I know what too much oil does to guns. I use oil sparingly and I store my guns muzzle down anyway. I know grease can hold grit and can cake up.

Case in point. I just got a lovely condition 1957 Winchester M61 that probably has less than a few hundred rounds through it and was never cleaned. I had to disassemble the main components, removed the slide and breech block assembly, blasted all the crud (predominantly grease or oil and powder residue combined to make a gray paste) out with cleaner and compressed air, sprayed it all well with Rem Oil, then blew the excess off.

Time for reassembly. Seems to me that gun grease might be called for in the grooves that the breech block and slide move through. A light coat to be sure but it seems something more substantial than oil is called for.

But what's the rule of thumb as when to use grease instead of oil?


Thanks, Rob

I'll usually reserve the grease for high friction areas like bolt ways and rollers on the M1A's and Garands. I'm sure there are other applications I've forgotten but I'm currently away from the bench and enjoying a cold beer!

I use tiny (!!!) amounts of grease in those areas where I don’t want the lube to migrate like oil usually will. Cocking cams on bolts, rails on .45 auto slides, on the bolt roller of M1A’s, etc.

With oil or grease less is always more for the exact reasons you have already mentioned.

this may not answer your question..

grease for slow moving contact
oil for high speed

jeffe

This is about the best weapon lube I have ever found...and the company is great! They send free supplies to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

http://www.militec.com/

Grease on the locking lugs of bolt rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:
this may not answer your question..

grease for slow moving contact
oil for high speed

jeffe

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but am reassembing a Marlin 336 Lever action.

For the firing pin, inside the bolt, grease or oil?

I imagine that most other parts inside a lever would use grease except the trigger group?

The firing pin should be LIGHTLY lubed with oil and cleaned regularly.This is especially important with an inertia firing pin as found in most pistols !High pressure applications such as hinge pins of O/U shotguns ,locking lugs etc should have greases designed for that such as RIG + P [same for stainless steel].