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jasonx

Good lube for handguns?

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12 minutes ago, PeteF said:

You can, but why? 

Cleaners designed to clean firearms are not real expensive.  Use the lube your manufacturer recommends,  it isnt that expensive.

I think they just say "use lube" in the manual. And I already have motor oil, diesel, ATF, and lithium grease.

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Its up to you.  Bacon grease and olive oil has been used as lube.  Any lube is better than none.  

When you got your pistol (ill assume new) there would have been a grease packet with it.  This is what the engineers/smiths determined would extend the life of their firearm.  Who am I to argue with the designers.

Sig ships tw25 with its guns.  

 

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Ask 100 gun owners and you will get 1500 answers.

Some products work great, some work better than others, some are average, some are expensive snake oil, some are downright bad.

Some people never clean the original protective (not designed for lubrication, but corrosion protection) grease from their gun and wonder why it doesn't run right.

You can go down a rabbit hole for cleaning/lubrication products research on google or youtube. There have been a few decent compsrisons of motor oil and atf to products specifically designed for guns, and i am sure no matter what your opinion is, you will find something that supports your view.

I tend to use shooters choice grease or hoppes oils on moving parts for my guns. If i had to use motor oil, i would in a pinch, but its not my first choice.

I forget what i use for cleaning because there are a few products in rotation, but they all generally work ok.

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Lube opinions are like a-holes....

I started with “woo-woo” lubes early on in my gun hobby (Militech, Weaponshield, Frog lube, “Teflon-infused” b.s. lubes, etc.).

I mostly use synthetic motor oil now, occasionally grease on some really high wear/large wear surface areas.

I’ve been using the left over frog lube on barbells and weight equipment in my home gym to keep rust down.

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Ah lubes. I'll give an edited version of my general response to this. 

1) If it has all sorts of rules and conditionals to it's application and actually working, it is garbage. I'm looking at you frog lube and others. 

2) Some things, usually not meant for guns or primarily guns, will dry to a tacky film. These should be avoided as a lube. I'm looking at you boeshield t-9 (not a half bad protectant that comes off fairly easily for the safe queens that need it. Keep it out of fire control group parts. ). 

3) If you just want lube and you plan to apply before use, almost any gun lube or motor oil will work fine. 

4) If you want to lube it up and have something there doing it's job months later, you might need to do research. 

The way I use things, I want the stuff to not run off or evaporate easily. I've been pretty happy with slide glide lite grease and fp-10 for an oil. I'd love a better protectant, but have yet to find anything that works well without gumming things up. 

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My contribution to this is.... be careful of the guns you dont use often... Oils dont only dissipate and evaporate over time, they migrate off your guns. Any lube will work when applied and used in short order. It;s the long term that should be a primary concern, or heavy use.

I've become a huge fan of hornadys HD extreme dry lube as a simple protectant.... primarily becuase i can spray down every gun once a year very quickly... Otherwise EWL is my go to lube for anything i use frequently. 

When it comes to grease, just about anything works provided cold temps arent an issue and you dont pack it like a bearing... I've used anything from moly fortified grease to the red and tacky Lucas stuff. 

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Fuck yeah finally, oil threads are kinda my jam! 

Use Mobil 1 5w30 on everything all year long, if it don't run either your gun, ammo or mags are fucking garbage and should be treated as such. 

Use a tiny bit of Brian Enos slide glide with a light coat of Mobil 1 on top of it on your 19/2011 rails. Really that shit is just the red hightack axle grease poured in to a little plastic jar with a sticker from a gun hippie that talks about how he's one with the universe or some shit. Either way I was once an ignorant asshole at one time too and got suckered into buying it. Oh well that little jar will last a lifetime so fuck it. 

Dont believe the lies that gun oil companies, that make pretty much no money compared to automotive companies, put any kind of real research into the shit they sell. The tests they brag about are not real tests. 

