Choke Tube Lube

[alloy]

do i need another product for screw in chokes or would lithium, breakfree, antiseize, axle grease, lubriplate engine assembly lube, torco, lucas oil, marvel mystery, hoppes etc work?

i got more oils and greases than Carter has pills, should i buy something that says choke tube lube for 8 bux a syringe also?

i even got some wd-40

any suggestions, all appreciated.

[BigJimP]

Break Free is all I use on all of my shotgun chokes for lube. I also use it on the threads inside the barrels for my chokes.

I lube it until the choke will go in very smoothly, with finger pressure only. I don't use any wrenches on choke tubes, not even flush ones, just put your finger inside the choke and screw it in with your hand. It should seat just fine. If there is any roughness to threading it in - especially on a new gun - I get a toothbrush inside the barrel and really clean out the threads / and a lot of break free - in the barrel / and liberally on the choke tube so it goes in and out smoothly.

I also use Break Free to lube my semi-auto shotgun actions ( where the bolt runs on the rails of the receiver, inside the bolt on springs, pins, etc ). I think its a good product / and I use it on my handgunds too ( 1911's or whatever ).

The only grease I use on Shotguns - is on the barrel connection between the receiver and the barrels on an O/U I use Rig Grease. There is all kinds of grease being sold for choke tubes - I've tried them all - and it junk gunks things up in there.

I only keep 5 products on my cleaning bench:

1. Shooter's Choice shotgun and choke tube cleaner ( takes out plastic buildup from wads in your chokes, it doesn't hurt wood stocks, wood grips etc ). And I use that on all my handguns ( 1911's, revolvers, and all my shotguns.)

2. Rig Grease ( for shotgun barrel connections only )

3. Break Free ( lubing everything )

4. Rig Oil spray ( where I want a little oil, but nothing too heavy, like inside the action(springs, firing pins, etc inside the stock of an over under shotgun, the trigger group on a semi-auto shotgun ).

5. Barnes CR-10 for removing copper jacketing from the barrels of my handguns.


I belive in running all of my semi-autos shotguns and handguns a little on the "Wet side" vs graphite or bone dry / same on my shotgun choke tubes in all my shotguns. I take all the chokes out of my shotguns about every 10 boxes too / and clean and lube them - and a good T handle chamber brush will get the crud out of your chokes as well as your chambers on a shotgun.

[matt9052]

I believe you use anti-sieze compound. It does the same and choke lube.

[alloy]

these are colonial arms chokes...for now anyway. tightened with a quarter(per instructions), just dont wanna screw up the threads or lock one in there and unsure what it takes to make a big mistake/how common etc. i think if anything i would be guilty of keeping something too clean and lubed, instead of going too long between maintenance.

have almost all of the aforementioned products. along with a gazillion others. the barnes product i dont have. breakfree im sort of a believer lately. did a few searches and found others using similar and other products, so evidently the "what" isnt super critical as long as its all lubed well, threads and chokes kept clean, and the choke kept snugged in under use?

[Dave McC]

Yep. What you use is less crucial than using it.

I've used Breakfree, SLIP 2000, Remoil, Anti Seize,pure beeswax, and 30 weight motor oil. All work.

[BigJimP]

Aw come on Dave you have to get rid of the 30wt and go to 10-40wt its winter man ....

[zippy13]

More important than the product is the process. If the your choke doesn't go in smoothly it's time for a thread cleaning, not more torque or your quarter.

Years ago, Perazzi came out with a proprietary shotgun lube. I got a tube of the stuff, thinking at the price it must be something special. Until then, I'd used Mobil1 synthetic grease on my guns. It comes in standard grease gun cartridges and I'd pump some into plastic 35mm film cans -- one for each gun case. The synthetic does fine job lubricating as well as protecting in-the-white engraving from sweaty hands.
I gave my new grease a try, it works great as a lubricant; BUT, the stuff is black -- a very tenacious jet black. If you should get some on your clothing (hard to avoid), it's gonna stay there. Not something that works well on anything your hands might contact. I thought It might work well for the innards where there's no chance of contact, but I already had a lube for that.
At the T & S club, as I was assembling my O/U with Mobil1, my problem with the nasty black goo was solved. One of my shooting buddies spotted the Perazzi labeled tube in my gun case and commented that it must be a new product and probably over-priced. I told him that I just got it and he might like it for his P-guns. So, with a magnanimous gesture I gave it to him.

