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Posted: 8/5/2023 11:13:30 AM EDT
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Yes, I do know there is a thread on AR-15 lubrication… I’ve read that thread and I do know of the points oil is recommended. My question is this: Is there any friction points on ARs or Rattlers that you use grease and not oil? I use grease on my slide to frame friction points on pistols and believe it really extends the life of them. |
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Originally Posted By GreyBeardBiker: Yes, I do know there is a thread on AR-15 lubrication… I’ve read that thread and I do know of the points oil is recommended. My question is this: Is there any friction points on ARs or Rattlers that you use grease and not oil? I use grease on my slide to frame friction points on pistols and believe it really extends the life of them. any of the spots showing friction/wear should get greased. BCG rails, cam pin, even the bolt where it inserts into the carrier. |
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Originally Posted By Jnat: I grease the carrier where it rides in the receiver, lightly on the bottom ramp that resets the hammer, cam pin slot, lightly on the back of the bolt lugs. All springs and detents get a light coat before assembly. ^^^^^^ |
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From an archived thread titled: "How NOT to lube an AR"... A customer dropped off on upper today for some work, and I couldn't help but notice the stuff oozing out from the receiver. Folks, grease has NO PLACE on an AR. ARs, by design blow crap into the action. An action filled with grease + blowback = mud. Its a good thing this upper isnt set up for a suppressor, it probably wouldnt make it through 1 full mag before choking. I would consider this an unsafe/unreliable weapon before even firing the first shot. The bolt has so much grease on it that its oozing out the vent holes. I wouldn't want to be next to that when it goes off. I'm not sure why anyone would feel the need to lube the bottom of the carrier. Barrel extensions and bolt lugs don't really need grease either. I can promise there WILL BE pressure issues when you fire a rifle with a chamber that has a layer of grease in it. Please Don't. Since I'm already on my soap box, here's how I lube ALL my ARs. I have a remoil bottle I keep refilling with mobil-1 synthetic 30w motor oil. One drop on the top of the charging handle One drop on the gas rings One drop on the body of the bolt One drop on the cam pin One drop on the firing pin Two drops on the bottom rail of the carrier. Two drops on the top of the carrier That's it. That's all I ever use, whether I'm plinking at the range for a few minutes, or an all day carbine class. 99% of my shooting any more is suppressed, and that is still all the lube I have ever needed. I don't lube in the receiver, I don't lube my buffer/spring. https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/-/118-297701/?page=1 |
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I always used some kind of grease. For years, I have used Breakfree CLP to clean, and then would use either tetra, tw25b, mobil1, cherry balmz, and slip2000 grease. Of those, my two favorites are slip2000 grease and cherry balmz. Mobil1 worked great too but I felt it had additives in it that are toxic outside of a car. Currently, I'm using froglube to clean and lubricate. I leave a thin, grease like line on all the wear points with their paste. I shoot 100s of rounds without failure. The inside of the upper is wet and greasy and it's super easy to clean. |
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Originally Posted By Jnat: I grease the carrier where it rides in the receiver, lightly on the bottom ramp that resets the hammer, cam pin slot, lightly on the back of the bolt lugs. All springs and detents get a light coat before assembly. Wadda coincidence! This is pretty much exactly how I do mine 
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Originally Posted By Winn: From an archived thread titled: "How NOT to lube an AR"... A customer dropped off on upper today for some work, and I couldn't help but notice the stuff oozing out from the receiver. Folks, grease has NO PLACE on an AR. ARs, by design blow crap into the action. An action filled with grease + blowback = mud. Its a good thing this upper isnt set up for a suppressor, it probably wouldnt make it through 1 full mag before choking. I would consider this an unsafe/unreliable weapon before even firing the first shot. The bolt has so much grease on it that its oozing out the vent holes. I wouldn't want to be next to that when it goes off. I'm not sure why anyone would feel the need to lube the bottom of the carrier. Barrel extensions and bolt lugs don't really need grease either. I can promise there WILL BE pressure issues when you fire a rifle with a chamber that has a layer of grease in it. Please Don't. Since I'm already on my soap box, here's how I lube ALL my ARs. I have a remoil bottle I keep refilling with mobil-1 synthetic 30w motor oil. One drop on the top of the charging handle One drop on the gas rings One drop on the body of the bolt One drop on the cam pin One drop on the firing pin Two drops on the bottom rail of the carrier. Two drops on the top of the carrier That's it. That's all I ever use, whether I'm plinking at the range for a few minutes, or an all day carbine class. 