Lube, Lube...Keep 'em Lubed!!

I'm going to let you in on one of the best kept secrets in tactical shooting right now. Everyone who is familiar with the AR platform knows that it needs lube to run properly. GENEROUS LUBE. Don't believe what your drill instructor told you in basic training about keeping the inside of your M4 spotless. It may run that way, but it won't continue to run reliability for high round counts unless it's lubed properly.

Conventional wisdom has been thrown out the door now that Frog Lube is available. Since I've started using it, I have completely lost all worry that my AR will malfunction. Now I can concentrate on shooting accurately and quickly during competitions. Since I started using Frog Lube, I've had ZERO malfunctions, misfires, misfeeds, jams, or anything else for that matter. Just solid, repetitive, and reliable firing from my AR-15.

Let me tell you a little more about it, and then how you can get your hands on some.

More after the jump.-->

Frog Lube paste with brush applicator and liquid lubricant.

Frog Lube is an American made product by an American company (Audemous). It was made widely available in 2011 and has really exploded on gun forums and internet sites alike in 2012. It is a cleaner, lubricant, protectant (CLP) and was designed from food-grade ingredients. You literally could eat the stuff if you wanted. It has an appealing, minty smell which may not be that big of a deal to most people, but if you clean guns often and don't want part of your house smelling like an oil tank, you know what I mean. The food-grade components of Frog Lube make it a completely "green" product. It is non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-hazardous. 

Frog Lube comes as a green paste or a green liquid in a dispenser bottle. I get the most use out of the paste, which I apply to every inch of my AR-15 with the paint brush that came in the kit. After degreasing and de-carbonizing my rifle with a penetrating solvent, I air-dry the parts with compressed air. Then I brush liberal amounts of Frog Lube paste on the barrel, upper, lower, bolt carrier group, and trigger group. I drip Frog Lube liquid inside the chamber and allow it to go down the barrel. Then you need to heat the Frog Lube paste for it to melt and saturate the metal. This is really where Frog Lube sets itself apart from other lubes. If you heat your gun with a hair dryer, or if you just go out and shoot it to warm it up, the paste melts and "disappears" into the metal and plastic. It penetrates the surface and protects against rust and accumulation of dust, dirt, and carbon. In a rifle such as the AR-15 with carbon and gas blowing back inside the upper receiver, this is invaluable. The next time the rifle needs cleaning, most of the carbon will just wipe away without a full penetrating solvent cleaning. If you do, however, use penetrating solvent, you have to re-apply Frog Lube every you use solvent. If you just wipe down your gun, you can re-apply Frog Lube right after wiping down.

Here's just a short example of what it does for you in the real world. This past weekend I competed in a local 3-gun competition. This was one of the coldest weekends we have had in Georgia so far, as I awoke to temps in the low 30's with a gusty wind on Saturday morning. The range where we competed was open and windy, and cold enough that I needed gloves to keep my fingers warm. I had cleaned and lubed my AR-15 with Frog Lube 2 days before the match but did not heat the paste to melt it. It was just green paste on the bolt carrier and inside of the receivers. Lucky for me I drew #1 and had to lead off the entire competition as the first shooter! The first stage I shot 48 rounds with no problems at all. Subsequently, shooter after shooter had malfunction and jamming due to improper lubrication and cold weather. I saw Smith and Wessons, Stags, DPMS, and Rock River AR's go down to malfunction all within about a 2 hour period. I shot the rest of the day flawlessly with no malfunction or hiccup at all and did not need to reapply any lube at all.

When I got home and looked inside the rifle, there was no carbon fouling present and the Frog Lube had melted into the metal just as advertised.

The kit: Paste, Liquid, Brush, Towel

In summary, I really can't speak highly enough of Frog Lube. If you're not currently using it, you're missing out. Sure, you may be able to get similar results with conventional oils and lubes, but you'll work harder at cleaning and lubing and have an oily dripping rifle to boot. Check out Frog Lube and try some out. You can get it at the StrongSide Tactical booth at any of the gun shows in which they participate. If you're interested in Frog Lube apart from a gun show, email the guys at Strongside to ask how you can get it.

Be safe and see you next time.
~Mac