Lack of lube on slide and frame rails?

R

Recoil spring

New member
I have purchased several new semi-auto pistols over the years and have noticed that it is quite common for them to be shipped new in the box dry (no lube) in regards to the slide and frame rails. Or with very little lube. Have read in the gun magazines that this is common and some of the writers will actually fire multiple boxes of ammo before field stripping it to apply proper lube during the first trip to the range to see how reliable they are without oil.

I always field strip a new or used gun and lube/grease it before going to the range to shoot it when it is newly required. Swab the bore, etc. and read the owner's manual as well.

Considering buying a used 9 mm pistol and am thinking that what if the previous owner actually ran it dry for awhile, what should I look for and how long would it get loose in tolerances if run dry for a decent quality gun?

I most likely will field strip it to check for internal oiling, etc. But that may have only been recently applied? The used pistols sure are cheaper than new.
 
I'm not promoting buying a gun with signs of abuse or overuse, but I'm also always open to a good deal on a good used gun. Unless the gun looks like it's beat to heck, ask if you can shoot it to try it out. If it cycles reliably and doesn't have signs of damage or abuse, a little sign of being used isn't a show stopper. If it's as accurate as it's supposed to be and the price is right, consider it. I've bought a few used guns over the years that showed some signs of use but shot very well and functioned well. The prices were considerably lower than a new on and they were something I was looking for. There's a lot of bargains out there. Very, very few handgun owners ever wear a gun out, even from lack of lube. It takes a lot of shooting to wear one out. Most look bad from lack of cleaning and not being stored properly.
 
Recoil
I think you are worrying a lot about nothing... The gun seems tight I am sure it will last you a life time. How many guns hit the second hand market with maybe a couple of hundred rounds fired.
 
The only thing I would look for is for burrs or uncommon looking signs of stress on the rails. If the slide and rails aren't lubed properly, it may fail to feed or cycle properly. This isn't a show-stopper since a bit of oil or grease will make it right. Only unusual signs of wear would bother me.
 
Considering buying a used 9 mm pistol and am thinking that what if the previous owner actually ran it dry for awhile, what should I look for and how long would it get loose in tolerances if run dry for a decent quality gun?
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Outside of aluminum-framed pistols with steel slides, there is little to be concerned with here.

And on those pistols, it is pretty easy to see if the rail anodization has been worn to the point of damage: https://grayguns.com/guide-to-sig-sauer-pistol-inspection/
 
To my knowledge, the only pistol that people are REALLY sticklers about lubricating are Sig aluminum framed pistols, what Fishbed77 was getting at. P226, P229, P220 etc. Sure, people find reasons to fuss about what grease, what oil for any kind of pistol, but with the P series it seems to be more generally accepted that you want a grease on and under the rails to protect the steel from wearing through the anodization completely.

I wouldn't be able to tell if someone ran a Glock or M&P without lube for a couple thousand rounds or so. I suspect that an unlubed gun would just look like a lubed gun that had been shot more. My M&P has some mild grooves rubbed into the embedded frame rails and I've always taken care of it. Some of my Glocks had worn through the nickel plating in the frame rails and exposed the copper plating underneath. And I'd taken care of them too.

A no-go for me would be terrible lockup at the muzzle of the barrel or hood, or blemishes that I just wouldn't be able to get over, like a damaged frame, or evidence of bad "bubba" jobs where a dremel was applied, or some of those nasty home stippling jobs that look like octopus suction cups. Even a factory new gun will have a little wiggle in the barrel lockup and slide to frame fit. But if it rattles loudly when I shake it, it may not give the best accuracy.
 
what if the previous owner actually ran it dry for awhile, what should I look for and how long would it get loose in tolerances if run dry for a decent quality gun?
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Even if "run dry" for a while, if there is no damage, no galling of the metals, nothing outside of normal expected wear, there's no problem.

Standard instructions for use of firearms in Arctic conditions, are to remove ALL lubricants, (unless they are the special low temp arctic lubes) and run the guns "dry".

So, running without lube doesn't instantly (or in short order) damage or destroy the gun.

Might make a difference to a tightly fitted match pistol, but a service grade semi auto I would expect to be more forgiving.
 
I would not worry about it unless a visual inspection showed high degree of unusual wear. With aluminum frame SIGs it is pretty easy to see if frame rails show abuse unless the pistol has been refinished. Usually I would expect a pistol to start malfunctioning requiring shooter to lube properly in order to use. Twice I have met with people I know to go shooting at the range who had numerous malfunctions and when I examined each pistol they were bone dry but a little lube on the barrel and frame/slide rails and they were working great again. One was a new Beretta 92FS the owner had never fired but owned for years and the other wa an older 1911. Poly frame pistols that have steel slides and steel frame inserts like Glock, etc seem to be able to shoot fine and without any extra wear with very little lube often appearing to be dry. Even those with SIGs that show significant frame rail wear often find they shoot fine as long as those rails are kept well lubed and often use grease.
 
Thank you Tunnel Rat!

Recoil Spring,

When you get a chance, google "round count" and any one of your name brand pistols. People get really high up there, usually competitive shooters. It'll make you feel better about the longevity of your gun. And know that if it's a less than modern gun you can look on Numrichs for parts. Typically recoil springs are replaced around 5,000 rounds, and trigger springs (for double action pistols) and decocker springs around 10,000 I believe. Everything else like firing pin and extractor springs at about 20,000. That's Sig's schedule to avoid seeing a breakage. But unless it's a duty gun or home defense gun, you could just leave parts in until they break to save money. But when you see 10,000 that basically means never for most people. I'd actually venture to say 1,000 is "never" for most people, but you are already a minority gun owner by being interested enough to join a forum.

