Why not use grease on ARs?

[Frank_Castle]

Good to know.
(Fortunately I use CLP)

[HappyPuppy]

Don't forget that too much oil can attract dirt and dust as well. Grease has been used for as long as cars have been around. Look at your wheel bearings. They can go a 100,00 miles with one good packing of grease.

However it's not the best choice for a AR. A good oil is far better as Oil flows when it gets hot. Grease will as well but not to the same degree.

Whatever you use just do regular service of your weapon and it will be fine.


Someday. That’s a dangerous word. It’s really just a code for ‘never’.

[Hmac]

Don't forget that too much oil can attract dirt and dust as well. Grease has been used for as long as cars have been around. Look at your wheel bearings.

No, no....I think we've already established that grease and oil don't attract dirt and dust...


.

[militarymoron]

viscosity?

This is the reason i mainly use oil instead of grease. i think that grease is best used for lubrication applications where the resistance to shear stress is low enough that it doesn't affect the function of the parts being lubricated. for example, grease on a door hinge or wheel bearing isn't going to slow or inhibit the movement of the parts that are moving because the resistance in the grease is so much small in the big picture. however, if you grease the bearing surfaces of a bolt carrier, you'll immediately feel the drag in the upper receiver, unless an extremely thin film is used. i'd rather not use anything that inhibits the reciprocation of the bolt carrier or larger bearing surfaces that move quickly against each other. just put a dab of grease between your index finger and thumb and rub them back and forth quickly. try it with a drop of oil. the grease slows down your fingers, the oil speeds them up. my rule of thumb is basically not to use grease where it can slow down reciprocating motion.

however, i don't see any harm in using a very light film inside buffer tubes. i've used thin film of grease for storing weapons for corrosion resistance, which i wipe off and replace with oil before shooting.

[T2C]

I've tried both on AR carbines and I believe grease and oil both have their place.

If you have a carbine that is going to be stored more than fired and it needs to perform on a moment's notice, I would go with some type of grease. Some oils can run off during long term storage.

For a carbine that sees frequent use, I prefer oil. Clean up is easier and oil is a little less messy to apply.

[Inkslinger]

I like to use froglube paste in the warmer months. It stays put when not in use. I switch to slip2000 when it gets colder. I would not want to deal with grease inside a receiver.

[MegademiC]

A dry gun will run for some time. The point of lube is to keep contamination from building up and keep friction low when hot.

Bearings are not related as they are sealed or packed with grease which keeps crap out. Go mix carbon fouling in some grease for high speed bearings and see how long they last.

A good oil will stay through short term storage, keep friction down, and keep contaminates dissolved/suspended in solution, unlike grease.

Long term storage you want max protection, not lube. Thats why guns are packed in cosmoline but not run on it.

I think motor oils work really well for those who clean at moderate intervals. If you want to run high round counts and keep yourself clean, you might look at fireclean which I'll be buying next. I've been using motor oil and it stays wet for over a year while keeping carbon from caking up.

[lawusmc0844]

I've mentioned in other threads that Froglube works well for me as a "grease"

I've tried moly grease a few years ago without any issues.

[HansTheHobbit]

Well, I promised, so here goes. First off, I use both grease and oil simultaneously. I first use a high quality synthetic oil and apply a very light layer to every metal surface, inside and out. My main criteria for the oil is that it has a small enough molecular structure to penetrate into the coatings and into the pores of any exposed metal where the coating has worn away. This layer is for corrosion prevention and to prevent carbon from sticking, which makes cleaning much easier. I'm currently playing with MC2500, which seems to be pretty good stuff.

I then use grease on the the heavy bearing surfaces. This is the gas rings, the collar towards the front of the bolt, the cam pin, the four carrier rails, and the back of the bolt lugs where they contact the lugs in the barrel extension. The main reasons I use grease is that it generally has a wider temperature range than oil, it stays where you put it, and I feel that it does a better job of moving debris out of the bearing surfaces. The big deal for me is that it stays where I put it, whereas oil just runs all over the place. I'm mainly worried about it running into areas where excessive lubrication can cause issues, like in the firing pin, ejector, and trigger group.

If you ever try this method, make sure that your oil and grease won't interact with each other. You should be fine as long as you don't mix synthetics with organics. Most grease is basically just a synthetic with lithium as a thickener, so it's very unlikely that any given grease is going to interact with synthetic oils. You might also check the MSDS for volatiles, but I've not found that to be a problem thus far. If you don't know, then mix some oil with it and see if it gums up or breaks down. Just don't use grease with CLP, as I doubt that would end well.

[Straight Shooter]

Tetra for me for nearly a decade now on all weapons. Wipes off the same with a rag as an oil, has never got thick as tar after hundreds of rounds, doesn't spray shit all over my eyewear, doesn't smell like shit like motor oil, and stays put right where I want it if the rifle stays in the safe 1 day or a year. I pulled out a 10/22 from the back of my safe recently after not firing it for a couple or three years now just to check it out..still lubed, still slick, still ready.
I wont ever tell anyone their choice of lube is wrong, or go into a 40 page thread about neither. Ill use Tetra from now on..oh...and for cleaning and carbon removal, NOT lube, WD-F-IN -40 too. How you like them apples? Ive got guns Ive cleaned from the early-mid SEVENTIES with WD and it aint hurt em a damn bit. I don't how or where a lot of internet bullshit gets started, but its a damned lie cleaning a gun with it will hurt it. ALL my weapons work, have always worked, and will always work. Yall buy the high dollar shit all you want.