Henry Rifle Forums

Far be it from me to ignite a "what's your favorite" lube brand thread, so I thought I'd start at a different level.

I've learned from my years with handguns the old adage "if it slides, grease it, if it rotates, oil it."

That said, one of the great things about Henrys is how easy they are to clean and maintain vs. semi-auto handguns.

My question for the group is: when you do a clean that involves removing the bolt, do you OIL it or GREASE it before re-assembly?

My last time out with the BBS/.357, I did a very light coating of grease on the bolt overall and a small bead of grease in the channel where the ejector slides in. Just seems to me that grease stays put longer, doesn't run down into other parts of the rifle and is more readily transferred from one metal part (like the bolt, that you take out) to another (like the internal channel into which the bolt slides, which you can't really get to).

I also rub a bit of grease on the end of the lever that slides up into the receiver, but no biggie.

Of course, I oil the bore lightly and swab the chamber with some Hoppes and light oil, but the major moving part on this firearm is the bolt, so I'm most concerned with its well-being.

Have I broken a major Henry rule or am I okay to continue this way?

I grease the tip of the lever where it slides into the bolt and a wipe in the ejecter channel as you do.
I also dab the sides of the lever around the screw hole.

I don't grease the whole bolt. Just an oiled rag wipe.

I typically use Hoppe's Lubricating Oil on the bolt. I tried Remington Oil. But, the rifle did not cycle as smoothly. I use Remington Oil mainly in the barrel. I have not tried grease. But, I think it might be too heavy. I read an article that compared the three. I will see if I can find it again. If I recall correctly, grease was recommended for metal on metal contacts that might entail rapid fire.

I typically don’t get into lube discussions (since it is probably one of most debated of all on gun forums) HOWEVER I have discovered what I truly believe is a superior lube called CherryBalmz. I was given a sample bottle a couple years ago and need to now buy another! It starts out as a nice smelling pink colored light grease consistency and when applied eventually thins out and ‘creeps’ into the moving parts. It literally slicks up moving gun parts better than anything I have ever used.
While it does creep somewhat it ‘holds’ to the metal well yet does not ‘leach’ out onto the metal surfaces like oils will. The version I have is their basic ‘Black Rifle Balm’. They have a couple other varieties but this one works great!
The bottle cap has a little brush in it to apply it with and not much is needed. I need more before I perform a complete tear down of my Henry and I guarantee it will be twice as smooth as before after a good cleaning and application of it!

Mistered wrote:I typically don’t get into lube discussions (since it is probably one of most debated of all on gun forums) HOWEVER I have discovered what I truly believe is a superior lube called CherryBalmz. I was given a sample bottle a couple years ago and need to now buy another! It starts out as a nice smelling pink colored light grease consistency and when applied eventually thins out and ‘creeps’ into the moving parts. It literally slicks up moving gun parts better than anything I have ever used.
While it does creep somewhat it ‘holds’ to the metal well yet does not ‘leach’ out onto the metal surfaces like oils will. The version I have is their basic ‘Black Rifle Balm’. They have a couple other varieties but this one works great!
The bottle cap has a little brush in it to apply it with and not much is needed. I need more before I perform a complete tear down of my Henry and I guarantee it will be twice as smooth as before after a good cleaning and application of it!

I like what you have to say about this product, Mistered. When you relocate this product would you please post where you found it ? Much obliged to you.

I have so far found it in one LGS in my area but it may be in other places also. I don’t know about distribution to any major outlets like Cabela’s or Sportsman’s Warehouse but I need to check that out - at least in Sportsman’s anyway since I have one locally.

Here's a YouTube guy who loves his CherryBalmz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm1MyPDHjXM

Found an old listing on Amazon but it's "No Longer Available."

Looks like his website is up and running. Thanks for the tip. Don't know that I'm ready to add it to my shelf full of greases and lubes, but will try it next time I run out.

https://www.cherrybalmz.com/store

And thanks for all the feedback. Just glad to see than I haven't done something "so wrong."

I prefer dry lubes. Dirt clings to oil and grease. Not to mention oil and grease gets gummy with age.

Mags , just curious to know what type of dry lube do you use ? Is it similar to say a lock lube for tumblers ? Cold weather can definitely have adverse effects on heavier lubes I know so might be interesting to know what product you use.