Oil em up.....

[RetiredUSNChief]

That statement -- which you see frequently -- doesn't make sense to me. It seems to me that either oil or grease is simply a lubricating agent that allows metal on metal contact to continue without significant wear or damage to the different metals.

I'm certainly not a metallurgist, but it seems wrong to think that sliding metal components interact fundamentally differently than spinning metal components. Spinning or sliding, it's still metal-on-metal contact and in both cases (at least with handguns) the direction of movement will change rapidly.

It seems that a lot of the concern here about proper lubrication is an attempt to fix a problem that isn't really a problem -- as even simple, inexpensive oils have worked well for decades as lubricants.

Corrosion resistance is a different problem, and different materials -- there are all sort of test results available on the 'net, but we don't see tests of the effectiveness of different types of lubrication materials in handguns.

Environmental conditions -- heat, cold, dust, grime, etc. -- may play a role in what is used where, but that's not a "one-size fits all" or "two sizes fit all" solution.

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"Spinning or sliding, it's still metal-on-metal contact and in both cases (at least with handguns) the direction of movement will change rapidly."

Actually...no. Proper lubrication means very little, if any, actual metal-to-metal contact.

In the case of rotating equipment, for example, bearing surfaces are actually separated by a thin film of oil from the lubricating system and the bearing surfaces "ride" on that film.

The concept of "grease for things that slide, oil for things that rotate" has to do with this:

Rotating objects supplied with oil will maintain the oil film which separates the rotating equipment, so long as the oil delivery system is working as it should. The rotating parts continually replenish the oil film.

For things that slide, there is no method of replenishing the oil...when the parts stop moving, pressure between the various metal components being held together will eventually result in metal-on-metal contact. When the parts start moving again, they'll start replenishing that oil film...PROVIDED there is enough oil left to do so.

This is where grease comes into play for sliding parts. Grease does a much better job of adhering to metal surfaces over time, and therefore stays put longer on sliding and provides proper lubrication when the parts start moving.

 

[Slamfire]

I'm certainly not a metallurgist, but it seems wrong to think that sliding metal components interact fundamentally differently than spinning metal components. Spinning or sliding, it's still metal-on-metal contact and in both cases (at least with handguns) the direction of movement will change rapidly

Lubrication is a huge topic by itself. Look up Tribology and see what I mean. Wiki is not bad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubrication For rod bearings and crankshafts the pressures and clearances are such that the designer creates fluid film lubrication where the metals are separated by a layer of oil. But, during start up, extreme pressure additives keep the contacting surfaces from galling. Additives make a huge difference in the lubricating abilities of any oil. Sort of like the difference between water and tea. Just a bit of additives from the tea leaves, and some sugar, and the end result is very different even though water is the main ingredient.

I believe firearms operate in boundary lubrication and mixed lubrication conditions:

Boundary lubrication (also called boundary film lubrication): The hydrodynamic effects are negligible. The bodies come into closer contact at their asperities; the heat developed by the local pressures causes a condition which is called stick-slip and some asperities break off. At the elevated temperature and pressure conditions chemically reactive constituents of the lubricant react with the contact surface forming a highly resistant tenacious layer, or film on the moving solid surfaces (boundary film) which is capable of supporting the load and major wear or breakdown is avoided. Boundary lubrication is also defined as that regime in which the load is carried by the surface asperities rather than by the lubricant.

Mixed lubrication: This regime is in between the full film elastohydrodynamic and boundary lubrication regimes. The generated lubricant film is not enough to separate the bodies completely, but hydrodynamic effects are considerable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubrication

I was squadded with a Dupont Tribologist one year at Camp Perry. Our lubricants are much better than they ever have, and he was very insistent that oxidation of the base oil was the primary measure of quality of a lubricant. I am of the opinion that motor oils are the best lubricants for the price that you can buy, but my counter is covered with lubricant cans because I cannot resist trying something new.

Just keep the guns clean and oiled. They will work just fine if kept clean and oiled.