slide grease?

[Jim Watson]

I can't tell you what is on any given gun any given day. I have so many odds and ends of old purchases and free samples that I use whatever comes to hand. Clean off the old, put on Something fresh.

Frex, I have three greases; the Gunslick graphited grease that the local hardware store used to throw in with a purchase, Lubriplate, and an industrial moly doped grease a craftsman at work scooped out of a drum and gave me in a sample jar.

 

[1942farmall]

EWG - Extreme Weapon Grease.
I really like it

 

[JTQ]

EWG - Extreme Weapon Grease.
I really like it

For those not familiar, it is from SLIP 2000 https://slip2000.com/pages/about-extreme-weapons-grease

 

[Bronco72]

I have a ParaOrd. frame I bought when they were available years ago! Put the parts together where tolerances are tight, shake it no noise!
Anyway I used some light weight moly grease and would have the fail to eject brass, stove pipe and other maladies. I switched to oil and I has run like a swiss watch. I think that is a good thing
I have another compact 1911 where the tolerances are a wee bit looser and it will run great with a light coating of grease. I guess it depends on the weather and the firearm it is being applied to.

Just my life experience

 

[epags]

If it rotates...oil it
If it slide...grease it

Exactly!!!
Use Brian Enos’ Slide Glide. Lasts and lasts!

 

[3Crows]

Mobil 1 grease sparingly on sliding parts, Rem oil or similar elsewhere.

 

[dfariswheel]

The bottom line is, it really doesn't matter WHAT you lubricate with, what matters is that you DO lubricate.
Squirting something on your gun than not checking it regularly could leave you embarrassed when your dry gun malfunctions.

As for the "If it rotates oil it, if it slides grease it" is not engraved on stone.
As example M1 and M14 rifle shooters discovered that an oiled trigger pin can often gall and break.
They found that if they greased the trigger pin the problem went away.
Most any gun part can be greased and work well.

 

[LAH]

Synthetic motor oil…

5W30. Has always worked for me.

 

[Lo-Profile]

I use oil on all my pistol slides.
No favorite brand, whatever is within reach. Use a good quality oil made for guns. They have corrosion specific additives for guns. I don't use car oils because of the different additives.

 

[Lo-Profile]

I use oil on all my pistol slides.
No favorite brand, whatever is within reach. Use a good quality oil made for guns. They have corrosion specific additives for guns. I don't use car oils because of the different additives.

 

[Otto]

Grease is simply oil mixed with a soap thickener. Soaps come in the form of lithium, calcium, sodium and clay. Additives can include teflon, zinc, graphite, molybdenum, copper, etc. i think I've tried every gun grease known to man. Slide Guide is my go to lube. Standard viscosity for summer, Lite formula for the rest of the year.

 

[Steve in NC]

My take: oil follows gravity. So it’s only good for X amount of time. Grease stays put but you can’t just use any grease at any temp or application.

Have used white lithium grease a lot in the past. Sparingly. The last 5 years I’ve moved to using Super Lube Synthetic grease on all firearms. Can get it at the local NAPA store in a tub or tube. Good temp range and doesn’t burn off. A little dab will do ya.

Steve

 

[dfariswheel]

For those who are concerned that liquid oils can evaporate or run or wick off parts, and grease is thought to be too stiff, Synco Super Lube makes a thicker oil.
It's about a thin grease-thick oil consistency and is, like the grease, a full synthetic clear-white Teflon bearing lube.
Like the grease it's good from -45 to +450.
I've opened customer guns serviced as much as 10 years prior and the Super Lube was still in place and working.
It doesn't evaporate, dry out, or move away.

 

[ms6852]

I use Corrosion X HD marine grade on my firearms. It is a grease that you spray and then I wipe it off. It forms a protective barrier on steel and does great on preventing rust. I also use ballistol or 3-in-1 oil in between the Corrosion X.

 

[MikeInOr]

I have been using Tetra lube gun grease for the past 30+ years. It is easier to apply than oil and stays put instead of spreading out and evaporating off.

 

[JTQ]

It is easier to apply than oil ...

I wasn't going to, but I'm intrigued, so I have to ask. What oil applicator were you using that made applying grease easier?

I think grease works OK in a lot of instances, but I've found oil much easier to apply than grease.

 

[trackskippy]

Ive used grease in the past, and while not generally hard to apply, it isnt as easy to apply in some places, if you can get it in there at all.

Ive been using oil now for a number of years, and have never found it to evaporate or disappear. Ive also never found it running out of or off the gun while carrying or shooting either.

A needle oiler makes oiling quick and easy, and it gives you a lot of control over where you put it and how much and lets you get it right where you want it.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

One method to make it easier to apply grease is to thin it out with mineral spirits, and then apply it with a syringe with an applicator tip. Work the mechanism to work in the mixture. The mineral spirts will evaporate leaving a thin grease film behind. This technique was recommended to me by Redline Synthetic Oil.

 

[JTQ]

One method to make it easier to apply grease is to thin it out with mineral spirits, and then apply it with a syringe with an applicator tip. Work the mechanism to work in the mixture. The mineral spirts will evaporate leaving a thin grease film behind. This technique was recommended to me by Redline Synthetic Oil.

I'm not completely familiar with all these substances, but isn't grease a combination of oil and a thickener (and other stuff), and don't mineral spirits dissolve oil?

Wouldn't that leave you with whatever thickener they used to make the grease still on the gun and all the oil gone?

 

[Slamfire]

Thankfully firearms tend to be non stressing in their lubricant technology needs. The primary thing is, keep them clean and lubed. Use the lubricant of your choice, be it greases or oils. Greases should be on the light side.

