Lock Ease

E

Ernie

Guest
I have new barrels I plan to "break in" with Lock Ease. I have read quite about the benifits of it, all pros and no cons. But I as I never have used it I have a question. After cleaning and I do mean clean........would this be good for storage use or is this a "no-no"? Thanks Ernie
 
Jackie, Will be both Factory & Custom, even plan to use it in rimfire.....Any toughts? I plan to use it after each cleaning sesson, this a good idea? Thanks
 
I know nothing of the process, but if the product you are referring to is the graphited lock treatment, I would have one concern. Graphite is carbon & one of its characteristics is that it plates on itself. Hence in another guise, we have the dreaded carbon ring in our throats.

As I said, no knowledge or experience with the process, just wondering about the product.
 
BBL Break-in

Hi Ernie,

Take a look at www.varminthunters.com/tech/sgycleaning.html
Speedy mentions using Lock-Ease. He also adds that Lock-Ease is suspended
"in a quick evaporating carrier". So, for a storage preservative I don't think it
is suitable.

Good Luck & Good Shooting,
Gary.
 
Ernie

I am probably not a good person to be asking.I simply shoot barrels about 10 times, cleaning, (with Butches Bore Shine) after every shot, and then use nothing but Butches Bore Shine from then on out.
Many of my Benchrest Friends do not break in at all, and consider it a waste of time.
Of course, I use only Krieger Barrels on my Competition Rifles. I amsure a Factory tubewillhave to be treated differently......jackie
 
This may well be old news and I'm not a Benchrest shooter but when I was in Canastota for the 2000 BR School there were several instructors (who WERE seasoned Hall Of Fame shooters) who "conditioned" their barrels after every cleaning by running a patch of Lock-Ease down the bore..... I remember hot arguments about shooting "dry bore". I'm reasonably sure that to this day at least half of the shooters on the line refuse to fire a round down a dry bore. I've been severely chastised for even mentioning shooting right after cleaning with Butch's.


I've never heard of "breaking in" with Lock-Ease although I've heard of breaking in with tranny fluid and hydraulic oil...........


I also remember that the stuff used was spelled Lock-Eze, dunno if it's the exact same stuff altho it was graphite.


I must mention that I've ALSO been severely chastised for even mentioning that someone would put graphite in their barrel!


:)



al
 
I use lock eze after cleaning. Just a wet patch throught the bore. As I remember, the theory is that the graphite is supposed to help prevent coppering. Do I know this for a fact? NO.
Since I ran out of lock eze I started using penephite in lieu of lock eze. Penephite is essentially Kroil with graphite in it and gives the same benefits as I am told.
 
Lock EEze

Clarence Hammonds, known gunsmith and Benchrest Hall of Fame shooter, gave me this tip years ago. After the normal cleaning process, I run a wet patch of Lock Eeze through the bore and allow to dry. The first shot from a cold clean bore is real close to where it should be. I've also used Lock Eeze after cleaning at the bench when the bore was still wet. I've never had any problems and check my bores regularly with a bore scope. I'm not familiar with breaking a barrel in with Lock Eeze.
Chino69
 
Years ago

I bought a small container of Liquid Zak to use as a pre-conditioner for the DanZaked bullets. I have a couple of patches which became soaked and sort of dried so that they lay down a coating when pushed through.

Also, a few years ago I bought a bottle of a ACURA-C tm bore conditioner which has the instructions for conditioning one's bore on the label. The label says the bore will stay conditioned for 20-50 rounds, depending on spin and velocity.

I have used a number of things to condition my bore, it gets dirty no matter what I have applied to it. I will opine that by using coated bullets, I can shoot my 30's all day without cleaning them. They require only the same amount of effort to get the carbon out as is required if I cleaned after every relay BUT - - - once the barrels start to attract copper or if any of them never stop attracting copper, it takes quite a lot longer to get that out after shooting them all day without cleaning. ( I have had a couple that never stopped coppering).

I like to go pre-loaded and leave the contents of my gun room at home; "leaving a small Footprint on the earth". :D
 
Just a few years ago graphite treatment of the barrel bore was a big deal. Stan Buchtel sells two products that contain colloidal graphite,

One product is called Graphoil and is used to treat the barrel after cleaning. It is a blend of colloidal graphite and gun oil.

The other product is a blend of Isotropyl alcohol and colloidal graphite. This product is used to pre treat a new bore before break-in. It is made by Acheson Colloids and distributed by Stan. Kelblys and others offer these products.

