TwoEyedJack said:
Is the grease really required?
No, not at all.
A lot of folks don't use any grease, wax cookies, wads, OP cards or filler.
Civil War soldiers weren't taught to apply grease the way many do today.
I use thin over powder cards but that's totally up to the individual and to each their own.
The cylinder pin of many Remingtons becomes sticky after shooting several cylinders which tends to bind up the action. That's where applying some lubrication is a good idea to help keep it moving freely.
It's debatable whether or not lubricating the chambers spreads any lube to the Remington's cylinder pin. Some folks say that it does, but I don't know if that amount alone is enough to keep it running without applying more lube directly to it.
I usually don't put any lube in the chambers but after the first 18 shots my cylinder pin needs to be lubed every time it's reloaded.
Every gun is different as is the residue that's created by the different brands of powder.
And the amount and types of chamber lubes that folks use also varies greatly. Some simply place a drop or two of vegetable oil into the crease between the ball and the chamber wall which then wicks around it. Others only use a small dab of grease around the top of each ball, or only lube 2 or 3 chambers per cylinder. While some totally fill their chambers to the brim with lube.