Good read but I'll add what worked for me in Artic, Jungle and Desert conditions.
Artic: Completely strip the weapon of "all" lubricants and POL products. Wipe down with alcohol. Use lighter fluid to coat the entire action, bore and trigger group etc and let it evaporate and reassemble. In extreme cold consider the dangers of warm shelter tempetures and walking out to sub zero conditions. Condensation will flash freeze the action so be careful.
Jungle: Used a impregnated oily rag (no not eakers first girl friend) called rustepruffe., detail clean and use any good product that will "repel" water and not mix with it. We also used an exotic and very expensive jungle grade lubricant called Water Displacement formula # 40 that kept dihydrogen monoxide at bay in wet environment. After using the lubricant we wiped it down very clean with a dry rag and at the end of each day there on out used the rustepruffe rag to "maintain" (not clean) the firearms.
Desert; Clean the weapon of all POL products.......period. Our M60's, 1911's and M1A's were degreased completely and functioned flawlessly in the Shamals.
That's how I did it with my weapons. Worked for me. In competition and play these days I swab em down with Militec products and the rustepruffe product rag. For hunting I try to fit the firearm for the conditions. Wet/Cold = stainless or titanium / stainless combination of those metals for rifle actions. Albeit one can "watch" a Blued steel Ruger rust. The blued steel Sako products survived the Alaskan weather really well. I guess it's all about the composition but the best rifle I own for hunting all conditions is a Remington 700 stainless Sendero SF in 300 Rem Ultra Mag that I had coated with titanium nitride for protection and then had all the trigger group and bolt coated with a ceramic product that was/is (?) used on race engines. The lighter fluid evaporated and wiped down trick completes my hunting rifle prep.
My carry daily 1911A1 is degreased/cleaned in a sonic wet bath . I then treated all the internals per the militec products instructions and wipe it as dry as possible with a clean dry rag. I then add just a minor coating of the militec grease to moving parts and bearing surfaces. Keeps the dust bunnies , sweat and levi lint at bay right proper......
Just the way I maintain my firearms .......hunting, competition or self defense.
Stay safe !
Oooops number 89 was to you also......doom on me !
OMG! ~snorting coffee through my nose~ I hope you're close friends with Eaker, or you live on the other side of the planet from him.
Wipe down with alcohol. Use lighter fluid to coat the entire action, bore and trigger group etc and let it evaporate and reassemble.
What does this do? And why would you use such a flammable concoction? Isn't there something similar that's not so dangerous to use? Not just the flame risk, but to skin and inhale?
Thanks for the ping and the lub recommendations.
I really like that Sendero model, too, but I have my heart set on the 7mm Rem Mag. The reason I chose to stay away from the 300 Rem Ultra Mag was because of its reputation as a barrel eater. Got an opinion on that? Either way, both of those rounds have about the best ballistics curerntly available over the counter. Tell me about the scope you put on that Sendero.
--Boot Hill