[BigJimP]

Mobil 1 - now there are 2 of you guys using motor oil .....I'm amazed. I can't say it would have ever occured to me to try it ...

[oneounceload]

on my Remington 1100 28 gauge, I have the opposite problem - the Briley chokes are wide/shallow threads and keep coming loose - I use teflon plumber's tape to keep them tight - and have started using it on my other guns after I clean the threads with Gumout carb/choke cleaner and the blow dry with that canned computer stuff - keeps the threads clean, and the chokes snug

[zippy13]

BigJimP

Mobil 1 - now there are 2 of you guys using motor oil .....I'm amazed. I can't say it would have ever occured to me to try it ...

Jim, I'm not using the motor oil, it's the less known Mobil1 synthetic GREASE.
Oops... I almost forgot, here's an old pic of my special grease gun
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1527/lubemd9.jpg
FYI: At one time, the PerazziUSA factory tech admitted to using a 50-50 mix of Vaseline and 30W non-detergent motor oil as an assembly lube.

[true_pair]

I own 3 shotguns and shoot trap and sporting clays. I use break free clp on the threads

[jrothWA]

exterior and the interior threads. Rag with solvent for tube and pipe cleaner for barrel.
Then just light coat of oil.

Those that have seized tube aren't maintaining their shotguns.

[BigJimP]

If Perazzi is using a mixture of Vaseline and 30WT motor oil ..... for assembly. What the heck are the Turkish makers using ......... that's too funny.

I think I'll stay with Rig Grease on my barrel to receiver connections ...

[zippy13]

Originally Posted by BigJimP

...I think I'll stay with Rig Grease on my barrel to receiver connections ...

This started off as choke tube lube tread, so we're a little off-topic. But, for comparison: If you're like me, your O/Us are broken down each time you shoot and all the receiver connections are cleaned. Then, they are re-lubed at re-assembly the next time you shoot. Under these conditions, I really don't think it matters too much what lube you use since it's used briefly and under clean conditions. On the other hand, I think some folks leave their choke tubes installed for extended periods in various environments.

[BigJimP]

Yes, we agree - and we are off topic a little.

When I get home from range / I clean guns ( including choke tubes and threads inside barrel ). I re-lube choke tubes and inside barrel with Break Free and put choke tubes back into guns. I always store my guns with choke tubes in them (unless they're too tall to fit into my safe - 32" or 34" barrels with extended chokes are too tall.

I store all my shotguns standing up in my safe / so I grease barrel to receiver connection and reassemble the gun and put it in the safe - then break it down into a hard case when I go to the range.

But principles are the same.

In general (which is on topic) - people screw their chokes in too tight - especially if they use a choke tube wrench / and they don't lube and clean their chokes often enough. Its my opinion that if you need more than just finger pressure, even on the inside of a flush mounted choke, to get the choke out, its dirty and wasn't lubed properly the last time it was put into the gun. If you need a choke tube wrench to get the choke into a barrel - then the barrel or the choke tube, or both, are dirty and not lubed properly ( take them out, and clean and lube the barrel and the chokes again ).

[alloy]

i put 30 rounds of buck and about 20 #6 today. checked it after about 10 rounds to see if it was tightening up or loosening etc. with quarter. it was fine, kept shooting when i cleaned it no problems. that was breakfree clp souped up with some old brite-bore grease i had that was probably 30 years old.

dont thinks its going to be an issue, appreciated. but keep on goin cause i got a few older breakdown doubles too

[BigJimP]

glad to hear it / I check mine by just putting my finger inside the barrel to see if its loose ( with gun unloaded of course..) .... no quarter or wrench required.

[Bunny]

I have found vaseline to be a fantastic choke tube lube!!!

[zippy13]

Greetings, Bunny and welcome aboard.

I think we're all preaching to the choir, here. It's not the lube that's important, it just using something in the first place. What about the guy who doesn't have a clue about his choke threads and changes them dry, except for some rain and spray in his duck blind?

[Brad Clodfelter]

Gorilla Grease works well.

http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_18...precision.html

Bore Tech Extreme Grease works well.

http://www.boretech.com/products/extremegrease.shtml