1911’s in general, 9mm versions specifically

[id_jon]

Hahaha.
That many eh?
Give me a chance to at least function check these new mags, and I’ll sign up.

…Dang forum full of enablers

I think Emmett this month is the last one I'll be able to make for a while though with rifle matches coming up

 

[Dobermann]

The search for oils continues ...

I sourced some G96 Liquid Gun Grease. I said earlier that I love G96 Gun Treatment and would possibly use it as a beard oil if it wasn't likely to kill me ... well, the Gun Grease label explicitly says right at the top of the label: "CAUTION: MAY IRRITATE EYES AND SKIN. Do not get in eyes. Do not get on skin or clothing." So perhaps not a great option for either shooting or carrying pistols.

So I sourced some CRC Lanocote, which is lanolin mixed with fish oil and likely some synthetics. I've used this in spray applications on tools and farm equipment with good results ... but the grease stinks and I don't think I'd want to either shoot it, or carry something treated with it. AIWB this sh!t and your nether region would smell like a combination of dead sheep and dead fish. Only one of those would be bad enough. Banished to the tool shed.

This had me re-thinking @Formidilosus's recommendation of avoiding synthetics and using olive oil. I also remembered that it was used to protect armour in medieval times - with good performance/outcomes - but can't now remember what the chemical reason is for this. Initial experiments are that it works but can smell a bit ... fruity. And, being oil, can be drippy if over-applied / doesn't last as well as grease.

So I'm now wondering about coconut oil (more solid, so more like grease), perhaps mixed with avocado oil (https://cocavo.co.nz/product/cocavo-pure-400g/). Will report back in a few months.

This is the kind of rabbit-hole that @fwafwow would go down ... I did the same thing last year with heat exchanging stoves. Such productive use of time off work!

 

[43.6N]

The search for oils continues ...

I sourced some G96 Liquid Gun Grease. I said earlier that I love G96 Gun Treatment and would possibly use it as a beard oil if it wasn't likely to kill me ... well, the Gun Grease label explicitly says right at the top of the label: "CAUTION: MAY IRRITATE EYES AND SKIN. Do not get in eyes. Do not get on skin or clothing." So perhaps not a great option for either shooting or carrying pistols.

So I sourced some CRC Lanocote, which is lanolin mixed with fish oil and likely some synthetics. I've used this in spray applications on tools and farm equipment with good results ... but the grease stinks and I don't think I'd want to either shoot it, or carry something treated with it. AIWB this sh!t and your nether region would smell like a combination of dead sheep and dead fish. Only one of those would be bad enough. Banished to the tool shed.

This had me re-thinking @Formidilosus's recommendation of avoiding synthetics and using olive oil. I also remembered that it was used to protect armour in medieval times - with good performance/outcomes - but can't now remember what the chemical reason is for this. Initial experiments are that it works but can smell a bit ... fruity. And, being oil, can be drippy if over-applied / doesn't last as well as grease.

So I'm now wondering about coconut oil (more solid, so more like grease), perhaps mixed with avocado oil (https://cocavo.co.nz/product/cocavo-pure-400g/). Will report back in a few months.

This is the kind of rabbit-hole that @fwafwow would go down ... I did the same thing last year with heat exchanging stoves. Such productive use of time off work!

Man, I too would love to know how that olive-coconut oil combo treats you.

I’ve been using white lithium grease for my carry gun this last year without complaints or hiccup. But I sure would prefer a more skin friendly, and not petroleum based option.

 

[nephewjephew]

Olive oil does work. As far as cooking oils go it’s on the lower end for smoke point, as is coconut oil. Grape seed and avocado have very high smoke points. Then there is rape seed oil. Which is an industrial lubricant, and the food “safe” version of that is what we call canola oil. Do with that what ya will.

 

[RockAndSage]

The search for oils continues ...