99% of my shooting any more is suppressed, and that is still all the lube I have ever needed. I don't lube in the receiver, I don't lube my buffer/spring. https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/-/118-297701/?page=1 This. Basically all day every day for all of these reasons. TM 9-1005-319-10 gives fine instructions on lubricating this platform. The recommended lubricants are CLP for general use, CLP or LSA down to -10F, and LAW below -10F. There are a lot of commercially available equivalents to CLP and your weapon is yours so you can treat it as you wish but, I would consider this: Grease up that bolt and run 1k rounds. Then wipe that grease off onto a painted surface. Press your finger down and swirl it around for a minute and then wipe it clean and look at the results. That grease plus contaminants is nothing less than lapping compound. As your weapon cycles, you're causing wear. CLP contains detergents that dissolve residue so it doesn't do this. I get that people say "it's not great at any one thing" and that may or may not be true. What is true is that it's kept combat rifles in the fight under the most grueling conditions for over 40 years. What IS true is that in Iraq in 1991 and 2004 we were wiping the grease off of everything we could on our vehicles because it would trap every spec of sand,, dust, dirt, or anything else and grind that component into failure. YMMV. I get that people like to solve the problem they don't have sometimes. This is my .02. It's based on my observations and experiences. |
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Originally Posted By dalle0001: I always used some kind of grease. For years, I have used Breakfree CLP to clean, and then would use either tetra, tw25b, mobil1, cherry balmz, and slip2000 grease. Of those, my two favorites are slip2000 grease and cherry balmz. Mobil1 worked great too but I felt it had additives in it that are toxic outside of a car. Currently, I'm using froglube to clean and lubricate. I leave a thin, grease like line on all the wear points with their paste. I shoot 100s of rounds without failure. The inside of the upper is wet and greasy and it's super easy to clean. I wonder about engine oil in firearms. People always say "conditions inside an engine are more severe". That's true. But engine oil is designed for extremely high temps and has different detergents. Would you put firearm oil in an engine? I wouldn't. So why put engine oil in a firearm? JMO. (I always overthink cleaning. Most times get too OCD) |
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Originally Posted By GreyBeardBiker: Yes, I do know there is a thread on AR-15 lubrication… I’ve read that thread and I do know of the points oil is recommended. My question is this: Is there any friction points on ARs or Rattlers that you use grease and not oil? I use grease on my slide to frame friction points on pistols and believe it really extends the life of them. How much more life have you gotten out of guns you greased vs those that get oiled? Are we talking 1000 rounds or 10,000? Do you have any pictures of the pistols that wore out due to only being oiled? Curious as to which parts wear out first. |
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Originally Posted By dalle0001: I always used some kind of grease. For years, I have used Breakfree CLP to clean, and then would use either tetra, tw25b, mobil1, cherry balmz, and slip2000 grease. Of those, my two favorites are slip2000 grease and cherry balmz. Mobil1 worked great too but I felt it had additives in it that are toxic outside of a car. Currently, I'm using froglube to clean and lubricate. I leave a thin, grease like line on all the wear points with their paste. I shoot 100s of rounds without failure. The inside of the upper is wet and greasy and it's super easy to clean. In the off chance you don't know, you can save yourself some money by buying coconut oil. Froglube was ran through a spectrometer and was determined to be just coconut oil and fragrance. Track lube is also coconut oil. |
