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A long read here: I have read many threads and opinions on gun lurication - which product and how much. I know that there are many of you who are very knowledgable on this subject.
For what it's worth, I decided to post the opinion of a highly respected gunsmith (Iowegan) that frequents the Ruger Forum -
"Hey guys ... let's get back to basic mechanics 101. There is no load bearing pressure on a pistol slide ... only a backward and forward motion. The amount of friction between the slide and frame is almost nonexistent. If you don't believe it ... just remove your recoil spring and see how easy the slide moves with no lubrication at all. If the slide had upward, downward, or side pressure then it wouldn't move easily and I could see a reason for lubricant ... but that just isn't the case. For some reason, people tend to think guns are like axle bearings and need grease or oil ... they don't and in fact lubrication is often counterproductive. For blued guns, you do need a very token amount of surface oil to prevent rust .... maybe for stainless guns too if they are subjected to a moist environment .... but you don't need a bunch of oil or grease for lubrication.
You can use any lubricant you want and as much as you want ... your gun, your money, but here's what I recommend. Place a tiny dot of gun oil on each slide rail. Use a clean patch and distribute the oil over the top and bottom rails leaving a very thin film ... dry to the touch. That's all the lubricant you need and your gun will last much longer using this method.
Here's why: With the exception of Desert Eagles, all other pistols are either straight blow back or delayed blow back operated. That means some of the pressure in the barrel is used to thrust the slide or bolt back. Along with the pressure blowing the slide or bolt back, you also get a considerable amount of powder residue that finds its way into every nook and cranny inside the pistol, to include the slide rails. Any surface that is "wet" with oil and especially grease, will attract powder residue. Powder residue is made up of soot, unburned powder flakes, and burned powder. Soot will get the gun dirty but is not abrasive ... not an issue. Burned powder is made up of very abrasive carbon particles and when mixed with oil or grease, it forms a mixture much like lapping compound. Unburned powder flakes are also very abrasive. So, each time the slide it operated, the abrasive sludge wears the rails just as if you applied lapping compound to them. In time, it will take its toll on wear.
Proof: Having been a gunsmith for over 30 years, I got many guns in the shop with excessive wear and with rare exceptions, it was always contributed to excessive oil or grease. Pistols that were basically run "dry" would last forever. My own Series 70 Colt Govt Model has over 60,000 rounds of hardball down the pipe and after 35 years, it is still tighter than many new guns. I did have to replace a barrel after 50k rounds but that was because the rifling got so thin it wouldn't group well. I never used grease at all and only used a tiny drop of oil as mentioned above.
Yes, polymer frame Glocks do have steel inserts in the frame's slide rail. There is a .4" insert on the front and rear (both sides) of the 4 3/4" frame rail. What does that tell you? If the slide rails were prone to wear, don't you think the inserts would be the full length of the 4 3/4" frame rail? When Glocks were first introduced to the US market, potential customers were afraid of the polymer frame so Glock did a grueling torture test with several 9mm Mod 17 guns. Before the test, each frame and slide were measured and documented. Each gun was fired 12,500 rounds without being cleaned or serviced in any way. At the end of the 12.5 k test, all the pistols were field stripped and the barrels, slides, and frames were swapped so no one gun had the origional parts. Another 12,500 rounds were fired in each gun, again with no cleaning or service. At the end of the test, all guns were still working perfect and were measured again. There was no appreciable wear in any of them. What does this tell you? If a Glock with a total slide bearing surface of .8" can pass this extreme test, do you really think lubrication is necessary in a pistol with a full length slide rail?
Polymer frame pistols without steel inserts are indeed "self lubricating". This doesn't mean there's a little hidden oil can squirting on the rails ... it means the dry surface of polymer is slick enough where it acts like it had oil on it. If you oil or grease a polymer frame, likely it will reduce life expectancy just like a steel frame.
Like I said above ... your gun, your money .... hose your pistol down with goose grease for all I care ... but if you want your pistol to last a lifetime or two .... forget the grease and go very sparingly with the oil. That goes for the internal parts as well."
