1911’s in general, 9mm versions specifically

[Dobermann]

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 had an old jar of coconut oil in the cupboard (when hard on it when converting to paleo). What used to usually be solid was a mix of liquid and solid. The liquid was very runny, and the solid was chunky and had to be manually squashed - not fitting your guidance about a 'lotion' consistency at all. Immediately had me leery of using - the application would be a bit of a mess.

Put it out on a bench to experiment with today, and it's back to solid - purely from the drop in overnight temperature. So this lack of consistency looks like it would be an issue.

Following @nephewjephew's reminder about smoke points above, I might experiment with avocado and grape seed. (I use grape seed oil to treat chopping boards - I heard it doesn't rancidify when used for this application. No idea if true or not.)

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.

For those following along, the article about 1911 lubrication on the CherryBalmz site (linked in a post above) has some very interesting information on friction surfaces, sealed vs unsealed machines, and more ... including the importance of using grease, not oil, for 1911s ...

 

[id_jon]

I had an old jar of coconut oil in the cupboard (when hard on it when converting to paleo). What used to usually be solid was a mix of liquid and solid. The liquid was very runny, and the solid was chunky and had to be manually squashed - not fitting your guidance about a 'lotion' consistency at all. Immediately had me leery of using - the application would be a bit of a mess.

Put it out on a bench to experiment with today, and it's back to solid - purely from the drop in overnight temperature. So this lack of consistency looks like it would be an issue.

Following @nephewjephew's reminder about smoke points above, I might experiment with avocado and grape seed. (I use grape seed oil to treat chopping boards - I heard it doesn't rancidify when used for this application. No idea if true or not.)


For those following along, the article about 1911 lubrication on the CherryBalmz site (linked in a post above) has some very interesting information on friction surfaces, sealed vs unsealed machines, and more ...

Coconut oil solidifies below like 73*F or somewhere around there.
Have some CherryBalmz on the way from their sale!

 

[Dobermann]

For comparison sake, I thought I'd check out what Wilson Combat carry.

Where CherryBlamz is 15ml/0.5 oz for $16.99, Wilson's grease is 57ml/2oz for only $7.95 - or 114ml/4 oz for $10.95. (https://wilsoncombat.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=grease)

In other words, CherryBalmz is $1.13 per ml, while Wilson is either 14 or 10 cents per ml / $33.98 per oz vs $2.73 per oz.

Cherry Balmz quotes their product as lasting '10 times longer' and having '10 times the reliability' in a couple of places ... so one would hope that they compared their performance to the Wilson lube. [And I'm not really so wrapped up in this that I want to surf 1911 forums for hours to find out more ...]

Perhaps this is one of those times where the rate of use compared to the total cost is a bit irrelevant ... their 1911 guide said one application of their lube should last 2500-4000 rounds, and their FAQ says one application will last 3-4 months if shooting once a month (who only shoots once a month??).

This has me in mind of some special-purpose grease I have in my shed that I only need to use once a year for another application. Had that stuff for 25 years; it's still fine, and the cost is now somewhat irrelevant ...

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

For comparison sake, I thought I'd check out what Wilson Combat carry.

Where CherryBlamz is 15ml/0.5 oz for $16.99, Wilson's grease is 57ml/2oz for only $7.95 - or 114ml/4 oz for $10.95. (https://wilsoncombat.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=grease)

In other words, CherryBalmz is $1.13 per ml, while Wilson is either 14 or 10 cents per ml / $33.98 per oz vs $2.73 per oz.

Cherry Balmz quotes their product as lasting '10 times longer' and having '10 times the reliability' in a couple of places ... so one would hope that they compared their performance to the Wilson lube. [And I'm not really so wrapped up in this that I want to surf 1911 forums for hours to find out more ...]

Perhaps this is one of those times where the rate of use compared to the total cost is a bit irrelevant ... their 1911 guide said one application of their lube should last 2500-4000 rounds, and their FAQ says one application will last 3-4 months if shooting once a month (who only shoots once a month??).

This has me in mind of some special-purpose grease I have in my shed that I only need to use once a year for another application. Had that stuff for 25 years; it's still fine, and the cost is now somewhat irrelevant ...

They do mention that it "Stays put under extreme conditions, 40f to 350f." 40f is not very cold.

 

[Dobermann]

They do mention that it "Stays put under extreme conditions, 40f to 350f." 40f is not very cold.

Good point. I can't see a figure on the CherryBalmz site for what they rate theirs to.

 

[id_jon]

They claim their winter balm is good to -55F

 

[WestTN2288]

Cooking oil might be fine (never tried it), but CRC 3-36 is my go-to lube for moving parts. Spray it on, wipe it mostly off, shoot away…

 

[Formidilosus]

Yall are lube nerds.

 

[Shraggs]

Mine likes KY…

 

[id_jon]

I've been using air tool oil for a couple months cause it was all I could find in my truck in a moment of need

 

[WestTN2288]

Yall are lube nerds.

Takes nerd to know nerd, doesn’t it??

I’ve got data on it if that tickles your fancy better…

 

[Dobermann]

Yall are lube nerds.

Hey! You're the one that started some of us on this whole 1911 thing ...

 

[Formidilosus]

Hey! You're the one that started some of us on this whole 1911 thing ...

Throw some sloppy slip in it and go son!

 

[Grumman]

I was at a Nighthawk trade booth and their guys recommended GunButter. I bought some but haven’t tried it yet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dobermann]

"Gun Butter was created by an aerospace design team using a Continuous Quality Improvement Process to specifically engineer a complete lubricant for guns." .... that sounds like half of the AI slop advertisements that YouTube serves up to me ... amazing how many things are created by aerospace design teams these days ...

 

[ztc92]

Got the Dawson Precision sights mounted by a local smith. After reading some stories about how tricky they can be on these Tisas I decided not to DIY them.

I bought a Novak style front and a Novak Low-Mount for the rear. The smith said both needed a little filing but overall they fit well.

For reference my gun is the single stack Carry B9R.

I’ve also upgraded the grips, changed to a short trigger and added the bulletproof extractor. Excited to get out and shoot with the new sights now.

 

[Bc45]

Got the Dawson Precision sights mounted by a local smith. After reading some stories about how tricky they can be on these Tisas I decided not to DIY them.

I bought a Novak style front and a Novak Low-Mount for the rear. The smith said both needed a little filing but overall they fit well.

For reference my gun is the single stack Carry B9R.

I’ve also upgraded the grips, changed to a short trigger and added the bulletproof extractor. Excited to get out and shoot with the new sights now.

What height did you end up doing for the sights? Where is your impact at now?

 

[ztc92]

What height did you end up doing for the sights? Where is your impact at now?

This is the combination I ordered. It was the closest option I could find to the factory sights in the configuration I wanted.

For me, the factory sights have been center to slightly low with the few ammo types I’ve tried off a bench at 20 yards. Below is a target with plain old PMC 115g FMJ as an example. The combo I ordered has a front sight that is just slightly shorter than factory so I anticipate it will shoot a smidge higher.

Edit to add: Haven't been able to shoot it yet due to bad weather. Hope to get out soon and I’ll report back on impact with new sights.

 

[coloradoan]

Bought a 1911 because of this thread. Took it out shooting yesterday…

 

[Dobermann]

Bought a 1911 because of this thread. Took it out shooting yesterday…

View attachment 1005961

I know, right?

Gosh durn that @Formidilosus guy for offering lots of useful information for us and changing our minds, and improving our practice, and stuff ...