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Slip 2000 EWG is a grease that is supposedly just EWL but in a really really thick viscosity. The next thinner viscosity would be EWL30 which is what I have started using on my sliding surfaces in the AR. It will stick better than EWL (which is like water) and has more durability than Gun Lube (slightly thicker than EWL). Clenzoil CLP is my go-to for general cleaning/lubing mainly for its corrosion protection, but it is a very light lube. I use EWL30 all over the corners of the bolt carrier, cam pin, and the bearing surface of the bolt. Any surface where the manganese phosphate rubs away gets EWL30. It's not needed as CLP will work fine, but its just for extra protection. I find after several hundred rounds at the range, the EWL30 is still there. |
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Originally Posted By Winn: From an archived thread titled: "How NOT to lube an AR"... A customer dropped off on upper today for some work, and I couldn't help but notice the stuff oozing out from the receiver. Folks, grease has NO PLACE on an AR. ARs, by design blow crap into the action. An action filled with grease + blowback = mud. Its a good thing this upper isnt set up for a suppressor, it probably wouldnt make it through 1 full mag before choking. I would consider this an unsafe/unreliable weapon before even firing the first shot. The bolt has so much grease on it that its oozing out the vent holes. I wouldn't want to be next to that when it goes off. I'm not sure why anyone would feel the need to lube the bottom of the carrier. Barrel extensions and bolt lugs don't really need grease either. I can promise there WILL BE pressure issues when you fire a rifle with a chamber that has a layer of grease in it. Please Don't. Since I'm already on my soap box, here's how I lube ALL my ARs. I have a remoil bottle I keep refilling with mobil-1 synthetic 30w motor oil. One drop on the top of the charging handle One drop on the gas rings One drop on the body of the bolt One drop on the cam pin One drop on the firing pin Two drops on the bottom rail of the carrier. Two drops on the top of the carrier That's it. That's all I ever use, whether I'm plinking at the range for a few minutes, or an all day carbine class. 99% of my shooting any more is suppressed, and that is still all the lube I have ever needed. I don't lube in the receiver, I don't lube my buffer/spring. https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/-/118-297701/?page=1 IDK, I switched to grease about 9 years ago. We ran it on FA 516 SBRs that were suppressed. I ran it on my personal rifles that are suppressed. No problems at all. I prefer grease to oil now.... |
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Originally Posted By RD20: In the off chance you don't know, you can save yourself some money by buying coconut oil. Froglube was ran through a spectrometer and was determined to be just coconut oil and fragrance. Track lube is also coconut oil. I ran out of Frog Lube a couple of months after the post and now switched back to TW25b. Been using it for the past few months to great success and I really like it. Just came back from the range yesterday to do some Christmas break shooting and yeah it worked like a charm. Stays wet and I really enjoy the product. I might go back to froglube once I run out of TW25b. I have a few tubes of the 4oz so I think I might be good for at least a few years with it. |
| I've been using nothing but grease on all lube points, ARs or otherwise, for over a decade. Okay, a drop of motor oil on the screws on adjustable gas blocks. |
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The four rails on the carrier, the buffer spring, some on the bolt where it works into the carrier. Oil is fine, grease if you want to do that much work.  Just sayin' |
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Originally Posted By MisterPX: The four rails on the carrier, the buffer spring, some on the bolt where it works into the carrier. Oil is fine, grease if you want to do that much work. Just sayin' Grease syringe makes it easier to deal with than oil, and it'll stay put far longer. I shoot suppressed most of the time and grease suspends carbon build-up far better. |
"What is socialism? The most difficult and tortuous way to progress from capitalism to capitalism." -Stated at an intel conference, East Berlin, Oct. 1988
"Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods." -H.L. Mencken
"Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods." -H.L. Mencken
