[7mmag6]

at the last garand match, one of my fellow shooters saw the lubriplate ( white assembly lube ) on my garand op-rod and told me I was out of my mind for using heavy grease on a garand, of course Im no expert, and the guy is a well known gun snob, he also told me to lightly lube the gas vent piston, not sure of the proper nomenclature I said ok, but this does not seem right to me, it seems the assembly should be dry to me. Is lubriplate ok for the op rod and should the gas valve be dry

 

[Gyrene]

7mmag6 - Lubriplate was chosen, by Springfield Armory, Springfield, Massachussets (the United States Government Armory), as the correct grease for the M1 Garand, and it usually comes in the little plastic bottles(?) that fit into the buttstock with the cleaning kit, and oiler. Lubriplate was kind of superseded by the gun grease that you can find in the same little plastic bottles(?), for the M-14, except instead of being whitish yellow, it looks more like axle grease (axle grease will work, too!). For normal temperatures (20 Degrees F. to 130 Degrees F.), the Lubriplate or the gun grease are exactly what you should use.

If you do not have Lubriplate, or the other (Government specified) gun grease, then there are several greases that are available through gun stores (Hoppes #9 Gun Grease comes to mind), that will work.

The M1 Garand system is a machine, and machines need to be lubed with grease. Oil is for cleaning and coating the metal surfaces to prevent rust, and except for -10 Degrees F. to about +10 Degrees F. it will not provide adequate lubrication for the machine.

DO NOT LUBE THE GAS CYLINDER, PERIOD!!! It is OK to wipe out the Gas Cylinder, and other parts of that system with a very lightly oiled cleaning patch for long term storage, but when you plan to shoot it you must then wipe it dry, before shooting.

As you say the guy who told you about the heavy grease is a "Snob", and he should probably have been put in his place. I recommend being a gentleman (I know you are a gentleman), and basically ignoring his comments. If you have to say anything, then remember that:
Lubriplate was chosen, by Springfield Armory, Springfield, Massachussets (the United States Government Armory), as the correct grease for the M1 Garand. You also have had the advice of Gyrene and I am sure you will get the same advice from anyone who has been around M1 Garands while in the service.


`

 

[7mmag6]

you da man gyrene you da man!!!!!!

 

[TULAver]

What did they/should you use in -20 degree conditions?

 

[Thrawn]

Penguin spit.:right:

 

[NRAJOE]

Or penguin ooze?

 

[Thrawn]

Or penguin ooze?

Weeeellllll, I was'nt gonna go that far.:insane:

 

[gunssb]

you guys are sick. Gun snobs suck - bump into them once in a while at our range. They come with their M1As with all trademarked shirts, tactical gloves, cool shades and range bags, never talk and look disparagingly at my mosin

 

[Gyrene]

TULAver - In answer to your question, "What did they/should you use in -20 degree conditions?" Dry powdered graphite works very well down to -48 Degrees F. My guess is that if we had weather colder than that in North Korea, it would have worked just as well as it did at -48 Degrees F.

gunssb - I would make a guess, that any of your Mosin's shots are comparable to any of their M1A shots. I'll go further, if they haven't had their M1A very long, and if it is the same as it was when it came from the Springfield Armory (Commercial) in Geneseo, Illinois, your Mosin will out shoot the M1A. I haven't seen one (that has been purchased in the past 2 1/2 years) that could fire more than about 45 to 60 rounds, without having to be taken apart to lube it. Most stop functioning somewhere before 35 to 40 rounds. If their M1A is one of the short M1A's (Bush rifle, Scout rifle, or SOCOM), your Mosin will always outshoot them. If you are shooting out to 1,000 yards, then the M1A's are again at a disadvantage.

The latest from the Latvian's, who use the M-14's that Clinton shipped to them to get them out of the USA, is that they would much prefer to have either AK-47/74's or FN-FAL's, and they like the M1 Garands, too. Apparently the M-14's are not working out for them. I would like to know when we can get them back!

`

 

[gunssb]

Gyrene you guessed right The M1A SOCOM guys spend more time babying the gun than actually shooting it. I'm waiting for my CMP Garand :right:

 

[lefty o]

i definately agree with the use of lubriplate on the garand. everything that has wear marks gets a light coat of lubriplate, the gas cylinder is to remain dry, and one drop of light oil down the firing pin.

