Grease Vs. Oil (Again)

[tpelle]

I have been lubricating my Carbine with oil, as called for in the FM's. Being an old Garand owner and shooter, I have always believed in the "If it slides grease it, and if it pivots oil it" mantra.

Last night I stripped the Carbine down again, wiped all of the oil off of the slide and bolt tracks, and applied a thin coating of Valvoline High Speed Wheel Bearing grease. I gotta say, it sure seems like the slide and bolt work smoother now. I notice none of gritty/friction feeling as the bolt rotates in and out of lock now.

Any opinions?

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[Rustship]

You might try Shooters Choice grease in the white Hypodermic type applicator, works good for me.

[CrossedCannons]

I never understood that slides vs pivot mantra either. At a microscopic level, both types of motions are "sliding" motions and so would seem to be no difference. I use high temperature wheel bearing grease and clean often. slides? pivots? rolls? doesn't matter, it's cheap, lifetime supply by the pound for less than a handful of dollars, and simply works great!

[campperrykid]

Another vote for grease. I have been using GI Lubraplate or Plastilube ( or commercial equivalents ) for as long as I have been shooting M1 Carbines. That is largely based on advice from some very competent WW2 old timers who either never read the manual or choose to cheerfully ignore the oil only directive because grease made sense and worked better. Based on oral history , it seems that many units and individuals , especially in the Pacific , routinely greased Carbines.
It is possible that grease caused significant problems in truly deep cold. The Korean wnter of 1950/1951 comes to mind , but most of us don't shoot our milsurps in subzero weather. I have shot greased Carbines in temperatures in the low 20's to the middle teens without any issues.
Getting a bunch of snow on a hot Carbine and then letting it freeze while it was still wet could cause serious problems --no matter if the weapon was oiled or greased.

[tpelle]

Your point about grease causing problems in extreme cold is well taken. After all, we know that oil thickens in lower temperatures - us chronologically-accomplished shooters can recall when you you used 40-weight oil in your car engine in the summer, but 20 or 30 weight in the winter. And is grease anything more, at its most basic level, than thick oil?

[Bill Hollinger]

Grease here also. I use red lithium high heat axle grease. I was always taught if it slides grease it if it rolls oil it. Same same I guess.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

And another vote for grease. (Lubriplate)

It seldom (never) gets cold enough here in Texas to be an issue, and if it did get that cold I wouldn't be outside anyway.

(Heck, I don't even know if I have a heavy coat)

[imarangemaster]

I have some Tetra I used for BP shooting awhile back. Worked REALLY well. Maybe I'll try that. I have been using just Break-Free and Balistol up to now.

[DaveHH]

to keep the parts happy, grease. If you were dragging a carbine in and out of a foxhole you might rethink it, but we aren't.