Hi Jim,
I’m in the middle of reading Roy E. Appleman’s book “East of Chosin“ [1]. It is an account of the tragic fate of the 31st Regimental Combat team during the Korean conflict.
Several references talk about the soldiers weapons (especially M1 Carbines [2]) locking up due to the extreme (-20 Fahrenheit or greater) cold. It mentioned how the Chinese weapons worked because they had little or no oil in them. I imagined those weapons had a short operational life without lubrication, but they worked when needed.
What would you recommend to keep firearms functional in extreme cold? A dry/powdered lubricant? Sincerely, – Ron S. in Upstate New York
JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning this topic! It is particularly important fro SurvivalBlog readers, since firearms will surely be carried and used outdoors more frequently, post-TEOTWAWKI [3]. The only sure method to keep firearms actions from binding in sub-zero weather is to completely de-lubricate the moving parts, using a spray can of carburetor cleaner solvent such as Gummout or Berryman’s B12 Chem Tool [4]. (Wear rubber gloves!) and then re-lubricate, using a dry film lubricant such as Dri-Slide [5] or similar molybdenum disulfide powder. Even when using these dry lubes, there is the chance that moisture from rain or condensation can get in a gun’s action and freeze it to the point of binding. Therefore, it is important to frequently test your guns’ actions by cycling them, whenever the temperature drops below freezing