Tetra Lube or Rem Oil?
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I like break free
I like Wilson grease
I like Mili-Tec
I like shooters choice grease
Use what you like and what's available. There is probably very little difference in any of the better oils.
proper care and maintnance is more important than the chemicals used.
Because I carry my weapon in an open carry uniformed situation, I tend to prefer grease. It has a tendancy to stay put on a longer term basis than oils. I do use oils on the springs and the trigger group. I use grease on the rails and the barrel.
I like Wilson grease
I like Mili-Tec
I like shooters choice grease
Use what you like and what's available. There is probably very little difference in any of the better oils.
proper care and maintnance is more important than the chemicals used.
Because I carry my weapon in an open carry uniformed situation, I tend to prefer grease. It has a tendancy to stay put on a longer term basis than oils. I do use oils on the springs and the trigger group. I use grease on the rails and the barrel.
I've never used it, but I've heard "gun butter" works well also.
I have used break free (actually just picked up a fresh can)
And also had some other oil (don't remember who's) that came with a cleaning kit I once bought.
I've also heard of people using everything from lithium grease to synthetic motor/tranny oils (such as mobile 1)
I have used break free (actually just picked up a fresh can)
And also had some other oil (don't remember who's) that came with a cleaning kit I once bought.
I've also heard of people using everything from lithium grease to synthetic motor/tranny oils (such as mobile 1)
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I used to work for a bicycle oil maker (name undisclosed) and had access to a Falax machine where we could test loads on bearings and see how well oils held up under pressure. Of course, I tried most firearm oils I could.....
Remoil is very light and doesn't lube well under warm conditions. I will occassionally use it in the cold. It doesn't handle pressure well.
Tetra is middle of the road I remember. I think the last batch I tried had teflon in it, but I'm not positive. That's just a gimick in an oil. Check your bottle.
The best two all around were Militec and FP-10. FP-10 did a little bit better, but not much (FP-10 smells better if your girlfriends are into that). Those two handled pressure A LOT better than the 20 or so I tried.
Beating all of them for pressure were some Kerosene based (I'm not joking) lubes for bike chains like "Rock-N-Roll". I think it was their Mountain Bike Brand (no, I didn't work for THAT company). Of course, Kero lubes might not be such a good idea on a firearm.....
We never made them since they were expensive to ship.
Remoil is very light and doesn't lube well under warm conditions. I will occassionally use it in the cold. It doesn't handle pressure well.
Tetra is middle of the road I remember. I think the last batch I tried had teflon in it, but I'm not positive. That's just a gimick in an oil. Check your bottle.
The best two all around were Militec and FP-10. FP-10 did a little bit better, but not much (FP-10 smells better if your girlfriends are into that). Those two handled pressure A LOT better than the 20 or so I tried.
Beating all of them for pressure were some Kerosene based (I'm not joking) lubes for bike chains like "Rock-N-Roll". I think it was their Mountain Bike Brand (no, I didn't work for THAT company). Of course, Kero lubes might not be such a good idea on a firearm.....
We never made them since they were expensive to ship.
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1,697 Posts
I like the smell of Tetra over the heavier Break free stuff....I use the grease in the AR to stay put. I'm not a fan of Teflon or Remoil though...I bought Miltec recently and it seems to be OK....I also use synthetic oils Snake Oil, and others sold by HK and Beretta, very clean and llight. I think you could use olive oil if you clean and maintain your guns regularly ..........I sold a Beretta to a friend who didn't shoot it for a year and when he tried it wouldn't go into battery cause the oil dried up or gunked........so i like to think of it as guns that get shot alot get most anything......guns that store and shoot less get the lighter synthetic oils that don't gum up easily..... Check out WD 40 after a few months !!!!! 8-O
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The problem is how thick or thin an oil is can have no effect on it's ability to handle pressure. Run Olive oil and as soon as things get tight, you risk some real damage.
The good oils won't gunk and will run below zero, unlike grease (which also holds dirt and can create a slurry of abrasives. Doesn't apply to the Garands)
I once shot 1000 rounds from my STI Edge with FP-10 and no cleaning. It was still wet and smooth when I finished. The only gun that wouldn't cycle it was an Ithaca Mag-10 that was so sensitive in the trigger group it would hang fire with anything thincker than Rem Oil. Knowing what I know now, I'd have just used lighter fluid (recommended by Jewell for their triggers). Lighter fluid leaves a thin lubricant after it dries that won;t collect grit. Great for LOW pressure areas.
Militec and FP-10 are both semi-synthetic and the new stuff is decent enough that it will even slow up break in (the same reason you can have ring seating trouble breaking in a new engine with synthetic)
The good oils won't gunk and will run below zero, unlike grease (which also holds dirt and can create a slurry of abrasives. Doesn't apply to the Garands)
I once shot 1000 rounds from my STI Edge with FP-10 and no cleaning. It was still wet and smooth when I finished. The only gun that wouldn't cycle it was an Ithaca Mag-10 that was so sensitive in the trigger group it would hang fire with anything thincker than Rem Oil. Knowing what I know now, I'd have just used lighter fluid (recommended by Jewell for their triggers). Lighter fluid leaves a thin lubricant after it dries that won;t collect grit. Great for LOW pressure areas.
