Lubrication question - confused

[92wrangler]

I bought a new XD in october, overlubed with some oil and when I recently tried it for the first time it gummed up in the firing pin channel. They say the loudest noise ever is hearing a click when you expect a bang. Could not get a single cartridge to fire, even after 5+ attempts. Had to douse it with gun scrubber to fix it. This is why I dont trust my life on a new aquisition until I have testfired it. I only lube the front half of barrel and the rails now with a drop of grease.

 

[Tom_R]

A few things if I may add to some really good conversation:

If you are running a semi automatic, and it is still relatively new and being broken in, run it wet at first.
What I mean by that is make sure the rails and the slide have some oil or grease on them.
Run it this way for the first 500 rounds or so.
This is critical if you are running a 1911, particularly one that is tight like a Kimber or Les Baer.
After your range session clean the gun to get the lube, powder and grit off it. Then put a light coat of oil or grease on the rails and frame, work the slide a few times, and then wipe any excess off the exterior. Don't store it super lubed, that will attract dirt. Rubbing a silicone impregnated cloth on your pistol before putting it back in the safe is also a great way to store it and a little piece of mind versus corrosion.

Once the pistol is broken in, you should not have to lube it heavily before your next range session, or for carry. Work the slide, and make sure it feels smooth.

Spraying lube in a gun that is fully assembled, and on the gun is just plain moronic. The instructors that did that had a reachable moment there, one that they needed to be the ones doing the learning.

I am currently in the process of putting 500 rounds of .45acp through my new Sig Sauer P227 SAS. It will be my carry gun, but the barrel is fit really tight to the slide. I am making sure I am following the process I outlined above.

When I am preparing to go to the range, I grease the slide and the rails lightly. Work the slide about 10 times. Put it in the range bag and head out. I put 100 rounds through it at the range twice. So far it has run perfect. I bring it home, spray it liberally with Ballistol after disassembly. I leave it for about 10 minutes, let the Ballistol soak in and penetrate. I then wipe every thing down, clean the barrel with a brush and patches, then lightly oil the slide and frame rails. Work the slide 10 times, wipe the gun off, and put it away.

 

[Psycshrink]

Eds red gun cleaner. Mix equal parts of transmission Fluid, mineral spirits and kerosene. It lowers the cost enough that you can use it in an ultrasonic cleaner. It works great and will save you an arm and a leg.

 

[Bkreutz]

I am new to handguns so I have relied on forums like this and YouTube videos to gain expertise. Just about every cleaning example or instruction talks about lubricating sparingly and at specific places on the gun. Yet, at my LTC class, before the range session the instructors had us clear our weapons and lock the slide back for inspection. They then proceeded to spray lubricant liberally along the barrel and into the extraction port, stating that most failures are due to guns being not lubricated enough.

So, which is it? Use lubrication sparingly or liberally?

Here's a link to a thread I started a while back about how I approach cleaning and lubing a M&P, when I made that thread, the gun had 70K rounds through it, now it's over 100K but has been retired to usage by my wife and as a backup gun at major matches. Still works like new. Just like my newer gun better.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-m-p-pistols/400655-m-p-cleaning-101-a.html

(newer gun below, it's already a year old, my how time flies)

 

[686wheelgun]

I am new to handguns so I have relied on forums like this and YouTube videos to gain expertise. Just about every cleaning example or instruction talks about lubricating sparingly and at specific places on the gun. Yet, at my LTC class, before the range session the instructors had us clear our weapons and lock the slide back for inspection. They then proceeded to spray lubricant liberally along the barrel and into the extraction port, stating that most failures are due to guns being not lubricated enough.

So, which is it? Use lubrication sparingly or liberally?

There's a lot more people that have done a lot more shooting than me so I'll let them answer your question, but I sure wouldn't allow anybody to spray anything in my guns (as in owned by myself). Were these rented range guns? If yes, then their gun, their choice.

 

[686wheelgun]

I use TW25B on everything I can get to, and light gun oil on the parts I can't reach with grease.

I've been using this stuff on all my guns for several years and it works quite well. In fact, the more I use it the less dirty my gun seems to get.

 

[Big Cholla]

Agree!!

The advice I followed while shooting service rifle competition for 20+ years got carried over to handguns and has served me quite well since. If it slides, grease it. If it rotates, oil it. Either in moderation.

Sir: Kudos, your statement is succinct, correct and complete. All else is in excess.............

 

[Mnspring]

Ok, right off the bat; relying on YouTube videos for gun advice is a BIG mistake! I've seen a heck of a lot of B/S, mistakes, and outright lies propagated by total morons on that sight. It takes more than a video camera and an internet connection to make an expert -- on anything.

It took 30 Posts, before, this FIRST, point was brought up.

Many ways to Lub, Many different lubs. Will Always be a 'discussion' point. But the Point that their is a HUGE, 'Noise to Signal' ratio on, the 'boob 'er, you-tube'. Go with someone, who has, 'been their, done that', rather than some DFI, who has a video camera.

My, 'opinion' on the, 'Spray all over', luber. Is that he is Lazy. Lazy, because his students are lazy, and don't clean properly, so to avoid problems in a controlled range day, he makes the guns, 'wet', so they work for the next 25 rounds.

