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.