Reading the Sig forum now that I own a Sig P6 (as I still haven't found the 3913/908 with my name on it and I want a single stack, 9mm, non-plastic carry weapon, and bought the Sig 'till I find the right one).

There are a number of threads, plus stickies, about the use of grease and what type of grease folks like.

Wondering to what degree S&W 39 and 59 families need to be greased, how much, where, what kind folks here use.

SuperLube Synthetic and MilCom TN25b seem to get a lot of mentions. I didn't see anyone refer to FrogLube.

The rule of thumb seems to be: grease where it slides, oil where it rotates.

My project for next week is to give all my pistols a thorough cleaning....and now I'll want to grease 'em up.

Just wondering what the folks here think would be a good product, how much, etc.

I only use a drop of normal gunoil inside the slide, where the frame "slides" (on the sidewales). Have so in over 30 years in various autos and NEVER had any problems. And these guns have been used in hot spots through out the world.

And I only use these two drops of oil when I have cleaned my weapon, and I don't overclean. So don't worry about it. When first a auto is brokken in (about 500 rounds) you don't need much lubrication.

I use Lubriplate gun grease on anything that slides & wears. Think i bought a small can at midway for 10/12 bucks that will last a lifetime. Drop of Gun oil in other spots. Remember too much grease/oil will cause more problems than anything.

See post 8 in the thread below. The post is from fastbolt and is about as detailed as I have ever seen someone take the time to write!

CS9 Chiefs Special slide recoil issue

PS our defence uses Break Free and it works fine

How much grease? Just enough of a coat you can see a little mark when you run a fingernail through it. Never any clumps or lumps.
I use Brownells action lube on slides, which is expensive compared to axle grease, but the way I use it, a little tub lasts 2 years.
ACTION LUBE PLUS® | Brownells

Added: I guess one advantage of the Brownells Action grease is that it does NOT thicken up like ordinary grease and lubriplate do. I can take a semi auto out of the safe that I cleaned and stored 5 years ago, and the Action Lube is just like I left it, and the gun is ready to shoot. Aside from the color, it is similar to the Tetra I use on expensive double shotguns.

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Science plus Art

Grease gets gooey & nasty. It can also harden over time. The others are correct, use high quality gun oil. I use a ver small amount of grease I'm my duty AR15 in the bolt lugs & bolt body with oil mixed in too. Why? Because it sits in a very hot police SUV in Arizona. My handguns I never use grease on. Tetra Gun is a good sticky oil that stays in place. Rem Oil is good for the finish of a gun but has a very annoying habit of vaporizing. It's real runny. Breakfree is also good , but I'm biased towards Tetra; it works.

The vast majority of semi-auto malfunctions that aren't caused by shooter error are caused by over-lubrication or home gunsmithing.

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Less is better, just a thin film will do. With grease I put a thin film on , work the action then wipe off any visible amount, leaving a very thin film. You don't want to see any globs.
Gary

Excatly

And grease especially (but also too much oil) attracts dirt, dust, sand etc. like a dogsh.. attracts flys

My greatest concern in Iraq was sand. The less oil on my M4 and SIG 210, the better it worked.

I've been testing grease ever since these threads started popping up on different gun fora and have come to two conclusions:

1. If you do want to use it, remember the old Brylcreem adage - "A little dab'll do ya."

2. I'm not really seeing any significant performance difference (good or bad) compared to the CLP I've been using for a long time.

Of course, as with all things gun related, YMMV.

Just enough to cover the projections and recesses of the surfaces with a nice thin film. No waste and no extra globs anywhere.

I like to use a light full synthetic grease on the rails of (broken in) pistols during most of the year. TW-25B, Lubriplate SFL-0, SuperLube, Mobil 1, Shooter Choice, Tetra, Wilson, Pro Shot....all make great greases that are more than up to the task.

If you decide to use grease, IMO you should clean your pistol after range trips. If you can't do a quick cleaning between sessions.. at least wipe off the rails and reapply some fresh grease.

For tight/low round count pistols and the colder months of the year, I use only oil.

...As others have stated, I use a light coat of oil and that's it. I have not bought into the grease idea and have had no performance issues. I am currently using Snake Oil from Dillon Precision; Before that it was CLP. Best.

Stating that you use only oil and it has always worked, or you use grease and have had no problems is not helpful unless you state which gun you base your experience on. The slide and frame contact point materials will determine the lubrication methods. For instance, an older West German P series Sig has a carbon steel slide and an aluminum alloy frame. If not properly lubed, guess which one wins. For other semi-autos, the materials will be different, and so will the lube methods and materials.

I base my response on my experience with 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Smith semi-autos, and Sig Sauer platforms - namely the P-239. I understand that grease is used and recommended by many, particularly in the Sig fold. If that is working for them, great. We all do things a little different. Best.

Thanks to all for the advice. I'm going to do some more research on FrogLube, as someone gave me a tub, but will be buying more conventional grease, at least for my Sig. I'll stick with oil for now for my S&W's.

I use a white litho grease on my stainless S&W... just a quick smear with one finger followed by a second smear with a clean finger to remove the excess. Blued guns just get gun oil on the slide.... I've used everything from silcone to organic... without noticing much difference- except how well it stays put.

