Slide grease preferences for using on CCW auto?

[Warp]

Depends on what you are using the gun for Warp. Informal bullseyes at the range - regular cleaning probably not necessary....competition, self defense, duty, - Why wouldn't you clean it?

Olympic skaters sharpen their skates before every skate for one reason...they work better that way. Even if the benefit isn't noticeable, it puts them further away from the point where dull skates become an issue.

Not only does regular cleaning put your gun back into the condition in which it was designed to function, it gives you the opportunity to inspect it for wear an parts breakage.

I might not clean it because it doesn't need cleaned.

I don't carry enough ammo to where the gun being dirty will become an issue. Even if I did I would probably be seriously injured or killed before I could fire that much.

Everybody else is free to clean their guns after every couple hundred or whatever round range session, but when I shoot a good proven duty type pistol for a typical 200-250 round session I don't see a need to go clean it. If I won't be shooting it again for awhile I might do the quick clean and add a little oil, or I might not and wait until the next time or two I shoot it.

I understand that it doesn't hurt to clean/lube it and the "why not" is how I used to do it. But now I shoot more often and cleaning the gun every single time, just don't see the need.

I have two carry guns that I haven't cleaned since my last range trip, right now. I plan to shoot them yet this week and will probably wipe them down after that.

 

[Big7]

Believe it or not..

Kano-AeroKroil spray, also available in a small can 8OZ.. (non-aerosol)
Some folks simply call it "Kroil Oil"
It has a very high shear strength, cleans and lubes as good as anything.
After the carrier and surfactant dries you are left only with a DRY film of the active chemicals.

Keeps from gathering dust, burned powder, etc..
THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT!

https://www.amazon.com/Kano-AeroKroi...=1&*entries*=0
__________________

 

[Steve C]

I will use a little grease on rifles but do not use it on handguns. Grease is mainly used to hold lubricant in place where it wouldn't remain under normal circumstances, protection from water or where lubrication is infrequent. No real need to use it on a handgun.

For semi auto's I will occasionally use Gunslick Graphite lube. A small tube lasts for years as only a very small amount it needed and it sticks better than oil.

 

[Murphys Law]

For those of you in a northern climate where the temperatures can be below freezing, I would skip the grease for the reasons most of you will already know. But for those who might not, this video has some decent testing in it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcgdhQsBzB0

 

[entropy]

No you don't.

I have a couple, and pick them up at gun shows when I can. I don't use it on pistols, but it's great for breaking in shotgun actions.

 

[Snowdog]

Whatever's on sale is what I buy. I'm currently working through a tube of TW25b that I'm pretty happy with. When it runs out, I'll look to see where the deals are.

I'm just going to come out and say it, but unless you're operating in extreme conditions, gun grease is gun grease.

 

[Rinspeed]

I use Slide Glide not for any reason other than I bought a small tub several years ago and it works pretty well. There is no magic in oil or any grease, they all work pretty well but some stay in place a little better than others. Any grease is just oil with some sort of binder to hold it in place a bit longer.

 

[Warp]

For those of you in a northern climate where the temperatures can be below freezing, I would skip the grease for the reasons most of you will already know. But for those who might not, this video has some decent testing in it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcgdhQsBzB0

I watched that as well as the ep1 that led up to it. Informative. I've been using Slip 2000 EWL as my primary oil and lube and now I have no reason to doubt the temperature range listed on the bottle. Cold? No problem!

I'm ready to throw my fireclean away along with my froglube now, though, and write nasty letters to myself for future reference in case I consider buying any new wonder lube that hasn't been vetted by a ton of people for many years already.

 

[Rinspeed]

I'm ready to throw my fireclean away along with my froglube now, though,

I thought both of those were a scam right from the start. I certainly wouldn't spend $35 on gun oil myself.

 

[Warp]

I thought both of those were a scam right from the start. [removed]

Very High Road. Seriously.

But I checked, since it's so easy to do...$13.28 shipped via Amazon, January of 2013.

 

[Drail]

Using grease to lube a handgun is like trying to run your car's engine with nothing but grease in it. Grease is much better suited to applications like a sealed wheel bearing with a HEAVY bearing load on it and where you have no access to it to add fresh lube and the grease is not going to apply any appreciable "drag" to the parts no matter how cold it becomes. There are no inaccessible sealed areas with heavy bearing loads in a handgun. But if it makes you "feel" better - knock yourself out.

