1911 lubrication recommendations?

[WARD O]

Having recently aquired a Smith & Wesson 1911 SC and having been mostly a revolver shooter for quite a long time - What is currently recommended for lubrication on these pistols?

Thanks for your help.

Ward

[Snapping Twig]

If it slides - grease it. If it's a spring or a pivot - oil it.

Hope this helps.

[357Mag]

Ward -

If you're won for simplicity & effectiveness; use " Breakfree " to both clean and lube.

If you like spending time cleaning and lubing your handguns, Hoppe's #9 always worked for me. I used a lead forcing cone mechnical cleaner, that featured a brass screen afixed to a taper rubber cone on a rod w/ handle.
That kept my forcing cones clean ( M-27, M-28, M-520 .357Mag )

I'd spend the time necessary to clean-out the " star " on the back of the cylinder; especially for cylinders that recess the case' rims.

For blued guns, I used to wipe off-any exterior oil or solvent that was applied, and then run on a top coat of silicone. It kept things slick and shiny, but... use sparingly on Goncolo Alves grips ( if at all , as these get slick/too slick; easily.

Biggest lube point to me, is where the cylinder spins on the cylinder crane.
Any good gun grease will do for this. I also put gun oil on my thumb/finger, and run it the length of the ejector rod.

Love those "N"-frame ( .357s ) !

With regards,
357Mag

[sqlbullet]

I put ATF on mine between cleanings about once a week (it is my carry gun). I just put a small drop on the back of the slide/frame where the rails meet the slide.

I use a some marine grade grease on all the surfaces that slide when I clean it. I apply it with a small art paintbrush with stiff bristles.

Here is a great article about lubes (http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html). The author recommends a couple of Lubriplate products as they meet all the criteria but are more friendly to human contact than things like ATF.

[Ickisrulz]

Gunbutter where the slide and frame connect.

[Roundnoser]

I usually use Breakfree or Miltec lubricant. I place a very thin "swipe" of it on contact points such as the barrel at the bushing, and where the barrel locks up in full battery.

Also, when you lubricate the rails of the slide, don't over lubricate. A good way to test it, is to rack the slide a few times and look for lubricant coming out at the back of the slide grooves. If it is coming out the back, there is too much on the rails.

But, it is better to have too much lubricant than too little!!!

[tomme boy]

Just like Twig said. I use synthetic grease on the slide and lugs. And Mobil 1 10w30 on everything else.

[MtGun44]

Synthetic grease on the slide rails stays in place far better than oil. For competition shooting
and plinking, a drop or two of oil every session on the rails and on top of the chamber (lubes
the locking lug area when the slide is racked) and a few drops down into the hammer/sear
area will work fine. But for long term lubing, like CCW, you want something that won't migrate
and will still be there in a week or a year.

Synthetic greases will not change viscosity in cold or deteriorate into hard guck like old fashioned
greases do. I started seeing this with a friend that overhauls microscopes and tightly fitted
parts would bind up terribly in a year until he started using a quality aircraft synthetic grease.
Mobil synthetic auto grease works well, too, and stays put pretty much, and will be in perfect
shape in a few years, staying where you put it and doing it's job.

Bill

[hawk223]

Break free is the way to go. It meets the military requirements.

[Char-Gar]

I put a little grease on the slide rails (top and side), a little grease on the bottom inside of the slide where the disconnector runs. Then a drop of oil on the disconnector and between the hammer and the frame.

I happen so have a good supply of good old Army "grease rifle" so that is what I use. For oil, I use Mobile Velocite 10 spindle oil. I use these not because they are better than others, but because they are what I have.

[MGySgt]

Break Free if you are only shooting lead - use the lewis lead remover or a brass brush wrapped with Chore Boy if you are getting any leading.

By only using Brake Free, the Brake Free will condition the metal just in case you forget to lub all the rubbing points. If you use Hoppes or some other cleaner you loose some of the properties of Brake Free.

A little bit of Break Free goes a long way in lubing your 1911. Lube all the rub points in the slide (don't forget the side of the trigger in the receiver).

[ColColt]

I use Gun Butter on the slide/frame rails, disconnector and on the barrel. The locking lugs get the grease.

[buyobuyo]

I grease the slide/frame rails, barrel locking lugs, and bushing. I put a drop of oil on the barrel link, disconnector, and hammer pivot. I use a synthetic brake pin grease that contains teflon, molybdenum, and graphite. For oil, I use MPro7 gun oil.

[thegreatdane]

Just like Twig said. I use synthetic grease on the slide and lugs. And Mobil 1 10w30 on everything else.

That's it! Can't get more effective or cheaper than good ole' Mobile 1 syth grease and 10w30! That's what I use. Same price as the fancy shmancy gun lube supreme-o, and about 60x the size. Plus I use it in all my vehicles.

[smilie=2:

[redneckdan]

I use grease for plinking sessions and oil for carry.

[Mk42gunner]

I really don't like Break Free CLP, or whatever they are calling it now. Here is a post I made about it a few years ago:


I'll have to disagree on this. In my experience CLP is only fair, we used to get gallons of it through the supply system.

As a cleaner it will work, if you want to clean the gun two days in a row, to let it float out the carbon. I found this out checking .45's the day after range quals, during a PMS Spot-check, luckily the Chief that was checking me had common sense.

As a lubricant, LSA always worked better for me on moving parts, especially 1911 slides and Browning machine guns.

As a Preservative, it would dry out and gum up within a month, leaving a varnish like coating on the metal.

It will work well as a bore cleaner if you punch the bore with a wet patch and let it set overnight, then clean the next morning. I just cleaned way to many guns in the Navy to want to have to wait to get one clean. I use Ed's Red on my own guns now, it works well and is inexpensive.


Robert

Synthetic grease on a carry gun sounds like a very good idea to me. If you are just going to shoot it at the range, a tube of LSA at a gun show or surplus store shouldn't cost that much.

Robert

[waksupi]

I download a pile of books off the internet, all free. One I came upon yesterday or today may be of interest to some of you for the properties of lubricants. I highly recommend the whole site for books to do research. Enter hunting, trapping, pistols, rifle, machinist, formula, whatever in the search box, and be prepared for a million pages of info.

http://www.archive.org/details/practicaltreatis00dietrich

home page

http://www.archive.org/

[Treeman]

I treat all auto loaders the same way. Super Lube Teflon grease on the rails, TrFlow on the innards. CLP is fine for cleaning and exterior wipedown. Of course you CAN use nothing but CLP and it will work..........but not as well> The Super Lube grease (Buy it at the hardware store) is slick, temperature stable and non-staining. It will keep things sliding without messing up your hands and clothes. TriFlow qualifies as a CLP but it isn't Breakfree CLP and is not as good for cleaning but much better as a lubricant. It is in fact my "secret" weapon-a trigger job in a can. I have done countless trigger/action slickings for myself and friends. On many guns simply cleaning out whatever lube is in them and relubing with TriFlow elicited a "Wow! that is a lot better!"

[41 mag fan]

Breakfree.
Haven't found anything better so far on the rails of my 1911's.