Grease/Oil

Now that I've re-joined the ranks of the 1911 acolytes, I find myself thinking and re-thinking maintenance policies I had way back in the day. Mostly, it's new thinking because I can't remember most of the policies I had for my 3 Colts!

Anyway, the age-old question of what to oil what to grease is the topic tonight. It was actually spurred on from another thread in which I read a member wrote that greasing the slide to frame is the worst thing one can do.

I DO remember I used to grease the rails with RIG grease. This practice seemed to be directly from the 1911 bible.

So in the spirit of starting fresh, what/where are the places to lightly grease and what/where are the places to lightly oil?

Finally, what products do you modern shootists recommend?

I use Shooters Choice grease and Rem oil on the slide rails and barrel bushing/barrel surface. All four of my 1911`s get this treatment and they all run as smooth as butter and not a trace of galling can be found anywhere. Shooters Choice grease is quite thin and almost flows and of course Rem oil is as thin as water and will creep into the tightest area. Rem oil is used on the locking lugs and barrel hood also. Every other cleaning the hammer pivot pin/safety and the disconnector gets a drop or two of Rem oil also. Too much lube causes a mess, too little lube causes a worn out gun.

I had a Springfield that would mis feed, consistently, if it was greased.
Same gun with . . oil . . had zero problems.

FP-10 works very well, or Slipstream.
Slipstream is quite expensive (about $10/oz) but my two ounce bottle is
almost five years old, and still half full.

The owners manuals handle where to oil. 8)

A couple years ago I was turned on to a fabulous oil called EEZOX, which I've used on all my longarms. It's claim to fame is superb rust prevention, but I'm almost dead certain it would be fine in all the slipping and sliding places it was applied to. I'll look into it.

I've got to tell you, this news about grease being a culprit in a 1911 is a bit of a shock to me, and I'm not convinced yet, to tell you the truth. But I'm willing to admit it could just be a case of "old habits die hard".

Mobil 1 10-30 .... You don't need anything else.

REV

The best way to find out for yourself is to try it. If grease causes your gun to get sluggish and malfunction it is very easy to just clean it back off . It certainly wont cause any damage to the gun. You can always put oil on it after cleaning that grease off.
Every gun is a rule unto itself. My thinking is, if light grease will prevent a gun from operating then that particular gun is already on the ragged edge of not working anyway. Weather the issue is lube clearances,ill fitting parts or weak springs,whatever,it is just too finicky to be reliable. Military 1911`s will run with a handful of sand in them.
They are not target guns. A self defense gun does not need pure target precision either. Some where in between match grade and GI spec is where a SD firearm needs to be.

Chuck 100 yd said:

My thinking is, if light grease will prevent a gun from operating then that particular gun is already on the ragged edge of not working anyway.

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It seems you have not read the Kimber manuals.

I wonder if John Browning read the Kimber manual? I haven`t.

Chuck 100 yd said:

I wonder if John Browning read the Kimber manual?

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Any bets on that being why his design would run with sand it it?

OH, wasn't that why it was called a "rattle trap"? :shock:

Pat, you got that right. The one I qualified with in Germany was so loose I almost had to hold it in two hands to keep it in one piece.
Friend, you and I would get along famously. We are both sticklers about our guns and ways of doing things. What ever works is the thing to do.

I have used lithium grease on the outside of the slide; because it seems to withstand just about anything. Yes regular old car grease, smeared onto the slide and wiped down. It worked for me at least. I used Break Free as my light oil, on the insides of the gun. Discretion guided me, as to where to use what.
As far as the old Army .45, I picked one up and shook it, and it rattled like a skeleton. I did not care for that at the time, but I have since changed my mind. The method of a very loose-fit, is a very practical one.
I now have no aversion to that type of .45, and I welcome my next chance at getting one cheaply. It will surely happen.

I use CLP/BReakfree for pretty much everything, although from time to time, I'll put a little Mobile one on the rails.

Well guys, this is always an interesting topic, mainly because there is not a wrong answer. Whatever works for you and your guns is fine. I recently tucked my 60th year of gun ownership under my belt.
In those years I have hunted from Canada to southern points, owned and maintained more guns, long and short, than I can recall.
Everyone of them were maintained with products from Hoppes. Not one gun has ever failed to do its job, in the frigid winters of the great northern woods, or the hot and humid mountains of Virginia.

I tried EEZOX and had some major rust issues. And I read good reviews of the product. For what ever reason it did not work for me.

I now use M-Pro 7 for my EDC. So far I've been please with the results.

The first time I shot my all-stainless Dan Wesson PM7, the slide galled to the frame. I sent it in to DW, they fixed it (lapped the rails, etc.), and recommended I use grease on the rails. I've done so ever since and I've never had another problem. The gun runs great and I enjoy shooting it very much.

It's important to note, however, that this is a semi-custom target pistol that was never intended to do combat service. It's a competition gun and requires special handling. That's fine with me. I didn't buy it to carry it, I bought it to use in pistol competitions at my club and there is simply no better gun that I could have bought for this purpose. The DW is a tack driver and I love it!

Elfego El Gato said:

The first time I shot my all-stainless Dan Wesson PM7, the slide galled to the frame.

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That's the first one in years that I've heard about with galling. As I mentioned
above, I had a Springfield that would not function with grease. As mentioned
above by another poster, it seems a function of the individual gun, rather
than a "rule".

Pat,
I've used FP10 for years also, a great product for long term storage also. No one around here carries FP10 anymore, I guess I'll have to order it on line, I'm gettin close.

I've had great luck with brian enos' slide glide (standard / red).

matter of fact I broke my SR1911 in with it.

after over 1500 trouble free rounds through it the internals still look brand new.

I run it pretty wet and the parts that I do oil get hoppes elite.

the old gunner's mate in me makes me clean it after each use... 8)

wvjoetc said:

I've used FP10 for years also, a great product for long term storage also. No one around here carries FP10 anymore, I guess I'll have to order it on line, I'm gettin close.

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That's amazing. I would think that most sporting goods stores would carry it.
Brownells seems to have the best price.
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=25954

Triton said:

Well guys, this is always an interesting topic, mainly because there is not a wrong answer. Whatever works for you and your guns is fine. I recently tucked my 60th year of gun ownership under my belt.
In those years I have hunted from Canada to southern points, owned and maintained more guns, long and short, than I can recall.
Everyone of them were maintained with products from Hoppes. Not one gun has ever failed to do its job, in the frigid winters of the great northern woods, or the hot and humid mountains of Virginia.

Click to expand...

Ditto for 40 years for me...since I was a boy and got my first Ruger and my first "real" firearm, a 10/22...only Hoppes for me, my wife says it's one of her favorite smells as she finds it "very comforting", of course...she was raised in a gun aficionado's home and her Dad only used Hoppe's too.

I do use RIG for longer term storage though....