Lubrication instructions

[bdurham`]

Had you rather pay to use our site or just buy a great product that we all can use? It really isn't a debate on the best lube in the world. Gunbutter will hold it's own with any though and why people can't see the benefit of buying it to help us all I can't understand.

[SMMAssociates]

Just ordered a batch of GunButter last night....

The site refused my Credit Card and then offered to take care of things offline....

Got a nice "thank you" note from the GunButter people afterwards. Dunno what happened, but I blame John ....

Unless that "click here to order" thing is a phish, rather than sending a check to "Harwood Loomis".... Gotta be a fake name . (Pretty good job on that resulting web site, though .)

The only lubricant I jump up and down over is Para's recommended TW25B for stainless guns. Seems to do what's needed.... The TW25B folks also sell a "syringe" style "oil" that appears to be similar, but doesn't seem to mix the powdered glop - moly, I suppose - with the liquid portion all that well. Brownells used to sell a Teflon oil in a little bitty bottle with a needle applicator, but it's gone.... You have to shake that up a bit (there should be a BB in the bottle, but you'd think I could find one....). Corrosion-X seems to also do a fine job, as does CLP.

(The GunButter site is slightly snake-oil-ish, IMHO, but I've heard too many guys say that they liked it. "Secret mix of herbs and spices" sort of thing. Just inertia.... IMHO, if you shoot about once a week, and clean your gun between range visits, about anything will work. Good old Hoppe's oil and grease is sufficient. It's where there are extreme weather issues, and the gun tends to sit around for a while between range visits and before and after cleaning, that it gets critical. Which is why I test others.)

Regards,

[sti_mike]

I would be careful with graphite as I understand it can act as a very fine abrasive. Since it is a form of carbon crystal lattice, its lubricity comes from its ability of its layers to shear from one another. This property remains even at excessively low temperatures. A good property if I didn't care about tolerances between mating surfaces. I wouldn't use it on the rails of a gun that I spent lots of money on. Synthetic motor oils have tremendous shear strength. There have been tests of engines using it, run the equivalent of a million miles, that when disassembled showed almost no wear. That would be where I'd put my money.

[SMMAssociates]

sti mike:

One reason I like Gunslick, btw.... Although I thought I'd heard that it was going off the market. Toss some on a pair of mating surfaces and they'll settle in better than any filing/stoning technique you've got.

Great for trigger jobs, btw. Slather the sear and hammer with the stuff and just shoot it....

Regards,

[120mm]

If I remember my A&P Mechanics classes correctly, lubrication serves several purposes: Reducing friction, cushioning, carrying away contaminants and cooling. Dry lubes can only do one of those: Reducing friction.

On the lube attracts grit issue: Actually, clean lube is best, dirty lube is next best, and dry is bad, anytime you have two metal parts moving in contact. In truly critical areas, the swiping action of the moving parts will remove the grit, provided you have wet lube, there. In non-critical places, the grit doesn't matter. Having said that, you have to clean the gun eventually, or gunk will build up sooner or later to make it stop running.

Also from work in an earlier life as an Airplane mechanic: Marvel Mystery oil is a combination of 30W motor oil, kerosene, red dye and spearmint. But if it makes you feel good, do it, I guess.... Lots of people swear by the stuff.

[zenbiker]

I have to ask opinions here about Hornady's One Shot dry cleaner/lube. Claims to be better than oils for lubrication.