Magpul PRS Gen2: Full of Cosmoline?!

[Veer_G]

I picked up a NIB PRS Gen2 at the gun show yesterday. Opening up the box, I was struck by a couple things: one, the lack of stickers, decals, and other promotional crap; two, the suspiciously military contract-grade instruction sheet; and three, the distinct odor of cosmoline.

Put simply, I can't get any spin whatsoever on the adjustment wheels, so I'm pretty sure that the innards are tight with nasty yellow goop. I've steamed/sweated it out of rifle stocks, and boiled/spirits-scrubbed it off of metal, but I'm not quite sure how to approach it on this one with jacking up the polymer or inducing rust.

Any good ideas?

 

[021411]

You lost me at gun show. There are SO MANY fake Magpul stuff floating around especially at gun shows that look legit. My PRS stocks were always nice and clean and adjustments were easy to make.
When in doubt, contact Magpul.

 

[afd77]

I’m suspicious you got a fake. I’ve never seen anything from Magpul covered in cosmoline. Sounds fishy to me.

 

[Veer_G]

It seems real. It's got the markings in the right places, under the footman loops and on the hex heads, and the vendor is a known quantity AR plumber that I've dealt with in the past.

 

[Tucker301]

Mineral spirits.

 

[Veer_G]

Mineral spirits.

That's what I was thinking, but will it eat up the polymer?

ETA:

For general information:

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/bVDOaTv.jpg?1"}[/IMG2]

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/19o4e3e.jpg?1"}[/IMG2]

 

[021411]

From the stuff I’ve seen online, the chicom stuff can be convincing even down to the markings and yes, even on the hardware. From time to time even vendors get duped with supplies they think are real. I remember Brownells talked about how their returns inspection on Magpul goods were tough because people were swapping and returning back fakes.
I’ve never seen any Magpul furniture in cosmoline ever. I would seriously ask Magpul on Monday. Doesn’t hurt to ask really.

 

[Badfinger]

Try using mineral spirts in a discrete place that won't show if it melts.

 

[Tucker301]

Perhaps not. After I posted I saw a Youtube where they said some chemist said that it breaks down the molecular bonds in the fibers of the polymer. Damage may not be immediately visible, but over time you will see cracks appearing.
How about hot water and Dawn?

 

[Veer_G]

Perhaps not. After I posted I saw a Youtube where they said some chemist said that it breaks down the molecular bonds in the fibers of the polymer. Damage may not be immediately visible, but over time you will see cracks appearing.
How about hot water and Dawn?

I'm thinking that's the way to go. The other thing is to take a mallet and a nudge tool to the indentations on the wheel to try to break it free. The vendor took my call at the show and said that they use some godawful axle grease, typically, and that he's never heard of this before.

 

[Veer_G]

I spoke with Magpul this morning. "Daniel" advised me that it was most likely an earlyish production run Gen2, and that although it was not cosmoline per se, that it was a distillate product that would harden with age. He actually told me to go ahead and hit it with carb cleaner, which sounded pretty hairy-ass to me, so I ground down as hard as I could between my palms and then whacked it with a 'smith's mallet, and it gave way. No worries on authenticity. All the packaging details and its appearance check out.