Super Lubes & Cleaners
Aqua Clean Cleaner/Degreaser and Bore Cleaner (above) are excellent for removing
carbon fouling off of the gas system and copper and powder fouling from the bore.
Swab-Its tips fit the gas tube, easing the internal chores. Two synthetic G96 products
(below) served yeoman duty on the hardwearing surfaces and as lube and preservative.
RFG is a thick grease and stays put on the rotating bolt cam surfaces. CLP does all
the general light lube and preserve chores. Both G96 products stay put.
Four products made shooting the FG42 for the cover feature much easier. New, the rifle’s cocking effort was truly an effort. You first have to overcome a substantial firing pin spring to unlock the bolt, then haul back the whole gas piston/bolt against the recoil spring. I first used oil, suffering progressively harder cocking effort as the day’s round count grew.
I complained about the cocking effort to Alan Goldman, president of G96. For these hard-use bolt-camming surfaces he recommended G96 Rapid Fire Gun Grease, and G96 CLP for general lube and preservative chores. (The CLP is a cleaner, too, and removes carbon pretty thoroughly on its own. I find myself using it for quick cleans between detail strip-and-cleans.)
RFG demonstrably reduced the effort required to open the bolt compared with oil. Applied after the first strip and clean, RFG’s lubricity was immediately apparent upon reassembly. Icing on the cake was the lube stayed put and kept working. Several times I ran 200 rounds or more over range sessions a couple of weeks apart. Upon stripping and cleaning, the RFG was still present on the bolt.
My detail strip-and-clean involved Shooter’s Choice Aqua Clean for the bore, and Aqua Clean Cleaner/Degreaser to get the carbon out of the gas tube and piston, usually performed after every 100 or 200 rounds. I could use G96 CLP for everything, but the 16-ounce spray bottle of Aqua Clean is far cheaper at $9.87 vs. $13.30 for a 4-ounce bottle of G96 CLP, and the Aqua Clean bore cleaner (4-ounce $9.55) removes copper, too. I use a lot of cleaner/degreaser on the inside of the FG42, and the spray is handy for a pre-soak. The G96 RFG grease at $9.20 remains in my kit. I haven’t found anything better.
For the detail strip-and-clean of the gas system, a Swab-Its 20-gauge tip was just the right size for the gas tube. They are reusable, and need a shotgun rod or shotgun-to-rifle jag for standard cleaning rods.
For preservative and light lubrication I used G96 CLP. This CLP is in use by the US military, the FBI and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, where its cold weather performance is highly valued. Both it and RFG stay ready even after a month (the longest interval between shooting for this story).
I heartily recommend the RFG for high-load lubrication and it really performed on the FG42. The CLP stayed on all the parts it was assigned as well. The Aqua Clean is a no fuss bore cleaner, removing bullet fouling and powder residue, and Aqua Clean Degreaser softened the carbon for removal on the gas system. All these products have little odor.
G96
P.O. Box 1684
Paterson, NJ 07524
(973) 684-4050
http://www.g96.com
Shooter’s Choice
15050 Berkshire Industrial Pkwy
Middlefield, OH 44062
(440) 834-8888
https://shooters-choice.com
Swab-Its
800 Worcester Street
Springfield, MA 01151
(413) 543-1442
https://www.swab-its.com
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