Oiling the barrel.

[CB3]

Just Note: All who advocated a coating of oil specified a LIGHT COAT. Some said to run a dry patch afterward.

That's because the gap between bullet and barrel is very small, and oil DOES NOT compress.

But DO put a light coat of oil - rust doesn't compress very well either.

But bullets DO compress (excepting perhaps cheap military steel bullets, which are very mild steel too) very easily to the thickness of a thin coat of oil, if it hasn't evaporated anyway, which takes only a few days.

The marks from the rifling on a fired bullet attest to their compressibility. A land is significantly thicker than a light coat of oil.

 

[Flintlock1]

I don't bother with M&P barrels. The barrel is nitrided stainless steel. It doesn't get much more rust resistant than this.

I do oil down blued pistol barrels.

Same here. I do put a bit of a smear on the outside of the barrels where they bear.

 

[SATX]

I have always started with the barrel, running a wet patch through several times without finishing with a dry patch and I have never had a problem.

 

[Narragansett]

I coat a patch with Kellog's #110 pure silicone and run it down the bore. For the exterior, same product sprayed onto an 8" square of real lambswool, worked into the wool, then wipe the gun down. Real lambs wool gets into every crevice. Not a spec of rust since I was shown this in 1968

 

[k2ue]

I don't bother with M&P barrels. The barrel is nitrided stainless steel. It doesn't get much more rust resistant than this.

I do oil down blued pistol barrels.

There is actually a downside to oiling: oil in the chamber allows the cartridge to thrust rearward against the slide when fired, whereas an un-oiled chamber (if less than about 40K PSI, almost all pistol rounds) exhibits no rearward thrust due to the friction of the case wall in the chamber. This was demonstrated by firing rounds with no breech behind them -- if un-oiled the cartridge did not back out of the chamber. So slide battering is largely absent with a dry chamber, and conversely an oiled chamber increases battering.

 

[nachogrande]

NOT QUITE GETTING YOUR LOGIC.

Oil would dry/evaporate faster INSIDE the barrel, as opposed to the outside??? To answer your question, YES I oil AFTER cleaning (lightly) & run a dry bore patch or bore snake prior to shooting. I'm sure others do it differently for a variety of reasons. An old cop saying comes to mind "dry slide, you die". In the beginning I was an over oiler. Whatever keeps away rust & works for you.

 

[Dave Lively]

There is actually a downside to oiling: oil in the chamber allows the cartridge to thrust rearward against the slide when fired, whereas an un-oiled chamber (if less than about 40K PSI, almost all pistol rounds) exhibits no rearward thrust due to the friction of the case wall in the chamber. This was demonstrated by firing rounds with no breech behind them -- if un-oiled the cartridge did not back out of the chamber. So slide battering is largely absent with a dry chamber, and conversely an oiled chamber increases battering.

I have owned blow back pistols in 22 and 380 and know of blow back operated pistol calibers carbines in 9mm, 40, 45 and even 10mm. Not only does the case come out without oiling the barrel it has enough force to operate the action.

I agree that a dry chamber reduces the pressure but it will not stop the cartridge from backing out.

 

[CB3]

There is actually a downside to oiling: oil in the chamber allows the cartridge to thrust rearward against the slide when fired, whereas an un-oiled chamber (if less than about 40K PSI, almost all pistol rounds) exhibits no rearward thrust due to the friction of the case wall in the chamber. This was demonstrated by firing rounds with no breech behind them -- if un-oiled the cartridge did not back out of the chamber. So slide battering is largely absent with a dry chamber, and conversely an oiled chamber increases battering.

Following this fact to its logical conclusion, the slide will not reciprocate, as the case expands and then contracts in the chamber?

I think not.

The fired case must "batter" the slide every time to make the gun cycle. Cases are made of malleable materials softer than barrels and breech faces. Cases rest against or at least right at the breech face by design.

What keeps a case in the chamber at the time of maximum pressure is the friction caused by the expansion of the case against the chamber. If the test you refer to above claims that because of some oil in the chamber, the case will start moving rearward before it contracts—starting slide cycling some number of milliseconds earlier than a non oiled chamber, I say, "Eh."

The force of the case against the breech face is a well known engineering figure. Blowback pistols use this rearward case movement exclusively to cycle the slide.

So you know how much that force is, check out numerous videos on the tube where a 9mm slide is held in battery while firing simply with thumb pressure at the rear of the slide.

Oil in the chamber will likely be evaporated within days, and even if put in place a minute before firing, it will remain there for only a few firing cycles.

This, like a light coat of oil remaining in a barrel when firing, is a non-issue IMO.

I believe the term battering when used with pistols refers to forces exerted at the end of slide travel on the slide and frame. Typically it is due to using higher pressure rounds than the gun is designed for or the result of weak recoil springs. The breech face is about the last thing to worry about getting battered.

 

[oysterer]

Dragging a boresnake through the gun right before shooting is about the worst thing you can do as you pull **** back into the barrel. Boresnake is good for a first few rough passes soaked with Hoppes right at the range. Then do a good proper cleaning at home with a proper rod and and patches. Finish with a oil soaked patch and leave coat of oil in barrel. I use ballistol. Amazing what it will help loosen up over time it's in there. Make it a habit to run an oiled patch followed by a dry patch right before going back to the range. And voila. I do this with rifles and all guns.

 

[BigBill]

For oiling the bores inside it's the orginal USGI Light Weapons oil.

 

[shouldazagged]

I've used a light application of Rem-Oil for many years, with no swabbing afterward. Never had the slightest problem, even with guns that have sat unused for long periods, and it gets humid here in the Ohio Valley.

Rem-Oil is an older product but a very good one. I use it on the joints of folding knives, in door locks (especially car locks in cold weather), etc.

It's the only lubricant I use, very sparingly, on revolvers. Again, many years, no problems.

 

[LittleCooner]

Kroil, every time, no exceptions. dry patch when removed from safe for range time.

 

[MR.G]

Rem Oil in the barrel of all my guns after cleaning. Ben doing it for years. Works for me.

 

[nachogrande]

PUSH, IF THAT DOESN'T WORK PULL.

Dragging a boresnake through the gun right before shooting is about the worst thing you can do as you pull **** back into the barrel. Boresnake is good for a first few rough passes soaked with Hoppes right at the range. Then do a good proper cleaning at home with a proper rod and and patches. Finish with a oil soaked patch and leave coat of oil in barrel. I use ballistol. Amazing what it will help loosen up over time it's in there. Make it a habit to run an oiled patch followed by a dry patch right before going back to the range. And voila. I do this with rifles and all guns.

IF I only had 1 bore snake and IF I pulled them from the muzzle to breach, you MIGHT have a point. Having 2 snakes for every bore size, 1 for the range/field when dirty, The second is ONLY for guns that have been cleaned, in the traditional manner. BOTH snakes get inserted into the breach end and pulled out the muzzle. In essence the second snake is a dry patch. I've been wrong before, and done it wrong a long time, just ask my wife.