Militec and FP-10 are both semi-synthetic and the new stuff is decent enough that it will even slow up break in (the same reason you can have ring seating trouble breaking in a new engine with synthetic)
G
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·First off, moved to maintenance section, from M&S section...
Now for my $0.02; I use remoil because I can pick it up at wally world in a decent size spray can that will last me a few months for a decent price. The price per ounce on some of those wonder lubes is astounishing (consider you might only get 10-15 cleanings/lube-jobs out of some of them. It also says contains teflon on the can.
That said if I take a Steyr out of the safe that hasn't been shot or lubed in a month or more I WILL get a few failures if it was only remoiled (not sure if it is because it is so thin and ran out or just dried up). This happened once at a match. I usually run a q-tip sprayed w/ the remoil over rails and barell before heading to the range and have no problems, but I forgot that day. Now I keep a small bottle of CLP and a few q-tips in a ziploc in a side pouch of the range bag.
Recently I have begun running a q-tip soaked in synthetic motor oil (20w50 valvoline syntec, because it is what I have a partial of in the garage) over the rails before putting into storage on ALL the handguns and the shotgun. I have temporary custody of a 1911 and it has been two weeks since I shot and cleaned it and that 20w50 still looks like I just put it on as of yesterday when I looked at it. And compared to the price of "GUN" oils it is dirt cheap. Heck I've even thought about getting some slick 50 and only using half the bottle on my next oil change and saving the rest for gun use.
Also my little Sig Mosquito has been having issues, but last time I shot it (which had been about 6 weeks of storage) I put a few drops of the SIG OIL that came with it on the rails at the range and it ran 100X better. It MIGHT just be that it is finally getting broken in too. It had previously only ever seen the Remoil (sometimes RIGHT before going to the range).
In short I am coming to the conclusion that the can of Remoil is probably best suited to kinda a light overall spray in the little nooks and crannies (like trigger groups) that are not major pressure points.
P.S.- all food based oils WILL go rancid. Period. NOT for use on sharpening stones, and I presume firearms as well.
Now for my $0.02; I use remoil because I can pick it up at wally world in a decent size spray can that will last me a few months for a decent price. The price per ounce on some of those wonder lubes is astounishing (consider you might only get 10-15 cleanings/lube-jobs out of some of them. It also says contains teflon on the can.
That said if I take a Steyr out of the safe that hasn't been shot or lubed in a month or more I WILL get a few failures if it was only remoiled (not sure if it is because it is so thin and ran out or just dried up). This happened once at a match. I usually run a q-tip sprayed w/ the remoil over rails and barell before heading to the range and have no problems, but I forgot that day. Now I keep a small bottle of CLP and a few q-tips in a ziploc in a side pouch of the range bag.
Recently I have begun running a q-tip soaked in synthetic motor oil (20w50 valvoline syntec, because it is what I have a partial of in the garage) over the rails before putting into storage on ALL the handguns and the shotgun. I have temporary custody of a 1911 and it has been two weeks since I shot and cleaned it and that 20w50 still looks like I just put it on as of yesterday when I looked at it. And compared to the price of "GUN" oils it is dirt cheap. Heck I've even thought about getting some slick 50 and only using half the bottle on my next oil change and saving the rest for gun use.
Also my little Sig Mosquito has been having issues, but last time I shot it (which had been about 6 weeks of storage) I put a few drops of the SIG OIL that came with it on the rails at the range and it ran 100X better. It MIGHT just be that it is finally getting broken in too. It had previously only ever seen the Remoil (sometimes RIGHT before going to the range).
In short I am coming to the conclusion that the can of Remoil is probably best suited to kinda a light overall spray in the little nooks and crannies (like trigger groups) that are not major pressure points.
P.S.- all food based oils WILL go rancid. Period. NOT for use on sharpening stones, and I presume firearms as well.
Interesting, Valvoline huh, ... slick 50.. It's an Idea, hell, what about Duralube, that's the one where they poured a quart in the engine, ran it for a min, drained the oil, then ran the engine with no oil for 30 min without a failure, at 4000 rpm. They did the same with 5 other major brands of oil and oil addatives and all of them died within 10 min.
I wonder how well Duralube would work for the long periods between shootings. (3-6 months or more for me, maybe I should shoot more)
I wonder how well Duralube would work for the long periods between shootings. (3-6 months or more for me, maybe I should shoot more)
Summary
So if I wanted to go low budget, I'd use motor oil on the rails and Remoil on the small parts. The short-term cons are that motor oil picks up junk. The long-term cons are that over time motor oil gunks up/solidifies and Remoil evaporates? Any other issues?
If I wanted to go big budget, use Militec or FP-10 (smells better) on everything. If a part sticks use Remoil on it instead. Comments?
So if I wanted to go low budget, I'd use motor oil on the rails and Remoil on the small parts. The short-term cons are that motor oil picks up junk. The long-term cons are that over time motor oil gunks up/solidifies and Remoil evaporates? Any other issues?
