slide grease?

[edwardware]

. . . maybe some kind of grease would be better in this application.

Oil if it turns, grease if it slides, so obviously. . .

In addition, grease drains and blows out of the gun much more slowly than oil; oil on the slide ways will drain in a couple weeks of hot weather carry, but grease will hang around. This is more important on designs with full length ways vs teensie points of contact like derGlocks.

Grease will slightly reduce slide velocity, moreso in the cold, so if you're already on the hairy edge of underpowered or oversprung you will have a malf. You should check for that.

I use SlideGlide Lite. Class II lubrication: just a dab'll do ya.

 

[JTQ]

I don't know...but I do know that Bill Wilson says that grease has no place in any 1911 pistol.

Edit, I was wrong. Wilson's FAQ says:

View attachment 1143215

I would imagine that the same applies to a .45 1911...but Wilson doesn't say that.

Wilson only recommends their grease - which is a pourable product - for rifles and carbines, not for pistols.

https://shopwilsoncombat.com/GREASE-ULTIMA-LUBE-II-4-OZ-BOTTLE/productinfo/579-4/

Ultima-Lube II Grease - Ideal for heavy wear areas. Stays put under extreme conditions, 40° to 350° F temperature range. Recommended Uses: Full and Semi-Auto rifles and carbines, Optimal in AR style rifles at temperatures above 50° F.

Their reason for specifying 9mm in your quoted text is a 1911 slide is designed for .45 Auto. The same slide is used for 9mm, .38 Super, .40 S&W, 10mm, and .45 Auto. Regardless of the caliber, the slide is the same size and weighs the same. The 9mm is the weakest recoiler of all those rounds and anything that will slow the slide, such as grease, can negatively impact a weak recoiler like 9mm.

For reference, does anybody shoot 9mm out of their G21?

 

[crestoncowboy]

I've used both and keep both. My 220 and 1911 10mms have been used hunting in 0 degree weather with slide glide and its never caused an issue. Never had one jam. Ive also used it on my Glock 10mms hunting but usually use oil on those. My Glock did jam one time with grease but it was 0 and I had on heated snowmobile gloves and I'm 99% positive the slide dragged against the glove.....I still killed the deer but when I went to holster the gun the slide was out of battery

 

[entropy]

I use very lightly applied TW-25B combined with Break Free CLP or Slip 2000 EWL on the rails on my autos. An improvement over just oil, but no worries in cold weather. (as in Wisconsin deer hunting winter cold)

 

[trackskippy]

I used grease in the past, mostly Lubriplate and TW25B. For the past 10 years or so, Ive been using Mobil One 30 weight on everything, except for my M1's and M1A's, which always got Lubriplate.

I worked and carried most of my life in pretty harsh environments, lots of fine dust, dirt, stone dust, etc, that got into "everything" on your person, and regardless of grease or oil, you still need to clean and maintain the gun on a weekly, and sometimes bi-weekly basis. If anything, grease was worse than oil there too, just how it tends to collect and hold what gets in there.

Another issue with either is, a little of either goes a long way, and I think a lot of people just WAY over lubricate things. You just need enough to do the job between cleanings and shooting, not what you think is going to be the life of the gun.

I think WD40 gets such a bad rap because of this (and before the haters go off, Im not saying to use it as a lube ), and oil and grease wont be any better if you hose things down or load them up. A small drop of oil from a needle oiler in a couple of key spots, and spread with your finger, assuming you can reach things, is all you need. If you see oil after working things a couple of times after assembly, or when you shoot, or coming out of the gun onto the exterior somewhere down the road, youre using to much.

 

[BrazilianSnowMan]

I use bike chain lube (lithium grease) on the slides of pistols, shotguns and carbines, and automatic transmission oil mixed with light oil (50/50) on the rest, even outside on the finishings ( not on the wood or plastic).
Never had a problem or rust.

 

[SSN Vet]

For my 1911s it's RIG on the slide rails and CLP everywhere else.

You don't need to go crazy with the stuff... and wipe off any excess.

I carry in a holster and don't roll around in the dirt, so I'm not really worried about the grease or the oil attracting dirt.

