Clean, yes, but what to LUBRICATE?

V

Vinnie Harold

New member
Hi.

Thanks to all of you concerning my cleaning question.
Now, the next step, Lubrication.

I have seen several online videos concerning this, and no two are the same. Is lubrication one of those questions where if you ask 20 people you will get 20 different responses?

I am concerned here with 2 types of pistols: the Glock, and the 1911. (G-19, CZ 75 Shadow, STI Rangemaster, Kahr-CW9, Ruger Mark II)

I clean the weapons with Breakfree CLP by spraying it on, letting it sit for 2 or more hours, and then use patches, toothbrush, and q-tips to clean out everything. The barrel gets the Hoppes #9 and brushed with either a nylon or copper brush.

Some say to run an oiled patch through the barrel, and some say not.
I use a Hoppes lubricating oil, and on the Glock I know not to place oil in the firing pin channel, but do place it on the 4 metal "railings" on the receiver. Do I oil anything else on the Glock?

What do I oil on the 1911? I have been lightly oiling "everything" but especially the rails.

Any hints, tips or recommended internet videos will be appreciated.

I can not help thinking that there is really a "right way" to lubricate these firearms, and not just hit and miss.

Also, since I have several, and they are not all always used, would I do anything special for a firearm that will not be used for several months?

Any product hints for me? Should I rethink and look at Militec-1, something else, or stay with the products I am using.

Thanks. These firearms are a "big investment" as you know, so I want to keep tem in good order.

Hope to learn form you.

Vinnie
 
On a 1911- oil everything as you normally would- and yes i run a patch of oil through every barrel. On the slides use a good gun grease- not oil. Put 2 spots at the back and front of the slide on both sides and cycle the gun 5 or 6 times.
 
TGDKY,

Gun Grease? What kind?

And, can I use the grease on the areas(rails) that I used the Breakfree to clean? Some of these products want you to go down to bare metal before you use the grease product (Militec-1 and Mil-Comm)

Suggestions?
 
I use Birchwood Casey RIG gun grease- i don't see in any instructions where it states it has to be taken to bare metal.
 
Mr. Harold, Welcome to the forum
TGDKY gave you good advise. It's good to see that a new member is concerned with taking proper care of his investment.
 
On the slides use a good gun grease- not oil. Put 2 spots at the back and front of the slide on both sides and cycle the gun 5 or 6 times.
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What is wrong with oil?

I use Birchwood Casey RIG gun grease- i don't see in any instructions where it states it has to be taken to bare metal.
Click to expand...

RIG is a rust protection grease and NOT a lubricant. It may offer some lubrication but that is not its intended use. The jar of RIG that I have states it should be used as a "rust inhibitor"

2 drops of oil on the slide rails and a drop on the disconnecter will do just fine.
If there is any doubt you can refer to the owners manuals and if you purchased your guns used and did not receive manuals with your purchase you can contact the manufacturer's and they will gladly send you a manual
 
Good thing you pointed that out. I ran out of Tetra and bought this the other day. I will keep that in mind. I was always told by my uncle, who was 101st airborne to grease the slides.
 
Not a problem and glad I was able to help. The jar of RIG I have is 30+ years old and it has done rust protection extremely well. I had a Remington 30-06 Gamemaster in a rifle case for 15 years and all I coated it with was RIG and when it came out of the case it was rust free. That RIG really works.
 
Generally you want to use gun oil on places where metal slides against metal, and grease where metal impacts against metal, or is under high pressure.

There are dozens of products to use. I like Tetra Gun lube and grease, but will also use Breakfree and CVC joint grease (moly or teflon). I clean with brake cleaner spray, Birchwood Bore Cleaner. After degreasing and cleaning I then wipe with a lube like Breakfree or Tetragun and then lightly wipe off so there is thin film left on all parts (not enough to attract dirt but enough for corrosion protection and some lubrication). Breakfree leaves behind a Teflon film and Tetra Gun a polnmer film.

The Glock manual explains where to oil. In Many YouTubes, too. All of it is like one drop per location. What I do is lightly grease the slide and rails, and inside the barrel lug, and right where the notch at the top of the barrel/chamber joins the front edge of the ejection port. The manual says you can use oil but for impact areas I prefer grease.

Then I lube the barrel where you see the wear marks, and at the rear of the frame where the trigger and disconnector slide against each other.

The 1911 gets grease on the slide/rails, barrel/slide lugs, and bottom of slide that goes over the hammer. Oil on where the hammer rotates, and on the link pin.
 