 

[Rinspeed]

Very High Road. Seriously.

You are right and I edited my post, please do the same in your quote.

 

[kokapelli]

I stopped using grease on my pistols about 40 years ago and have had good results with a number of other products like BreakFree and for the last 10 or so years GUNZILLA.

 

[Gtscotty]

Using grease to lube a handgun is like trying to run your car's engine with nothing but grease in it. Grease is much better suited to applications like a sealed wheel bearing with a HEAVY bearing load on it and where you have no access to it to add fresh lube and the grease is not going to apply any appreciable "drag" to the parts no matter how cold it becomes. There are no inaccessible sealed areas with heavy bearing loads in a handgun. But if it makes you "feel" better - knock yourself out.

This is a useless comparison, the inside of an engine is very different from the rails on a pistol. Oil works great in engines because it is always being pumped to high friction/wear areas where it's needed. To my knowledge, none of my handguns have little oil pumps to keep the rails properly lubed... this is where a thickened lubricant comes in to play. Grease does work well in areas with high bearing stress, but it also works well in areas that are not constantly lubricated. A thin layer of appropriate grease on the rails does not appreciably slow the action, and actually stays where you need it. But if oil makes you feel better, knock yourself out.

 

[Zerodefect]

The moving parts of a gun are kinda similar to a bearing. Sliding and some pressure on the bearing/slide surface.

You can mix The grease with STP and ATF to get it as thick or thin as you want. Evenly mixed, I've tested it down to -15 degrees with the pistol completely covered in snow and sleet for hours.

 

[Deanimator]

No, it doesn't. At least not any more than it does to an oiled firearm (because oil collects gunk,TOO, ya know.)

Oil, especially oils like Clenzoil hold onto foreign matter less tenaciously than do greases. Otherwise, there would be no physical difference between oil and grease. Grease doesn't pour and oil does for a reason.

 

[Drail]

Gtscotty, the point I was trying to make is that if oil alone will protect the bearings in high performance engines it will certainly protect every bearing surface in a handgun. It doesn't need to be pumped through the gun - once applied it isn't going anywhere. Grease filled with fouling makes a good lapping compound.

 

[Rinspeed]

Using grease to lube a handgun is like trying to run your car's engine with nothing but grease in it.

I would never even think of running an aluminum framed pistol on anything other than grease for the frame rails. It will cut down on the wear considerably over just using oil, for pistols such as a Sig. I thought everyone knew this, apparently not.

 

[JTQ]

Most of us have seen the Gray Guns "Grease your SIGs" recommendation. However, as a counter point, from former SIG employee, the late Todd Green

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?10185-Beretta-and-lubrication/page5

My personal experience with grease has always been negative given the frequency with which I clean & lubricate guns. For me, oil has always worked better.

It's true that using grease will help reduce finish wear on frame rails to a point. However, once the grease picks up firing debris or other particulate contamination like sand, it holds the contaminant in suspension and can become more like a lapping compound than a lubricant. At that point, it actually wears the gun faster than oil. I've experienced this with multiple guns and even had a Beretta 92G that stopped working reliably due to it.

I generally find that for best effective, old grease has to be removed before new grease is added. With oil, on the other hand, just add a few drops where the mechanism seems dry and you're back to a fresh start. That means I can lubricate the gun without cleaning it, which means I can run the gun longer between cleanings.

Grease can be helpful in the action and certain other areas that aren't normally as exposed to firing debris and which might not normally get the benefit of spot lubrication on the range. Though admittedly I tend to use oil there, as well, simply because that's what I've got lying around on the work bench and in the range bag.

 

[Jlr2267]

Grease has worked better for me over the years. It does not dry out as quickly and generally stays where applied. I use a very small amount on pistol rails. Almost any grease works, just don't use too much. I live in a hot/humid climate and your results may differ in freezing temps

 

[JohnKSa]

I generally find that for best effective, old grease has to be removed before new grease is added.

I agree with this. You don't want years of crud embedded in grease eating away at your gun. When you grease a gun, use the grease very sparingly and understand that the next time you clean the gun, you're going to need to remove all the grease and then reapply it.

If you're in the "oil it some more and keep going" camp then grease is not for you. To a large extent, the additional oil will wash away contaminants AND relubricate, but it doesn't work like that if there's grease in place. It may make things slicker but it won't wash away the grease and the contaminants that the grease may have picked up.