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LavaTech, here’s a scan from my copy of the 7-40 edition of FM 23-5. It does say to grease before firing, in generally the same places we do today, and the same ones listed on the SXS-77 and Stano-Rust No. 3 tubes.
If that got changed in a later pre-Lubriplate edition of FM 23-5, I would definitely be interested to see. We do know that SA was advocating for oil only around that time, per the letter from Guy H. Drewry that is mentioned in Canfield’s book.
I answered too soon above - just found the attached "do not use grease" change to FM 23-5 - it is from Change 2, dated 1/30/42. I wonder if they never made this change, how long it might have been before the need for a more water-resistant grease like the Lubriplate would have come up.
The July '40 FM with changes is my source, and BTW the PDF is coming up on my refresh schedule. I'll try to remember posting links to the bookmarked and hot-linked TOC/index version when I finish it. Typos in the index are turning up often in the '51 FM 23-5 I'm working on now, and being changed to reflect reality now after 69 years of error.:D
Still have to finish TM 9-1276 and 1275 too.:(
I found a catalog from Northridge from the past and they had both cup type
greases. I found mine that were for both Garands and M14s.
I had an M-14 in the Army.
[ATTACH]Attachment 111740[/ATTACH]
AZB
As early as March 1939 you were supposed to grease the normal areas using prescribed grease of that era, no secret it was Dixon’s graphite Cup Grease #3. The prescribed oil since sperm oil was getting used for other things was lubricating oil US spec 2-27d. That also changed as better lubricant/preservatives were developed. When the change (2 23-5)was made, if I recall correctly, ordnance tests being completed at that time in conjunction with the infantry board only determined that 3 areas needed to be greased based upon the tests that were being done. I believe the next paragraph even after the change and subsequent publications indicated these areas (op rod cam, hammer, receiver etc)needed to be greased or lubriplated once it was accepted. Good discussion in the thread.