Grease vs oil

[GJM]

Not sure it matters. I am not aware of many failures due to lubrication nor am I aware of gun lifetime being impacted due to lubrication choices. Even in sandy SW FL, lube choices are not critical. I do have to clean more often than I did in AL due to the sand, but I see no real difference in sand collection with oils or greases. Finishes like NP3 are nice in that the gun can be run with no lube in sandy locales. For many firearms, corrosion resistance is more important than lubrication. Firearms do not require intense lubrication schemes.

I use whatever lube I have at hand, from G96 Gun Treatment to Mobil 1 to Slide Glide Lite.

I think it depends on how you define "failures." Stoeger was just an example of how his Staccato didn't run well until he lubed it heavier. Ed Cameron tells me he wants his 2011 and 1911 custom pistols to "bleed oil," especially when new.

A friend just ran into issues with multiple Glock pistols that related to under lubrication.

When Bruce Gray says to use grease in his pistols, I take that seriously. In her practice 320 with a GGI slide using grease, she goes about 8,000 rounds between cleanings.

[bofe954]

I use Enos's slide glide light. I use my finger and spread it on the rails, the barrel and the locking lugs of the barrel. Thin coat. On a 1911/2011 I then lock the slide back and put a drop of oil in the back of the rails let it drain down as far as it can and a drop on the disconnector, and a drop where bushing will sit on the barrel. Then I rack the slide about 5 times. Then I put a drop on each side of the hammer, rack the slide and dryfire a few times. Then I wipe off what I can wipe off. On striker fired stuff the slide glide is it. I treated my shadows and shadow 2's like 2011's basically.

If I am going multiple range sessions/matches without cleaning I reapply the oil, not the grease. I only grease when I remove the slide.

I think it makes stuff easier to clean. I can generally just wipe a barrel off with a rag. When I use oil alone I get more carbon that has to be scraped off or dissolved.

[Shotgun]

Oh dang, there is about to be 5+ pages of everyone talking about there pet lube.

Exactly.

I jumped into this rabbit hole wondering if I could quickly find the DocGKR of gun lubrication. I did not, not at least in the 15 minutes or so I searched on the net. This is the best I could find in that short amount of time:

https://www.grantcunningham.com/2006...brication-101/ That article is 18 years old.

[PNWTO]

Having watched Defoor take the dipstick from his bike and put a few drops on a carbine, Glock, or Staccato, I’d say whatever floats your boat as long as the weapon wasn’t manufactured before the Red Scare.

[farscott]

I think it depends on how you define "failures." Stoeger was just an example of how his Staccato didn't run well until he lubed it heavier. Ed Cameron tells me he wants his 2011 and 1911 custom pistols to "bleed oil," especially when new.

A friend just ran into issues with multiple Glock pistols that related to under lubrication.

When Bruce Gray says to use grease in his pistols, I take that seriously. In her practice 320 with a GGI slide using grease, she goes about 8,000 rounds between cleanings.

I have some very tight 1911 and 2011 pistols. Have not experienced a stoppage due to lube choice. When new, they do need a little more lube. I try to put 750 rounds downrange during the first range session for the "break in". I will add a bit of lube when the slide seems to be a bit sluggish. It is easier to use oil than grease as the oil can more readily penetrate. Once parts are mated, I use very little lube. I do tend to field strip, clean, and sparingly lube after every range session and prefer carbon steel. Stainless steel seems to need a bit more lube.

My cleaning habits may be the reason I do not see issues. I have never let a gun fire more than 2000 rounds before cleaning and lubing it. The last one I remember going 2k between cleanings was a RRA Elte Commando. Now, most guns see (much) less than 1000 rounds before cleaning.

[Outpost75]

The Grant Cunningham blog article is golden.

Military salt spray, sand, mud and dust tests are revealing.

Garand and M14 liked to run grease in salt spray, but desert dry.

M240, M9 and M4 sloppy with CLP.

[MickAK]

In her practice 320 with a GGI slide using grease, she goes about 8,000 rounds between cleanings.

I think that's probably why. Grease requires fewer reapplications and the gun is less likely to run dry in intense practice sessions.

Grease is more likely to catch foreign material and make it stick. But, it's also more likely to stick there and not continue migrating into a place where it can cause a malfunction, at least in certain applications.

I've been using these products
https://www.matweb.com/search/datash...4fb040ab9ddf9b
https://phillips66lubricants.com/pro...hydraulic-oil/
Mostly because someone was throwing a couple five gallon buckets of each away. They seem to do a better job of not being too thick or too thin, but I have no way to objectively test that. Which one is dependent upon expected ambient temps and usage. There may be an equivalent airplane maintenance product?

Tldr: I'd take oil over grease but I'd take grease all day over an insufficiently oiled weapon. If my time availability changed I'd switch to grease.

[Jason M]

I routinely listen to some of the P&S modcasts. One was dedicated to weapon maintenance and focused on springs and lubes. Some very knowledgeable folks were on this episode.

BLUF from those on the show:

Metal has "asperities" not "pores"
Grease is oil carried in a base.
Grease is better for most small arms applications.
Grease acts to trap friction causing contaminants and keep them away from bearing surfaces.
Better gun grease has the consistency of mayo with an NLGI rating of "0"
PTFE/Teflon becomes HF when it burns away. Nasty...
Chlorinated esters in some oils (lookin at you Mil-Tec) cause stress cracks in steel and are to be avoided.

For those who have time on their hands and want to get nerdy with the topic... Here is the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oimwq6QBlzc

[JSGlock34]

My 'go-to' lube has long been Slip 2000 EWL.

I use Wilson's Ultima Lube II grease on my .45 1911, and I think it is excellent for that pistol. Wilson Combat specifically does not recommend their grease for their 9mm pistols though, and so I've generally avoided grease for 9mm 1911/2011 pistols. Still, I have a bottle of ALG 'Go-Juice' that I thought might be a good fit for my 2011s. It's a very thin 0000 grease. I've used it a few times and it seems to work well.

Here's the Wilson Combat guidance on lubricant.

We find that most service issues are caused by under lubricating or too-heavy viscosity lubricant in 9mm pistols.

We recommend the following lubricants for best results:

Under 60° F: Wilson Combat Ultima-Lube II Light Oil (part number 621), Break Free LP or Shooters Choice FP-10. These lubricants should be used during the break in regardless of temperature.
Over 60° F: Wilson Combat Ultima-Lube II Oil (part number 578), Lucas Extreme Duty Oil or Lucas Gun Oil
All Around: Wilson Combat Ultima-Lube II Light Oil (part number 621), Shooter Choice FP-10, EWL Slip 2000, Break-Free LP
NEVER use any form of grease on a 9mm Pistol!

[camel]

Lube is going to be the temperature you are operating at with environmental conditions. Viscosity is wha I care about. If it doesn’t stain clothes.

It’s like engine oil. You can chase performance out of it but even going to the dealer for your warranty I’ll bet you bang for the buck as long as you know your lube points. I could make Vaseline to vagisil work. The heavier the weight the more unlikely it is to work at low temperatures. Ymmv