Doing your 'Rossi Stuff'

Share your experience in caring for your favorite Rossi with other members or ask the question that you cannot find the answer to!
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GRV01
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Re: Doing your 'Rossi Stuff'

Post by GRV01 »

So Remoil (or any of the others suggested here) wont get 'gummy' and need to be stripped and reapplied periodically? I ask agaim not only because this my first Rossi but my first firearm ever. Thanks
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Re: Doing your 'Rossi Stuff'

Post by Ohio3Wheels »

I use Remoil when I'm breaking in guns that need to be run "wet" like well made 1911s. I don't use it so much for day to day lube as it tends to not stay put. I've been using one or more of the "high" tech greases like TetraLube that usually come in syringes that let you put it where you want it. Thus far no problems in all the assorted weather we go through around here. For exteriors, particularly for long term I use Rig and I've recently started using Balistol wipes when I figure the gun s going out with me in the near term, but I've only been using it for about 4 months and the jury may still yet be out.

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Re: Doing your 'Rossi Stuff'

Post by Archer »

Remoil IMO stinks on ice for most applications. It is too thin and will evaporate, wick into materials that touch the gun including cases, socks, papers or whatever and may form a light residue once it's done evaporating.

There's two kinds of applications we are probably talking about.
When you are breaking in your Rossi for the first time you want to remove and replace the lubricant so that you remove any bits of metal that's worn away by working the action. I worked the action on my guns at least 1000 times probably 2000 and replaced the lubricant after each 500 cycles.

Otherwise during normal operations you will want to clean and lubricate the gun after it's gotten dirty from firing at the range. Some people do this every trip and others do it every 3 or 4 trips. That's going to depend on how dirty your ammo is, how many rounds you fire each time, how long between trips and even the environmental factors. For example I currently live in the desert with low humidity. While cleaning powder residue is easier right after a range trip I don't have to worry much about corrosion due to humidity. I used to live in North GA and there if you didn't wipe off any finger prints after handling each day you'd have etched the finish on a blued gun by the next day or two. Some folks won't clean a barrel since often the first shot from a clean barrel may not go to the same impact point as shots from a seasoned or dirty barrel.

In addition if you have the weapons stored for longer periods of time you may find it advisable to pull the gun out every six months to a year OR when you think you may need it soon and give it a good going over. Stripping and replacing lubricant that may have dried out and making sure everything works.
If you know you are going to be storing a gun for a long period without needing to use it you may choose to use other products designed specifically for long term storage that will require removal and replacement with operating lubricants. Cosmoline is the military product used for this in the past and Rig is a commercial product I've seen used for the same purpose. Moisture Displacement Lubricants (MDLs) are also sometimes used for this sort of thing. WD-40 is one example of a MDL. It is a thin lubricant designed to drive out moisture and it tends to evaporate and form almost a varnish. This varnish tends to be hard to remove and promotes mechanisms sticking which is one of the reasons it isn't recommended for use on firearms during general use. MDLs are also often used for shipping firearms to prevent rust in transit. They aren't really designed to prevent wear however and that's why most of us recommend removal of them and replacement with a better working lube prior to going to the range with a new gun.

The reason I recommend SLIP2000 is it tends to work, tends not to tack up even when dirty, works well in a variety of temps, and if you are in a hurry you can apply it to a dirty weapon that's getting sluggish and it will continue to work until you can get time to clean it. (No I didn't test this on my own weapons but I've watched a buddy do it with an AR for an entire year.)

There are arguments for and against using grease in certain places instead of oil depending on the gun and the conditions. Over time you will decide what works well for you and you'll notice wear patterns on the gun parts that will tell you what needs direct application of lubricant and where it's doing no good and may just attract dirt.

There are lots of good products out there.
I've used a lot of Tetra and Gunslick over the years. Since my bud owns a shop he's got me using SLIP more by preference for both lubricants and cleaning but I still retain some Hoppe's and other options and I use them in different circumstances. For example Hoppe's gets used when I want to soak the barrel overnight. The carbon cutter from SLIP2000 isn't supposed to dry on the parts but it does a good job of cleaning quickly. Hoppe's is fine to let soak for hours or days. Ballistol is supposed to be an excellent product. Even some of the bicycle lubricants are very good. TriFlow for example has impressed me. Any of the firearm and bicycle specific lubricants won't exactly be inexpensive. Some folks simply use motor oil because it's inexpensive and as long as it works you can do that but marketing hype aside sometimes products ARE tailored for specific applications. (Remember 20 years ago when the basic tool kit was a can of WD-40, a roll of duct tape and a tube of crazy glue? all great products for what they're designed for but all pretty poor substitutes for the right tool most of the time.)
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