Gun Lube vs. Grease....

[Ricochet]

I remember when I bought my Sig's new and in the box they came with a small tube of grease.

Never really used it and always used Synthetic gun oil for lube. Castrol makes an excellent gun oil that really keeps moving parts in your gun oiled under extreme heat. Most regular gun oils evaporate quickly after a small number of rounds fired. When I dont have the Castrol Synthetic lube handy, I will use regular Mobil-1 Full synthetic oil (0w30) and that works great too.

But I was wondering exactly where do you apply gun grease instead of lube?

I understand the parts that you must lube with oil on a pistol, but the parts that get grease are still a mystery to me.

I was thinking that maybe the trigger and hammer springs get grease, but not sure.

Any ideas?

[*Klutch*]

usually the slide rails get grease, if you have Sig's grease the rails they work great with grease.

[Ricochet]

usually the slide rails get grease, if you have Sig's grease the rails they work great with grease.

The rails huh? I guess that makes sense.


I always thought the rails get a light layer of oil.

The owners manual just says"use a quality lubricant designed for firearms"

It doesn't specify grease or oil. Yet the manual also says " "Your Sig Sauer pistol comes from the factory with a light coating of protective grease and oils"

It just doesn't say which one and where to apply that particular lubricant.

You know, for such a high quality firearm that admittedly, cost me a lot of money. I think Sig could have really invested some extra money and time providing the customer with a far more informative owners manual.
And its not just the lubricant issue either.

There are a few things in the Sig manual that arent covered like the manuals that came with my Glocks.

I know that the Sigs sold in the last year or two have new manuals, but I haven't read one. Maybe they have updated them.

Anyhow, does anyone know anyplace else that gets grease on the 229 and 226?

I thought for sure some of the springs get grease.

[orionz06]

The rails will get greased, but I would just use what you have been now.

[Noah_Zark]

For purposes of this discussion, grease is simply oil that's been thickened. (How it's thickened is a different thread) The reason for grease is so that the lubricant "stays put" better than lower-viscosity oil. Viscosity is the term given to the "resistance to flow" of a liquid or semi-solid such as oil or paint (liquid), or grease (semi-solid). The higher the viscosity, the less the material tends to flow; the lower the viscosity, the more like water it becomes.

Everyone who has ever had pancakes or French toast had experienced viscosity change with temperature -- take the maple syrup out of the chill chest and it doesn't want to move. Heat it a bit and the syrup readily flows. Same for oil.

Firearm components that are typically greased are slide rails, bolt lugs, op rod cams, and the like.

That said, grease on firearms is for ambient temperatures. As service environment temperatures drop, some greases tend to stiffen and slow the operation of the firearm to the point where it fails to cycle. At these reduced service environmnet temperatures it is appropriate to use oil. The viscosity of the oil will be reduced at those lower temperatures as well, but the oil will act somewhat like grease did at normal warmer temperatures and the firearm will continue to function.

Noah

[KPShooting]

I use a combo of grease and oil in all my guns. Grease primarily on the slide rails, oil everywhere else it's needed.

[1blindref]

This is a very good article to read about where and with what to lube your Sig

http://grayguns.com/lubrication-of-s...-pistol-rails/

The article was written by Scott Folk. He was one of Bruces smiths.

Bruce Gray (Grayguns) is arguably the best Sig Smith on the planet. I have a P226 that has been personally worked by him. It's by far my favorite Sig or gun to shoot.

[redeye202]

I was told this simple rule--if it spins,oil it--if it slides,grease it--it works for me.

[DBZ220]

SIGs in particular seem to benefit from grease in the long run. This is noticed more by users with newer Nitron slides, as that finish tends to be a bit more abrasive to the alloy frame. On my folded carbon slide SIGs, regular oil has been just fine over the years, and many thousands of rounds. One thing to keep in mind with grease and SIGs, as Noah mentioned, is possible weapon failure during prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. This isn't a huge problem with concealed carry due to body heat, but it is an issue if the weapon is carried openly in a duty role or similar. I had several SIGs lubed with Weaponshield grease fail after 30min-1hr exposure in 15-20 degree weather. I've since went back to oil for winter, grease for other seasons. I've not tried other grease products personally yet, but have heard similar issues with SlideGlide and such. Some people have recommended TW25B grease as not having this issue, plan on ordering some to try once my supply of weaponshield runs out.

[IronButt]

A general rule of thumb: If it slides- it needs grease. If it rotates- it needs oil.

The slide rails on Sigs like a lot of grease. I usually put plenty on the rails, reassemble the gun & work the slide several times; then wipe off any excess. Any place I see wear marks, or shiny metal on the barrel gets a small dab of grease spread around on it, too.

I use TW25B & whatever oil I have around. A properly lubricated dirty gun will run longer than a clean dry gun.