Oil or grease to lubricate the slide?

[Mainsail]

Automobile engines put enormously more pressure on parts than any gun does and I am not aware of any auto engine that uses grease

Gunzilla for everything on pistols works great.

wheel bearings rotate and as far as I know they are all lubed with grease, so so much for that.

Automobile engines pump oil under pressure to the bearings, your gun has no such system. When the oil pump quits the motor will seize very quickly after the residual oil burns off. The point of lubrication is to separate the two metal surfaces; one surface rides on the lube vs the other metal surface. If the oil will stay put in the slide rails, fine. If the oil burns off after 20 shots, not fine. Metal on metal = bad.

 

[GLOOB]

The parts on a car engine need oil pumps because they will melt and fuse without it. They work in a high temp environment and they most quickly and continuously to move a half ton of vehicle.

A handgun slide doesn't need this. The worst that will happen is the slide gets a little sticky and you will have malfunctions. Some guns might run a little longer with grease. Most will do just fine with a wipedown of just a little surface oil once in a long while. And some handguns will run just fine without any lubrication.

If you think there's something special about your favorite gun lube compared to the magic sauce in motor oil, well, you might be interested in trying snake oil while you're at it.

 

[5-SHOTS]

I'm using gun oils right now because I have a bunch. I lubricate my guns just before almost every range trip because I've noticed that gun oils don't stand that much after some weeks of storage; so when I want to shoot a gun of my rotation I have to check it and 80% of the time I have to relube it because the oil dried up or expanded on every surface rather than stay where I putted it.

Some months ago a friend of mine spoke with Mr. Cosmi, an italian builder of one of the finest shotguns in the world, and he said to him that engine oil is the best choice (like SAE 30 or even better SAE 40). I haven't tried it yet but my friend showed me the internals of his Beretta Combat lubed with engine oil and I was convinced.

 

[GRIZ22]

I've used Break Free to lubricate all my guns for about the last 30 years. That includes semi autos with aluminum frames and no excessive wear has occurred. I like Break Free as it leaves a film of lubricant that doesn't dry up and get gummy like oil. The only thing I use grease on is Garands.

 

[C0untZer0]

Gun slides neither operate under high revolutions / cycles nor operate under load - the two conditions where equipment with metal moving parts heat up and fail without high-grade quality lubrication.

And that is why bacon grease, Vaseline, machine oil, automatic transmission fluid, butter, motor oil, mineral oil/baby oil, anti-seize compound, corn oil, silicon, light grease and so many other lubricious substances can be used on and in a gun and the gun will still function.

 

[Artym]

It depends on the gun. The gun manufacturer can make recommendations on what works best for their gun. Contact their technical support.

 

[CWL]

It depends on the gun. The gun manufacturer can make recommendations on what works best for their gun. Contact their technical support.

I doubt that. Unless they also sell their own brand of lube and have a profit motive, gun manuals typically stick to the basic "use quality oil" recommendation in their owner's manual.

 

[GLOOB]

AFAIK, Hoppe's gun oil is scented mineral oil. Rem oil is mineral oil with a little alcohol added. I've heard Ballistol is also mineral oil.

I think CLP has some solvent added, along with the Teflon bits.

But for the most part you might as well be putting baby oil on your guns.

 

[brickeyee]

Cars us hydrodynamic bearings for the crank, and ball bearings with hydrodynamic supplement.
Guns use film lubrication.
Very different lubrication regimes.

 

[RussellC]

Deleted

 

[rsrocket1]

I've slathered the grease on my 17L, when I pulled the trigger the grease splattered on my hand.

Ran like a champ.

C0untZer0,
You're joking right? You don't actually shoot the gun that way do you? It looks like a greased pig at the county fair. I would be afraid that if I shot that gun, it would fly out of hands like a watermelon seed squeezed between my fingers! I think McDonalds uses less grease in their french fry vats.