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Originally Posted By GreyBeardBiker: Yes, I do know there is a thread on AR-15 lubrication… I’ve read that thread and I do know of the points oil is recommended. My question is this: Is there any friction points on ARs or Rattlers that you use grease and not oil? I use grease on my slide to frame friction points on pistols and believe it really extends the life of them. You know I re-read this post and I don't think a single person, including myself, ever really answered the OP. lol. Sorry. To answer your question, if you're still reading this after this time, the answer is mainly no, there shouldn't be any points on the rifle or can that you can't/shouldn't grease or oil. Now this is assuming you're using it normal. The area where all the serious stuff happens is from the bolt's face, chamber, and down the bore, up through the gas tubes, into the baffles of the can and out. With that said, you put heavy grease into the bore, you might want to run a bore snake through it before shooting. With the can, you might actually benefit with a lot of oil or liquid in the can itself and hear a reduction in noise for the first few shots. Generally speaking it is not recommended to put grease into the bore, and if you do to use a bore snake before firing. With that said, I do put a light coat of tw25b into my bore now using a patch and haven't had any issues. Due to the design, it is nearly impossible to over lube or over grease the rifle. Even if you covered the entire upper assembly with grease and covered the entire bcg with the entire can of grease, and just as soon as you reassemble, it'll squeeze it all out and you're left with the thin layer needed. The only way I would know is if you somehow used an entire can of grease and filled up the lower and the buffer tube and into the center parts of the bcg, then maybe you might find it a bit sluggish but will eventually squeeze out of the lower. |
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I used CLP forever, until I got into suppressors. After going over the posts on ARFCOM, I saw that some people recommended using grease on certain points because it would not burn off as fast and you could shoot more rounds suppressed before a lube-related failure. I tried SLIP 2000 EGW on the bolt and cam pin and it actually helped on a MOCK-12/OCM5 rifle. Next up was my MOCK-18/POLONIUM and I got the same results. I could get through a lot more rounds between cleanings. In the end, my experience has shown that some grease was useful in the cases mentioned above. All other weapons just get SLIP 2000 CLP. |
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Grease definitely has advantages in specific high-wear areas, but it’s obviously not a universal replacement for oil. On AR-15 and Rattler platforms, a targeted approach tends to work best. The four rails on the BCG are primary sliding surfaces. A thin layer of grease can stay in place longer than oil, especially during storage, and may provide a smoother initial cycle. However, oil still performs perfectly fine here due to its ability to redistribute during firing, so either can be effective when applied correctly. The cam pin and cam path are where grease offers the most consistent benefit. This is one of the highest-friction points in the system, and a small amount of grease helps reduce wear while maintaining lubrication under heat, particularly for high round counts or suppressed use. The charging handle and buffer spring are more about refinement than necessity imo. A light application of grease on the charging handle contact can smooth the cycling feel, while a thin coat on the buffer spring can reduce the characteristic “twang” and add corrosion resistance. That said, grease can thicken in cold weather and retain debris in dusty environments. Over-application of either grease or oil can also lead to buildup that can impact reliability. |
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Originally Posted By Homeland_K: Grease definitely has advantages in specific high-wear areas, but it’s obviously not a universal replacement for oil. On AR-15 and Rattler platforms, a targeted approach tends to work best. The four rails on the BCG are primary sliding surfaces. A thin layer of grease can stay in place longer than oil, especially during storage, and may provide a smoother initial cycle. However, oil still performs perfectly fine here due to its ability to redistribute during firing, so either can be effective when applied correctly. The cam pin and cam path are where grease offers the most consistent benefit. This is one of the highest-friction points in the system, and a small amount of grease helps reduce wear while maintaining lubrication under heat, particularly for high round counts or suppressed use. The charging handle and buffer spring are more about refinement than necessity imo. A light application of grease on the charging handle contact can smooth the cycling feel, while a thin coat on the buffer spring can reduce the characteristic “twang” and add corrosion resistance. That said, grease can thicken in cold weather and retain debris in dusty environments. Over-application of either grease or oil can also lead to buildup that can impact reliability. Hello, and welcome fellow human firearms enthusiast. 
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