 

[jerry]

Heard Lubriplate is the good stuff too.
I get the tubes from Graco pump rebuild kits at work. I cleaned my garand up and hit the recommended area's with LP. Felt wonderfull. Even sounded different. Yes, the tubes of LP fit i the stock :right:

 

[Big Dog]

My buddy and I have been using those little tubs of 'Garand Grease' for years - great stuff! It's also good to grease the bearings in desk fans - we use it here at work for that!
You know what will really PO those M1A snobs - outshoot them with a Yugo SKS! Ooh . . . they can't stand that . . . :joker:

 

[PAPA G]

You know what will really PO those M1A snobs - outshoot them with a Yugo SKS! Ooh . . . they can't stand that . . . :joker:

whooooa tell me more!!!

 

[bartcase]

Degeasing the M1 Garand

I know this is not the proper thread to be asking this but it seems like there are some knowlegable members here and I'm hoping that one of them can help me.

I just purchased a Current Grade M1 Garand from CMP. It has a lot of grease on and in it. I was told it is grease and not cosmoline. What is the best way to degrease the metal? Someone recomended Meneral Spirits.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Mooseman684]

Mineral spirits works great for degreasing or de-cosmolining guns and stocks...

 

[jerry]

gun scrubber works too, be advised it will remove all oil/lube/grease

 

[texnmidwest]

gun scrubber works too, be advised it will remove all oil/lube/grease

.....and take the finish off your stock, coffee table, hardwood floor...

 

[jerry]

Yepper, I'd remove the stock and work in a ventalated area with propper PPE regardless of the chemical being used.

 

[Ericc]

Is lubriplate ok for the op rod and should the gas valve be dry

Lubriplate is just fine. I personally use Mobile 1 synthetic grease (red stuff). Here's some info in general on grease in regards to the M1.

This is important. The Mil spec for rifle grease ONLY deals with washout. It doesn't deal with thermal breakdown, how effective a lubricant it is.

With that in mind. Take a look at the Mobil 1 grease I use.

If you look at the rating for the Mobil 1 grease to the washout test. ASTMD1264, only 6% of the grease was lost during the test @ 175F !!!.

You will never ever operated your Garand in an environment that will wash off the grease. Unless someone tossed you in a boiling pot of water with high pressure sprayers. Even then some of the grease will still be there.

Quoting an airforce research lab

ASTM D 1264, known as water washout, was modified to
include synthetic sea water. While there are various lubricant bearing tests for corrosion, none measures a lubricant’s resistance to sea water. It is expected to combine corrosion and washout
measurements in this test. For many military applications, this property may be helpful in determining the life of the component, as the ability of the grease to remain in place will insure sufficient lubrication as well as corrosion protection

The actual test is the following.

1. An ABEC 6204 bearing is packed with four grams of grease.
2. The bearing is spun at 600 RPM and either 100F or 175F water is sprayed onto the bearing at a rate of 300 ml per minute.
3. The percent of grease lost is the rating number.

The more important rating has to do with wear. That test is ASTM D 2266.

The ONLY spec for rifle grease in regards to the M1 is MIL-G-46003. There are several other's out there for new weapon systems.

That spec is

Grease, Rifle MILG-46003 Used as a lubricant for rifles and other small arms, when such weapons are used under conditions of sustained rain.

Water Spray Test: The water spray test is an accelerated test
to determine the effect of a heavy rainfall on the performance of the weapon. The test consists of a spray of water falling at a rate of approximately 0.4 inch per minute or 24 +/- 3 inches per hour. The spray of water is directed over the entire weapon by means of a special shower head positioned about 3 feet above the weapon. The water and air temperatures are measured and recorded. The test weapon is lubricated with MIL-G-46003(MR) grease before the test but not between the test phases.

The TEST procedure follows. Take any grease and subject it to the following test and if it passes.. You have a Mil-G-46003 rated grease!

The Automatic fire sections can be omitted.

We've already shown that the Mobil 1 synthetic grease has superb washdown characteristics. Why would the grease fail this spec in a heavy rain? If spraying HOT sea water on it doesn't cause failure? It wouldn't. So Mobile 1 grease meets or exceeds the Mil Spec for grease used on the M1.

Please keep in mind that you will never find yourself in a situation where you need this level of grease protection. I'm pretty certain I'm not going to be neck deep in a swamp during a 175F monsoon with driving salt water rain and an M1 anytime soon.

The second part of your question. Grease or oil in the gas cylinder is in no way harmful to the rifle. Oil blows out within a few shots and grease leaves a nice film behind that makes cleaning up super easy and super quick.

The M1 Gas cylinder is a very loose system, the pressure in the gas cylinder has decayed to zero before the op-rod moves 1/2 inch. From that point on it's just coasting back.

Eric