Proper lubrication of an AK47

[rushdooney]

Is there any information out how to properly lube an AK?

[Slinger646]

I grease the the rails, lugs and hammer.

Ive heard of a captured rusted up AK that was dunked in diesel fuel, bolt broken loose and it ran fine.

[Fear762]

No oil should be needed. Atleast the sks is like that.

[Doubleclaw]

I like to use a little Tetra grease in the locking lug areas of the bolt and carrier, and a dab on the face of the hammer. It'll run without it, sure, but that little bit of extra wear protection will help me keep shooting this rifle for many decades. The rest of the rifle gets a light coat of CLP.

[jonathon]

Spray some CLP on a rag and wipe everything down. Then wipe the excess off of everything but the moving parts... thousands of rounds down range and she still runs like a clock.

[graveman]

Originally posted by Fear762
No oil should be needed. Atleast the sks is like that.

If you are at war, it's OK. If you shoot it once in a blue moon, it's OK too, although you might want to wipe it down every now and again to prevent rust etc. If you take the time to clean it regularly after each shoot, then take a few minutes to lube it too.
The SKS is a different animal, the only thing it and the AK have in common is the round they shoot ( 7.62x39 at least ).

This is what lubricating my AK after a good cleaning involves

- 1 drop of CLP on the muzzle threads before replacing compensator

- 1 drop of CLP on the gas tube latch and latching dimple on the tube

- 1 drop of CLP on the FCG ( hammer, trigger, disconnector )

- 2 drops of CLP on each lower receiver rail

- 1 drop of CLP on each upper receiver rail

- 1 drop of CLP on the bolt body ( spread it on before putting into bolt carrier )

- 1 drop of CLP on the bottom part of the recoil spring latch ( where it sits in the trunnion

- 1 drop of CLP on the top of said recoil spring latch

- 1 drop of CLP on the forward end of receiver cover that goes under the rear sight base

- 1 drop of CLP behind the magazine latch ( directly onto the spring )

This will keep your rifle running for many moons without undue wear on the parts, like everyone else said.

THESE SHOULD NOT BE OILED

- inside of gas tube

- inside of gas chamber

- gas piston

- bolt face

- chamber

- feed ramp

- inside of receiver cover

[rushdooney]

Graveman thank you for a well thought out comprehensive lubrication strategy. I can tell from your other posts you are very knowledgeable about AKs. Many thanks!

[kalashnikovluvr]

Originally posted by graveman

THESE SHOULD NOT BE OILED

- inside of gas tube

- inside of gas chamber

- gas piston




Just outta curiosity(?) why not?

[graveman]

kalashnikovluvr,

Lubricating the components of the gas system of the AK ( chamber, piston, piston tube ) will produce extra fouling and smoke, and might even produce enough heat to fry your gas tube cover ( upper handguard ). It is also quite a PITA to clean baked-on grease from said parts ( ever tried to clean inside a gas tube from a Romy kit, for example ? ).

rushdooney,

You're quite welcome. A lot of this stuff I've learned through personal experience .... the good, the bad, and the ugly !

[kevin quinlan]

You will get a lot of smoke. Read on one of the AK sites of a guy that sprays the outside of his barrel with WD-40 then runs a 75 round drum through it. May get you thrown off the range, but it is a attention getter.