AR Sponsor
You Must Be Logged In To Vote
Joined:
Apr 2025
Posts:
152
EE: 0% (0)
USA
Posted: 8/13/2026 5:46:01 PM EDT
| From my testing it seems blatantly so. Sure the grease can look like its caked up but it'll stil work meanwhile oil is just going to dry within a hundred rounds if you're getting the AR to high temps. |
| If it slides use grease. If it spins use oil. |
ProTip: Never pick a fight with a tree planter. He swings a hoedad for 9 hours a day, carries 30-40 pounds of seedlings on his back, and has 12-14 friends just like him hiding out on the other side of the junk butt pile. They will fuck your shit up.
|
Originally Posted By FredMan: If it slides use grease. If it spins use oil. Nice saying, but not necessarily true. There's reasons why a car piston, sliding in a cylinder, gets oil, and bearings, spinning in a hub, get grease. "Viscosity vs speed" is a big part, but so is adherence. |
|
Yes, grease is a superior lubricant to oil on ARs in my experience, with the caveat that you need to use the proper grade/consistency for the environment and temperatures. The most commonly available grease is NLGI 2, and while it'll work in a hot environment like AZ, that's generally too thick for most gun lubrication purposes. A quality grease in NLGI 1 is the bare minimum I'd recommend. Preferably, NLGI 0 or 00; the latter is what I shoot for when I make a mix. Personally, I use Mobil Grease 28 synthetic and Mobil 1 synthetic oil mixed to NLGI 00. I've tested lightweight grease versus oil pretty extensively. When it comes to longevity/period between reapplication, lubricant staying where you put it, how quickly it burns off under hard suppressed shooting, and so on, grease just wins. |
Practice, the master of all things. - Augustus
IG: @cqbr.kurdt
Looking for: Savannah Mk18 RIS II in light blonde/bronze - LMT SOPMOD Gen 1 Tan - Aimpoint Comp M3 w/ Lens Covers
IG: @cqbr.kurdt
Looking for: Savannah Mk18 RIS II in light blonde/bronze - LMT SOPMOD Gen 1 Tan - Aimpoint Comp M3 w/ Lens Covers
| Yes I’m a big grease guy. I think the benefit of oil though is that you don’t really need to be precise and can slop it on liberally and it’ll work. But I think with grease it’s easy to put too much and easy to miss spots. A 4oz grease for a single rifle and pistol should probably last 5 years if not longer. I had a 4oz tube of tw25b and used it across three rifles and two pistols for about 3-4 years and I shoot at least a few times a month. |
Joined:
Aug 2026
Posts:
3
EE: 0% (0)
VA, USA
|
Poll fail for no “the blood of my enemies” option. I’ve used both grease and oil, both work fine. If it’s a gun that’s going to sit in the safe for a while I like to use grease, a day at the range or edc guns get oil and they get shot the most and thus get lubed more often. |
Joined:
Sep 2025
Posts:
1280
EE: 0% (0)
NV, USA
|
ALG Go Juice CLP Slip 2000 Don’t overthink this. Uncle Sam has invested a ton of money ensuring their M4s are properly lubed and can function in all conditions. CLP works great. So do ALG Go Juice and Slip 2000. I personally like the fact that ALG Go Juice is non-toxic food grade. And it cuts carbon amazingly well. So that’s what I chose. But I’ve used all manner of different lubes over the last 30 years without issue, to include synthetic motor oil. Grease is not necessary, nor is it preferred in the AR. US SOF units use CLP and put their rifles through far more than any recreational or LE users will ever. They may have 99 problems, but lube ain’t one. Read up about Filthy 14. |
|
Originally Posted By EnablerNo1: ALG Go Juice CLP Slip 2000 Don’t overthink this. Uncle Sam has invested a ton of money ensuring their M4s are properly lubed and can function in all conditions. CLP works great. So do ALG Go Juice and Slip 2000. I personally like the fact that ALG Go Juice is non-toxic food grade. And it cuts carbon amazingly well. So that’s what I chose. But I’ve used all manner of different lubes over the last 30 years without issue, to include synthetic motor oil. Grease is not necessary, nor is it preferred in the AR. US SOF units use CLP and put their rifles through far more than any recreational or LE users will ever. They may have 99 problems, but lube ain’t one. Read up about Filthy 14. You don't have to theorize about it. Actually test it. Any AR will continue running if you keep lubricating it; there's nothing terribly impressive about that. Try running it suppressed without lubricant until it locks up... compare grease versus oil. Not that complicated. If you get beyond 400-500 rounds suppressed with most oils, you're doing really well. Grease will go beyond 1500, even beyond 2000. It's pretty easy to verify yourself. |
