Question about lubrication for CCP

Hi, fairly new to guns here, fairly new hobby with the motive of daily self protection. I have a Taurus pt111 g2 that I carry, canik tp9sa for home defense, as well as a basic ar15 that I built with my brother.

A couple of friends came over the other day and scoffed at the amount of CLP I had lubricating the handguns. One an Afghanistan vet, the other previously worked at a gun range. They cleaned my guns DRY and said that's how I should have them unless I'm either storing them for years at a time, in which I should lubricate to protect for rust, or lubricate them just before shooting for recreation. What's your input? I figure I should AT LEAST lightly lubricate my daily carry, as I obviously plan on never having to use it but will in a heart beat if need be.

If I should lubricate, what do you guys recommend? I know CLP is also used for cleaning and strips carbon, should I use with something with the sole purpose of lubrication?

Help! Thanks

Steve
 
If I was living in the sandbox, and dealing with military weapons that had generous tolerances, I'd be tempted to keep them pretty dry to minimize sand/dirt/dust buildup. Thankfully, at this time, I'm not so I keep my weapons lubricated with good oils and/or greases, depending on the specific needs.

The only exception to this is for the guns that I carry on my person daily. Those get cleaned and lubricated with one of the new synthetic wax cleaner/lubes that evaporate and leave a dry film. Hornady OneShot is one example of this. Using normal greases/oils on those just invite pocket dirt/lint or tee-shirt fuzz to collect on them.
 
Haven't heard of that stuff, I'll have to check it out. I've been cleaning my carry gun twice a week because of lint, big pain in the ass. Thanks for the input!
 
I suggest you follow the instructions in the manuals as to how much and where to lubricate. As has been mentioned, for some people dust, sand, or other particulates can make over lubing a big concern. In my own experience I've seen far more firearms malfunction from a lack of lubrication than too much lubrication (you can even watch YouTube videos of pistols literally covered in lubrication that will still function; that's an extreme but it illustrates a point).

CLP can work just fine as a lubricant, just inspect it and when it appears to have dried out reapply. I use SLIP 2000 as I find it's not as sticky as a grease (same plus for CLP) but it stays around longer than CLP. You'll find everyone has their own preferred lubricant, with some guys using basic motor oil. It really becomes preference.
 
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My vet friend said CLP will "eat the gun away" and kept insisting that if you use CLP, no matter how clean, it'll wipe black. Scared me enough to be wary of using it for every day lubrication. My guns are low end, but I still love them lol
 
I think too much lubricant can attract dust,dirt, and lint. But there should be some, just a light coating you don't want enough that it would stain your clothing.

If you are cleaning your carry gun twice a week you are wasting time and cleaning supplies. I have been carrying for about twenty years. I clean my guns religiously every so often. If my pocket gun get some dust or lint I just hit it with a blast of compressed air. If you go to the range clean your guns.
 
My vet friend said CLP will "eat the gun away" and kept insisting that if you use CLP, no matter how clean, it'll wipe black.

My assumption would be it wipes black on military equipment because you're dealing with equipment that is never truly 100% clean. It's been in inventory a long time and each soldier or armorer does his job to an extent, but there's always a limit. He's absolutely right that unless that bore or part is spotless you'll still get carbon on the patch. At some point you stop because it's clean enough, and the cycle repeats for the next guy. But that's not finish or metal that's coming off. In fact part of it is CLP is relatively mild so it can take a long time to dissolve the carbon (I prefer a bit stronger cleaner for bores).

As for eating the gun away, when you hear stuff like that use your Mk I eyes. You can put it on your hands just fine, and yet it's caustic enough to chew through metal? While some acids can be held by plastic but will eat metal, keep in mind how nonchalant CLP is handled and that should be a clue of how potent it is. If you want to, leave a handgun part in a pan of CLP. Come back and check in a week.
 
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Very good points man. I've known these friends for years and years, but at the same time they've been known to exaggerate a bit to get their point across lol. Being pretty much a noob, I guess I'm a bit impressionable. Thanks for the info
 
You can put it on your hands just fine, and yet it's caustic enough to chew through metal?

You mean like Coca-Cola??? :rolleyes:

Try a little experiment, clean your carry gun till its DRY, stick in your pocket (or wherever you carry it), for a day, or three, or a week, then take it out and shoot it. See how many rounds it takes for it to choke, IF it does.

THAT will give you a baseline for the minimum lube needed.

OR just do what the manufacturer recommends in their manual...
;)
 
I use Tetra Gun Grease on my carry pistol. No mess, no run off. Synthetic motor oil on range / competition guns. I admittedly use too much oil, but when you have tight fitted custom built competition pistols, you want a bit more oil than normal.
 
You mean like Coca-Cola??? :rolleyes:

Try a little experiment, clean your carry gun till its DRY, stick in your pocket (or wherever you carry it), for a day, or three, or a week, then take it out and shoot it. See how many rounds it takes for it to choke, IF it does.

THAT will give you a baseline for the minimum lube needed.

OR just do what the manufacturer recommends in their manual...