 

[dickydalton]

Dab of Slide Glide. Standard in summer and lite in winter.

 

[HitFactor]

Mobil One grease during summer and Mobil One grease cut with Mobil One oil in the winter for my competition semiautos.

Mobil One oil for everything else.

Mobil One grease and SlideGuide are equivalent in my experience.

 

[HitFactor]

Ran like a champ.

Glocks will do that lubed with muddy water.

 

[wgsigs]

I doubt that. Unless they also sell their own brand of lube and have a profit motive, gun manuals typically stick to the basic "use quality oil" recommendation in their owner's manual.

SIG sells their guns with a tube of TW25B grease and every SIG armorer I've ever heard recommends using grease on the rails of SIGs. Maybe because of the different metals of the slide and frame? I've never read the owner's manual so I can't tell you what it says for sure, but I believe it also recommends grease on the rails. I do know that SIGs do not like to be run dry.

 

[palmetto99]

Grease on 1911 slides. Oil or grease on Glock slides. Oil on revolvers.

 

[peacebutready]

Lubricant, Small Arms (LSA)? Is seems somewhere between oil and grease.

 

[AZ Desertrat]

I always use grease.

 

[C0untZer0]

You're joking right? You don't actually shoot the gun that way do you?

I've fired it wet, I've fired it dry, I've gooped on general purpose packing grease, copper anti-seize and I've fired it with Lubriplate slathered on it. This pic was probably after 100 rounds.

I really don't think it makes a difference in how the gun functions, maybe one lube or another reduces finish wear...

I've been shooting my CM9 and haven't been taking the 17L to the range, but when I do go I put a lot of Lubriplate everywhere

 

[Mainsail]

EDIT to add: ^^^ I would never slop up my gun like the one above. You've got grease where there isn't even metal parts. More isn't better.

When I worked in the jet engine shop at Travis AFB back in the 80s I bought an AMT Longslide Hardballer. Having a reputation for galling, I borrowed an almost-empty quart can of "aircraft grease" whatever that is, and lubed the rails with a thin film. It did a great job and the rails looked as new when I sold it many years later as it did when I picked it up. Somehow (somewhere in the garage) I still have that almost-empty quart can of "aircraft grease" but wish I'd kept the gun instead.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Depends on the application. For a SD gun, I never ever use grease. For range toys, I've found that grease will give semi-autos problems in cold weather. So, I pretty much stick with good old Hoppe's. Just wipe down often with an oily rag. Dang, I'm sounding like an old timer.

I don't think grease/oil will make a big difference for most gun owners as far as wear is concerned. Most don't shoot 'em enough to make a difference.

Quick comment on galling - Cheap (soft) steel . . .or metal not meant for the application.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

When I worked in the jet engine shop at Travis AFB back in the 80s I bought an AMT Longslide Hardballer. Having a reputation for galling, I borrowed an almost-empty quart can of "aircraft grease" whatever that is, and lubed the rails with a thin film. It did a great job and the rails looked as new when I sold it many years later as it did when I picked it up. Somehow (somewhere in the garage) I still have that almost-empty quart can of "aircraft grease" but wish I'd kept the gun instead.

Well, you had the extra benefit of starting out with AMT's most reliable model of 1911. It's doubtful you would have had that good of service with a Govt. model.

 

[Skyshot]

Doesn't matter, clean em and lube em. I used 3in1 and WD40 for 30 years before this new wonder lube was ever thought of

 

[C0untZer0]

I would never slop up my gun like the one above. You've got grease where there isn't even metal parts. More isn't better.

Maybe, but more isn't worse either.

I've fired it wet, I've fired it dry, I've gooped on general purpose packing grease, copper anti-seize and I've fired it with Lubriplate slathered on it.

Maybe it's just the gun, but no matter what, it fires every time I pull the trigger, no matter what kind of oil or grease or even if there is no lubrication at all

 

[HKGuns]

I use lubriplate oil and grease.