Using vaseline as a pistol lube??

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Joey_the_Wolf

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I personally had never thought of this, but after casually complaining of getting my face and shirt dirty with droplets of oil coming off of my 1911 after a range session (No big deal, but it does tend to seep out of the gun if it's too wet, and ends up on my shirt, face, etc) someone suggested that I use Vaseline instead of regular gun oil so it wouldn't splatter. I really don't know if I should try it or not, or just buy a grease that's actually made for guns instead of using oil, but seeing how Vaseline/petroleum jelly is so cheap and available I was wondering if anyone here had actually tried using a few dabs of that on the slide rails of a pistol, and if so, did it have a good or bad result, etc. I realize that I am opening myself up to a few jokes by using the words "vaseline" and "gun" in the same topic, but I'm actually curious about this, and if it seems like a good idea since most of the gun greases I've seen have about the same look and feel as vaseline once they spread over a surface. Thoughts?
 
You are really opening yourself up.

I have not had a lot of trouble with gun oil getting on me. maybe you are using more than you really need. A little is all you need.
 
LOL ^^^^^

Anyway, use less gun oil. If you want to try grease, there's plenty of gun specific ones out there. Brian Enos' Slide Glide has a good reputation. I use plain, NAPA white lithium grease on my M1. I've since started using it on my Kalashnikov as well. It was pretty cheap, and you don't need much. Plus it smells manly! Like an auto shop!
 
Petroleum jellies are nothing more than a light gel made with mineral oils. They have a low melting point and are too light to serve as an effective machine lubricant.

However, vaseline would probably work as a spur-of-the-moment or last-ditch lubricant.

If you're getting covered with oil when firing you're pistol, I'd wager to say that you're using too much.

The rule of thumb that was taught to me was to use grease if it slides and oil if it turns or rotates.
 
Hmmm...I'm not too sure how "runny" Vaseline will get after being exposed to heat from friction due to repeated back and forth cycling ;).

But since I've never heard of anyone using it, I'm going to assume that it's not a good substitute for the lubrication of firearms, though probably works quite well for other lubrication needs.

Then again, maybe all us gunnies don't want to walk into a drug store and buy 4 jars of the stuff. Besides, it doesn't smell like guns.
 
OK, I will confess. I do use Vaseline on my guns (plural :rolleyes:), but only to protect the exterior surfaces. It works great for rust protection and is safe against the skin, which I don't trust gun oils to be. I use Mobil1 for the internals as it works better and cleaner in my experience than most commercial gun oils.
 
Vaseline is often referred to as "Poor man's Cosmoline"
It works fine for protecting guns, even in storage.
Petroleum Jelly [PJ] even generic is fine.

Truth is, if a gun won't run, except with certain lubes, something is wrong with the gun.

Gun lubes have specific properties that do not encourage or do harm to guns.

That said I have been pulling a Pat Rogers and using Vagisil to show folks, that a lubed gun runs, and quit obsessing over the wonder lube of the week.

I have used Olive Oil, PJ, Vagasil, Tobasco Sauce (that was an accident) , Dexcron II, Gulf 30wt motor oil , LSA, Fishing Reel Oil of various kinds, Gunk Super Oil, Liquid Wrench, Grease from whatever my truck was greased with, Lithium Grease, Valvoline Wheel Bearing Grease, Crisco...

Now I am a fan of RIG+P and STOS for grease, have been for a long time.
TWB25 is a good one, as well.

My main use for grease, is hinge pins on shotguns, and if a screw in choke, something for threads.

Pistols, I prefer oil.
My niche gun is lubed with Kleenbore Formula 3, The 1911 I use, lubed with LSA, a shotgun lubed with Ballistol , and another with LSA with STOS on hinge
pins. Lever Action lubed with Browning Gun oil from a Tin can that is who knows how old.

Bunch I hang with, includes kids and some that dealt with Cancer in the family.
Ballistol is used most often.

Last batch of Breakfree CLP [bottle or aerosol] really affected skin and all, so that all got used up for property duty (gates, hinges, and all)

PJ works, just some things are better suited for guns.
We prefer specific gun stuff, it does not have some chemicals that are "negative" and conducive to negative things happening to guns.

Truth be told, we like the LSA better than CLP.
We are not sold on one product doing everything - except for Ballistol.
That one works for Blackpowder and Smokeless.

We also use Johnson's Paste Wax to protect outside of guns too.
 
A little tub of Mobil 1 synthetic grease from the auto store seems to work fine for me and will last you for all eternity. It seems to stay where you put it pretty well.

For oil I have been using slip 2000. I have no complaints.
 
I personally had never thought of this, but after casually complaining of getting my face and shirt dirty with droplets of oil coming off of my 1911 after a range session (No big deal, but it does tend to seep out of the gun if it's too wet, and ends up on my shirt, face, etc) someone suggested that I use Vaseline instead of regular gun oil so it wouldn't splatter.
Click to expand...

If you carry your gun there will be a lot of dust, lint grit etc. inside the frame. A detail strip and clean is required to ensure maximum reliability and to eliminate any risk of accumulated dirt causing a problem. That is the reason that only a tiny bit of lube on the moving/sliding parts is required and the inside is left dry for the most part. One drop of oil on the bench - distributed with a fingertip on the barrel where the bushing contacts, slide stop pin, the frame rails and inside the slide where the disconnector rubs. No oil on the locking lugs ever.
As a CCW instructor I have regularly seen people show up for their shooting test with their gun literally dripping with oil. In a lot of cases when the person was taking a Renewal Class - (every 4 years) - the explanation was, " well, I have not shot my gun since I took the class 4 years ago so I thought I better oil it" ???
 
Check out Phill Wood grease, if you like grease. Try Tri-Flow if you lean towards oil. (High end racing bikes and pistols are both precision machines;-)

Cal
 
As SM said, petroleum jelly (PJ/Vaseline) works well for protecting finishes, although there are better (and more expensive) products for preservation.

PJ will turn into a runny gooey mess when it heats up. Runny isn't what you want.

There are many better (and similarly priced) options at the auto parts store. High-temperature bearing grease comes to mind. Remember, as others have said... oil on parts that rotate, grease on parts that slide (slide rails, barrel bushings, etc).

And yes, you are using WAY too much oil if you're getting sprayed.

Steve
 
Too light. Use proper grease. Like ilbob says, if you're getting oil flying around, you're using too much. A light coat is plenty.
 
here's a good drill for those over-zealous with the bottle of lube and the object being lubricated...

dump a bunch on, and wipe it dry. It's ok, it's not really dry, but it's about as close to perfect as you can get without actually investing time and effort into it.
 
Vasoline would probably work better on the pistol when bear hunting. ;)

As mentioned, try using less of what you're already using or go to a paste grease product like "shooters choice gun grease."
 
I use Break Free

It seems to leave an invisible layer of protection once you wipe or compressed air blow off any visible amount of it.

I've been machining for many years. It seems cutting fluids act in a similar manner. Get it on the cutting edge and it seems to make an edge outlast an untreated edge by about three times the wear.

If you can see any oil, you have over oiled your gun unless you are storing it (in which case the vapor protection papers work best). Oil attracts the lint and dirt if you carry the gun. I have owned autos which never had a drop of oil on them but run fine (or as crappy as any 2nd generation Smith auto, still very reliable).
 
I expect that gun greases have a higher melting point than vaseline... whose melting point is somewhere around 300 degrees F. At that point, it's liquefied, and probably doesn't have much in the area of lubricity (if that's a word). Plain ol' lithium grease melts at a higher temperature, so prolonged range sessions shouldn't be a problem with it.
 
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