Does anybody prefer grease over oil to lubricate their firearms?

Question

Wow. I did not expect to find so many responders assume I'd smear grease all over my firearms. I guess I should have made a more detailed, dummy-proof, airtight question.

Answer 1

Yes. A LIGHT FILM of lithium grease adheres
better to shed water, and won't build up in the
action to freeze in cold weather.
Makes the action feel slicker'n owl sh*t too.

Answer 2

For parts that see a lot of movement and friction, yes! But not all over.

Particularly, I use grease (something like Super Lube, or Kreighoff's Grease, which works great, and I DON'T own a Kreighoff!!!) on the hinges of break open shotguns (singles, over/unders), and I grease a few other wear points here and there. A very light film is all thats needed.

On semi-auto rifles, such as the M1 Garand, grease is applied to a few areas, such as the op-rod handle channel on the outside of the receiver. Also where the piston tends to rub on the underside of the barrel by the chamber. A tad on TOP of the bolt where it chaffs going into the receiver as well. This is the military way, as instructed by a former instructor, and if you buy a new Springfield M1A (and probably M1 too), these places are already greased.

Just about anywhere there is chaffing rubbing the finish off the metal.

The place I would advise not to grease, is near the gas system of a gas op semi-auto. Leave that alone for the most part, except for by the receiver and only if it needs it. On something like a Remington 1100, leave the outside of the tube and the piston dry.

While its true grease tends to hold dirt/grime more than oil, its important to realize unless you're in the infantry or target shooting in a sand storm you probably aren't going to get too much dirt and sand in the gun. Obviously, proper care and attention are in order. A proper film of grease maintained on wear points will increase the useful life of the parts.

Answer 3

I use both, a dab of pro-gold with a few drops of kellube on the top is great for slide rails, barrel lugs and guide rods, basically anything the moves. I don't use it in triggers or hammer/sear assembly's though, if anything gets into the trigger the grease makes it hard to clean the area out so any areas that are difficult to access oil only or that gritty feel will be real hard to get rid of.
gun grease is great for firearms that are out in varied conditions (like those used for hunting), its much more moisture resistant than oil, doesn't run off, and I find that it makes cleaning easier, seems to hold the powder fouling on the surface of the grease so most of it wipes right out, made cleaning my semi-auto shotgun much easier, used around the bolt rails, striking surface of hammer and underside of bolt, and the inside of receiver where it contacts the bolt (benelli M-1 so no gas system to worry about) and a very light coat on the choke threads.

Answer 4

You probably couldn't use grease to lubricate your entire firearm. A combination of the two serves best. I guess if I could only have one it would be oil but I think grease has it's applications.

Answer 5

I use oil for normal use, but if I wanted to pack away a rifle for a long time I would cover the thing in grease. Grease is for storage, oil is for function... two different uses.

Answer 6

I don't
If the gun manufacture considered grease as a good gun lubricant, they would put that information in the owners manual.
grease, will collect ( attract ) too much sand, dust & other debris

Answer 7

Try powdered or liquid Graphite.*