In use, protection used to be vaseline (petroleum jelly), Cosmo was used for long term storage.

If you want to have it "available for use" as it would have been in the British military then you paint the metal work as follows :

And for the furniture :

Approval is hereby given for the treatment with raw linseed oil, of the furniture of rifles in use in all stations at home or abroad, irrespective of climate.

The oil will be applied by the soldier once a month to the outside of the fore-end, butt and handguards of the rifle in the following manner :-

• Remove all dust and dirt by wiping well with a dry rag
• Apply a small quantity of raw linseed oil to the woodwork and rub it well into the wood, care being taken to keep the oil away from the metal parts.
• Allow the rifle to stand for approximately three hours and then wipe off all surplus oil with a clean dry rag.

Raw linseed oil will be demanded by the units at the scale of ten pints annually for every 100 rifles. A.C.I. 80 of 1940 is hereby cancelled



57/S.A./654 (S.D. 10)

 

Are you keeping it in damp outside conditions, are you sloggin it through the beaches of Dunkirk, Normandy or the mud of French winter?

 

Those French winters are brutal when you're snuggled up in bed with a courtesan and a bottle of wine.

 

Or - Longterm storage for firearms

 

BreakFree/CLP has worked well for me over the decades.
No ritualistic processes nor pomp and circumstance involved.

If they had it during the world wars I imagine they would have used it.

 

Nagloc68: As waw44 suggests, you may want to base your storage practices on your climate. I've had many old rifles come from down east with active rust, but in our very dry western plains climate it's much less of an issue. When I reassemble one I generally just lightly wipe down the metal with a slightly oil rag. If there are patches of old corrosion (pitting- usually below the woodline) I will often apply a thin coat of grease over them.

Ruprecht

 

While I enjoy reviewing the detailed photos of disassembled Lee Enfields, I typically don’t disassemble mine…if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! However, I recently felt the need to disassemble to inspect and clean a rifle that needed some love.

I want to put it back together and my question is should I coat the barrel and action with (modern) cosmoline or similar grease? The barrel had minimal older grease leftover, but the trigger assembly was loaded with a thick, black grease. I am a recent convert of Renaissance Wax, but feel this may not be adequate for the “hidden” parts.

Ok, I don’t want to start a maelstrom, as I read many older posts and they got quite testy! Most discussed the subject of Long Term Storage, but my question is a little different. I welcome your advice. thanks!

First of all - 95% of the time when people say: “cosmoline”, what they mean is grease, of varying viscosities and colors. Real “cosmoline” as used by the US Gov’t, was applied hot, and it dried at room-temperature to a substance difficult to remove w/o using a petrochemical solvent. Probably has not been applied to a military firearm since 1960. So - you’re really asking if you should use regular grease. Unless you live in a dusty/sandy environment, the answer is a simple yes. The cheapest grease that also exhibits the most doable requisite properties is probably Mobil - synthetic.

 

Back in the distant past, when I was working for an automobile manufacturer, they used a product (Shell Tectyl it was called) that's pretty much cosmoline....it was heated up and applied hot between the panels of the vehicles at assembly, to prevent rust in an area that is not easily got at.Sprayed in there hot with a long wand, then cools and formed a protective barrier...it looked and smelled very similar to the Lee alox bullet lube that I was using at the time to handled cast bullet loads.Probably not really required though if a firearm is stored well in a dryish environment,just grease would be fine I am sure.

 

I oil mine every Easter, with just a commerical gun oil. I have never had any problems. I would have thought that using cosmoline is for when you are going to wrap them and store them away for a significant time.

 

If you SHOOT the rifle a lot, that "grease" or whatever you plan to use, will melt, and drip out.

If its pretty much a safe queen , then slather it up and store it away.

 

If you intend to shoot it then skip the cosmoline. But if you are storing it then by all means use cosmoline.

 

Thanks for the responses and advice. I appreciate the practical methods and historical references. I live in Midwest America and we have dry winters and moist summers. This summer was particularly rainy and humid. I won’t paint the barrel but will apply a light coat of grease on the hidden parts. Like @BrianR I am also migrating to an annual oiling program starting in the winter doldrums probably Jan/Feb time frame.

 

Get the equivalent of British XG279/G403. It's rifle and artillery grease. That's what was used originally. Apply it with a soft toothbrush to all the cleaned underlying surfaces. If you treat the woodwork with raw linseed oil and apply the grease, it'll last a lifetime. One of the things I see the results of here in my shop frequently, is folks overdoing it by continuously disassembling and reassembling their LE rifles. That is the worst thing you can possibly do. Especially when many are clueless. Preserve them properly, keep the screws tight but don't use great ape strength, torque wrenches and all that. Keep barrels and bolt faces clean and they will serve you well.

 

CS881E grease as used for rifle preservation (see post #4) is :

 

I'm not talking about long term storage where the weapons are not being used. Since my keg of XG279 was gifted to me via the workshops at the Infantry Training Centre at Warminster almost 20 years ago, it's good enough for me.

 

Going out on a limb here… I agree with @Brian Dick re disassembly 😊 Most of my military rifles I have never disassembled. Trust me though, I am often tempted.

 

If you aren't shooting them and they seem to be in good working order then by all means, leave them be. If you buy a rifle and the wood is noticeably dry and it seems a bit "rough" for lack of a better word, then it can probably use a careful disassembly, inspection and servicing. Just putting the raw linseed oil to a dry forearm on a LE rifle can do wonders by giving it a drink and improving the bearings. The metal can use a gentle cleaning and oiling inside and out. Checking the bolt assembly to make sure it's in spec is very important. After all, it's just machinery that needs a little love now and again like everything else.

 

Hello, 21st century calling..

 

Newfangled oils. Keep it authentic...

 

I collect straight razors and I always douse the blades with TufGlide after restoration before honing. No rust for a few decades and never reapply.
If you cleaned it up, don't gum it up again I think. Modern things are pretty good.

I swear it smells like cosmoline when going on!