but now I do wonder what lube is best for cold

[@TheCamaro5]

What have been interesting to see an adams arms gun in the mix.

[@bebop_557]

My main takeaway from this video was "Never live anywhere cold"

[@tonycs-9]

No, Keep your bolt and chamber clean and the right lube for the temp. This is not that complicated.

[@jamesjams5085]

What kind of jacket if you don't mind me asking? Thanks for the video!

[@mtnbound2764]

dang man ive been using that lucas oil and really liking it. but looks like for cold weather.. it may not be ideal. great video, i cant wait to get out and do some cold weather shooting

[@TurkFPS]

So run an AK in the winter 10/4 :) but yea in practice jus gonna clean the guns up and run like a lightweight 0w20 motor oil.

[@GTWGamer]

Have you had any problems with SS barrels? Krieger barrels states to not shoot them below zero. After learning that, I've debated rebarreling my rifle.

[@rickm4295]

Slip 2000 EWL....Thats what every '"No it all" says use . Doesnt freeze and doesnt bake off. I sure wish you had some in that environment you are in right there. Im in Florida ,cant test the cold part , lol

[@brendanlamarca7764]

What eye pro are you wearing?

[@elitesless1539]

I think having just fired them and knocking off all the frozen carbon made a bigger difference then the lubricant. Nice guns

[@CptFUNK1]

Valvoline synthetic 0W-20 for me.

[@nvkulk]

ATF , moly grease and some Sriracha …thanks me later

[@JohnJones-op8uf]

What is your major malfunction???

[@masonthorpe7327]

What did we learn today? Answer: use an AK for extreme cold instead of an AR!

[@motruthhunter]

Makes you want to go with the AK platform.

[@petesheppard1709]

This was very interesting to watch; an informative follow-up would be to let the rifles sit outside overnight after lubing to let everything get nice and cold-soaked, Also; has graphite fallen out of favor? Once upon a time that was the recommended extreme-cold lubricant.

[@murph240]

the army issued stuff for arctic is decent otherwise i use lucas gun grease in -20 and colder

[@srspammenot]

Syringe of grease would be the same lol . Mad Max

[@jeremiahschumann]

Cold weather guys swear by slip 2000 lube might be worth a try

[@plohish1337]

this video makes it looks like lubrication helps in freezing weather, but I'm not sure testing method is fair. If you have lubed the rifles and left them in a cold weather for a day or to, I think lubricant will behave differently comparing to when you have just applied it to the rifle. I think most of the militaries that train in winter weather runs them dry 🤔

[@aetius9]

The Honey Badger sounds like you were slapping cheesecake. :)

[@johnchamberlain1589]

Spec76 is really good lube just Dont mix the Spec76 it will gum up with other lubes

[@irafowlerjr.7492]

Thanks for cold work, really enjoyed, and learned, thanks 😊😊

[@The-BCC]

You should have lubed the Q gun with out the suppressor with the solgw lube and then checked it’s function. 🤷‍♂️

[@__Dave__]

I wonder if anyone within earshot started looking for him thinking he’s in distress given he’s sending repeated 3 shot strings lol

[@larryw5429]

Use motor oil. Its cheap and if a motor can get lubricated by it in -20F degree temps, your gun will be lubricated!

[@ethan5.56]

I've been using the strike industries gun oil for a couple years now. They claim maximum viscosity between -60°f and 550°f. Might have to go shoot in the snow today and test it out 😂 it is up to 9° now though. Great video as always

[@blckandwhtknight]

Whats the take away? This is why there is adjustable gas blocks, and forward assists. Oh yah, clean your rifles

[@juanthelawnmowerthief1641]

Just hit those BCG’s with some brake cleaner and it will blast the carbon right off. Apply climate appropriate lube and you are GTG! Still boggle my mind that people don’t believe you are better off with without a fwd assist especially in cold weather who is going to try and push the bcg into battery while wearing gloves? I will take the benefit of mechanical advantage at the cost of maybe 3 oz more weight any day!

[@ChineseChicken1]

The Army told Colt to add a forward assist something Stoner didn't agree with.

[@juanthelawnmowerthief1641]

@@ChineseChicken1 Stoner never saw combat, the closest he got was being an armorer in WII. If he had spent time actually fighting in mud or cold climates he would have been a fool to still resist. It’s usually people that have never fought in less than ideal climate or conditions that claim it wasn’t a necessary improvement. There is a difference between prints on a drawing board and real life use.

[@gixxerlouis]

in winter conditions you need to use diesel fuel...its a lubricant that wont freeze...and keeps contact points working freely and coated from moisture...

[@moseywhales9127]

Diesel fuel will gel up

[@gixxerlouis]

@@moseywhales9127 really? because thats what the soviets used in their mosins during stalingrad...the germans bolt guns froxe up...but the soviets worked fine...because they lubed them with diesel...

[@tonycs-9]

Dry, dirty bolts and prob. dirty cruddy chambers... Why. Clean your guns use the right lube for the right temp.You have to clean your chambers.

[@DanishAfridi551]

I think u need a good camera man

[@pyeitme508]

RAAD

[@davidperez3013]

Forward assist is needed. Mic drop

[@fmyles3]

Real life informative vid. I'm reaching out to lucas for my $$$ back. I only have one bottle but f them. Their literature says -40f. I also only have one gun w/out forward assist. For that exact reason. I may sell it. Anybody want to buy an aero thunder ranch? I wish you would have had plain old breakfree clp and maybe breakfree synthetic clp.

[@Pompomgrenade]

😂 I learned that Q products; are expensive and don't have a forward assist? You are a lubricant cheapskate and it's 🥶 where you shoot... Thanks for the invite 🫡