 

[doubleh]

I used to use Mobil synthetic red grease but have switched to a high moly content grease, Super Slick I believe, because it is thinner and like the name says, super slick. Unlike oil, grease stays where you put it. The effects of cold are not a consideration for me. If it is cold enough to make a synthetic grease thicken up I am not going to be out shooting.

 

[JohnB-40]

I use AGL Go-Juice 0000 very thin grease.

 

[WestKentucky]

AGREE!

At -90 I’m shootings up my ammo just for warmth.

 

[Bcwitt]

A teflon based oil is the best. Grease picks up dust & gets hard in low temp weather. Just keep after the maintenence, like anything else.

 

[herrwalther]

Wilson only recommends their grease - which is a pourable product - for rifles and carbines, not for pistols.

Don't tell Bill that. 17:40 starts the lube instruction.


I haven't used the Universal lubes that Wilson sells. But I run a thin bead of HAWG grease along the slide rails of all my semi-autos. 1911s included. I live in Alabama so I don't have to worry about it getting cold and locking up.
https://www.10ring.com/product/product-1487/

 

[JTQ]

Don't tell Bill that. 17:40 starts the lube instruction.

Universal is not their grease. Their grease is a different product.

Wilson Combat Ultima Lube II Universal https://shopwilsoncombat.com/UNIVERSAL-ULTIMA-LUBE-II-4-OZ-BOTTLE/productinfo/578-4/

Wilson Combat Ultima Lube II Grease https://shopwilsoncombat.com/GREASE-ULTIMA-LUBE-II-4-OZ-BOTTLE/productinfo/579-4/

I have and use Wilson Combat Ultima Lube II Universal. It is a nice product. It isn't their grease though.

 

[sparkyv]

There's no one correct answer except to be sure and use a lubricant of your choice!

 

[chicharrones]

I don't know...but I do know that Bill Wilson says that grease has no place in any 1911 pistol.

Edit, I was wrong. Wilson's FAQ says:

View attachment 1143215

I would imagine that the same applies to a .45 1911...but Wilson doesn't say that.

That 9mm comment in that screen shot is interesting. I've been using light thin grease for decades on my autoloader's slides (.22LR and up) for a loooong time. I'm doing the same with my recently acquired 9mm 1911 with no problems so far.

My "go-to" gun grease is Shooter's Choice with a wide temp range. It doesn't attract lint or dust any more than oil, in my carrying experience. I notice that lint and dust gets in the barrel bore and hammer area much more than the slide rails. The slide rails are virtually closed off in comparison (not counting certain Berettas).

In a pinch, I've also used dielectric grease (because I use it for work) and fluid grease that is for machinery with grease pumping systems.

None of the greases above have caused me problems, but they are all really thin greases not the thick paste-like grease that some of my customers buy and use in the wrong places. Of course, I live in Texas and the areas I travel to never have temps under 0F when I'm in those areas.

 

[chicharrones]

Also tried R.I.G. grease, Lucas red & tacky grease, and multiple kinds of oils.

That's my favorite all purpose grease. A fairly thin grease, at least at the temps I work in.

What I think a lot of folks think of when they talk grease is high temp wheel bearing grease. Which is something I do not use in my guns.

 

[chicharrones]

Wilson only recommends their grease - which is a pourable product - for rifles and carbines, not for pistols.

https://shopwilsoncombat.com/GREASE-ULTIMA-LUBE-II-4-OZ-BOTTLE/productinfo/579-4/


Their reason for specifying 9mm in your quoted text is a 1911 slide is designed for .45 Auto. The same slide is used for 9mm, .38 Super, .40 S&W, 10mm, and .45 Auto. Regardless of the caliber, the slide is the same size and weighs the same. The 9mm is the weakest recoiler of all those rounds and anything that will slow the slide, such as grease, can negatively impact a weak recoiler like 9mm.

For reference, does anybody shoot 9mm out of their G21?