Based on my experience with semi fluid greases and Garands/M1a's, I began using them on my 1911's. Lubrication Oil Semi-Fluid (LSA) is perhaps the best known due to the fact the military uses it.




Maybe some remember it from Vietnam.



LSA is just one of many lubricants the Department of Defense uses on weapons.



LSA is thin enough that it works well in arctic weather with Vulcan 20mm cannons and it is thick enough to work well on M16's in Iraqi. I find it a great 1911 lubricant, the primary disadvantage has been it flows and leaks off the slide rails in storage. So I tried some more semi fluid greases. Gave this one a try: Farm Oyl semi fluid grease . It works well on my 1911's.



It is thicker than LSA, but thinner than the typical light grease. It does not leak off, and stays on the surface. Semi fluid greases are known for excellent surface adhesion. As you can see, Farm Oyl is used in gear boxes, worm gears, etc. These are more severe applications than firearms, so I consider this lubricant acceptable for use on my rifles and pistols. Farm Oyl is black, I think that comes from molybdenum disulfide or graphite additives, both are black, both are dry lubricants that mix well with oils.


I have no idea of the thickener used. There are optimum thickener's for certain applications, I don't bother with the particulars, though it is interesting to find greases are more complex than blaring labels. There is all this information to be found, just by watching videos. Amazing world we live in.







https://www.youtube.com/@LubricationExplained

 

[MikeInOr]

I wasn't going to, but I'm intrigued, so I have to ask. What oil applicator were you using that made applying grease easier?

I think grease works OK in a lot of instances, but I've found oil much easier to apply than grease.

I pull off the slide and apply the grease to the rails and it stays there where I put it instead of migrating all over the place like oil does. This is particularly nice for a carry gun. To me this is easier than oiling a gun then wiping it down then having to deal with the extra dust and powder residue that oil seems to attract. I have used oil when I forget to put the Tetra Lube grease back in my range bag and it does fine, I much prefer the Tetra Lube grease through.

I believe the Tetra Lube stays better and protects better than the gun oils I have used. The door going out to my garage would always squeak. A drop or two of oil would shut it up for a month or so after which it would start squeaking again. A decade or so ago I got tired of it and pulled the pins from the hinges and applied a touch of Tetra Lube. The door has been silent ever since. How this translates to the mechanicals of guns I can't exactly say but it impressed me enough that I always prefer to use Tetra Lube. If you decide to use oil instead I am sure you will be fine, I just prefer the Tetra.

I do tend to use oil on a brand new firearm during the initial "break in period" of how ever many shots until it smooths out but then usually switch to the Tetra.

P.S. I usually prefer stainless and second to stainless a Melonite type finish on my new firearms. My classic WWII mil-surplus blued and parkerized guns need a coat of oil to fend off rust. So I guess I always use oil on them (even though they are all long past their break-in period).

 

[JTQ]

I pull off the slide and ...

A post application convenience rather than grease being actually easier to apply, correct?

To me this is easier than oiling a gun then wiping it down then having to deal with the extra powder residue that oil seems to attract.

Did you watch the Atlas Gunworks video linked above. Their assertion is grease will trap the powder residue, and every thing else, while the oil will wash it away. This seems to track with my experience, but I understand others can have different experiences.

 

[trackskippy]

If you're using so much oil that its migrating all over the place, then youre using too much oil. You dont flood the gun with it, a small drop on your finger and run down each rail is all you need. A few more rubbed around on your fingers and drawn around the barrel, and maybe a small drop elsewhere on obvious wear spots, if even needed, is all that's needed.

Glock has a good lube schedule in the booklet that comes with the guns. The whole gun is lubed with just a 5 or 6 "drops".

 

[MikeInOr]

A post application convenience rather than grease being actually easier to apply, correct?

If you want to argue the point I will concede that putting a couple drops of oil on a gun and having it migrate throughout the gun is hard to beat for quick and easy and is much better than dry and dirty!

Did you watch the Atlas Gunworks video linked above. Their assertion is grease will trap the powder residue, and every thing else, while the oil will wash it away. This seems to track with my experience, but I understand others can have different experiences.

No, I did not.

If they prefer to use oil and that is what works for them... that is great. For me I find I prefer Tetra lube. Tetra lube is a very specific brand of gun grease and it has served me very well for many decades. If you prefer oil I am not going to look down on you for doing so... life is way to short to worry about such things!

I am not trying to tell ANYONE how they should lube their guns. I am just conveying what I have found works best for me.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

I'm not completely familiar with all these substances, but isn't grease a combination of oil and a thickener (and other stuff), and don't mineral spirits dissolve oil? Wouldn't that leave you with whatever thickener they used to make the grease still on the gun and all the oil gone?

It all appears to go into solution.

After cleaning and drying my bicycle chain, I've been lubricating my bicycle chains using Redline CV-2 grease diluted with mineral spirits for over 10 years. I place the chain over a small plastic spool and the let the bottom end of the chain dip into my can of grease mixed with mineral spirits. I move the chain over the spool and the chain flexes at the top and bottom of the chain and helps work the grease mixture into the pivots of the chain. If I'm in a hurry I use a heat gun on the chain to speed up the evaporation of the mineral spirts.

Redline stated in writing that it was okay to do this and it seems to work well. I've used this to lubricate things other than my bicycle chains, such as my bicycle lock. I'm sure that someone is going to say that I should use powdered graphite. But after I had my lock freeze up do to water infiltration and subzero temperatures, I began using the Redline CV-2 grease and mineral spirits and I haven't had a problem since.