I took delivery of my DD M4v2 rifle (first rifle to own) today thanks to Grant at G&R.
After mounting the hardware and looking the rifle over, I applied gun oil to the exterior, enough to have a semi wet look on every metal surface.
I just want to make sure that was the right thing to do. I did not want my oils from my hand to ruin such a nice rifle. This is what I do on my shotguns, however those are blu’d.
I don’t bother with the outside of my rifle, expect when I nick it or otherwise leave bare metal. Then I just throw a little more spray paint over it…especially on the barrel considering it can rust.
All in all I wouldn’t worry about it too much…much of the exterior of your rifle is either plastic or aluminum.
There’s no reason to apply so much oil to the exterior of the weapon that it appears to be wet. It’s a waste of lube, and will simply allow dust or dirt to adhere to the weapon.
If you want to clean the exterior of the weapon, and at the same time apply a sufficient amount of lube to protect the parked surfaces, I would suggest taking a cheap one inch paint brush and VERY LIGHTLY applying lube to the bristles.
Use the brush to apply a LIGHT coating of oil to the weapon, at the same time this will help you clean out dust and dirt from those hard to reach areas. Follow up with a wipe down using a rag. I prefer using old black t-shirts. If they leave lint behind, it’s not as noticeable as lint left behind if you use white t-shirts or rags.