This may be off topic, but....
I noticed you mentioned you read gun mags. I used to read those gun magazines just like you. I was heavily influenced by them. I'm not saying it's wrong or bad, but after a while (and after I had spent some money) I saw that the majority of the text is fluff. A pistol will usually have 1 novel angle it is trying to push with its design, or perhaps none but pretend it does. The rest of the text can be summed up as "this gun has a a certain texturing, width, grip shape, sights, size, weight, capacity" And they strangely never say anything bad about the gun. Imagine that. This forum and youtube have been a great resource for me, but watch out for bogus info on youtube, there are no moderators there like this forum has.
 
I have seen guns run dry to the point of galling, I've also seen a couple the would stop running when dry. The slide can slow down to the point of a stoppage, saw a SS Colt Gold Cup stop because it was dry(note that a Colt slide is a pretty loose fit to the frame), another was a Taurus P 92. My brother had a rather tightly fit 1911 gun that galled. I ain't running my guns dry. I clean them at approx 200 rounds so I have no problem with them drying out. I did try Mobil 1, it disappeared, stopped using it. I live in Texas so I don't worry about sub zero temps.
 
I live in Texas so I don't worry about sub zero temps.
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You have other worries in Texas. Dust, in some places, humidity in some others. My point about the arctic was about the suitability, or lack of, lubricants to conditions, and how that running a gun "dry" is possible without serious damage for a brief time (and by brief, I don't mean hundreds of rounds or more).

My Dad's Govt Model spent the last 10, possibly 15 years of his life in his top dresser drawer. When I found the gun, I dropped the mag (loaded with ball ammo) and pulled the slide back, chamber empty. Released the slide and it sloooowwly crept forward, stopping about a half inch from closing. The lube used (probably a light oil) on the slide rails had, over a decade+ turned to "glue".

Saw another gun one time where the "oil" used picked up grit, and while still working when I saw it, there was a "crunch/grit" sound when you worked the slide. In both cases, cleaning and re-lubing cured the problems.

There is also a difference between "dry" and "dried out". "Dry", as used in the example of arctic use means all previous lube is removed. "dried out" means gun was lubed and the lube has worn away, or evaporated enough its no longer lubricating. SOME oils & greases will, over time (and exposure to air) turn to something just the opposite of a lubricant.

Used gun in a dealer's case? I'd expect it to seem fairly dry, as probably the last time it got lubed was the last time the previous owner did it, months, possibly even years before you're looking at it.

If there's no apparent damage or excessive wear obvious, its probably ok.
 
"...in Texas so I don't worry about sub zero temps..." Like Amp says, you get to deal with fine dust and humidity depending on where in Texas. It's normal to shoot firearms bone dry in extreme cold and hot dry dusty places.
Anyway, BNIB firearms come coating in a corrosion resistant coating that needs to come off before shooting. Any used firearm should be thoroughly cleaned by its new owner too.
And it's grease on moving mated parts and oil on the rest. Oil on moving parts, like slides, will come off fairly easily. Grease will not. Both will attract dust though. Dust is abrasive.
 
Just a note, I'm 74 years old, been shooting in Texas for 60 plus years. I've never had a problem with dust, dirt or humidity. This being said I clean the guns I shoot regularly. Car and carry guns also haven't suffered from dust, dirt and humidity. I hate to admit it but some stay in leather holsters 100% of the time(this will bite me at some point).
So far I've been blessed..................
 
I remember cleaning 20MM aircraft canon with av-gas before missions. ALL lube was removed. They were cleaned and lubed on post-flight.

BTW, some custom makers recommend only very light lube, like Rem-Oil. NO grease of any kind anywhere.

Over the years, I've seen hundreds of weapons grossly over-lubed for every one under-lubed.
 
Just a comment...

I have purchased several new semi-auto pistols over the years and have noticed that it is quite common for them to be shipped new in the box dry (no lube) in regards to the slide and frame rails. Or with very little lube. Have read in the gun magazines that this is common and some of the writers will actually fire multiple boxes of ammo before field stripping it to apply proper lube during the first trip to the range to see how reliable they are without oil.
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Every manufacturer applies some shipping grease or lube to a handgun before shipping. The intent of this light grease or oil is to protect the gun during storage and shipping, mostly against corrosion of the metal parts. This is a different task than lubing a gun for shooting. A gun may leave the factory, travel through various types of weather, and sit on a shelf somewhere in a distribution center or gun store for quite some time. Depending on the time they sit and the type of protectant applied that "lube" sometimes dries. To repeat that protectant is there to resist corrosion of the metal parts.

Some folks do some odd things to guns for no reason that makes practical sense.

It's good practice to at least field strip a gun when you first get it home. This gives you a chance to examine it. It also gives you a chance to wipe off any shipping grease, etc. that may be on the mag or other parts. Then lube it, with proper lube, as you would anyway before heading to the range.

Taking a new gun out of the box and shooting it, without wiping it down, removing any grease, etc. doesn't rally tell you anything of value. It doesn't tell a person how reliable the gun is without oil.

tipoc
 
firing a gun right out of the box with the factory preservative is safe, but I wouldnt fire more than a couple boxes to test function.

I always familiarize myself with the firearm and examine each part and field strip and run a patch through the bore before use, definitely look at the owner's manual before firing.

I also do a few practice loads with dummy rounds and dry fire with a snap cap before taking it to the range.
 
Everything works better with lubricants... not only guns, but tractors, chainsaws, etc. Metal on metal will lead to accelerated wear.
 
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