How much lube is too much lube?

[CoffeeGuns]

Do you wipe away all the lube you apply so that you no longer see it?

Or do you leave enough so that you can physically see some wetness on certain parts of the gun, like along the slide grooves?

[Adamantium]

I will wipe away whatever I can see once the gun is reassembled. I don't use a ton of lube/grease to begin with though. Too much and it ends up on my safety glasses or magazines anyway.

[bacardisteve]

Wipe it off. Excess lube is a magnet for dirt dust sand and just about anything else. Downrange we lubed our rifles very sparingly any more then that and the baby powder like sand would foul them up.

[BIG P]

Slight film is plenty.

[AZAK]

Hard to answer. Very general question. Some guns like to run wetter, some not so much.

Good advice about excess collecting "stuff".

Also it can also really depend on the type of lube.

Perhaps mentioning particular firearm/s and type of lube used might result in answers more to the point.

[C0untZer0]

People have told me this is too much...

[ElrodCod]

If you need a stick to apply it it's too much & if it splatters on your shooting glasses it's too much.

[Pond, James Pond]

One of the owners of my range was talking me through proper cleaning of my Glock.

He explained that a Glock was a dry gun. i.e. very little lube was needed: a thin smearing on the barrel exterior, and then a drop on each of the rail tangs in the frame. By contrast he showed me his 1911 which he described as a wet gun and indeed, the gun oil was much more obvious.

So as someone said, it seems that it depends on the gun, but if it leaves an oily pool behind when you place it on the bench at the range, then I'd wager it is too much!!

[C0untZer0]

I've fired my Glocks basically dry. By dry I mean I didn't degrease it, I oiled the rails and the top of the barrel, but then went back and wiped that off with a cloth. I know that doesn't get all of the oil off - but the gun looked dry, and I think it met the definition for what "dry" is.

I've also fired them with grease gooped in them - as shown in the picture. So much grease that grease actually splattered back on my shooting hand.

I put maybe 600 rounds through them dry and 600 or 700 rounds through them all gooped up on grease, and I haven't had any failures doing it either way.

[BigJimP]

I'm not out in the dessert rolling around in the dirt...so I run all my semi-autos a little on the wet side ...

Not too wet ...but more wet than dry ...whether its a 1911, a Sig or whatever.../ and I clean them and re-lube them every time I shoot them.

[Fishbed77]

I've fired my Glocks basically dry. By dry I mean I didn't degrease it, I oiled the rails and the top of the barrel, but then went back and wiped that off with a cloth. I know that doesn't get all of the oil off - but the gun looked dry, and I think it met the definition for what "dry" is.

This is basically what I've always done with all of my guns (except ARs). Wipe it on, and wipe excess off. I used to grease the rails of my pistols, but switched back to light oil, and could never tell the difference one way or another (except oil is a lot less messy than grease).

[Dragline45]

I dont see the point of lubing a gun up if you are just going to wipe it off with a rag after. When I am lubing my guns I put a dab of oil on my finger and rub the parts down so they are coated with a light film. On areas I cannot get my finger into I put a dab of oil then shoot it with compressed air to splash out any excess oil. I have found that this method adequately lubes the gun without having it seeping out of every crack and into the mag well.

[Patriot86]

In the summer both my P226 and my CZ75 sport well greased rails with oil (typically Ballistol or FP-10) in the other critical areas. For winter time (just winterized them last week) I use FP-10 on the rails. I probably use a little bit too much oil though, if my wifes cat gets within 10 feet of my night stand gun it starts to look a bit fuzzy wuzzy.

[C0untZer0]

I dont see the point of lubing a gun up if you are just going to wipe it off with a rag after. When I am lubing my guns I put a dab of oil on my finger and rub the parts down so they are coated with a light film.

I guess I do this also to put a protective coating on the internal parts to keep moisture out. I want to make sure the oil gets on there, seeps into the pores of the metal, but I don't want it dripping all over the place so I do wipe it down after it's had a chance to migrate, seep in and everything.

I noticed a big difference using Lubriplate grease on the rails of my Glocks when dry firing. It's just so much easier and smoother to inch the slide back versus using oil - at least using Tri-Flow or Mobile 1.



.

[OlympicFox]

How much lube is too much lube?
Do you wipe away all the lube you apply so that you no longer see it?

