To grease or not to grease, that is the question

C

Cheapshooter

New member
As a newbe to the "Dark Side" I found it interesting that in the owners manual that came with my new Glock 20 it said to lubricate with a good quality gun oil. It spacifically said to not use grease to avoid residue build up and "gumming".
What do you use on your Glock.
I have always used some sort of gun grease on slide rails on semi-autos, and have never had a problem.
 
"gumming " means a cheap grease !
Residue build up can be cheap grease or failure to keep the gun clean .Grease or oil use depends somewhat on usage .Warmer climate means runny oil .Don't use too much lube --that's a common mistake !
 
Don't own a Glock, I own M1911's.

I tried grease in the M1911's.

I put it on the rails, I put it on the locking lugs, I painted it on with an artist’s brush on the barrel.

While the pistol functioned it was a mess to clean up. Grease sticks in the corners and takes a lot more work to remove.

Oils are great. I use motor oil That stuff dissolves powder residue and wipes off. No having to use toothpicks or other devices to get it out. Just a paper towel and the surface wipes clean. Except for wax from lube which might need a bronze brush.

Both oils and greases oxidize so either will “gum” up in time. If you use a good synthetic oil it will take longer as that type of oil is harder to break down.

I don't know if this is true for Glocks, but Bullseye shooters told me that the elbow is the oil drip point. I lube my M1911's heavily.
 
My belief is to use quality oil and grease but do so sparingly. Lots of brands out there but for me that means an oil and grease that leave behind a non-sticky substance that is lubricating.

I'm not selling this.... I use Gunzilla which is a solvent lubricant. No it's not a contradiction, there are non-petroleum lubrication molecules included in the solvent that adhere to the applied parts. I also use TW25b in a syringe for grease. Like Gunzilla, it is a synthetic and to be applied sparingly just where needed.

These products are more expensive than general usage cleaning/lube products. I got them because the do not gum nor attract dust/residue. When I clean my guns they are dirty from shooting, but not environmental factors.

Check them out and then decide. Gunzilla ; TP25b
 
On my Glocks, on the slide areas, I use Shooter's Choice red grease in the syringe - otherwise, a good oil as recommended in the manual
 
The only thing I use is militec-1 oil (tried the grease, just don't see the need for it). My pistols are either all stainless steel (slide and frame) or alloy frame. Militec-1 has served excellently, is not messy (well, unless you apply it from a 5 gallon jug with a garden hose) and in my experience provides more then sufficient lubrication (rails on my 1911's, SIGs and CZ P-01 all look dang near new, and they have from 1000 to over 2500 rounds on them).

I use it on the internals of my revolvers too.
 
I use grease on my 1911's slide and also on the rails of my CZ 75B. I run a bead down the slide rails,then, I take a clean patch and wipe off nearly all of it. The remainder is more than adequate lubrication. No, it doesn't attract dirt, any more than gun oil does. Of course, I clean my semiautos religiously after each 100 rounds.
 
I decided to use some grease a while back for the first time

on several of my guns including my stainless sig.... went to clean it last weekend and have never seen it so dirt since I bought it.... no more grease for me. CLP breakfree or Rem Oil.
 
I own glocks and a few others.......I dont grease at all , I dab a little oil
on the slide rails but thats about it........Im no expert but have yet to see a gun I own not fire due to lack of lube......
 
I use gun oil on my rails only.

Grease seems like it could be messy and be a catch for fuzz and other gunk that ends up on carry guns.
 
I use a "light" coat of grease on the barrel and rails on pretty much everything. If you clean like you should, it will never be a problem. If you dont, oil isnt going to be any better.
 
One application where a grease is very good is in a defense carry gun.

Many oils and thinner lubricants can run off, evaporate or dry out, and can be wicked out. You'll see brown holsters with the bottom of the holster dark from the wicked out or run off oils.
It's common to check a gun several weeks after lubricating it to find the lube has disappeared.

Grease won't dry out, evaporate, wick out, run off, of sling off.
This means that even after weeks or months the grease is still in place ready to lubricate if the gun is needed.
As an experiment I carried a Kahr K9 for over a year with no re-lubrication after applying grease.
After a year I took it to the range and shot 3 magazines without stoppage and the grease was still present.
I'd never try that with most liquid lubricants.

So, while grease "may" get dirty when shot a lot, if you carry or store a gun long term as a defense gun that you don't shoot, grease may be the best bet.
 
Grease

Light Grease on the rails, end of the barrel, and other places depending on the firearm ie 1911 pistol, Glock's, AR rifles. Grease will pretty much end slide wear on 1911 pistols. Most competitors I'm aware of use grease. Extended firing sessions with AR's grease is good. I've used several types over the years. I believe the best available is "Sentry Solutions Hi-Slip Grease". It's good from 65 degrees below zero to 675 degrees heat. Currently approved and in use by Seal Teams and Spec. Forces. It is very good stuff. Honestly, I cannot remember any jam-o-matic pistols I've run across when lubed with this stuff (and I shoot a lot of pistols). I've ended a couple of Friends pistol malfunctions by giving them a tube of the stuff. If a firearm wants to run, it will run with this stuff.
 
I use a light coat of white grease on the rails of my semi-autos. I clean my handguns so often that they don't have a chance to gum up or collect dust or debris.
 
Lke in most things ...moderation is the key ...

On my semi-autos ( no Glocks here ...) 1911's and Sigs ...I use a little of Wilson Combat's Ultima Lube grease on the rails ....or their Ultima Lube oil. Both products are very good.

The grease tends to stay where you put it / but a little goes a long way.
 
I use Mobil1 (5W-20 - the same quart for a few years now) and then a tiny dab of generic axle/bearing grease only on the slide rails/guides. I apply both with a tiny cheap paint brush.

When cleaning, I've been know to use brake-cleaner and "Break-Free CLP" (as well as Hoppes#9).

I've been doing this for a long time, across a variety of weapons, with no problems or ill effects.

(note- there have been a few times [generally when watching football] that I've gotten entirely too much oil and/or grease on a pistol, but instead of seeing if it affects functionality, i simply clean it all off and do it right the second time)
 
Read Your Owners Manual

I once read that the leading cause of Glocks returned to the factory for repair was excessive oil. Read the manual. I don't think they recomend grease.

If you can'y shoot faster than the other guy; shoot straighter. Chic Gaylord
 
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