 

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@jasonx

FYI - Over the years, I have asked numerous gun folks, (including former members of the military; gunsmiths and firearms manufacturer reps), about their preferences for this supposedly straight forward gun lubricating topic and have received multiple and contradictory opinions. I started to realize that many gun folks really do not know the differences between greases and oils, and in time, the gun community creates a herd mentality or group think which is based not on facts, but on the endless repetition of dogma.  I recognize that everyone has an opinion on this topic and sticks with whatever they have been using that works for them, which is fine.  Ultimately, either grease or oil will both reduce friction and wear on the moving parts of a firearm and both will fight corrosion.  Most importantly, as @PeteFsaid earlier, any lubricant is better than no lubricant.  Now after doing my own research, along with some trial & error testing to satisfy my curiosity, FWIW, this is what I have learned, concluded and the process I follow:

There are numerous products on the market that are made specifically to Clean, Lubricate and Protect (CLP) firearms, as well as lubricants intended for other applications, (i.e. Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil).  Most of them work just fine for firearms and the important thing is to use them on a regular basis.  Yet, I am also aware that over lubrication can be worse than no lubrication, as it can collect debris and cause fouling internally and potentially lead to a malfunction. 

How you lubricate your firearm really depends on two important variables: one is what the environmental conditions are when you are shooting and the other is just how tight the fit is of the moving parts of the gun.  Historically and generally speaking, grease has performed better in hot and wet conditions, whereas oil seems to work better in very cold conditions, where some grease can turn into the consistency of bubble gum.  @JackDaWackmade an important point regarding lubrication for long-term storage.  From my experience, for long-term storage, I prefer to use grease since I have found it to be a better rust inhibitor than oil.  So that, along with a thin coat of silicone on the metal exterior parts will usually combat the natural corrosiveness of humidity over time.

Also, my preference is to use separate products to clean, lubricate and protect my firearms, instead of using one product that claims to do all of the above (CLP), such as Ballistol multi-use spray or Break Free CLP).  While these products may work fine for some folks, I do not believe that one size fits all.  I find it hard to believe that one product will do as good a job of cleaning, lubricating and protecting all parts of a firearm, as compared to different products that are formulated to do one specific task and do it really well. 

I also subscribe to the old axiom of “if it rotates use oil.  If it slides use grease”.  Grease is just a lubricant with a thickening agent to help keep it from migrating.  It makes sense to me that for high friction reciprocating surfaces such as a slide, that a grease that stays in place and does not evaporate in high heat and does not easily seep into other parts of the gun, would be preferable to any oil.  Viscous gun oil tends to displace more easily from their original and intended use location, which may potentially be a problem.

I clean my hand guns, rifle and shotgun after every use on the range. Not just because it is a good habit to have, but I find that the process is actually quite “zen-like” and satisfying, providing sort of a therapeutic and relaxing aftermath to the focused concentration of aiming and shooting at targets at the range, in my constant quest to improve my accuracy. Some additional benefits in doing this are that I have a better understanding and appreciation of how each gun is put together and operates, as well as being able to see the effects of shooting different types of ammo through my guns and obviously preventing the buildup of carbon and metal deposits in the bore and inside the body of the firearm that could lead to fouling and failures.

My approach and product choices can be itemized as follows, where for the most part, I use the M-Pro 7 military grade gun cleaning system and lubricant product line, using their specific products for each task; http://www.mpro7.com/

The M-Pro 7 products are used by the U.S. military and perform above the minimum MILSPEC requirements.  For example, the minimum cleaning efficiency for the MILSPEC is 70%.  In an independent government funded test the M-Pro 7 Gun Cleaner scored 98% cleaning efficiency for one cleaning pass and worked 4 times faster than most other cleaners, which scored between 50% - 74% cleaning efficiency.  I appreciate that all M-Pro7 gun cleaning products are odorless, non-hazardous, biodegradable and non-flammable.  I found the M-Pro 7 line to be very appealing since they use a unique blend of modern chemical technologies containing corrosion inhibitors and surfactants with a non-toxic solvent base to provide superior cleaning without the intense smell of other cleaners. 

Cleaning: The M-Pro 7 Gun Cleaner thoroughly strips the surface of all oil and grease.  It breaks up carbon particles from the bore steel, therefore allowing for a very good job of removing both the surface carbon particle along with the embedded metal fouling.  In the cleaning process I use brass and soft bristle brushes, cotton patches as well as bore snakes in tandem, treated with the appropriate cleaning solution.  I like to use a can of compressed air to blow out any remaining cleaning solution from those hard to reach areas.  Once it is dry, I will apply the appropriate gun oil or grease as the lubricant, where necessary.

