Oil choices.....

[mniels]

So, this is bound to bring out some strong opinions...

 

I recently purchased a Shadow 2, which has dramatically tight tolerances than the "plastic fantastic" pistols I have been shooting for the past couple of years.  

 

Back when I was a hardcore 1911/2011 guy, I used the red Slide Glide for lubrication (I still have plenty of it.)  However, I am sure other products have become available in the past few years, and I am wondering what other lubrication options you guys were using these days?

[ltdmstr]

There's probably 200 threads on the subject.  So, sorry for being one of those people, but I gotta say it.  Try the search function.

[JD45]

I don't care what gun it is, if you have a supply of Side Glide, FP-10, and Mobil One ,  you've got all you need.

[zzt]

I'm sold on Weapon Shield CLP.  I have a dozen other oils and lubes sitting on the bench gathering dust.

[mniels]

3 hours ago, JD45 said:

I don't care what gun it is, if you have a supply of Side Glide, FP-10, and Mobil One ,  you've got all you need.

What is it that you like about the FP-10 over something else like Weapon Shield?

[SGT_Schultz]

9 hours ago, mniels said:

I recently purchased a Shadow 2, which has dramatically tight tolerances than the "plastic fantastic" pistols I have been shooting for the past couple of years.

 

"Tolerances" doesn't mean what you think it means.  Oil is oil.  It doesn't matter what you use.

[bcane98]

I’ve been using Lucas Gun Oil since I found a little 4oz bottle at OReiley’s.... all my guns seem to love it, I don’t need much before it’s spread all over, and it’ll last entire match or range day no issues.  I need to make my way back to get some more.  I run it in all my Legions, Max Michel and Dan Wesson 1911’s, STI’s, rifles, and even run it in my shotgun.

[tomjerry1]

Another one for Lucas Gun Oil

[mvmojo]

I too am a fan of Lucas gun oil and one bottle seems to last a long time!

[PCPEMark]

i have been using slick 50 and lucas oil treatment...now they have gun oil...haven,t seen a difference between the gun oilm and oil treatment

[nso123]

Lucas for me as well. I use it on all of my guns with good results. A little goes a long way. 

[mveto]

Breakthrough oils and grease for me on my Bull Shadows, very happy with it. Cleans well and does not burn off quickly.

[Farmer]

Lucas too. Leaves a tough film and a little goes a long way. Works good on small electric motors too. Does seem to get thicker with cold temps. 

[Dranoel]

I know I have stated this here before, (and a dozen other forums, fb groups, etc.) but since the question come up again and again....    here goes again:

 

What brand of oil you use is less important as getting the proper viscosity for YOUR pistol. What I use in mine may be HORRIBLE in yours. Allow me to explain;

Some guns are tighter than others. Some guns have rougher rail contact than others (that gritty feel like dragging a whetstone across another. The tighter and smoother your gun is the lower viscosity oil you need. If you have something like a Les Baer that's as tight as a gnat's arse and smooth as greased glass, using a higher viscosity (thicker) oil is going to slow your slide action when you fire. This is because the oil is too thick to move in the tight confines of those close tolerance rails. In some cases (and I have experienced this on my own guns) the slide will hydraulic and stop before it goes back far enough to extract the spent case. And I have had pistols so loose that 90 wt. gear lube would have been a good idea.

 

You may have a gun that is not a rattle trap but not so tight a fit. A little heavier (higher viscosity) oil is going to serve you better as the oil is essentially "floating" the slide on the frame rails. In other words you don't want the metal touching any more than it has to. A lighter oil in this case is going to run out of the gap or not provide enough "bouyancy", for lack of a better word, to float the slide properly.  By the same token, a slide/frame fit that is fairly tight but a little gritty (because of machining marks left unpolished) will need a heavier oil to keep those micro-burrs from hitting each other. 

 

It's much the same in car engines. Most of your basic production car engines are fine with 10W40. (10W30 or 5W40 in winter for easier starts) when you get into more precisely made engines, Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes, etc they recommend lower viscosity oil. My '06 Lincoln LS, engine by Jaguar, uses 5W20. ANd I can tell you for a fact that putting 10W30 in it is a bad idea. (don't ask me how I know.) On the other hand, if you have a 1980 Chevy Citation with 300,000 miles on it (you deserve an award) you prob'ly need at least a 5W50-10W50 or a bottle or two of motor honey to stop it from smoking. Same is true of auto-pistols. That slide is operating in very similar conditions as the pistons in your engine. 

 

So, here is where you NEED to be TOTALLY HONEST. Not with me or anyone else, but with yourself. IS your pistol that tight? IS it really that smooth? If it is Remoil might be perfect. It's what I used for years til they changed it. But if it is even a LITTLE loose, you might want to experiment with some heavier oils. Lately I been trying Brian's Slide Glide BECAUSE it comes in three different viscosities. My 1911s have been even better with the "Light" Slide Glide, while my CZ and Berettas tend to like the "Medium" better.

But you are going to have to find what works best in YOUR guns. All the more reason to go shooting more often.

[TONY BARONE]

On 11/8/2020 at 6:43 PM, Dranoel said:

I know I have stated this here before, (and a dozen other forums, fb groups, etc.) but since the question come up again and again....    here goes again:

 

What brand of oil you use is less important as getting the proper viscosity for YOUR pistol. What I use in mine may be HORRIBLE in yours. Allow me to explain;

Some guns are tighter than others. Some guns have rougher rail contact than others (that gritty feel like dragging a whetstone across another. The tighter and smoother your gun is the lower viscosity oil you need. If you have something like a Les Baer that's as tight as a gnat's arse and smooth as greased glass, using a higher viscosity (thicker) oil is going to slow your slide action when you fire. This is because the oil is too thick to move in the tight confines of those close tolerance rails. In some cases (and I have experienced this on my own guns) the slide will hydraulic and stop before it goes back far enough to extract the spent case. And I have had pistols so loose that 90 wt. gear lube would have been a good idea.

