Lube vs Grease for initial break in? Both?

[Hooper]

Cleaning my new P9 in anticipation of my first outing. I found the lube diagram which is awesome. I use Ballistol on all my guns so I am assuming that it's fine as the lube. However, what about grease points? Just the slide rails?

What about points 2,3 & 5. It says don't lube them but are they just to run dry? I am sorry for such a basic question but I'm a little confused as this is my first Kahr.

Thanks for your patience and response!

[jocko]

ballistol is fine, my 21 cents any lube made today are good, so fgind kwhatu like and stick with it. Not sure without reading the lube thread what 2, 3 and 5 is but I would keep all lub es out of the striker channel. Most opthers feel thgat way buyt some do lightly lube that area, again its ur gun, ur preference. The lube diagram is not gospel, but it is one of the best I have ever seen. I am found of TW25 grease and I do use Remingon dry spray on my recoil assembly, but this ius just ol jocko, who as being this is ur 6th post wills oon fi nd out that ol jocko never fokks up jeither. Just sain. Welome to the nut farm...

[340pd]

Normally I would have said either. I dug my Ed Brown out of the safe for a little range exercise. It was put away about four months ago. When I racked the slide to load I checked to see if the rails were wet looking. Humm, trouble going back into full lockup with SD loads and handloads. I changed guns thinking I may need a new recoil spring in the Brown.

Got home field stripped the gun and it was very dry. The FP10 I had lubed it with had evaporated and the gun was very dry.

Re lubed the gun and no more issues.

Lesson learned.

I had never really experienced this before. Shame on me for not checking more thoroughly. I now use a bit of grease and a drop of oil on the rails of my semi autos.

[O'Dell]

I follow the same routine I've used for 45 + years. Oil for rotating parts and grease for sliding parts. I've Never had a problem with this practice.

[berettabone]

Oil, some oil, then oil.............................

[CJB]

You'll find the Zirk fittings under the trigger bar, on the right side, and in front of the trigger inside the frame, dead center.......


Everyone has their own way. Here's mine:

High shock, high wear - upper barrel hood, lower barrel kidney cutout - I use green synthetic high tack marine grease. Just a dab on each, but it stays put (unlike oils and most gun lubes).
Slide rails, guide rod - TW-25B
Everything else - just residual CLP, and I try to run the striker fairly dry

Your car uses light and heavy oils, hydraulic fluids, and grease - all different weights, depending on the item to be lubricated. You don't use ATF squirted into universal or suspension joints. You use grease. You don't use grease in the transmission. You do run 90w in the rear end and you do use 20-50 in the engine.

[bob98366]

I use a light (end of a toothpick amount) coating of gun grease where metal slides on metal. I don't lube any of the trigger mechanism, the striker channel or the magazine.

During break in I started with oil but noticed that after 75 or so rounds during a range session problems were more frequent. My SWAG is that shooting reduced the effectiveness of the oil (aerosoling, powder contamination, who knows). This increased friction and caused the FTFs. Switching to grease did seem to help. Plus grease won't dribble out of the gun. YMMV.

[jocko]

Hard to beat any good gun grease. Oil will run, no matter how u do it. If it runs, then it ain't where u originallyput it.. IMO once ur kahr really smooths out, LESS is better..

[b4uqzme]

Grease also takes up space which, on a tight gun, could cause issues. So I recommend oil and Ballistol is a good one. I kinda want some of the parts to "wear in" so too much lube isn't necessary IMHO. I used to grease all my slides but switched to oil with no problems. But experiment and use what works for you. This is an area where, as long as you are paying attention to your gun maintenance, you probably cannot do wrong. It's leaving them filthy or running them completely dry that causes troubles.

[deadeye]

I follow the same routine I've used for 45 + years. Oil for rotating parts and grease for sliding parts. I've Never had a problem with this practice.
Same here. CM9 and AR15. I use a very thin coat of Harley Davidson wheel bearing grease on all the sliding parts. Don't know if it is a good idea or not - sure does work. Besides it makes it sound soooo cool! Gold Wing grease just isn't the same.

[Bill]

Check this out, a really well thought out guide to gun lubrication... http://grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html (http://grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html)
For me, I put a light coat of Mobile 1 almost everywhere and Lubriplate SFL-0 on all metal to metal contacts. Especially any place that I can see the wear... And I don't spare the grease. I put it on thick, thin it with my fingers and then as I reassemble I wipe up the over flow. That is more than most advise but the Lubriplate is a thin super-slick high grade lubricant. Check out the link.

[Barth]

I use Ballistol on all my handguns and AK74U.
No grease at all.
Handguns I'm mostly interested in lubricating the rail.
The AK is a beast and I'm more interested in rust prevention.

[berettabone]

People have been using nothing but oil since time began..if you really think that all these new products work better, have at it...............I prefer to save the extra money for ammo. Sewing oil even works.

[muggsy]

Grease is just oil with a thickening agent. Oil is all that is required and a light film is enough.
Avoid using grease. Grease attracts dust. Lapping compound is grease with and abrasive added. Dust is an abrasive. Avoid grease especially in cold weather if you want reliable functioning of your handgun. A quart of light weight synthetic motor is far less expensive than a quart of special gun lube. An automobile engine is subjected to far more abuse than any firearm. FWIW.

[SaltyNC]

I used to know this guy named Les. He married a nun. True story. He was fond of saying "Les is more." When it comes to firearm lubrication, Les is right -- less is more. I guess it must be true for Les, too. At least the nun thought so.

SaltyNC

[CJB]

So whats with the nun? I knew some gun toting nuns that doubled as dancers at the Mons Venus in Tampa. Except they weren't nuns at all, but LEO's posing as nuns who danced nekkid. More on that later.....

[b4uqzme]

No....go on....

[CJB]

Lets just say..... aptitude with things mechancial, including firearms, and being at the right place at the right time, got my feet wet with a a situation involving factions wearing a flag that was not our own, and those nuns put on a hell of a whompin' party!

I really don't giva a good bit about what Mr. Gordan Ingram invented, and dis-invented afterward, its the thought that counts and brotha, those nuns thought plenty of me and Mr. Jackson, and we are eternallly in their service as a matter of proper protocol.

Much bourbon, much vodka, thousands of rounds of .380 and .45's, and... well, it was the time of a lifetime.


End of that story before I let loose on that which need not be loosed.

[b4uqzme]

Tease