Bolt preventative Maintenance

[Bucktote]

There is much discussion about Bolts on the forum. Is there a solution that a bolt from an older rifle may be bathed in to loosen years of dried oils & lubricants. This would helpful as the disassembly of action bolts can be a daunting task for many Sako owners. I have a Browning Auto 5 -12 Ga.. shot gun and at the end of the quail season here in GA I would remove the butt stock & bath the entire action in gasoline ( outside of course) while working the action bolt several times. All sorts of seeds & trash would come out. I repeated this several times over a few days. Then let the drain a few days then reoil the action & allow it to drain again a few days. Could something like this be done with a bolt?

Fact is when I was younger I would follow flushing quail inti some of the thickest covers & subject myself, guns & dogs to places where a sane person would avoid!!

Note: Gasoline was 18-25 cents/ gallon then! (how much is your dollar worth??)

 

[Tomball]

WD 40 in an ultrasonic bath. You can buy a gallon can of WD 40 and use it for ever in this application. When the crud and debris settle to bottom of ultrasonic bath, pour back in can for reuse. Been doing this for years with excellent results.

 

[icebear]

looks like a reasonable idea to me. WD-40 is a decent solvent and is good for loosening rust. It is NOT a lubricant. Seems to me that an ultrasonic cleaner with a WD-40 bath would be pretty effective.

 

[paulsonconstruction]

WD-40 is nothing more than fish oil. If left on anything, over time, it will dry & leave a hardened amber colored coating that pretty much gunks up things. It's one of the common problems I see when people bring in guns that "don't work anymore"! I never let it near my firearms.

 

[Spaher]

Locksmiths will tell you to never, ever use WD40 as a lubricant on locks as it will shortly gum up the mechanism. It will harden & any dust or debris adheres to the surface applied.

 

[ERP]

WD-40 is nothing more than fish oil. If left on anything, over time, it will dry & leave a hardened amber colored coating that pretty much gunks up things. It's one of the common problems I see when people bring in guns that "don't work anymore"! I never let it near my firearms.

Especially on hand guns

 

[paulsonconstruction]

There is much discussion about Bolts on the forum. Is there a solution that a bolt from an older rifle may be bathed in to loosen years of dried oils & lubricants. This would helpful as the disassembly of action bolts can be a daunting task for many Sako owners. I have a Browning Auto 5 -12 Ga.. shot gun and at the end of the quail season here in GA I would remove the butt stock & bath the entire action in gasoline ( outside of course) while working the action bolt several times. All sorts of seeds & trash would come out. I repeated this several times over a few days. Then let the drain a few days then reoil the action & allow it to drain again a few days. Could something like this be done with a bolt?

Fact is when I was younger I would follow flushing quail inti some of the thickest covers & subject myself, guns & dogs to places where a sane person would avoid!!

Note: Gasoline was 18-25 cents/ gallon then! (how much is your dollar worth??)

Kerosene was the "soaking" agent most commonly used "back in the day". Gasoline is a little dangerous for my taste. To clean & free up stiff dirty bolts I recommend soaking in Acetone or Lacquer Thinner in a well ventilated area for a day or two. Then flush the bolt with one of the aerosol gun cleaners, like Gun Scrubber or the less expensive carburetor cleaners. These aerosols really do a good job of flushing the melted crud from the interior & all the nooks & crannies of a bolt. I don't generally take bolts apart to clean them anymore unless the soaking & flushing doesn't work, which is very seldom. The problem with soaking in fuel & letting it drain is the residue that is left behind, not to mention the "stink". A very light application of Kroil is my preferred lubricant for bolts. Other than the camming surface on the cocking piece & the bolt guide rings, bolts really don't need any oil. The main cause of gunked up bolts is too much oil!

 

[icebear]

I've never had the problem with WD-40 leaving a residue, probably because any time I use it as a cleaning solvent, I wipe the part or parts with a cloth soaked in CLP after I've cleaned them. I appreciate the reminder about the down side of WD-40, and that will make me more conscious of the possibility of long-term problems.

 

[Tomball]

Kerosene was the "soaking" agent most commonly used "back in the day". Gasoline is a little dangerous for my taste. To clean & free up stiff dirty bolts I recommend soaking in Acetone or Lacquer Thinner in a well ventilated area for a day or two. Then flush the bolt with one of the aerosol gun cleaners, like Gun Scrubber or the less expensive carburetor cleaners. These aerosols really do a good job of flushing the melted crud from the interior & all the nooks & crannies of a bolt. I don't generally take bolts apart to clean them anymore unless the soaking & flushing doesn't work, which is very seldom. The problem with soaking in fuel & letting it drain is the residue that is left behind, not to mention the "stink". A very light application of Kroil is my preferred lubricant for bolts. Other than the camming surface on the cocking piece & the bolt guide rings, bolts really don't need any oil. The main cause of gunked up bolts is too much oil!

WD 40 that is sold today does not have fish oil as an ingredient instead it has mineral oil. Your comments are very out of date. Look it up to fact check yourself.

 

[Spaher]

Well, regardless of mineral or fish oil, a quick search consistently recommends not to use it as a lubricant as it is a cleaner that leaves residue and not recommended for firearms.

 

[kevinlg]

I use naphtha (lighter fluid), Hoppe's No.9(GREAT smell, too!), and Gun Scrubber.......along with various old toothbrushes, cotton swabs, rags and patches, etc.......for general cleaning.
Then, I wipe down all metal surfaces with Rusteprufe.......that I also use for a wipedown before storage.
For general lubrication I've long used FP-10 Firearms Lubricant.......but use small dabs of Pro-Gold bolt lube on the rear of the bolt lugs, and on the bolt firing pin cocking ramp.

Hope this helps.

 

[icebear]

Be careful of Hoppe's No.9. It can take the finish off of some aluminum alloy guns, especially older (i.e. collectible/valuable) pieces. A few years ago I was cleaning up some estate guns for sale and was horrified to see the finish coming off of a Colt Cobra. I mentioned it to a buddy of mine and his reaction was, "You didn't know that? I thought that was common knowledge." Fortunately I stopped before too much damage was done and we got a good price for the Cobra, but it was still a sobering experience.

 

[kevinlg]

Be careful of Hoppe's No.9. It can take the finish off of some aluminum alloy guns, especially older (i.e. collectible/valuable) pieces. A few years ago I was cleaning up some estate guns for sale and was horrified to see the finish coming off of a Colt Cobra. I mentioned it to a buddy of mine and his reaction was, "You didn't know that? I thought that was common knowledge." Fortunately I stopped before too much damage was done and we got a good price for the Cobra, but it was still a sobering experience.

I had not heard that......about Hoppe's No.9. Interesting........will look into it.
I've both new and old(with nitrobenzene) Hoppe's.

I do know that the old Lead-Away impregnated cloth can lift nickel and chrome plated finishes.

 

[Larsline]

I disassemble all my bolts frequently as part of general maintenance, this is at least yearly to prevent any rust from forming. For guns I actually shoot they get cleaned every ~500 rounds, I use a gun cleaner (Lucas or brake cleaner) if they are bad enough when I purchase the internal or non-coated parts go in a sonic cleaner.