Cold Weather Test

Reckon we in the North Country are in for a spell of sub-zero weather. Prime time to test your lubrication theories. Won't matter much to a revolver, unless the gun has punk springs or is gobbed up with non-synthetic oil or grease. Coil springs, which need an external channel or internal strut to apply straight pressure, work with trace moly-disulfide or automatic transmission fluid. (Coil springs have more friction than leaf springs).

Overall, against hard freeze, the revolver is far less lube sensitive than the autoloader. While this note probably belongs in the auto pistol section----directed at the millions of little pocket pistols, which are the most sensitive of all repeating firearms----I throw it out there as a challenge to those who pack big iron to take this cold snap to do your own testing with whatever you carry, wheelgun or auto.

Immediately, the auto pistol shooter will wish he or she had loaded magazines BEFORE stepping into the hard freeze to shoot. Likewise, the sixgunner will find the shooting session lasts longer with a double action and simultaneous ejection than with the one-at-a-time single action.

Some guns seem more reliable in freezing weather. The Auto Mag was such a gun, which in my experience worked better from Zero to twenty-below than at temperatures above freezing. Which still wasn't close to good enough to make one of these stainless steel bricks worthy of packing for any reason. The Auto Mag was a perfect demonstration of why accuracy without reliability isn't good enough.

A wide selection of lubes works fine in a Ruger or S&W .22 revolver, but the bolt of any .22 auto pistol or rifle does better with Brownells Dri-Slide moly-disulfide.
David Bradshaw

I found firing my Redhawk in -18F weather difficult (pulling trigger and hammer needed to two fingers). Even after degreasing with alcohol prior to going to the arctic, and lubing with a silicone spray. I had the gun in a shoulder holster under my parka, but in that cold it didn't make a difference. In another thread people recommended using no lubrication for better functioning. Good luck with your experiments. You mention Dri-Slide a moly-disulfide. Won't it gum up? Some have said that graphite seems to work in low temp applications.
gramps

Gramps.... Dri-Slide is moly-disulfide in an evaporative medium. I've used it for decades to lubricate such potentially sensitive parts as firing pin assemblies in bolt guns and box triggers, parts which motion can be retarded by oils which thicken and/or oxidize. Also use Dri-Slide to inside lube the necks of rifle brass prior to sizing.

Revolver going from your armpit holster to outside cold, back and forth, can cause condensation when steel goes from cold to warm. Condensation glues itself to steel as ice, adhesion unlikely in the presence of a thin synthetic lube or moly-disulfide.

A bone dry gun works until water freezes to it. At that point, the water resistant, freeze resistant lube takes over. Proved this to my satisfaction years ago with pump and semi-auto rifles as well as auto pistols and revolvers, and this experience was backed by Canadian bush pilot, silhouette/hunting buddies.
David Bradshaw

Thanks, I'll give it a try.
gramps

Here in Minnesota I use FP-10 on all my guns after having trouble with other oils and greases in sub-zero weather.
Only trouble I've had since switching to FP-10 has been with my Mark II. It needs full power ammo like Mini Mags to cycle in cold weather. I never run anything dry, seems to make it worse.
I think the old timers advice of running dry came before the use of good synthetic oils.
This week I'm going to try a light grade of Mobile-1, I can't find any FP-10 locally.
I'm prepping loads to test next weekend. I'll be testing the new oil, Tula primers, Universal powder, my new GP100 and my new-to-me SP101 .22lr to make sure they all work in cold weather.
I'm going to leave them in the car overnight to make sure they're good and cold.
Cold as heck today, but I have to work in a couple hours.

I lost my FP-10 last year in the divorce. I'll have get some more and the moly- disulfide. Can't have too much around.
gramps