I've read instances that thumbs on the slide are a huge detriment to 9mm 1911 slides cycling properly. I haven't experienced that yet, but it makes sense.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

I've been using Redline (Formerly called "All Proof") Synthetic lubes since the early 1980's and have been using Redline CV-2 synthetic grease with organic moly since about 1985. I've used it in my autos in CV Joints, door hinges and door latch mechanisms, bicycle wheel bearings and bicycle chain, Roller Blade wheel bearings, home door hinges, and for nearly anything that needs grease. It is noticeably slipperier than lithium grease. It provides lubrication at subzero temperatures where lithium grease fails.

Case in point. I was using a pair of high performance low profile pedals that used a special type of sleeve bearing on the crank side and two caged ball bearings at the outside edge of the pedal shaft. The outer pedal bearings disintegrated in subzero weather before the winter season was over! What appears to have happened is that the grease did not protect the seals which failed and allowed road grit to enter the pedal bearings. I bought another pair of pedals and replaced the grease in the caged bearings with Redline CV-2 synthetic and used it on the seals, and I have pedaled these for over 5 years and 5 winters in subzero weather and the pedals are still working fine.

I would be inclined to use Redline CV-2 grease in my pistol, except that the high pressure additives are really stinky. Now all of you have got me wondering if this grease will cause any problems on the slide rails of my P365 at subzero temperatures. Now that I have a P365XL for my EDC my P365 is available for performing testing. I think that I will grease the P365 slide with CV-2 grease, retract the slide, put it in my freezer and see if it will at least chamber a dummy round when I release the slide. If that works maybe I''l get some dry ice, pack it around my P365 and see if it will fire and cycle properly at the range.

BTW, are 1911's any more critical of the lubricants used on the slide than any other semi-auto pistol?

 

[Carl N. Brown]

The only places I use grease on a gun is on the arbor of my 1851 Colt Navy replica and on the bolt cam and its cut in the slide of my M1 Carbine.
Otherwise I use oil -- dedicated gun oil from Hoppes or Remington, Mobile motor oil, or BreakFree CLP.

 

[JTQ]

BTW, are 1911's any more critical of the lubricants used on the slide than any other semi-auto pistol?

It depends on your perspective.

If all one knows are polymer framed guns, that have little tabs for frame rails, that have small contact points with the slide, sure. If you're used to S&W Traditional Double Action (TDA) pistols, SIG P220/P226/etc., Beretta 92, Browning Hi-Power, or any other metal framed gun, they aren't really different at all.

One thing to consider with a 1911, and I think I already posted it in this thread, is the 1911 is the same gun, whether it is shooting 9mm, .38 Super, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, 10mm, or .45 Auto. The slide was designed for .45 Auto recoil and since a 9mm will recoil significantly less than .45 Auto, if you have anything, such as heavy lube, that will slow the slide down on your 9mm 1911, and especially if you are using cheap/lightweight/low powered 9mm ammo, you could have problems. On the other hand, in southern Texas in June, with a 1911 in .45 Auto, you could probably use the heaviest lube you can find and the gun will function just fine.

 

[GRIZ22]

I never found any advantage to using grease on a handgun. The only thing I grease is Garands and similar actions. That's what they were designed to run on

.

 

[tactikel]

I tried changing the Remoil I used on the slide rails of my XD-45 to a highly touted gun grease. It began short stroking and jamming immediately. A trip back home to clean off the grease and to lube with Remoil, problem solved.

 

[Buckeye63]

Synthetic motor oil…

 

[InTheSwamp]

A thin layer of a reputable gun lubricant, oil or grease. The important thing is THIN.

Edit: In spite of the respect, I feel for him as a gunmaker, Bill Wilson is not a tribologist.

 

[JTQ]

Edit: In spite of the respect, I feel for him as a gunmaker, Bill Wilson is not a tribologist.

True, but he has a vested interest in the guns he sells working properly. I suspect over the years, he's had enough guns come back for service because they don't function right and figured out that some of the problems were not with the guns, but with the user. He's also a long time competitive shooter, and no doubt does a lot of testing with his own guns, to where he's figured out what works and what doesn't work.

On another forum, the WilsonCombatRep reported that 50% of their returns for service were fixed simply by properly lubricating the gun.