Lubricant:  The 
M-Pro7 Gun Oil LPX replaces all other gun oils, CLP's and dry lubes with the benefits of each and none of the issues (evaporation, separation, gumming, odor, etc.).  It is formulated with high quality synthetic oils and their propriety additives, allowing this oil to approach the lowest known friction coefficient.

I also use Mil-Comm Products’ TW25B Synthetic Grease
(
https://www.mil-comm...t_category_id=5)
As @PeteF stated in his first post, I also received a small tube of gun grease when I bought my Sig Sauer P226 MK-25.  This is the gun grease that Sig Sauer recommends highly to be used on their handguns, especially for the metal-to-metal sliding surfaces, such as racking the slide, etc. The grease is the American-made Mil-Comm Products’ TW25B Synthetic Grease. It has proven to have exceptional lubricating performance in adverse weather conditions which has made it the preferred gun grease used by US and European Military. I like the fact that once applied, this grease does not migrate or seep around to other areas of the gun, specifically the exterior of the gun.  The plastic, re-closable tapered tip is useful for applying a small drop or bead to specific or hard to reach areas. I use this grease for lubricating the rails of the slide & frame, whether it is metal-to-metal or metal-to-polymer, on all of my handguns, as well as on the receiver and barrel hinge pin of my O/U shotgun and the threads of the chokes.

Finally, after I finish cleaning and lubricating the handguns or rifle, I wipe any excess lubricant off with a silicone treated microfiber cloth to remove fingerprints and impart a light protective coating of silicone on the metal parts.

Try out this and other products and decide what works the best for you, based on how much time and effort you want to expend and what level of care and attention you want to give to your firearms.  Good luck!

AVB-AMG

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Even though I shoot plenty, the lubricant doesn't really make a difference to me.  Been cleaning and lubing with Hoppes for a long time and has not failed me in over a decade.  (wow, I am starting to sound like an old Fudd).

I am now looking at stuff that is cleaner or natural.

Almost anything is better than nothing.

Just don't away your guns back into the styrofoam cases really wet... you may come back to find some new rust spots or stains. 

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On 9/4/2019 at 4:00 PM, Maksim said:

Just don't away your guns back into the styrofoam cases really wet... you may come back to find some new rust spots or stains. 

Yeah if you don't have a safe and are putting it in foam lined cases, even if it seems dry have some desiccant in there. Most hard cases, get less air intrusion than a safe and the foam holds the moisture right up against the surface. 

 

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I think I found a decent/cheap solution:

Solvent (stripping): Heet red bottle - this is basically 99-100% isopropyl alcohol with the rest being anti-rusting additives.

Heavy grease (for slides): Lucas Oil White Lithium

Light oil (for internal mechanisms): 0W20 synthetic motor oil OR Mobil 1 ATF.

 

Has anyone ever used diesel or gasoline as a solvent? I'm pretty sure it won't hurt the metal, but what if it gets on the plastic or the wood pieces?

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10 hours ago, jasonx said:

I think I found a decent/cheap solution:

Solvent (stripping): Heet red bottle - this is basically 99-100% isopropyl alcohol with the rest being anti-rusting additives.

Heavy grease (for slides): Lucas Oil White Lithium

Light oil (for internal mechanisms): 0W20 synthetic motor oil OR Mobil 1 ATF.

 

Has anyone ever used diesel or gasoline as a solvent? I'm pretty sure it won't hurt the metal, but what if it gets on the plastic or the wood pieces?

Keep in mind you need a solvent that will dissolve carbon, lead, and copper.  I don't think alcohol will do that.  The best all around IMO is Hoppes.

The only thing I use grease on is Garand/M14 actions as that's what they were designed to run on.  They'll run on any grease.  Marines used to be told to use Brylcreem if that had nothing else.  I use Mobil 1 synthetic grease as the red color let's me know it's grease and not gunk.  Buy a tube for a grease gun for maybe $10 and it will last a long time.