Or do you leave enough so that you can physically see some wetness on certain parts of the gun, like along the slide grooves?

It all depends on the gun we're talking about, what I use that gun for (home defense, concealed carry, range, competition), and whether the gun is headed back to the safe for a spell or will be used shortly.

The gun: Sigs like to run wet, so my Sigs get lots of lube. Lots. OTOH, polymer guns like my M&P's usually only have a few contact points so they get well lubed at the contact point and a thin film on the slide rails - much less than the Sigs.

Home defense guns get cleaned every few weeks. They spend the day in the safe and the night near the bed. Not much going on and relatively clean life. But, it's a Sig P226 Elite so you can figure it's on the wet side. I try to shoot my HD gun every month or so and I use it at least once a quarter in an IDPA match to maintain an 'edge' with it.

Concealed carry guns tend to get dirty fast & if they're going to be used it's only for a few rounds in a few seconds, so they have the lightest lube to attract the least crud. And they get cleaned every other week, generally right after being fired. I shoot my carry gun about every other trip to the range - say every two weeks. Typically 2 mags of slow methodical draws followed by several mags of Par timed fire, both close range double taps and 20 yard head shots.

Range guns and competition guns get lubed on the heavy side. They get used the most frequently and fire the most rounds. Some folks might think my guns are too wet, but I can't help but notice that mine run 100% while so many others have hiccups.

[Hal]

Do you wipe away all the lube you apply so that you no longer see it?

Or do you leave enough so that you can physically see some wetness on certain parts of the gun, like along the slide grooves?

Yes...

Trial and error.
I use what the gun needs to function, but, not enough to hamper the action or collect "stuff" if I can help it or the gun doesn't work better that way.

My Colt Commander is so loosey goosey it only takes a tiny bit.
My CZ75B is a lot tighter in the slide and needs more.

[TunnelRat]

I put a fair amount of lube on my gun. Never worry too much about the excess, it will get wiped off from going in and out of the holster.

[481]

When it comes to my Glocks, HKs and S&W 5906s, I find that a cotton swab saturated with synthetic 20w50 oil is just enough to thoroughly lubricate any one of these pistols. I look for a very slight sheen on all lubrication points; more than that is just a waste of oil.

[Indi]

Hornady one shot gun cleaner, spray as much as you want, it just keeps getting cleaner. Its a dry lube so no oily mess. I used CLP religously until i came across this stuff. Its pricey. around $10 a can.

[Pyzon]

Glocks-Dry except a tiny spot of Tetra grease only at the slide contact points. (where the metal is shiny)

Keltec-A slightly wetter technique, emphasis on slightly. Grease, then wipe off the rail with a q-tip. A minuscule drop of Amsoil 0-30 signature synthetic motor oil on trigger hinge and firing pin.

CZ-Somewhere between the other two, but on the dry side.

Revolvers-More oil, less grease. Wipe off excess leaving a slight film.

I guess I also should add that these techniques work well for me, as I am very thorough when cleaning a dirty pistol, and try to blow the lint out of carry guns with canned air frequently. Visible excess oil and grease attracts debris and is not providing any lubrication.

[Brant]

I've never had a weapon fail to fire because I left too much lube on it. I've had several weapons fail to fire because it wasnt lubed enough.

Put too much on. Whip off enough to keep you hand (or whtever else is coming in contact with the pistol) dry. This will keep your gun moving.

If your in the sandbox, however, whip enough off that you can still see it there, but you cant spread it with your finger.

Happy hunting!

[pgdion]

I do the same as Dragline, apply a drop of oil and then smear it to a film with my finger. Points that are higher wear will get a thin film of Remington grease. I pretty much oil all of my guns the same.

[Walklightly]

A few times I put it in the oven after claen and oil at around 200*F on a paper towel and all the extra oild soaks in the paper. Flip it over and do the same.

I said a few times, what a pain. And if I forget about it before I start to cook a pizza.

PS, I've done this with revolvers too, while I was cooking a pizza.

[Deja vu]

I would rather over use than under use the oil. That said it does not take much.

[loose_holster_dan]

depends on what gun i'm running. glock and walther pps get run dry. 1911, sig, cz get run wet. i usually dab it everywhere, then work the slide back and forth a few times. i always have some coming out of the rails on my guns. i have run all of them bone dry before. all still fire and cycle just fine. owners manuals usually describe how much their model should be oiled.