If I wanted to go big budget, use Militec or FP-10 (smells better) on everything. If a part sticks use Remoil on it instead. Comments?
Its the amounts
Anything is poisonous in the right amount. But more importantly the claims against teflon are wrong:
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=9311
Anything is poisonous in the right amount. But more importantly the claims against teflon are wrong:
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=9311
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Wasn't serious about the veggie oil, just a point that if you use your pistol like most of us, you clean it after you use it and under non combat conditions the lubs really don't get stressed to the point of breakdown. A couple hundred rounds - no problem- a thousand combat condition shots with envirnment then give me the best lube I can get my hands on.... Remoil, Breakfree, Miltec they all work well within our envirnment.......
I decided to go with the Militec-1 over FP-10. All of the reviews I mulled over rate these two as superb, but the FP-10 can actually cause muzzle velocity increases if used in the barrel. The way they explained it was that the bullet actually leaves the barrel sooner in the start of the muzzle flip, due to the much higher viscosity, causing you to shoot a little low. It's not a big deal, unless you have fixed sights, that already are on target, and I do. Also the Militec-1 is easier to find in my neck of the woods.
Now Militec-1 is not an oil, but a treatment for metal, that is actually designed to work with oil, without affecting the viscosity of the oil in any way, it just uses it as a catalist to get to the metal. You can put this stuff in any engine to extend its life, they even market it for that. I bought mine from a Motorcycle store..... Its the same stuff.
So I'll treat the metal with the Militec-1, and use a light oil with it, being sure to use only oil on the inner barrel. The Militec-1 doesn't claim to improve muzzle velocity, causing low shot groups, like the reviewer said about the FP-10, but they both claim to work the same way, doing the same thing...absorbing into the metal pores and such, so I'm not going to take the chance. My oil of choice is going to be RemOil, it's nice and light.
So I'll lube the rails, Slide, locking block, SRM,(Top and Bottom) locking lugs, inner slide area, outer barrel, Spring Assy and Extractor with Militec-1, and then after the metal has absorbed it all, and appears dry, Re-lube them all with a light coating of RemOil, wipe off excess. Then apply RemOil to the insdide of the barrel. (No low groups for me, lol)
Am I going over board with this concept?
Now Militec-1 is not an oil, but a treatment for metal, that is actually designed to work with oil, without affecting the viscosity of the oil in any way, it just uses it as a catalist to get to the metal. You can put this stuff in any engine to extend its life, they even market it for that. I bought mine from a Motorcycle store..... Its the same stuff.
So I'll treat the metal with the Militec-1, and use a light oil with it, being sure to use only oil on the inner barrel. The Militec-1 doesn't claim to improve muzzle velocity, causing low shot groups, like the reviewer said about the FP-10, but they both claim to work the same way, doing the same thing...absorbing into the metal pores and such, so I'm not going to take the chance. My oil of choice is going to be RemOil, it's nice and light.
So I'll lube the rails, Slide, locking block, SRM,(Top and Bottom) locking lugs, inner slide area, outer barrel, Spring Assy and Extractor with Militec-1, and then after the metal has absorbed it all, and appears dry, Re-lube them all with a light coating of RemOil, wipe off excess. Then apply RemOil to the insdide of the barrel. (No low groups for me, lol)
Am I going over board with this concept?
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Shifting the subject slightly, i'm running out of my favorite solvent/cleaner and won't be getting anymore. The smell of hoppes and Break free is very strong and not condusive to leaving a pistol on the towel on the couch.....Does anyone have a favorite cleaner that works well and doesn' smell like it belongs in the garage??????
Well since no one has anything to say on using the Militec-1 and RemOil in conjunction, I'll see if I can get some input on one of the other forums, or maybe I'll email one of the guys who reviewed the Militec to start with.
Thanks for all the input on the various brands guys.
Thanks for all the input on the various brands guys.
Do your own research
MrApathy,
I don’t know why you thought my post deserved the response you provided. But I’ll reply.
Its obvious you’re not understanding the idea that anything is poisonous in the right amounts. We’re talking about using a little bit of oil to clean our guns, or in the article to cook our food on. You go on to equate this with working in factories getting Teflon lung and eating out of the Ohio River. Please get some perspective.
And you should do your own research. There is a lot of misinformation and junk science about “dangerous” substances. You might want to start with DDT and Asbestos. I’d suggestion Teflon as well but it is obvious that you have a blind spot on this one since the only other research you were ready to do on this was to read the one article I linked for you.
MrApathy,
I don’t know why you thought my post deserved the response you provided. But I’ll reply.
Its obvious you’re not understanding the idea that anything is poisonous in the right amounts. We’re talking about using a little bit of oil to clean our guns, or in the article to cook our food on. You go on to equate this with working in factories getting Teflon lung and eating out of the Ohio River. Please get some perspective.
And you should do your own research. There is a lot of misinformation and junk science about “dangerous” substances. You might want to start with DDT and Asbestos. I’d suggestion Teflon as well but it is obvious that you have a blind spot on this one since the only other research you were ready to do on this was to read the one article I linked for you.
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