Gun Grease vs Oil – What to use to Improve Tools Lifespan?

Both large and small garage or workshop tools and firearms are prone to wear and tear over time. It happens because of the friction between the moving parts of the apparatus. As a result, different components get torn off.

How to get rid of this problem?

Well, proper lubrication in the moving parts of the apparatus in different weather conditions is a must. Gun grease or oil are two types of dedicated solvents that protect essential elements of various tools from rust.

For lubrication and maintenance of different tools, gun grease vs oil- which one is better? It is a long debate.

This write-up will make a closure to this debate.

In Favor of Grease

1. Superior stop-start performance makes grease a better performer than oil. Grease reduces the chance of dry start by staying where it is required. On the other hand, oil is piled up in the sump once a machine is shut down. As a result, you will not always get a dry start.

2. Wearing seals and connectors do not hold oil, but they hold grease. Thus, lubricant starvation and leakage gets reduced. Grease also ensures that no damage or lubricant staining will happen to the work products.

3. Grease is a less leakage-prone lubricant. The leak is a machine mark that is exposed to the environment (internally) and requires repairing. Unnoticed wearing seals do get worse over time. Greasing these areas reduces the risk of catastrophic failure in the future.

Also, read grease guns for heavy equipment.

4. The surplus grease works were a sealant when it was used around connectors and seals. This way, water, and other particles can not enter into essential parts of a machine. Regular regreasing can clear contaminants away from the effectiveness of the components.

5. Grease enables the use of solid additives like C (graphite), ZnO (zinc oxide), MoS2 (molybdenum disulfide). These additives are disposed of or filtered if too much oil is used.

Also, read cordless grease guns.

In Favor of Oil

1. The free-flowing characteristics of oil enable it to conduct and manage unwanted heat (thermal transmission). The base oil viscosity remains in a stable position. It also prevents the chance of heat-induced corrosion and additive depletion.

2. Using grease instead of oil increases massive heat generation and energy consumption. In the same application, the energy absorbed by oil can be only a fraction of the grease.

3. Since using thickeners with oil is entirely unnecessary, and there is no risk of mismatch frequencies. The consistency of the oil is also high compared to grease.

4. Oil lubricants enable the transfer of specific contaminants like water and dirt to filter, separator, and permanent areas by permanently suspending them.

5. Precise controlling of the amount of oil can effortlessly be done using either vision glasses or precision level gauges. On the other hand, controlling the grease level is nearly impossible. So, over-application may happen while greasing any essential parts of an apparatus.

6. While changing oil, you do not need to dismantle the machine hardware. But you have to ensure periodic repacking of the grease. It will take a reasonable amount of time, labor, and material.

Gun Grease vs Oil Lubrication – Which one to Choose?

When choosing the best gun lubricant, you must have faced the confusion of choosing between gun oil and gun grease. At the basic level, you may find that both of them are similar.

Picking either grease or oil guns is tricky, and depending on the applications and operating conditions, you will need to choose one of the lubricants.

Generally, oil is great for lubricating parts with tight tolerances and reaching places where greases can be too thick. Also, because of its thinner characteristics, you can easily wipe it off and apply it again. Even if it gets dry, you will not face any hassle to clean it up.

While grease contains additives that protect garage or workshop tools from corrosion, since grease is thicker than oil, they protect them for an extended period. However, in a cold climate, your tool working procedure may slow down because of grease. Also, if you keep the greasing area open to the air, it will soon dry out. These are the only drawbacks of grease.  

Summing Up

The decision of gun grease vs oil is not hard to make at all. It is all about your personal preference. Both grease and oil have advantages and disadvantages. For cleaning and maintaining your garage tools or firearms, you can pick any of the items.  

What lubricant did you use to do the periodic maintenance of your workshop tools or firearms? Let us know in the below comment box.