Oil or grease?

Sometimes I use baby oil on my gun, and a dab of grease on the Mini 14.

40nascar said:

Sometimes I use baby oil on my gun, and a dab of grease on the Mini 14.

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TMI there, but you do you. 😂

What type of grease do you use on the Mini 14? I’ve never used grease to lube a rifle, so just not familiar if there is one type or you need a specific type.

TW25 grease is my lube of choice

neil0311 said:

TMI there, but you do you. 😂

What type of grease do you use on the Mini 14? I’ve never used grease to lube a rifle, so just not familiar if there is one type or you need a specific type.

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At one time at a gun show, many moons ago, the was a guy that had hundreds of these miniature grease bottles about the diameter and height of a dime. These were supposedly issued during WWII with Enfield rifles.

A finger tip dab of that in the Op Rod channel.

neil0311 said:

TMI there, but you do you. 😂

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Lubrication has application on many different types of guns. There are limits to how much friction is a good thing!

As has been said: oil if it rolls and grease if it slides. A light grease (e.g lithium) for low to 'normal' temps or a heaver for high temps. Auto grease does work fine or you can do the 'boutique' stuff. Just keep it lubed!

Use grease sparingly, the same as oil. I use 'grease very lightly, and put a drop, and i mean a drop, of CLP with it, rub lightly and it is all I have ever needed. All of this depends on what you are shooting, how many rounds, weather etc. Most people develop their own style, but the general rule is less is more! Hit the wear points, be super lean on the trigger parts, and firing pins, firing pin channels etc especially in dusty, dirty or cold environments. I once had a bolt gun firing pin freeze on me when hunting in cold weather because it had too much oil.

neil0311 said:

I have AR-15s and have always and only ever lubricated with gun oil, typically Hoppes.

The Ruger Mini 14 manual doesn’t provide any details on lube points or lube instructions, so I found videos on YouTube (including one from Brownells) that mention using grease.

What do you use?

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I saw the same Youtube video. I use a light lithium grease. I had a issue with the bolt sticking open after ejection. Seems to have helped, though I only put 50 rounds through it.

An often omitted lubrication point is the "hooks" of the trigger guard and the recesses in the "legs" of the receiver into which they seat. A dab of grease in both locations prevents undue wear and tear at this location. Worn surfaces in this area can lead to reduced clamping force, and reduced accuracy.

RIBob said:

An often omitted lubrication point is the "hooks" of the trigger guard and the recesses in the "legs" of the receiver into which they seat. A dab of grease in both locations prevents undue wear and tear at this location. Worn surfaces in this area can lead to reduced clamping force, and reduced accuracy.

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I can see that being an issue in the Eastern U.S, and coastal areas where rust could potentially lock your trigger group in place. Not an issue in the Western and Southwest U.S.

It is not so much an issue of corrosion, but of the ungreased components rubbing against each other and rubbing against each other with some force. I have seen many M1 Garands with severe wear at their "locking" points. This wear is cumulative, and in exceptional cases, the wear on the components became visible. The visibly worn components on the M1s allowed the "locked-in" receiver and trigger group to move together within the stock-- obviously a serious detriment to accuracy.

Some dabs of grease at these "locking" points is cheap insurance against such wear and makes locking and unlocking the trigger group much easier. Give it a try.

I've never heard of that being an issue with Ruger Mini's. I doubt I ever will. Maybe it could happen in a combat situation when 10's of thousands of rounds have been expended in it. It's seems to me that the more common occurrence with the mini trigger groups locking-in, is ham handed owners that over torque during re-install of the trigger group, when the trigger group and stock and upper assembly ( barreled reciever ) are not quite in alignment, which damages ( stretches) the lock mechanism.
People need to take their time and be patient when reassembling the mini, after a field strip.