Practice, the master of all things. - Augustus
IG: @cqbr.kurdt
Looking for: Savannah Mk18 RIS II in light blonde/bronze - LMT SOPMOD Gen 1 Tan - Aimpoint Comp M3 w/ Lens Covers - G Mk16 10.5" DDC
IG: @cqbr.kurdt
Looking for: Savannah Mk18 RIS II in light blonde/bronze - LMT SOPMOD Gen 1 Tan - Aimpoint Comp M3 w/ Lens Covers - G Mk16 10.5" DDC
|
Grease for most gun applications. Look at your vehicle: grease is used in spots that might be open to the environment. Oil is used in sealed systems, complete with filters. Is using oil on your gun the worst thing? Not at all, but grease stays put better and encapsulates particulates more efficiently. |
Don't forget about the Trail of Beers Happy Hour!
|
Originally Posted By lew: Grease for most gun applications. Look at your vehicle: grease is used in spots that might be open to the environment. Oil is used in sealed systems, complete with filters. Is using oil on your gun the worst thing? Not at all, but grease stays put better and encapsulates particulates more efficiently. The only open lubrication systems where people use oil is on guns. Every other machine in the world if the system is open and not sealed, grease is used. For very cold weather use a softer grease, for hot weather us a thicker grease just like oil systems and you don't need a lot, use a thin application. Every time the armorer did armorer things to my duty handgun, it came back with oil and I greased it before going on duty. ETA: I don't understand how this oil thing for guns came into being. Does it work?sure if you keep putting oil on it, but grease lubricates better and longer. You still have to re-apply grease but nowhere near as often and for a tool that needs to work when you need it I just do not understand where oil should be used on an open lubricating system. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
|
Originally Posted By krdt: You don't have to theorize about it. Actually test it. Any AR will continue running if you keep lubricating it; there's nothing terribly impressive about that. Try running it suppressed without lubricant until it locks up... compare grease versus oil. Not that complicated. If you get beyond 400-500 rounds suppressed with most oils, you're doing really well. Grease will go beyond 1500, even beyond 2000. It's pretty easy to verify yourself. I’ve done exactly that. Grease, oil, a mix of the two, no lube…just to see what happened (back when I was relatively new to shooting ARs around 25-30 years ago). Used grease for a little while around 15 years ago. At very most the cam pin slot and cam pin get grease. Everything else gets oil. In actual use IME shooting ARs mostly suppressed and a lot of fullauto, a good gun oil functions great and is easily reapplied. Grease is not needed IME. Nothing wrong with it, just that oil works well in the AR. SIG 55x, FNC, HK 23e and 21e get greased. Use what works for you. |
|
Originally Posted By EnablerNo1: I’ve done exactly that. Grease, oil, a mix of the two, no lube…just to see what happened (back when I was relatively new to shooting ARs around 25-30 years ago). Used grease for a little while around 15 years ago. At very most the cam pin slot and cam pin get grease. Everything else gets oil. In actual use IME shooting ARs mostly suppressed and a lot of fullauto, a good gun oil functions great and is easily reapplied. Grease is not needed IME. Nothing wrong with it, just that oil works well in the AR. SIG 55x, FNC, HK 23e and 21e get greased. Use what works for you. I suppose I should clarify. It would be a mistake to assume I'm saying that using oil is some grave error, that "your gun is just not gonna be reliable without grease," or some other hyperbole. However, if the question is which is superior, in my experience it's a lightweight grease. Hands down, no question. I've put hundreds of thousands of rounds through ARs, often under rather abusive conditions (full auto and/or long strings of rapid-fire, filthy, no cleaning, suppressed, etc.). I shoot out barrels fairly regularly; I shoot out cans. I've documented a good bit of it on this site. When I used to use oil, I had more than one rifle lock up with 500-600 rounds