I was shooting heavy loads in my Beretta 92FS... PJ-1 chain lube helped to act as a dampener, it was fun for the day, but nothing i'd reccomend.

decades ago I oiled up a colt gold cup and a remington 700 bolt gun with rem gun oil. 30 years past. Both were glued shut. Gun oil will solidify over time . Cleaned them up and now g-96 is ALL i ever use

I've always been an oil man (not the kind that gets royalties). Mostly I use Shooter's Choice FP-10. It is a great oil. I just had a pistolsmith recommend TW-25B. I am now a grease guy. This stuff is really slick. Just a very little goes a long way.

I put severe wear on a 3913 using only oil. I then switched to TW23b grease.

I only use TW25b on all my semi auto handguns. Grease substantially reduces wear on aluminum frames. Smoothes function on the steel framed guns too. My 0.02 Regards 18DAI

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

I've used just about everything and they all worked. Some just need more frequent applications. After all, we're not talking use-once-shoot-for-a-lifetime products.

I've been using Froglube on half my semis, Fireclean on the other half. Functionally wise, no noticeable different. They both work fine. Froglube is really slick, so much so I have trouble keeping my Glock 30 recoil spring in place until I install the slide.

One thing with FL is you need to apply properly and wipe off all excess. Otherwise, any residue will melt when shooting the gun and run off. I dip a Q-tip in it, rub it in, and run it down the frame rails, leaving a barely noticeable film. Powder and grime wipes off easily so clean up is a breeze.

Fireclean is more liquid and stays that way, no "evaporation." Most powder and gunk will wipe off with a rag or paper towel. I wet a patch with it and run it through the bore after brushing it. A dry patch follow up leaves it dry and clean.

Both products recommend NOT using other products with them. For those whose wife is smell sensitive--or even yourself--Froglube gets a brownie point for its minty smell. Both are pricey, but it goes a long way, reducing the costs per use.

+1 to dh2683. I've been using the Lubriplate gun formulation on all my semi's for a couple of years now. It works well for me & it was highly recommended to me by armorers & shooters whose opinion I value! I dab it on with a cotton swab & then spread it out into a thin film. No gobs or glops.

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

I use Lubriplate 105. I don't know what the difference between that and the gun formulation is, but it works for me.

It's inexpensive and a tube should last for years.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

The directions for my 3rd gen say to put 4 drops of oil, 2 on the rails, two on the barrel. I do just that and it runs fine. All guns aren't smooth and may need some grease, but I'm not going to use it as long as what the directions say works.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

If this works for you, it's a good plan. The only potential hitch might be the age of the manual. Some things might have evolved since that was printed. Which is why I always look forward to and read Fastbolt's comments. He has the latest information from the factory on everything 3rd generation.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

A little dab will do ya.

In a word, None. Grease tends to get gooey, it is a dirt magnet, and its a btch to clean off. A little CLP on the slide rails, the barrel to bushing area and the top of the disconnector will meet all your needs.

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"We deal in lead, friend."

Thanks for the pointer and I'll check it out, but if I ever use grease it will be a VERY thin layer. Honestly, I think this gun would run fine dry, except for wear.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

steel to steel contact only...quality oil will work ok...but steel to alloy contact... I use synthetic grease ......and if it's hard to clean off....you know it's working

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witty signature goes here

So we should all go with the lowest bidder?

Breakfree is one of those things that does several jobs ok, but doesn't do any of them great.

Use cleaning products for cleaning and use lube for lubricating. I have found breakfree to not stay where I put it and even with a couple months storage tends to dry up.

Hey its worked in x-Jugoslavia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan (deployment over 10 years each place) so I would say it has proven its worth

The M16A1 spent ten years in Viet Nam, too. There are (and were) better weapons available.

An endorsement by the military doesn't carry much weight around here. (And I still don't own any plastic weapons.)

During my 50 years of shooting I've tried a lot of solvents and oils/grease. I'm back using Hoppe's #9 solvent, a blast of Gun Scrubber or non chlorinated brake cleaner, and lubing with Hoppe's Elite oil. I noticed when using combination cleaner/ lubes to clean ( scrubbing with tooth brush ) and then blasting with nc brake cleaner and then wiping a q-tip along the slide rails, the q-tip would be very dirty. Not when so using Hoppe's #9, q-tip remained clean. And clean up after shooting is always easier for me when lubed with Hoppe's Elite. Just my experience.

I agree with nocents. My 3rd gens and SIGS with aluminum frames and steel slides need a little extra slip. TW25B seems to work for me.

Richard

I use grease on the slide/frame rails, barrel hood, and bushing end of my guns. I also put a dab on the barrel's frame cuts and the disconnecter ridge.


The gun will tell you how much grease is too much. Excess grease will come out when you work the action. Wipe away excess until no more comes out. I use shooters choice, and it's red colored. If I take the gun apart after shooting, and the grease remnants is still red, it means that I used too much. The grease should change to dark grey from oil and debris. If you see red after a few boxes of ammo, you put grease where it doesn't need to be.


I use oil on rotating parts like trigger hand hammer pins. Nothing exotic. 3-in-1 or even a lightweight mobil 1 is fine. Oil is also good for preventing corrosion on bare metal surfaces, or with thinly applied coatings like springs. Not too much. No drips just a light coating. Remember that oil is viscous and will work its way across a body of metal. Especially as it is fired.


Hurry up and get a 3913! I started with a P6, then moved to a HK P7' and then a Glock 19, and finally now I have settled on the 3913 and it is the best of the bunch to carry and far easier to shoot well than the Sig or the HK. I enjoyed the capacity and light weight of the Glock, but my state has recently enacted a magazine capacity restriction in the wake of the Newtown shooting. So I was kind of forced back into a single stack, but I don't think I'd go back even if I could.