Lubing And Slide-glide

[syme71]

i bought into the "propaganda" and have been using slide glide as the primary lubricant on my Limited gun. I figured if the masses on this forum swear by it, it must be good.

However, I have a read a couple of posts by some of the gunsmiths here and in some of the trade rags on the benefits of periodic cleaning to get rid of the lube+powder that one gunsmith has referred to as a lapping compound. this contradicts what BE promotes with slide-glide that it gets slicker when dirty due to carbon.

should i be using more conventional oil and cleaning more?

[Loves2Shoot]

I think the real "propaganda" is that you need to clean your guns often. I have a open gun frame/slide combo that is still tightttttt after 150,000 of not cleaning it often. Carbon build up acting as lapping compound, that was a good one

[XRe]

I have my personal take on it... I don't know if I should share it or not

I use SlideGlide Lite on my L-10 gun. Works like a champ. Every 500 or so rounds, I wipe it out and relube - not because it actually needs, but just because I enjoy the process. I agree with Brian that it seems to get slicker as it goes.

I've had at least one smith in the area here tell me that using grease was tantamount to dumping sand in my gun - any dust that blows around will be "attracted" to the grease (as if the grease were a magnet, and oils weren't also sticky to airborne dust). I have had another, very successful smith, who's work I've used in the past (and.... future) who insisted that appropriate greases were the best thing for rails and barrel surfaces.

I used grease on my previous racegun for over 35K rounds, and it was wicked tight when I sold it.

In the end, keep the gun well lubed, period. Use what you like best (and be aware that different lubes will change the perceived recoil impulse you feel). End of story...

[Rikarin]

Dude SlideGlide rocks. The recoil dumping ability is like "WOW" instantly. I will never shoot without it.

BTW, I didn't know until recently you are supposed to or you can put alot (compare to what I used to put) on your gun.

[ima45dv8]

I have some, but I rarely use it. I prefer to add 3 drops of BreakFree or FP-10 type lube.

I do remember the first time I tried it. Per SingleStack's recommendation, I gooped it in pretty thick. The recoil spring channel was nicely loaded. At the next match my first shot of the day was at a very close target. When the slide went back into battery it slung SG all over that target. It looked like it was bleeding to death.

As for all the crud that collects, I like it. That's probably what keeps 'em tight. I'm afraid if I cleaned my guns the slide would fall right off....

[Stuck in C]

Might depend on where you live. The shooting ranges around here are pretty much desert, and if the wind stops blowing everybody falls over. After a local match I generally pour about a pound of sand out of my range bag into my kid's sandbox. So I clean my guns more often than I would someplace where grass grows. And it doesn't matter if its oil or grease-it attracts dust and fine sand. Don't care about the firing residue-its soft.

[XRe]

One further thought - and something I'll be following through with relatively soon. If have a windy and dusty environment, a gun cover is probably a worthwhile investment. Even if you just drape a towel over the gun while it's holstered, or something. That goes double if you have extra holes in the slide for lightening or something!

[syme71]

One further thought - and something I'll be following through with relatively soon. If have a windy and dusty environment, a gun cover is probably a worthwhile investment. Even if you just drape a towel over the gun while it's holstered, or something. That goes double if you have extra holes in the slide for lightening or something!

agree, next purchase is going to be a quality gun cover. I see most of the top guys in the local matches I shoot put covers on as soon as wind kicks up. I mainly shoot in the gravel pits that make up NJ ranges.

[John K]

I am confused. I shoot G17 in SSP at IDPA matches.

I was told by the armorer at a GSSF match that I was using too much oil. That the glock only needs three drops. Is this slide glide only for steel framed guns?

I also know that carbon is suppposed to be very hard and abrasive, hence the need to clean. I do doubt it acts as a lapping compound though.

[XRe]

Your armorer is correct in that the Glock only *needs* very light lubrication. However, a lot of folks find that they either prefer the way the gun cycles with more lube, or they use a grease to help cushion the slide motion, making the gun appear to shoot "softer". The Glock zealots may insist that that's improper treatment of a Glock - but it works for a lot of folks. Use what works for you.

That said, on a carry gun, you want to avoid over-lubrication (because it will collect dirt, dust, lint, crud, etc), and the Glock can run on *very* spare lube, so....

[shred]

XRe's got it right-- considering the average GSSF shooter, going light on the oil will prevent goop buildup while their Glock is sitting on the shelf until next year. That and carry considerations drive the armorers to push the 3-drops-of-oil message, though it's widely ignored by most competition Glock shooters I know. I remember one armorer seeing my well-oiled Glock at a GSSF match tell me it would shoot better with less oil. I didn't tell him I'd just won the match

Carbon takes many forms, from graphite dry lubricant to anthracite coal to diamond abrasive, with some odd buckyball stops along the way. Shooting residue is much more graphite-like than diamond-like.

[nm3gnr]

Slide glide rocks, perceived recoil is much softer, very cold weather is not the place for even the lite model of slide glide, so i wipe some not all of it out and lube with mobile one mixture and cary on. Glocks can be used with slide glide as well, Pretty thick, and recoil is much softer.

Experiment ! Good luck !