Lock-Ease is marketed by NAPA Auto Parts. It is a very fine graphite and a thin oil. I'm not sure all the graphite in it is "colloidal" (very, very fine graphite powder suspended in a liquid like thin oil or a solvent). If you buy the NAPA product get the liquid not the areosol.

Walk around at benchrest shoots where they are cleaning their guns and you will see most of the shooters use Graphoil or Lock-Ease. Does it really help?? With so many of the top shooters using it I would guess it sure doesn't hurt.
 
I've often wondered

Just a few years ago graphite treatment of the barrel bore was a big deal. Stan Buchtel sells two products that contain colloidal graphite,

One product is called Graphoil and is used to treat the barrel after cleaning. It is a blend of colloidal graphite and gun oil.

The other product is a blend of Isotropyl alcohol and colloidal graphite. This product is used to pre treat a new bore before break-in. It is made by Acheson Colloids and distributed by Stan. Kelblys and others offer these products.

Lock-Ease is marketed by NAPA Auto Parts. It is a very fine graphite and a thin oil. I'm not sure all the graphite in it is "colloidal" (very, very fine graphite powder suspended in a liquid like thin oil or a solvent). If you buy the NAPA product get the liquid not the areosol.

Walk around at benchrest shoots where they are cleaning their guns and you will see most of the shooters use Graphoil or Lock-Ease. Does it really help?? With so many of the top shooters using it I would guess it sure doesn't hurt.

What a barrel looks like before and after barrel treatment using a borescope; sounds like a worthy project.

I see guys dab a few tiny dots of the lock-ease on patched and wonder how in the world those tiny dots placed on tha big absorbant patch is going to coat the entire barrel's labnds and groves. Wakes on wonder if it just makes them FEEL better. :)
 
Lock Eeze bore

What a barrel looks like before and after barrel treatment using a borescope; sounds like a worthy project.

I see guys dab a few tiny dots of the lock-ease on patched and wonder how in the world those tiny dots placed on tha big absorbant patch is going to coat the entire barrel's labnds and groves. Wakes on wonder if it just makes them FEEL better. :)

Pete,
I saturate the patch with Lock Eeze and run it through the bore several times which coats everything. Once it dries, the interior of the bore looks a light grey color when viewed through a borescope. After cleaning, there is no visible trace of Lock Eeze. This is one reason I'm not afraid to use it in match grade barrels.
Chino69
 
What a barrel looks like before and after barrel treatment using a borescope; sounds like a worthy project.

I see guys dab a few tiny dots of the lock-ease on patched and wonder how in the world those tiny dots placed on tha big absorbant patch is going to coat the entire barrel's labnds and groves. Wakes on wonder if it just makes them FEEL better. :)

The Buchtel break-in product is put on a patch, swabbed, extend patch half way out the muzzle, wet again, withdrawn, and then let dry. Then run a clean dry patch before firing for the first shot of break-in.

As to your "few drops" comment, it doesn't take much thin oil to lightly coat the bore. A thick film of heavy oil left in the bore and fired could damage the bore. Oil, being a liquid, does not compress.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the replys.........I think after reading these posts that I will indeed use it. Have heard of it for years......Just ask for a recap as I am looking at a new full bottle and a new Lilja Match 22 and a 30 cal on my coffee table right now, Ernie
 
Lock-Ease

Hey Ernie,

From my limited experience, Lock-ease will not hurt your barrel. In fact it seems to extend the usable accuracy life of the tube. The barrels seem to last as long as those shooters using titanium nitride (Danzac) bullet coating.

Why do I say this, you may ask.

1. I have a pretty good 10x bore scope and I can say that it does not build up in the bore like moly. It cleans right out after a string and needs nothing special to get the barrel ready after cleaning.

2.Just a few drops on a patch will condition the bore so that my first shot after cleaning goes where I expect it to. Caution here as you only need 3 or 4drops so as to leave a fine film and no liquid behind.

3.I took Tony Boyer's School last June and when he was critiquing my cleaning regimine he asked for the Lock-Ease. I was proud to be able to show him my bottle. If it is good enough for him it has to be ok.

4. I just do not like sending a bare bullet down a just cleaned bore. That little touch of very light oil and graphite helps condition the barrel for a string.

5. It works for rimfires too.

6. Several types of smokeless powder has the powder granules coated with graphite anyway and is left behind after shooting.

These decisions on what works best are personal but I do not think that I am steering you wrong.

Joe Jarrell
 
Back
Top