Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Favorite semi-auto lube ???

What is your preferred lubrication on the slide rails of your semi-auto pistols? Do you use a different lube for your .22LR target pistols than you do on centerfire pistols?

Thanks, RS

I like a gease. Not super picky.
Just a smear. Like an oily film, only more stable.

I use lithium grease and synthetic motor oil on my 1911 rails. Action wax on my Ruger P pistol. And only Hoppes#9 solvent on my Ruger MK ll 22/45 target pistol.

I have no idea if what I use is best. I do know that lube plus fouling gunks up the action on a 22..

Still squeezing a decades old tube of Tetra gun grease. It's used for slide rails, revolver ratchets and the cocking cam and lugs of bolt action rifles. Leetle dab does it.

I've tried a lot of the commercially available gun grease and oil on the market over the past 50 years. There is only one that I felt actually made my semi-auto handguns run smoother. Lucas gun oil. It's all I use now.

Ballistol

There are plenty of others. Rare is the person who could differentiate one from another in a semi.

Light coating of Tetra grease. Gently buff with cloth.

Generous layer of LUBRIPLATE No. 105.

Stays on slides.

Pro Shot Zero Friction

https://www.proshotproducts.com/Zero-Friction-Spray-6-oz_p_619.html

Over the years I've tried several different lubes. My conclusion is that they all work, with the exception of Frog Lube aka Frog Glue. That stuff is snake oil of the highest magnitude.

A partial list of what has worked well for me:
- Any weight motor oil
- Hoppe's 9. (what I currently use)
- Hoppe's 9 Elite (it works fine but isn't worth the extra money)
- Ballistol
- Rem oil (I got a small bottle for free. For some reason I was hoping it wouldn't work, but it did. No complaints)
- Some random tube of lubricant that came with a set of electric horse clippers I bought. It lasted a long time and worked great.
- No lube at all. I've run all my pistol bone dry for a time, just to make sure they'll run as such. If a gun needs lube to run, I'd get rid of it. I'll also echo the notion that .22's gunk up pretty quick, and I use virtually no lube in any of my semi .22's.

If you live in an area where it gets nasty cold, then use a lube that works at those temps. Beyond that, I don't think it much matters what you use.

However, I've not tried Lucas or Tetra; if Jim_in_Idaho says that Tetra gives you any kind of an advantage, I'd not ignore that advice lightly. Jim's got a ton of "been there, done that" and more importantly, he is as unbiased of a reviewer as I've ever seen on this site.

FP-10... I started using that years ago and it has served me very well.

The majority of commercial gun oils are simply rebranded transmission and motor oils.


Due to being in charge of U.S. Embassy armories at numerous locations oversees, I have maintained literally thousands of weapons.

Cargo/Connex boxes full of the things.





Belt fed MGs, bolt action sniper rifles, handguns, you name it.




What do I use:

Motor oil.



0-W20 in the winter, and a heavier oil for the summer.

I have a BUNCH of samples I have used from visiting various defense manufacturers, and industry reps and none of them do anything any better than plain old motor oil.

[quote=Mackay_Sagebrush]The majority of commercial gun oils are simply rebranded transmission and motor oils.


Due to being in charge of U.S. Embassy armories at numerous locations oversees, I have maintained literally thousands of weapons.

Cargo/Connex boxes full of the things.





Belt fed MGs, bolt action sniper rifles, handguns, you name it.




What do I use:

Motor oil.



0-W20 in the winter, and a heavier oil for the summer.

I have a BUNCH of samples I have used from visiting various defense manufacturers, and industry reps and none of them do anything any better than plain old motor oil.



Yep! We used a combination of Mobil 1 synthetic oil, red transmission fluid and a smidge of Hoppes #9 at an approximate ratio of 45/45/10% on M-16’s back in the day. They love, obviously, to be run wet.

I remember back in the day when you could go to any Chevy/GM dealer and get a can of GM Top Engine Cleaner for ten bucks or so and be walking out with Butch’s Bore Shine. No, for some reason you can’t get it anymore.

I always liked Lubriplate. It was made for boat motors (doesn't wash off in water) and the Army used to issue it for use on amphibious operations for the Garand rifle. If it was good enough for them, it was good enough for me. One tube of the stuff lasts forever and then some.

You are right about Lubriplate lasting forever. I have been using the same tube for 20 years now on various stuff.

If it slides - grease it, if it spins - oil it.

Lucas Oil Marine Grease and CLP Break-free.




GR

Motor oil is about 10x more high tech than a gun would ever need. Lubrication of a firearm is a VERY simple thing during normal times. When you get to extreme cold, now you can start looking at clever oils and such. Otherwise, paying for someone's "gun oil" to use in normal weather conditions is just a waste of money.

Yea,I still have half quart left over from when I was rebuilding engines in the 70's and 80's. A few dabs on a Q-Tip each time doesn't use much

I've used lots of stuff over the years, & if you keep fresh oil on the gun, then synthetic motor oil works just fine, especially the Zero weight version.

But it tends to get a little tacky over time if it sits & isn't freshened up periodically.

So for the most part, I use Lucas or Slip 2000.

As far as functioning, the guns don't seem to mind which one I use.

MM

Mobil 1, 5w30. Been working for me a lot of years, in vehicle engines and guns.

I like 50/50 Kroil and Marvel Mystery Oil. Eezox also, for long term, clean, rust prevention.