Re-lubricating pistol internals?

[default]

If you clean a pistol with Gun Scrubber, or clean it ultrasonically, so that its completely degreased, what's the best way to re-lubricate the internals, particularly on the slide? I expect a small spritz of CLP, Ballistol or something similar into frame internals is okay, but what about the slide?

Where exactly would you apply the spray - would you just lightly spray the underside and then reassemble and work the action vigorously to distribute it, or actually spray it through the breechface or from the rear and then blow out the excess with compressed air? How careful would you need to be to keep it out the firing pin channel, etc., and is the answer going to vary depending on whether it's a GLOCK, a Beretta, a 1911, etc.?

Thanks for any insights - I have done a fair amount of searching but I haven't found an answer to this specific question.

 

[rcmodel]

I use Rem-Oil spray with everything dissembled.

Spray it on, allow the solvent to dry out of it, then blow it out with a high-pressure air hose & wipe down the rest.

That completely gets every crack & crevasse, and leaves just a thin film of oil on everything for protection.

rc

 

[Steve C]

A drop of oil on the moving parts in the slide should be fine as oil will migrate into the parts esp. if you use penetrating products like CLP. Same for the parts on the frame. A little oil goes a long way and most guns will run best if lightly oiled.

 

[CWL]

The instruction manuals on most guns will include info on how and where to lube a particular gun. If you've lost the owners manual, you can see it online plus order a new one from the gun maker's website.

I prefer dry lubes for my guns, but if you are an "oil man", I've been taught that less is better. A little bit of oil on contact points, work the action and wipe off should be good enough. Too much oil is just a dirt magnet.

Keep oil out of the firing pin channel, you don't want penetrants traveling through the channel onto a chambered round and fouling the primer.

 

[Ohm]

default,

I get the impression from you post that you are not taking the slide off the frame when you do the cleaning..

If that is the case, some of the crud just moves around in the slide rails and the firing pin hole.. The gun might look clean on the outside, but it is not fully clean between the sliding surfaces.

 

[default]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

I field-strip for cleaning, and I have checked out the manuals. My main concern is if there were parts of pistols that require lubrication that would not be exposed or accessed other than by detail-stripping it, or would need re-lubrication after being degreased, other than the usual areas - slide rails, barrel hood, and so forth. Particularly, moving parts in the slide other than the firing pin in its channel.

In any case, I field-stripped and hosed out all the major components of my G19 with Synthetic-Safe Gun Scrubber (wear gloves and eye protection!), and after drying squirted the internals of the frame with Ballistol, did a Ballistol wipedown on the internals of the slide without actually spraying it, blew out everything with canned air, lubed the standard spots with Militec-1, and then hand-cycled vigorously. It certainly seemed clean and slick when I was done.

We'll see how it performs, but mainly a thorough cleaning and subsequent protection from rust and grinding metal was my objective.

Thanks again for the info and suggestions!

 

[Ken Rainey]

That sounds pretty good default....even if you followed the gunscrubber to the firing pin channel with a spray lubricant it would be ok as long as you blowed it out...you just don't want liquid lubricant in there to attract brass particles and residue....check to make sure you firing pin is free by holding in on the firing pin safety "button" in the slide...shake it back and forth and listen for the rattle of the firing pin, if it rattles, you're good to go....you can let the firing pin drop thru the breechface and give it a look over for possible chips, etc....

Learning to detail strip a Glock is easy to do...you can find instructions on Glockmeister's website...if you run into any problems, just give a shout...