 

You may have a gun that is not a rattle trap but not so tight a fit. A little heavier (higher viscosity) oil is going to serve you better as the oil is essentially "floating" the slide on the frame rails. In other words you don't want the metal touching any more than it has to. A lighter oil in this case is going to run out of the gap or not provide enough "bouyancy", for lack of a better word, to float the slide properly.  By the same token, a slide/frame fit that is fairly tight but a little gritty (because of machining marks left unpolished) will need a heavier oil to keep those micro-burrs from hitting each other. 

 

It's much the same in car engines. Most of your basic production car engines are fine with 10W40. (10W30 or 5W40 in winter for easier starts) when you get into more precisely made engines, Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes, etc they recommend lower viscosity oil. My '06 Lincoln LS, engine by Jaguar, uses 5W20. ANd I can tell you for a fact that putting 10W30 in it is a bad idea. (don't ask me how I know.) On the other hand, if you have a 1980 Chevy Citation with 300,000 miles on it (you deserve an award) you prob'ly need at least a 5W50-10W50 or a bottle or two of motor honey to stop it from smoking. Same is true of auto-pistols. That slide is operating in very similar conditions as the pistons in your engine. 

 

So, here is where you NEED to be TOTALLY HONEST. Not with me or anyone else, but with yourself. IS your pistol that tight? IS it really that smooth? If it is Remoil might be perfect. It's what I used for years til they changed it. But if it is even a LITTLE loose, you might want to experiment with some heavier oils. Lately I been trying Brian's Slide Glide BECAUSE it comes in three different viscosities. My 1911s have been even better with the "Light" Slide Glide, while my CZ and Berettas tend to like the "Medium" better.

But you are going to have to find what works best in YOUR guns. All the more reason to go shooting more often.

T

 

Well said the correct lube for Your gun can make a difference.

[Chris51080]

As Dranoel said, the best lubricant is dependent on your specific gun. 

 

That said, I use a combination of 3 lubricants depending on the firearm.

Slide Glide - I keep this for the rails/slide of my 2011/1911s. I do this because it stays put in these areas.

Lucas Gun Oil - I use this everywhere else on my 2011/1911's and most of my other firearms. 

 

Mobil 1, I use this in my cars, and always have a supply of 0W-40 or 5w-20 around. It works great in firearms as well. I prefer the Lucas gun oil simply because the small bottle is more convenient and the dropper is much finer. But, if I run out, or I have a specific use case, I just grab the Mobil 1 and go to town.

 

Don't overthink it, a firearm is simply a machine. It requires lubrication on parts that need to slide against other parts. Decide if a Grease or an Oil is most appropriate, then determine how heavy of a lubricant you need based on the fit of the parts you are lubricating. 

[gerritm]

44 minutes ago, Chris51080 said:

As Dranoel said, the best lubricant is dependent on your specific gun. 

 

That said, I use a combination of 3 lubricants depending on the firearm.

Slide Glide - I keep this for the rails/slide of my 2011/1911s. I do this because it stays put in these areas.

Lucas Gun Oil - I use this everywhere else on my 2011/1911's and most of my other firearms. 

 

Mobil 1, I use this in my cars, and always have a supply of 0W-40 or 5w-20 around. It works great in firearms as well. I prefer the Lucas gun oil simply because the small bottle is more convenient and the dropper is much finer. But, if I run out, or I have a specific use case, I just grab the Mobil 1 and go to town.

 

Don't overthink it, a firearm is simply a machine. It requires lubrication on parts that need to slide against other parts. Decide if a Grease or an Oil is most appropriate, then determine how heavy of a lubricant you need based on the fit of the parts you are lubricating. 

Same here with what he uses. Except I put a couple of drops of Mobil 1 on the Slide Glide on the rails of my open guns, 2011, & CZ. Lucas Gun Oil in the triggers and small moving parts. Only Mobil 1 on the AR's, PCC's, & 10/22's. 

 

gerritm

[R. Batt]

I've always been a Mobile 1 person. I have always meant to try synthetic ATF because of an old article I read a while back.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Use Mobil 1 0W20 or 5W20 for winter when its very cold. 15W50 in the hot summer. These are what I have on hand here all the time for my cars. 2 stroke oil works very well also if you have some of that on hand. I am not a fan of the thinner gun oils. Thanks, Eric

[Silver_Surfer]

LOL I tried a lot of different oils over thee years. They all get mixed together in a bottle of mobile 1

[rooster]

https://molecular-advantage.com/

been using this for a couple of years now.

[ARac40]

I have a bottle of full synthetic 5w20 mobile 1 mixed with a bottle of full synthetic automatic transmission fluid. Costs about $15 and you have more lubrication than you’ll ever need lol. 
 

I also run Lucas red and tacky on my rails for pistol and bolt carrier groups for rifle. 
 

this works for me in the Midwest no matter the temperature...

[Kokeman]

Been using Lucas gun oil for years. It works great for me.

 

[MicahSwan]

I used to think it didn't matter, and was using hopes and Remington gun oil. 
I tried the Lucas oil, and was surprised at how lubricating it was. It was like impossible to get of the metal, so it felt like it had better properties for staying on the slide... I am not a nerd, but I feel like this stuff at a molecular level is doing something more than the previously mentioned...

 

[Norther]

I always used Mobil 1 but a friend gave me a LOT of surplus LAW (lubricant, arctic weapons) lube. Does anyone know if I can run that year round in all temps? I prefer simplicity to using multiple lubes in different guns.