CLP's the best! Tests prove it.

For years, rumors have circulated among riflemen and machine gunners that there were better lubricants available than the old standard CLP.

Well, it just ain't so. Those rumors are nothing more than rumors. The Army recently finished testing CLP against 23 other lubricant cleaners on the M16 rifle, the M4 carbine, and the M249 machine gun in an extreme desert environment. CLP outperformed them all. Weapons cleaned and lubed with CLP had fewer malfunctions than those treated with other products.

So soldiers have a choice. They can clean and lube their weapons with CLP like the operator TMs tell them to, knowing that rigorous testing has proven CLP is superior. Or they can listen to unfounded rumors about other lubricants and risk a weapon failing in combat. Not much of a choice!

If you need CLP, you can order a half-ounce bottle with NSN 9150-01-102-1473, a 4-oz bottle with NSN 9150-01-079-6124, or a I-pt sppray bottle with NSN 9150-01-054-6453.

Remember, if you've lubed your weapon with other lubricants, you need to clean them off completely with dry cleaning solvent before applying CLE Mixing lubricants destroys their effectiveness.

The one lubricant that is even better than CLP is called "elbow grease". Do your weapon PMCS as often as possible. Frequent cleaning is the best insurance against malfunctions.

In the desert, generously lube all internal moving parts. Generous lube means a coat heavy enough that you can move it with your finger. But keep lube off the outside of the weapon. It will attract sand.

For the M16 and M4, always tap the forward assist after loading. That's been found to prevent first round failures in the desert.