during a day of suppressed shooting. I've had to mortar more than my fair share of carbon-locked guns. Once I switched to grease, that simply didn't happen anymore. There are times I don't even reapply grease for 1500 rounds or more. I could never do that with any oil I've ever tried (and I've been shooting for close to 40 years, so that's a lot of different oils, lol). Even when I'm 3k+ suppressed without cleaning, and you can scoop the carbon out with a spoon, my guns are still reliable. More than that, carrier friction points on the BCG and upper stay close to pristine because grease tends to trap contaminants and migrate them away from the friction surfaces. Under hard use, I've found grease of the proper grade to be superior to oil in just about every meaningful way.  Carbon sludge everywhere, but rails pretty as you please. And I don't subscribe to the "apply lightly" methodology. I mix Mobil Grease 28 and Mobil1 5w into a clear bottle with a brush and slather that shit on like a fat kid frosting a birthday cake. All the BCG rails get a visible string, the cam pin gets painted above the firing pin hole, and then a big dollop on both sides for good measure after reassembly; I paint the bolt ring and charging handle, and any excess gets pushed out the back of the carrier and applied to the top of the hammer and the buffer face. I'm about equally generous when greasing MP5s, Glocks, 870s, 10/22s, and just about any gun I use. Does that mean oil is awful and won't do the job? No. Oil works just fine and will work fine for the vast majority of shooters. But, again, if the question is which is superior, to my mind, it's lightweight grease without question. |
Practice, the master of all things. - Augustus
IG: @cqbr.kurdt
Looking for: Savannah Mk18 RIS II in light blonde/bronze - LMT SOPMOD Gen 1 Tan - Aimpoint Comp M3 w/ Lens Covers - G Mk16 10.5" DDC
IG: @cqbr.kurdt
Looking for: Savannah Mk18 RIS II in light blonde/bronze - LMT SOPMOD Gen 1 Tan - Aimpoint Comp M3 w/ Lens Covers - G Mk16 10.5" DDC
|
Originally Posted By krdt: I suppose I should clarify. It would be a mistake to assume I'm saying that using oil is some grave error, that "your gun is just not gonna be reliable without grease," or some other hyperbole. However, if the question is which is superior, in my experience it's a lightweight grease. Hands down, no question. I've put hundreds of thousands of rounds through ARs, often under rather abusive conditions (full auto and/or long strings of rapid-fire, filthy, no cleaning, suppressed, etc.). I shoot out barrels fairly regularly; I shoot out cans. I've documented a good bit of it on this site. When I used to use oil, I had more than one rifle lock up with 500-600 rounds during a day of suppressed shooting. I've had to mortar more than my fair share of carbon-locked guns. Once I switched to grease, that simply didn't happen anymore. There are times I don't even reapply grease for 1500 rounds or more. I could never do that with any oil I've ever tried (and I've been shooting for close to 40 years, so that's a lot of different oils, lol). Even when I'm 3k+ suppressed without cleaning, and you can scoop the carbon out with a spoon, my guns are still reliable. More than that, carrier friction points on the BCG and upper stay close to pristine because grease tends to trap contaminants and migrate them away from the friction surfaces. Under hard use, I've found grease of the proper grade to be superior to oil in just about every meaningful way. https://i.imgur.com/ct5mpWg.jpeg Carbon sludge everywhere, but rails pretty as you please. And I don't subscribe to the "apply lightly" methodology. I mix Mobil Grease 28 and Mobil1 5w into a clear bottle with a brush and slather that shit on like a fat kid frosting a birthday cake. All the BCG rails get a visible string, the cam pin gets painted above the firing pin hole, and then a big dollop on both sides for good measure after reassembly; I paint the bolt ring and charging handle, and any excess gets pushed out the back of the carrier and applied to the top of the hammer and the buffer face. I'm about equally generous when greasing MP5s, Glocks, 870s, 10/22s, and just about any gun I use. Does that mean oil is awful and won't do the job? No. Oil works just fine and will work fine for the vast majority of shooters. But, again, if the question is which is superior, to my mind, it's lightweight grease without question. 
