Revolver grease?

[CH4]

I use "Diddy" oil.

Johnson & Johnson 0-20w?

 

[rct269]

Probably the very best thing you can say about grease is it stays where you put it. It's that very quality that attracted me to Wilson Combat's Ultima-Lube II Universal. Here's what it has to say about itself on the bottle.

-All Purpose Lube For All Firearms
-Stays Put Under Extreme Conditions
-150 to 30 Degrees Optimum Temperature Range----(I reckon that leaves out North Dakota, where I lived for five years--------and where I learned if you spit on the sidewalk at 44 degrees BELOW zero, it'll bounce when it hits!!!!)
-Contains Slickest Substance Known to Man

That said, it's an oil---a rather thin one at that---and it's GOOD STUFF!!

Ralph Tremaine

 

[JohnRippert]

Ed's Red and white lithium grease are all I use on my firearms.

 

[bedwards]

The only gun I used Rig on was a stainless Colt Double Eagle I had as it was recommend to reduce galling on stainless to stainless. Learning some new uses for it though.

 

[Oldengineer]

What we're looking for is stable protection and lubricity. The key word is stable. There are no wheel bearings in revolvers.

 

[Narragansett]

I use LSA55 military weapons oil and no grease. I figure the Army tested it well enough to be a quality lube.

The only grease I use is Ponsness- Warren STOS on the hinge pins of shotguns

 

[stansdds]

I use LSA55 military weapons oil and no grease. I figure the Army tested it well enough to be a quality lube.

Maybe, maybe not. It might has been the lubricant that was closest to meeting the lubrication and protection criteria while also meeting or beating the desired price point.

 

[Matt_X]

I use LSA55 military weapons oil and no grease. I figure the Army tested it well enough to be a quality lube.

The only grease I use is Ponsness- Warren STOS on the hinge pins of shotguns

I'm not familiar with that one. The LSA I see referenced in the TM and such is a relatively heavy oil for light machineguns and heavier automatic weapons.

LSA stands for "Lubricant, Semifluid, Automatic weapons." and it is mentioned in the FM-3-23-35 for the M9 and M11 but only not to mix it with CLP.

The spec can be downloaded as a pdf here
MIL-L-46000 C LUBRICANT SEMI-FLUID


Here's one manufacturer of oil that meet the current milspec.
Mil-spec Lubes | Weapon Lubricant | MIL-L-46000C | SENT-46000

There were lighter gun oils used before CLP, for various small arms. Toward the end of WW2 Special Oil, Preserving and Lubricating became used for both normal temperatures and cold weather. Grease was applied to specific points in the Garand, and for better protection from rain on the carbine - but for the carbine only in that situation.

edit: The curent version of that is
"MIL-PRF-32033, PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATION: LUBRICATING OIL, GENERAL PURPOSE, PRESERVATIVE (WATER-DISPLACING, LOW TEMPERATURE) (24 JUL 2000) [SUPERSEDING VV-L-800C]., This specification covers one type and grade of water-displacing, preservative lubricating oil,..... The oil is identified by Military Symbol PL-S and NATO Code Number O-190."


Bottom line. I do think your logic is sound that the military spent some effort in selecting or specing oil that provides lubrication and preservative functions. Just pointing out that one is more for severe high pressure and heat uses.

 

[jtcarm]

I just started using Lubriplate. I'll get back to you in a few years with an opinion.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

I just started using Lubriplate. I'll get back to you in a few years with an opinion.

I've not used Lubriplate as a gun lube though I'm are it will do a good job. Lubriplate has been used for years in automobiles...particularly in window regulators.

 

[Tom S.]

What we're looking for is stable protection and lubricity. The key word is stable. There are no wheel bearings in revolvers.

Fair enough, but there are surfaces that oil will flow from due to gravity. I use a very light coating of grease on the hammer and trigger stud and on the sides and bottom of the rebound slide. Too much grease tends to collect dirt and turn to crud, but a light film will provide lubrication long after oil has run off or in some cases, dried up.