I lean more to the synthetic oils than grease, but nothing wrong with grease. I have also used brake free but find it a little to messy, but brake free works well to. I ran across some royal purple lube spray and find that my semi auto does not get as dirty as fast as with other oils and does not attract dirt as much. I have started using eezox (Spray and oil) and find it works well too. I like the eezox spray as it does not come out as fast as other sprays so I use less of this spray than the others. Eezox says it cleans and lubes, just like brake free, but I still clean with a solvent. (I have note settled on a solvent yet) I have found these two products to be less messy and still gives me good performance when it comes to lubing my 9mm, S&W 40, and my 38 special revolver.

Mike
 
Thanks guys.

I will digest this information, but for right now, what part is the "disconnector" or where is it located.
The rails could use oil because it is where metal slides upon metal...but what parts would you consider metal impacting metal?

I will look into Tetra.

Vinnie
 
Generally you want to use gun oil on places where metal slides against metal, and grease where metal impacts against metal, or is under high pressure.
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Who says so? Just your opinion or do you have some citation or authority that would indicate that oil is better than grease for reducing friction on sliding metal surfaces?
 
There are a number of products that will work fine, and everyone has his/her favorite. By this time tomorrow, this thread will be three pages long. :)

Some use Mobil 1--a quart will probably last you three lifetimes.
Some like Ed's Red (do a search).
Some like specialized store-bought products.

I was raised on Hoppes, and still use it for bore and powder cleaning. I use Eezox for internal/external use as a lubricant/protectant, due to it's exceptional anti-corrosion properties.
http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html
http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

It is expensive and hard to find, so I generally use it on blued S&W revolvers and 1911s.

The Glock has a very durable surface coating, and I would be inclined to use a run of the mill oil--gun oil or motor oil--anything will provide adequate lubrication and corrosion resistance.

Do some reading and make up your own mind, but it's hard to go too far wrong. It's not rocket science, and guns do not subject their internals to the same stresses as an F1 engine...by a long shot. What worked for your grandfather will work for you, if you choose to use it.

To find the disconnector on a 1911, remove the slide. Look at the horizontal surface at the aft top of the frame, 3/8" forward of where the hammer would strike the frame if you pulled the trigger (please don't). The disconnector is the little nub dead center. Directly to the left is the ejector, to the right (if you have a series 80) is the actuator for the FPS.
 
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Couple years ago I called and asked a glock tech what he used to clean his glock. He said CLR and brush real good and rinse in water. I did not try this on my g19, has anyone out there tried it? For lube I oil where it says to and put a light film on the rails. Thanks.
 
Wilson Combat has a 5 DVD set - that will tell you everything you want to know about 1911's - how to tune them up, disassemble, assemble ( down to a bare frame ) and where and how to lube them...

I prefer the oil over grease - even on the rails / especially if the gun is chambered in 9mm vs .45acp. But even on my .45acp's / I use oil. I've used CLP Break Free for a long time / but Wilson's Ultima Lube oil and grease are both very good as well. I think "Rig" grease is way too heavy for a 1911.

1911's ....

On the frame - lube the rails / & the disconnector plunger that sticks up thru the frame (under the slide ).

On the slide ....lube the rails again / the area where the barrel lugs drop in and out ( the grooves ), the area where the barrel busing rides, and the disconnector area.

lube the barrel bushing, the slide lock and the barrel. On the barrel, I lube the locking lugs, the barrel pivot ring and the front of the barrel where it rides in and out of the bushing.

Then assemble the gun..

When you take it down to a bare frame .... you'll need lube on the trigger, etc ...but it would be best to consult the Wilson DVD's before you go down that path. Its a good 5 DVD set / good library reference - and the set is around $ 125 or so thru Brownells - but worth every dime.
 
I've used a lot of different products but recently tried Ballistol. Available at Midway USA. It's been around a very long time and yes, it does smell like dirty gym socks but excels as a lubricant. If you want to go the cheap route try non chlorinated automatic transmission fluid. However, unless something else comes along I'm sold on Ballistol.

Just a testimoial. I was cleaning/lubricating some of my revolvers with Ballistol and was have trouble keeping the cylinder from falling out of my hand it was so slick.
 
Best thing you can do is get rid of that aerosol can of cleaner / lubricant as that just makes a mess and leaves a bunch of unnecessary stuff behind to retain powder and such the next time you fire it. By and large handguns don't need to be "wet" to operate - especially a Glock.

I clean with a small amount of FP-10 or Breakfree using swabs and small cotton pads (barrels cleaned with appropriate bore cleaner as needed then light lube) followed by a coat of Eezox. I can shoot 200 rounds and my gun will look better than one that has been sprayed and shot 10 rounds.

Try a lubricant like Eeezox and a small amount of grease as others have suggested. Absolutely no need to saturate 99% of the guns out there.
 
oiling2.jpg

Ed Masaki's Oiling Tips for the 1911-series pistols
 
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