|
|
Originally Posted By EnablerNo1: ALG Go Juice CLP Slip 2000 Don’t overthink this. Uncle Sam has invested a ton of money ensuring their M4s are properly lubed and can function in all conditions. CLP works great. So do ALG Go Juice and Slip 2000. I personally like the fact that ALG Go Juice is non-toxic food grade. And it cuts carbon amazingly well. So that’s what I chose. But I’ve used all manner of different lubes over the last 30 years without issue, to include synthetic motor oil. Grease is not necessary, nor is it preferred in the AR. US SOF units use CLP and put their rifles through far more than any recreational or LE users will ever. They may have 99 problems, but lube ain’t one. Read up about Filthy 14. They did have the superior lube at first with LSA which is a thick almost runny grease like item that you had to shake a lot. Almost similar to 30 weight oil and maybe 00 grease. The problem is that you had to also carry a separate solvent that made it very difficult for the average soldier to use. So CLP was a necessity. If you do use grease you need a separate cleaner and you need to know where to put the grease. Some people simply don’t know. That’s why CLP is easy because you can use it all over and you’ll probably hit the right spots. |
|
Originally Posted By Mach: exactly, it is basic engineering lubrication knowledge. The only open lubrication systems where people use oil is on guns. Every other machine in the world if the system is open and not sealed, grease is used. For very cold weather use a softer grease, for hot weather us a thicker grease just like oil systems and you don't need a lot, use a thin application. Every time the armorer did armorer things to my duty handgun, it came back with oil and I greased it before going on duty. ETA: I don't understand how this oil thing for guns came into being. Does it work?sure if you keep putting oil on it, but grease lubricates better and longer. You still have to re-apply grease but nowhere near as often and for a tool that needs to work when you need it I just do not understand where oil should be used on an open lubricating system. @Foxtrot08 Opinions? |
|
Originally Posted By mcantu: @Foxtrot08 Opinions? Originally Posted By mcantu: Originally Posted By Mach: exactly, it is basic engineering lubrication knowledge. The only open lubrication systems where people use oil is on guns. Every other machine in the world if the system is open and not sealed, grease is used. For very cold weather use a softer grease, for hot weather us a thicker grease just like oil systems and you don't need a lot, use a thin application. Every time the armorer did armorer things to my duty handgun, it came back with oil and I greased it before going on duty. ETA: I don't understand how this oil thing for guns came into being. Does it work?sure if you keep putting oil on it, but grease lubricates better and longer. You still have to re-apply grease but nowhere near as often and for a tool that needs to work when you need it I just do not understand where oil should be used on an open lubricating system. @Foxtrot08 Opinions? At the end of the day, a firearm is an open system. Both grease and oil have their limits in open systems. Other types of open systems: Morgan systems in steel mills - Oil that drips down through the system and is reused. Rail road curves - grease. Way oils - Machining - Oils With grease, you’re just relying on the oil anyways. The soap isn’t doing much. The anti wear additives will never get hot enough to work. Same with the oils, they will never get hot enough to work. So you’re just using the viscosity of the oil to be a barrier protectant. Personally, I just use oil. Unless there’s something really nuanced. Then I’ll use grease. I’ve had more issues with firearms and greases, so for me to actually use a grease, it needs to be specialized. Like certain parts of triggers on Over and under shotguns. Otherwise. Oil works fine. |
Direction, not intention, determines destination.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
AR Sponsor