Cosmoline - why remove it?

D

davery25

New member
Hey guys,

A ton of resources on old military firearms tell me to remove the cosmoline out of a gun. I've stripped my Swedish M96 and Lee Enfield as far as I can and theres cosmoline everything in the bolts.

My question is - why remove it? It doesn't seem to be caking like they say, and seems to do a brilliant job of lubricating the parts.

Also if i am to remove it - i want to replace it with something heavier then gun oil and was thinking of using some Penfolds High Temperature Bearing Grease left over from my motorcycle maintenance. Is this an issue?
 
Cosmoline is a preservative, not a lubricant. If left in place it becomes very stiff and will completely prevent movement of parts. Left inside the bolt it will prevent the firing pin from moving and striking the primer. Left inside the barrel, well..... There's no reason to leave it inside a firearm unless you are storing the weapon for long time periods.
 
that i did not know. thanks medalguy. reckon I'm ok to use the lithium high temp grease? (even though i know bolts dont get to high temps)
 
Why do you feel the need to use anything heavier than gun oil?

Grease doesn't creep (flow) like oil. Grease won't normally get to all the surfaces where lubrication is needed, unless you can actually reach in and place it on that surface. When oil runs, that is part of its advantage, used sparingly and replenished as needed, of course.
 
Take your cosmoline coated rifle out on a day's shooting when it is about 10 degrees and you will understand why it has to be removed.
 
I'm wondering how much oil you all use? I have always cleaned and then "dried" all surface [internal and external] oil out of my guns. I have found that any excess amount of oil seems to attract and hold dust etc. and congeal it into "crud".

MJ
 
When the carbon residue mixes with cosmo, it hardens and becomes an SOB to get out. I learned that in the 80's with a Tech 9, the hard way.
 
i figured grease would be good for inside the bolt so that it wont come off and get into places that are hard to reach but that dont actually require lubrication, like the inside of the firing pin carrier / bolt body.

I've just used the bearing grease on it, should i remove it and just use a heavy oil instead?
 
Completely correct, cosmoline is a preservative, not a lubricant. When it gets cold, it turns nasty. If you are shooting that rifle, get off as much as possible. If you need grease, Lubriplate 130-A is mil-spec (there are others that are probably better but it is the minimum I would use).
 
I promise you that you will much rather get it out while its still some what moist cause i had a sks i was willing to burn it out to get the crap out of the bolt. Beter now then when your on the range or god forbid needing the rifle in a life or death incident. I think if your wanting to go with a grease then go light weight like mil-spec grease. But oil will do
 
I got a nagant a couple of years ago so covered in cosmoline the stock turned yellow and the bolt was seized by the time I got it home. (it was winter and stored in a warehouse.) In order to clean it I actually boiled the entire rifle. Worked well for the metal parts, not so good for the wood stock that I replaced with a monte carlo synthetic stock anyway.
 
I oil it and then wipe it off. There's enough left on to lubricate. Oil and especially grease gets stiff in cold weather and can slow down the movement. Some use a powdered graphite but I'm not a fan of that.
 
Cosmoline is extremely dangerous to leave in the SKS.

It's known to potentially seize the firing pin in the forward position, which will result in the rifle firing the whole magazine automatically when you release the bolt.

People have died this way after losing control of the rifle.

Cosmoline also has a tendency to ooze out of the stock in warm temperatures. The stock will cover your hands in grease and ruin the inside of your rifle case.
 
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