http://www.armalite.com/library/techNotes/tnote62.htm
1. Introduction: Without a doubt, the British SA-80 (L86A1 and
L86A2) rifles have proven to be among the worst small arms ever
developed. It is embarrassing that the SA-80 is a poor Royal Small
Arms Factory (Enfield) derivative of ArmaLites own AR-180. During
many attempts to improve the SA-80, Engineers of the United Kingdom
and Germany have learned much about rifle maintenance that may be
applied to other more reliable rifles like ArmaLites.
Any process that can keep the SA-80 operating is surely a good
process. The purpose of this Technical Note is to present the
lessons learned by the Armed Forces of both the United Kingdom
concerning the SA-80 and U.S. Forces concerning the M16
family.
2. Firearm performance in adverse conditions: Firearms do not
perform reliably when sand, dust, snow, or water are blown into the
mechanism by wind, moving vehicles (helicopters!) or by muzzle
blast. Local conditions and exposure to contaminants must dictate
the extent of cleaning and the number of times that cleaning will
need to be carried out during the day. It just takes more work to
keep a firearm operating under extremely bad conditions.
3. Cleaning and lubrication in adverse conditions: U.S. Forces have
followed a long tradition of leaving firearms dry of lubricant
during desert operations under the belief that less sand adheres to
a dry surface more than to a lubricated one. This tradition has
been proven incorrect. The need for good lubrication even in the
desert has been well established during desert training and peace
keeping operation, during the Gulf conflict, and by trials in a
variety of climatic conditions.
The U.S. Army Infantry School recently concluded a series of tests
that concluded that the best single product for maintaining most
firearms is Cleaner, Lubricant, and Preservative (CLP). CLP has
been developed to cover a wide range of climatic conditions and has
been developed to act as a cleaner, a lubricant and a preservative.
Using other oils may cause reduced reliability.
The following should be cleaned and left dry for firing: Bore and
chamber
Face of the bolt
Ammunition.
(Preserve rifle, including these surfaces, with CLP for storage.
Wipe dry before firing. NEVER lubricate or clean ammunition with
CLP or any other oily material.)
The following should be cleaned and left dry (desert) or lightly
lubricated (other):
Exterior surfaces and sights
The contact and bearing surfaces of these parts should be
generously lubricated:
Trigger mechanism
Pivot and takedown pins
Cam pin guide rail within the body (AR-180)
Guide rods and springs (AR-180)
All rubbing or contact surfaces of the following parts: carrier,
cam pin, receiver, charging handle, operating springs, AR-10 or
M15/M16 buffer, and AR-180 guide rods.
Breech bolt body and locking lugs
Moving/sliding surfaces of the bipod, if installed.
Most operators tend to put too little lubricant on the firearm.
Most inspectors tend to criticize firearms that are properly
lubricated. A properly lubricated firearm will have lubrication
flowing away from the intended surfaces. Any surface that holds all
the lubricant applied to it is probably not lubricated well
enough.
Emergency lubrication: In an area where immediate lubrication is
important and absolutely no better material is available, a bit of
oil drawn from an engine is better than operating the firearm dry.
A vehicle dip stick can serve as an awkward applicator.