I sourced some G96 Liquid Gun Grease. I said earlier that I love G96 Gun Treatment and would possibly use it as a beard oil if it wasn't likely to kill me ... well, the Gun Grease label explicitly says right at the top of the label: "CAUTION: MAY IRRITATE EYES AND SKIN. Do not get in eyes. Do not get on skin or clothing." So perhaps not a great option for either shooting or carrying pistols.

So I sourced some CRC Lanocote, which is lanolin mixed with fish oil and likely some synthetics. I've used this in spray applications on tools and farm equipment with good results ... but the grease stinks and I don't think I'd want to either shoot it, or carry something treated with it. AIWB this sh!t and your nether region would smell like a combination of dead sheep and dead fish. Only one of those would be bad enough. Banished to the tool shed.

This had me re-thinking @Formidilosus's recommendation of olive oil. I also remembered that it was used to protect armour in medieval times - with good performance/outcomes - but can't now remember what the chemical reason is for this. Initial experiments are that it works but can smell a bit ... fruity. And, being oil, can be drippy if over-applied / doesn't last as well as grease.

So I'm now wondering about coconut oil (more solid, so more like grease), perhaps mixed with avocado oil (https://cocavo.co.nz/product/cocavo-pure-400g/). Will report back in a few months.

This is the kind of rabbit-hole that @fwafwow would go down ... I did the same thing last year with heat exchanging stoves. Such productive use of time off work!

For a 1911, you can cut to the chase and source either TW25b, or cherry balms. Those tend to get me about 2-5 times the shooting compared to oils before needing to reapply. Everything else works, yes, but that's not the question. A better question on any given gun lube, is how long will something work on a given gun, how well, and under what conditions.

Things like plant-derived oils tend to have really good high-temperature properties. But, depending on their refinement quality, they can often polymerize, and end up getting increasingly sticky over time. It's generally not an issue if you're shooting and re-applying regularly, but shoot a gun hot, stick it in storage (or a night stand) for six months, and some will actually be tacky. As in, slides going in slow-motion tacky. FireClean and Frog Lube were both a disaster with this issue. Plant-derived oils are also generally the worst in cold temperatures, alongside industrial greases, when used in guns. Stick a bottle of it in your freezer overnight to see what happens. Again, they're totally usable - it's just a question of limitations. Know the limitations, and you're fine.

I live in a place that can commonly get to 0F most winters, but over 100F in summers. CCW guns don't need to worry about cold as much, as almost all lubricants people use on guns are fine with that body temp. But OWB carry for duty or ranch type work in winter, that lube on those guns only gets a fraction of that body heat. Same with long guns. Different lubes freeze up at different rates, but there aren't many that are stone-cold reliable down below -20F. The only greases I know of that do well in extreme cold are TW25b, cherry balms, and Geissele's stuff, which is generally thinner than what I want in a grease. I prefer a good grease on guns because it stays put better - especially in high heat - and actually acts like a sealant to keep crap out of the bearing surfaces. There's just not many that are properly designed for guns.

If you really want to experiment and do a little redneck engineering, just take an automotive grease, and add motor oil and stir, adding until it's about the consistency of a lotion. That will get you about 80% of the performance of the greases I mentioned, and is right in the ballpark for the thickness that gives maximum reliability in guns.

 

[fwafwow]

So I'm now wondering about coconut oil (more solid, so more like grease), perhaps mixed with avocado oil (https://cocavo.co.nz/product/cocavo-pure-400g/). Will report back in a few months.

This is the kind of rabbit-hole that @fwafwow would go down ... I did the same thing last year with heat exchanging stoves. Such productive use of time off work!

I can’t say that the above is of interest to me, but one man’s rabbit hole (I prefer “extension of knowledge”) is another’s folly. I tend to spend time in the latter camp.

I’m trying to be more productive when I’m wasting time (!). I just remembered I keep a “rabbit hole list” and added “wool detergents” to it. Back to narrowing/revamping/culling my go bags after they have sat for 20 years. Did I really need to include a bar of soap?

 

[Dobermann]

I can’t say that the above is of interest to me, but one man’s rabbit hole (I prefer “extension of knowledge”) is another’s folly. I tend to spend time in the latter camp.