CLPs work well but if you're asking something to do 3 things it's not going to excel at any of them.  Breakfree, G96, and Ballistol all work well.  I like to use Ballistol on long guns, like lever actions, where the possibility of it getting on the wood is likely.  The vegetable oil base won't hurt the wood as petroleum based and likely synthetic based oils will.

Petroleum base oils will evaporate and leave brown gunk on the gun.  I've bought older guns that lived in closets and sock dtawers.  I saw what I thought was rust but turned our to be dried oil.

The best lube for internals is Dri-Slide.  It thoroughly coats the parts and doesn't let gunk stick to them.  It's the best for AR internals and combat tested. I've only been using it for over 50 years.  I could be wrong.

I've used gas and diesel to clean M16s, M60s, M2s, and other military weapons when that's what we had available.  Both will soak into wood and rot it.

Plastics are questionable depending on the plastic and solvent. Glock advised using Gunscrubber.  About 25 years ago I knew someone using Gunscrubber to clean AUG magazines.  The magazines melted into goo almost instantly from the Gunscrubber.

FWIW CRC BrakeKleen in the red can is the same stuff as Gunscrubber but half the price.

However, as someone else said, dedicated gun lubes are not that expensive.

@jasonx you can get alcohol much cheaper at the dollar store.

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5 hours ago, GRIZ said:

The best lube for internals is Dri-Slide.  It thoroughly coats the parts and doesn't let gunk stick to them.  It's the best for AR internals and combat tested. I've only been using it for over 50 years.  I could be wrong.

@jasonx you can get alcohol much cheaper at the dollar store.

Hehehe dri-slide doesn't let gunk stick to things... dri-slide IS gunk. I mean it's moly and graphite.  In my gun that was shooting moly coated lead, it was just like pre-dirtying the gun. 

It's not bad stuff, but it does not prevent gunk from sticking. 

On pistols, it is kind of like starting with a clean gun but the clean will get your hands dirty and is kind of like you start at the 400-500 round mark worth of crud already in it. 

On an AR, it just does nothing to prevent the carbon build up. If you need something that won't attract too much fine dirt and grit form the external environment, with regular applications without too high round counts in between it'll get the job done provided you have time for the carrier to evaporate. 

 

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9 hours ago, raz-0 said:

Hehehe dri-slide doesn't let gunk stick to things... dri-slide IS gunk. I mean it's moly and graphite.  In my gun that was shooting moly coated lead, it was just like pre-dirtying the gun. 

It's not bad stuff, but it does not prevent gunk from sticking. 

On pistols, it is kind of like starting with a clean gun but the clean will get your hands dirty and is kind of like you start at the 400-500 round mark worth of crud already in it. 

On an AR, it just does nothing to prevent the carbon build up. If you need something that won't attract too much fine dirt and grit form the external environment, with regular applications without too high round counts in between it'll get the job done provided you have time for the carrier to evaporate. 

 

Dri-Slide is black as it's molybdenum disulfide which is black. If you're shooting moly coated bullets you're putting more moly in the gun with each round.  That's why it looks gunky and your hands get dirty.  You can get the same effect if you kept putting lube down your bore.  The melting point of molydendum disulfide is about 2400 degrees fahrenheit.  Your gun doesnt get hot enough to burn it off like many other lubes.  The military never accepted it because if you lubed a gun with it, it would turn your finger black.  

I never had any serious problem with carbon buildup and Dri-Slide. There is no problem with Dri-Slide picking up fine grit.  Lube a part with just about any other lube and drop it in the sand and see how much sticks to it.  Do the same with Dri-Slide, let the carrier evaporate and see what sticks to the Dri-Slide.  Little if anything sticks. There was plenty of crap from the environment that could stick to it in Vietnam.

I was introduced to Dri-Slide in Vietnam.  I wasn't a special operator, sniper or anything like that but there were occasions I had some very high round counts and it worked as a lube on the internals better than LSA which was what the Army provided. The stakes were quite a bit higher than losing a match. Yeah, it was combat tested by me and it works if you apply it properly.  It has no protectorant or solvent properties.  It just lubes.

It's also good for motorcycle chains.

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