Or Ignorant, (he watched, U-Tube). LOLOLOLOL

 

[mfholmes]

Reading about an instructor doing that to someone's pistol is just sad. That guy needs some real teaching himself. Just as several others have said here using too much lube without being able to remove it will cause problems and a trip to the gunsmith. ANY LUBE - no matter what kind - will attract dust and allow contaminates to adhere to the very parts you want to keep clean. I only lube the places that I can wipe clean afterwards. Spraying a lube into your gun will get it into places you cannot clean properly. If you must spray something into an area of a gun that you think is gummed up and you're trying to clear it out while being too lazy to disassemble it properly (yea - I've been there) then use a shop vac with a small tip to clean the **** out. The last thing you want is to get oil in your extractor well or around the firing pin to gum up the spring.
One last tip. If you want to make sure your parts that wear have a well treated surface without gumming up, make a mixture of Mystery Oil and STP (around 4 or 5 to 1) and use a cleaning patch to wipe it on and off any surface. Put some in one of those needle applicator bottles to put a drop in a slide groove, and use the edge of your patch to wipe it out. One bottle of each of those from your local auto parts store and you'll never have to buy any more gun lube again.

 

[Horn]

Depends On The Grease

Couldn't having lube in the chamber prevent the brass from properly sealing against gas pressure on firing?

I too use Mil-Comm 25b grease on anything that slides I can reach. I use the 2500 oil, sparingly elsewhere.
What's good enough for Gatling guns is good enough on my pistols.

 

[NiteGoat]

I usually just check out the owner's manual and follow the instructions accordingly. I would backhand somebody who started spraying my pistol with oil . . .

EXACTLY! I would have smacked that can of lube right out of his hand and then promptly asked for my money back, before exiting his "class". What a clown!

Both of my handguns are Glock. I used to use Hoppe's no.9 before scrubbing out my barrel, which works great. I switched to Break Free CLP around 2004 (although I'm thinking of going back to Hoppe's no.9 for my AR barrel).

I clean my handguns according to Glock's owerner's manual. After cleaning everything with Break Free CLP, I wipe my gun down and use Remoil to oil the recommended spots mentioned in the Glock manual. A little dab 'ill do ya. I then rub the outside of the slide with a Kleenbore 'Rod and Reel' cloth.

I've been a Glock owner for 16 years and have always run them fairly dry. Not completely dry, just a dab on the rails and the few key spots mentioned in the Glock owner's manual.

 

[jbtrucker]

I have been using a sample of Amsoil Gun Oil that came with a Sig on my M&P .22 , I follow the manual and lube top of Barrel and back slide rails. On my 2nd and 3rd Gen lube whatever slides or rubs, spray Hoppes 9 Dry Lube down in the trigger and levers if needed. Went by U Tube Video were the guy applied oil inside and on parts of a Magazine , was advised that is incorrect and just use Hoppes or other to clean and wipe dry

 

[rock_castle]

I'd be pretty pissed if some jackwagon indiscriminately sprayed oil all over my gun like that. What a moron. Less is better than more IMO.

 

[Starion VR4]

Have a look at this...

https://www.youtube.com/embed/p9bOT_d60LM

Think this puts an end to the question....

 

[bigggbbruce]

My guns name is Lucy, cause I like to run her juicy.

 

[superfluities]

I've heard a lot of idiotic things instructors have told their student's but this is the absolute most idiotic thing I've ever heard that and instructor physically did to a student. In 25 years as an instructor I've never heard of such a thing. If nothing else this is a "I hope it saves me time and I don't care what happens to the gun after the student leaves the class"=LAZY Instructor!
Honestly is he going to be there to spray oil in your gun when you need to defend yourself??

 

[jaaeatax]

I've been using this stuff on all my guns for several years and it works quite well. In fact, the more I use it the less dirty my gun seems to get.

On my blue steel revolvers I use gunslick on the frame or sometimes a silicone cloth. For cleaning I used the newer spray cleaners but noticed that Hoppe's 9 does a better job. I now use both. Hoppe's last after I've cleaned the chambers and barrel with CLP or Boreclean. On semi auto's I use the manual instructions and use only oil. CLP oil seems to stay where I put it and doesn't drip all over. Rails get a little on the front and then I work the slide a few times to get it down the rails. Drop on the barrel outside and rub the oil with my finger. Then on the contact points in a drop and rub that with my finger. That's it.

 

[Seraphim]

After cleaning, a drop or two of oil on each rail, on the outside of the barrel, where the hammer pivots and anything that rotates. When I take it out it gets wiped down. It's stored in a metal lock box - no dust or dirt. Actually prefer graphite on the rails, but not necessary. Wouldn't fire a weapon that has had lube sprayed liberally into the ejection port. They're designed for a bit of lubrication, not to be operated wet.

 

[fdw]

I lightly lube my M&Ps. A drop of gun oil on a couple of places and a slight dab of grease on the slide.

In my opinion, less is better.

 

[Morgan88]

a place to start

JMHO
Would it be prudent start by reading and following the directions in the manual? What does it say about lubrication in the manual?

Morgan88