Other than those three places, everything else gets a light coating of oil.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I use lithium grease or vaseline.......My guns run SMOOTH!

 

[Narragansett]

This is what I use. LSA = Light Small Arms I believe. More than 1 military meaning.


Attention Required! | Cloudflare

 

[chief38]

I do not use grease on handguns. It tends to pick up more debris, dust, unburned powder residue and pocket bunnies than oil. I am not saying grease isn't a good lubricant (short term) but oil will not attract as much of the unwanted junk in a HG. Once grease gets contaminated with debris it can actually become abrasive.

 

[Matt_X]

LSA is between a grease and an oil, hence the 'semi-fluid' description. It has a thickner combined with the oil, which is what makes something a grease. From the spec, the primary thickner is Lithium stearate. from what I've gathered it has slightly higher viscosity (at least at low termperatures) than the old PL-S and probably CLP. In sliding friction tests it has about the same as PL-S or slightly lower friction.


I would expect its main drawbacks would be the same as any grease - best not used in dusty or sand environments - and may get gummy and dried out over many years.


from Aug 2015 PS Monthly

 

[Oldengineer]

A short story about the origins of synthetic lubricants. As a young base engine design engineer I became friends with the Mobil Oil account engineer while running a bearing wear study. Clark K. provided product for testing, along with other companies.

Clark shared with me that the US military had commissioned Mobil Oil to develop a high temperature wheel bearing grease to solve the problem of the then new jet aircraft (F-86) prematurely failing the landing gear bearings upon landing at much higher speeds. The result was a long chain product that tolerated the high temperature. It was affectionately called "chicken blood" and had a mil spec.

It was this technology from the 1950's that led to the creation of synthetic motor oil. And so, it seems a bit ironic that the lubricating oil we have grown to appreciate so much is the offspring of grease.

 

[old bear]

O/P, the Old saw is: grease if it slides oil if it turns. Good question though.

 

[diecidecimi]

What we're looking for is stable protection and lubricity. The key word is stable. There are no wheel bearings in revolvers.

some revolvers have bearings.... but not S&Ws. Manurhin MR73 and the "dead in womb" Olmi.

 

[Matt_X]

@OldEngineer
You got me curious to look again at the descriptions of PLS and LSA. At least as of the 1980s (revision C) the LSA specification requires its composition to be 89% base stock of bis(2-ethylhexyl)ester. From my little knowledge of oils that sounded like a synthetic oil. A websearch confirmed that. For example

"The bis(2-ethylhexyl)ester of sebacic acid is a widely used synthetic lubricant having various applications in the aerospace, automobile and manufacturing industries."


I don't know if this was the oil base of the original LSA spec, but it sounds like it could have been.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

I can certainly see the military wanting to advance the technology for synthetic lubricants. Whatever they use has to work in any environment on the planet and oftentimes the traditional lubes simply won't cut it.

 

[Claymore33]

Every gun owner who has been to South West Asia or lived through Texas drought, knows grease is a sand and dust magnet.

 

[38SPL HV]

Do you use a specific grease/lube on the hammer & trigger springs? I took the side plate off because it felt a little gummy and cleaned up white grease. What do you recommend using? I know there should be some lubricant there, but don't have anything other than some grease for fishing reels.

I use Mil Spec CLP or Ballistol as my revolver lube…don't overdo it.

 

[shawn mccarver]

In my world, the only purpose for RIG grease is protection from corrosion in the case of long term storage.

For ordinary use, a high quality gun oil used very sparingly is all that is necessary.

On the very rare occasion that the sideplate is removed, one drop each on the trigger stud and on the hammer stud. Then, one drop on the fingertip is spread around on the internal parts and on the inside of the frame. Any excess is wiped off. That is it on the inside.

On the outside, one drop on the fingertip is spread around on the outside surfaces, and any excess is wiped off.

Never over-lubricate a gun. Oil attracts dust and grime, creating a mud or grime that is no good on the internals.