;)

If you want to argue that CLP is as caustic to the metal parts in a firearm as Coca Cola is to untreated metal, I'd love to see that evidence. If you don't like the analogy you're welcome to come up with a better one but I felt the gist was there. You're right that skin won't rust, but what was described to the OP was corrosion that would "eat away" the gun. I know many here have been shooting longer than I've been alive, but I've yet to see anything that would back up that statement. For that matter metal parts in most firearms have at least some rudimentary coating/finish (the exceptions I can think of would be an untreated Zastava barrel or the bolt carriers of same) and are more corrosion resistant than the nail in the cup of Coke.

I can run my car with less oil than is recommended, but why? Machines can work in less than ideal conditions (at least good machines) but that doesn't mean we have to do that, nor does it have to be the baseline. Again I've seen firearms choking come back into action with a little lube. The only time I saw lube stop a firearm was FrogLube around freezing temps (and to me the viscosity of that is a problem).

As for going by the manufacturer recommendations, that was literally the first thing I said on this thread.
 
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You can't over lubricate any firearm, they just don't work like that. Using too much lube can get messy but the myth that too much lube can attract dust or dirt is just a myth. You can shoot most firearms until they are so dirty they can't cycle but as long as they have enough lube they will still work.
 
If you want to argue that CLP is as caustic to the metal parts in a firearm as Coca Cola is to untreated metal, I'd love to see that evidence
.

I'm not going to argue that, because I didn't say that. I said "like" meaning similar in some ways, not "just like" meaning essentially identical. I used Coke as an example of something that is (normally) harmless on your skin but will attack metal. I did not say anything else about it.

Using too much lube can get messy but the myth that too much lube can attract dust or dirt is just a myth.

The only part that is a myth is the "attract" part. Oil & greases do not "attract" dust or dirt. What they do is get real friendly with them after they meet, and invite them home to stay. ;) This has been true for as long as we have been using oil & grease as a lubricant.

It may not stop the gun from working, or it might, in really rare circumstances, but usually it doesn't. However, running your gun when racking the slide or working the bolt results in a "Crunch" (gritty sound) isn't the best idea. Shooting when your lubricant is essentially valve grinding compound isn't normally good for the gun.

Of course, when in an emergency situation, needs must, and what is best for your equipment takes a distant back seat to what is best for your person.

There isn't any gun I know of that won't operate at least for a while, when "bone dry". NO LUBE is the recommended condition for Arctic use, IF special "arctic" lube is not available.

No, its not the best thing to do, for the gun, either, but no lube is less harmful than sandy lube. A matter of degree, to be sure, but still a fact.
 
In an ideal world you can not have too much lube, unless you have so much lube it is leaking out of the gun or otherwise binding the action. Lube eliminates friction and more of it suspends wear particles and prevents further wear and keeps the gun functioning.

My all steel guns are run on average more lubricated than most folks would do however I have no issues unless it is so cold the lube binds them --- adjust for working conditions. I am less generous on newer designs where the rail slide interface area is smaller and other factors come into play.

If I had to carry a weapon in the sand box I would run less lube as yes it does mix with the lube to make a gooey mess that can bind the weapon --- if your life depends on it and uncle will buy you a new weapon then this is a great approach. Again fit your choice of lube and application to needs and environment, what is right for an M16 in the sand box may or MAY NOT be applicable to what you do to a carry pistol here in the states.

I can say for 100% I see way more carry pistols fail from lack of lube than from a state of "over lube" --- even glocks.
 
I'd be one of those who would be considered a chronic over-luber (and an over-tightener). However my main play pistol a 75b, because of the amount of Mobil diff grease I use, could pass as NIB today. The lube the gun doesn't want/need it spits out, and it settles down and runs like a Swiss watch. I don't get lube on the bolt face or in the chamber/barrel while I'm shooting it. I have never had any fails of any kinds in these 75b's. If it's raining or wet the (excessive) grease in the pistol helps keep the water out. When I'm done everything washes out easy with WD40... no scrubbing. When It's clean it gets a copious serving of CLP and Mobil grease and hung up in the safe.

Different guns like different routines. My carry, a Glock 42 is run with very little lube. Carried in my jeans pocket, no holster. It has also never failed.

-SS-
 
Any one or combo of the following:

Hoppes #9,
Bicycle chain oil
slide glide
WD-40 in a pinch
3-in1 oil

I've even used 2-cycle oil in very small amounts. Just try not to use lubricants that attract or hold water.
 
The CLP methodology is to effectively keep adding CLP and wiping enough tha you don't destroy your clothes!

I clean by wiping as much CLP off as I can. Then i add more to lube points, function the gun and wipe off. Then I add another thin coat to each lube point, function and wipe the exterior dry with a rag that has clp on it.

My point is CLP is a continuously apply, but never get 100% off product.
 
"...vet friend said CLP will "eat the gun away"..." He's confused. The stuff was invented for military use. If Break Free(that is CLP) was eating firearms, San/Bar Corp, the makers, would have been sued out of business years ago. The stuff wouldn't have a Mil Specification either.
However, any excessively applied lubricant will attract crud assorted into the innards of firearms. Completely bone dry is for extreme cold and deserts. Grease and oil turns to rock in extreme cold. And they not only attract crud assorted in deserts, they hold it in place. That's what will eat the gun. CLP is rated as good to -65. (Celsius and Fahrenheit meet at minus 40. And that is friggin' cold. was out with the CF one time in that. Friggin' nightmare.)
 
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