For what it's worth, I decided to post the opinion of a highly respected gunsmith (Iowegan) that frequents the Ruger Forum -
"Hey guys ... let's get back to basic mechanics 101. There is no load bearing pressure on a pistol slide ... only a backward and forward motion. The amount of friction between the slide and frame is almost nonexistent. If you don't believe it ... just remove your recoil spring and see how easy the slide moves with no lubrication at all. If the slide had upward, downward, or side pressure then it wouldn't move easily and I could see a reason for lubricant ... but that just isn't the case. For some reason, people tend to think guns are like axle bearings and need grease or oil ... they don't and in fact lubrication is often counterproductive. For blued guns, you do need a very token amount of surface oil to prevent rust .... maybe for stainless guns too if they are subjected to a moist environment .... but you don't need a bunch of oil or grease for lubrication.
You can use any lubricant you want and as much as you want ... your gun, your money, but here's what I recommend. Place a tiny dot of gun oil on each slide rail. Use a clean patch and distribute the oil over the top and bottom rails leaving a very thin film ... dry to the touch. That's all the lubricant you need and your gun will last much longer using this method.
Here's why: With the exception of Desert Eagles, all other pistols are either straight blow back or delayed blow back operated. That means some of the pressure in the barrel is used to thrust the slide or bolt back. Along with the pressure blowing the slide or bolt back, you also get a considerable amount of powder residue that finds its way into every nook and cranny inside the pistol, to include the slide rails. Any surface that is "wet" with oil and especially grease, will attract powder residue. Powder residue is made up of soot, unburned powder flakes, and burned powder. Soot will get the gun dirty but is not abrasive ... not an issue. Burned powder is made up of very abrasive carbon particles and when mixed with oil or grease, it forms a mixture much like lapping compound. Unburned powder flakes are also very abrasive. So, each time the slide it operated, the abrasive sludge wears the rails just as if you applied lapping compound to them. In time, it will take its toll on wear.
Proof: Having been a gunsmith for over 30 years, I got many guns in the shop with excessive wear and with rare exceptions, it was always contributed to excessive oil or grease. Pistols that were basically run "dry" would last forever. My own Series 70 Colt Govt Model has over 60,000 rounds of hardball down the pipe and after 35 years, it is still tighter than many new guns. I did have to replace a barrel after 50k rounds but that was because the rifling got so thin it wouldn't group well. I never used grease at all and only used a tiny drop of oil as mentioned above.
Yes, polymer frame Glocks do have steel inserts in the frame's slide rail. There is a .4" insert on the front and rear (both sides) of the 4 3/4" frame rail. What does that tell you? If the slide rails were prone to wear, don't you think the inserts would be the full length of the 4 3/4" frame rail? When Glocks were first introduced to the US market, potential customers were afraid of the polymer frame so Glock did a grueling torture test with several 9mm Mod 17 guns. Before the test, each frame and slide were measured and documented. Each gun was fired 12,500 rounds without being cleaned or serviced in any way. At the end of the 12.5 k test, all the pistols were field stripped and the barrels, slides, and frames were swapped so no one gun had the origional parts. Another 12,500 rounds were fired in each gun, again with no cleaning or service. At the end of the test, all guns were still working perfect and were measured again. There was no appreciable wear in any of them. What does this tell you? If a Glock with a total slide bearing surface of .8" can pass this extreme test, do you really think lubrication is necessary in a pistol with a full length slide rail?
Polymer frame pistols without steel inserts are indeed "self lubricating". This doesn't mean there's a little hidden oil can squirting on the rails ... it means the dry surface of polymer is slick enough where it acts like it had oil on it. If you oil or grease a polymer frame, likely it will reduce life expectancy just like a steel frame.
Like I said above ... your gun, your money .... hose your pistol down with goose grease for all I care ... but if you want your pistol to last a lifetime or two .... forget the grease and go very sparingly with the oil. That goes for the internal parts as well."
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