Fort Riley soldier's idea keeps weapons working

The Witicha Eagle ^ | Apr. 05, 2003 | TIM POTTER

[B4Ranch]

	Posted on Sat, Apr. 05, 2003
	Fort Riley soldier's idea keeps weapons working An oil-based lubricant for guns is like a magnet for dust and sand in the desert. One soldier found a synthetic substitute. BY TIM POTTER The Wichita Eagle FORT RILEY - As they head to war in Iraq, the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 13th Armor, carry 1-ounce bottles of orange liquid that could save their lives. They contain a synthetic lubricant that keeps pistols, rifles and machine guns working in the desert sand and dust, which can coat, clog and wear any mechanism. The tank battalion, part of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, kept hearing reports of weapons malfunctioning in desert training. The problem, said battalion commander Lt. Col. Frank Sherman, is that the oil-based lubricant the Army usually uses seems to attract dust and sand in desert conditions. Sherman credited Staff Sgt. Julian Tobin for taking the initiative to solve the problem for their battalion. Tobin tried to downplay his involvement, saying he was only following up on officers' good ideas. He searched the Internet and found a product called Militec-1, advertised as a "synthetic-based metal conditioner." Some other units already in Iraq have started using it, he said. Although the synthetic lubricant is moist when applied, it dries as it bonds with metal, which prevents it from drawing as much dust and sand as the oil-based lubricant. The change, Tobin said, could determine whether a bullet casing fully ejects or a round properly engages in a firing mechanism. More than half the approximately 500 soldiers in Sherman's tank unit work in support of the tanks. They are logistics experts, mechanics and clerks, working without armored plating to shield them. Their lives, Sherman said, could depend on whether their M-16s fire dependably.

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© 2003 The Wichita Eagle and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.kansas.com

[B4Ranch]

When I first found out about this stuff I was very skeptical. In fact I thought it was a smooth load of BS. So, I bought a small bottle and tried to disprove it to myself.

I handloaded 75 rounds very precisely. Cleaned, polished, measured the cases and used only very, very similar ones. Then hand weighted the powder to within a one thousandth. Did the same with the bullets. Ran them thru the RCBS, remeasured, re-weighted the final product. Went out to the range, set up the chronograph and went to town. I fired 10 rounds and nine were all within 60 fps of each other. One bastard round went out at 115 fps faster than the others.

Then I recleaned the the barrel (I use M-Pro 7) and started over doing it the way they wanted me to.

[ DO NOT use hot loads when you are doing this because you could apply too much MILITEC-1 and bring the compression numbers too high.]

Apply a light coat of MILITEC-1 to the inside of the barrel. Rapid fire 5 rounds and run the patch thru again, rapid fire another 5 rounds and run the patch thru again, rapid fire 5 rounds and run the patch thru again.

[What you have done is heat the barrel allowing the MILITEC-1 to condition the metal. Each time the barrel gets hotter and the MILITEC-1 goes deeper into the metal.]

After 15 shots I had an average of 132 fps faster than with the untreated barrel, my shots kept going lower and then settled out. They had dropped 1 1/4 inch and tightened up 4/10's of an inch.

It supposedly remains in the metal even after repeated firing - - a minimum of 1,000 rounds. I've seen numbers of 3000 but I am probably reusing it every 200 to 500 or so. Whenever I come home from the range and then clean the rifle, I reapply a very light coat of MILITEC-1.

Traditional lubes temporarily bathe and coat the metal surfaces and create a temporary film between all metal parts. Since the condition is only temporary, a lack of constant lubrication, over a short time, leaves the weapon unprotected due to the effects of firing. The combustion flash burns the traditional surface lubes off. This is what causes throat wear.

"It seals the metal, reduces friction, and creates a self-lubricating effect by stiffening the metal without hardening it." How, I don't know but it works.

The other advantages I found are much easier cleaning. What used to take 15 minutes is now done in five.

One more trick I like about this stuff is it reduced the trigger pull almost one pound. I heated the firing system out in the sun and poured a bit of MILITEC-1 on the whole mess. Springs, sear, everything then covered them with a black garbage bag. I just let it bake from about noon until four. The next morning when I re-assembled everything the trigger seemed different, just a bit too light. It had been 2 1/2 pounds forever. Measured it and came out with 1 7/8. Glad I caught it before I went to the range. LOL Didn't want an oops in front of my partner.

So, now I am an absolute believer in MILITEC-1. I have friends who use it in black powder long bores, shotguns, and handguns . Barrett includes a bottle when you buy a .50 from them. Who knows what makes it work? I just know it works for me. Good luck

[B4Ranch]

See #49 for a possible answer.

[Mr_Magoo]

Thanks. I think I will try it .

[glock rocks]

a little tiny bit of militec-1 goes a long long way. i'm sold on the stuff, use it in my carbines, revolvers, pistolas, rifles and shotgun. i've done the hot treatment (swab and shoot 5) you mentioned (post #61) with all my pistols and carbines. if it ever gets above freezing, i'm going to take the triggers down and do the black bag heat treatment on all of them.

they're all on a steady diet of m-pro7 for cleaning, and militec-1 for lube.

for whatever reason, my old 870 likes to grow a touch of rust on the barrel ribs, so i use break free "collector" on its outside surfaces - works fine during swamp season. later this spring, i'll probably re-blue the rail and try the militec heat treatment on it, too.

i picked up a used ranch rifle... had some dirty barrel... put a touch of hoppes copper solvent in there - wa la - now she's on the m-pro7 and militec-1 diet. that combination of things pulled the group size in by half (LOL, not amazing for a mini-14).

as far as the carbines... it seems the militec-1 keeps crud from sticking. pulling a snake through the barrel every mag keeps em on target.

the up side about m-pro7 cleaner is it has no fumes, so i can sit in the relative comfort of my loading room to clean instead of being out on the deck in the cold and wet. pricey, but good stuff.

[Pete-R-Bilt]

I had to replace the elec./air solinoid under the framerails that operate my automatic tire chains, while i had the system open I added some Militec, definetly a noticable difference in performance!

[glock rocks]

that reminds me... last fall i put a drop of militec on my computer fan... it had been humming and gyrating and generally driving me nuts. i haven't heard it since. amazing stuff!

[Travis McGee]

Great catch!

[Squantos]

http://www.rusteprufe.com/NEW%20ORDER

I use this for the wet Jungle of Central America and cold wet of Alaska. Get the small solvent and the applicator/wiper cloth. One set will last you a lifetime........ buy 6 to give to your friends as it's that good.

As to sand and grease , my time in the middle east taught me to keep the weapon dry. No earl at all. Some of the space age panther piss concoctions pushed on us worked better or best yet a very good cleaning and daily care with a muzzle condom did the trick.

I'll have to check out some of this per your recommendation GR !.......Thanks !

Stay Safe !

[AAABEST]

Thanks for taking the time to pass around some good info. I've never heard of the stuff, but I'll be asking my gun shop for more info.