I’m trying to be more productive when I’m wasting time (!). I just remembered I keep a “rabbit hole list” and added “wool detergents” to it. Back to narrowing/revamping/culling my go bags after they have sat for 20 years. Did I really need to include a bar of soap?

Hey, I saved you from the wool detergent rabbit-hole and just gave you the recommended options - so you had more time for much more fruitful rabbitholes extensions of knowledge.

 

[Dobermann]

For a 1911, you can cut to the chase and source either TW25b, or cherry balms. Those tend to get me about 2-5 times the shooting compared to oils before needing to reapply. Everything else works, yes, but that's not the question. A better question on any given gun lube, is how long will something work on a given gun, how well, and under what conditions.

Things like plant-derived oils tend to have really good high-temperature properties. But, depending on their refinement quality, they can often polymerize, and end up getting increasingly sticky over time. It's generally not an issue if you're shooting and re-applying regularly, but shoot a gun hot, stick it in storage (or a night stand) for six months, and some will actually be tacky. As in, slides going in slow-motion tacky. FireClean and Frog Lube were both a disaster with this issue. Plant-derived oils are also generally the worst in cold temperatures, alongside industrial greases, when used in guns. Stick a bottle of it in your freezer overnight to see what happens. Again, they're totally usable - it's just a question of limitations. Know the limitations, and you're fine.

I live in a place that can commonly get to 0F most winters, but over 100F in summers. CCW guns don't need to worry about cold as much, as almost all lubricants people use on guns are fine with that body temp. But OWB carry for duty or ranch type work in winter, that lube on those guns only gets a fraction of that body heat. Same with long guns. Different lubes freeze up at different rates, but there aren't many that are stone-cold reliable down below -20F. The only greases I know of that do well in extreme cold are TW25b, cherry balms, and Geissele's stuff, which is generally thinner than what I want in a grease. I prefer a good grease on guns because it stays put better - especially in high heat - and actually acts like a sealant to keep crap out of the bearing surfaces. There's just not many that are properly designed for guns.

If you really want to experiment and do a little redneck engineering, just take an automotive grease, and add motor oil and stir, adding until it's about the consistency of a lotion. That will get you about 80% of the performance of the greases I mentioned, and is right in the ballpark for the thickness that gives maximum reliability in guns.

Thanks for all of that. I did consider your earlier recommendations. G96 was slightly easier for me to source than TW25b, but the screaming warning put me in mind of Form's comments about synthetics.

It doesn't get as cold here as where you are, but initial explorations have me leaning more towards greases also.

I've also had 'organic' stuff gum up - I've leaned towards lanolin-based products for years (some options are Lanotec, Lanoguard, Lanox, and Lanocote), and they've been fine for things that are wiped down thinly and then cleaned and reapplied, or used often - but as you said, can get gummy.

The CherryBalmz stuff looks interesting. And they even have a FAQ where they explore issues of toxicity. They include a few straw man arguments, though, so a bit limited.

But they did have this interesting long-form exploration of 1911 lubrication: https://www.cherrybalmz.com/post/secrets-of-1911-reliability-how-to-lube-for-maximum-performance/

 

[medvedyt]

i d like to hear about the test for olive oil in cold. as most of the time it is going very in gel or freezing. i cant test it now at it is positive here in the Yukon but i will test when the cold is back.

 

[Dobermann]

i d like to hear about the test for olive oil in cold. as most of the time it is going very in gel or freezing. i cant test it now at it is positive here in the Yukon but i will test when the cold is back.

For rifles: https://rokslide.com/forums/threads...il-is-all-you-need.400928/page-4#post-4112704

 

[medvedyt]

For rifles: https://rokslide.com/forums/threads...il-is-all-you-need.400928/page-4#post-4112704

yes im still using graphite as aside the clp not that much work when it is really cold but again really cold doesnt mean the same for an alaskan, a yukoner or many canadians lol ...