quote:

Originally posted by ARMT Guy:

I don't believe they were using air to fill 747 tires.

It was most likely nitrogen. At least that's what we used for helo tires, ( Blackhawks, Chinooks, Apaches ) since air expands and contracts as altitude and temperature changes.

The fixed wing guys can confirm or correct me on this.

The maintenance shop at Our Little Airport uses a 78% nitrogen blend.

Lucas Marine grease is reported to be exactly the same as their "gun grease". It's also blue, so you can see when it's dirty. I've tried it with good results. You can buy a tube (grease gun size) for about five or six bucks at Lowe's.

Thanks for the review. I wondered if it was any good. I used up my syringe of Shooters choice gun grease and I refilled the syringe with Mobil 1 bearing grease. It’s ok.

My go to gun grease these days is ALG thin grease. I love the stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
The maintenance shop at Our Little Airport uses a 78% nitrogen blend.

ha! good sense of humor there. hope you don't pay too much for it. I don't understand the rationale for that either. Boyle's law is Boyle's law. Moisture content of the air is another story. Water separators are a good thing.

My experience with grease is that it can slow the slide in cold weather.I use a NLGI #0 and still need to warm it inside my coat.

quote:

Originally posted by Bigbuck5:
Lucas Marine grease is reported to be exactly the same as their "gun grease". It's also blue, so you can see when it's dirty. I've tried it with good results. You can buy a tube (grease gun size) for about five or six bucks at Lowe's.

Not just reported to be. When Lucas grease came on the scene, we pulled the specs for the various lubes down off their site and the marine lube was identical to the gun grease.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Watson:

quote:

Originally posted by ARMT Guy:I don't believe they were using air to fill 747 tires.

It was most likely nitrogen. At least that's what we used for helo tires, ( Blackhawks, Chinooks, Apaches ) since air expands and contracts as altitude and temperature changes.

Nitrogen is a gas, it is going to expand and contract with temperature changes just like air... which is ca 80% nitrogen. The idea of nitrogen in tires is that it won't age the rubber.


I don't know what is in Hoppe's Black Grease, but I still have some Gunslick Graphited Grease as well as some industrial molybdenum disulfide doped grease; both of which are very black and very slippery. Reminds me, I need to clean and lube the guns I was shooting over the weekend.

Nitrogen doesn't expand and contract nearly as much as air does, if hardly at all and is required in airplane tires. It also doesn't have moisture in it like normal air does.

Tire Rack states my understanding.
"Nitrogen-filled tires are said to maintain pressure better than tires filled with compressed air. This is because air escapes out of the tire at a faster rate. Nitrogen is less permeable than oxygen because of it’s larger molecule size."

This nitrogen discussion is so much more interesting than grease!

Nitrogen inflation in cars is a gimmick, if you ask me. But it’s not complete bunk. Let’s review some basics.

Air is basically 78% nitrogen. Then about 21% oxygen. Then a couple other things to make up the remaining 1%.

Nitrogen’s atomic number is 7, Oxygen is 8. Now although oxygen is ever so slightly heavier with the extra particles, it’s actually tighter packed so it’s smaller. They both tend to make homonuclear diatomic molecules (they are generally found as N2 and O2) and as such the molecules are pill shaped (think caplet not tablet) or cylindrical.

Now with tires, they’re not really talking about air leaking out at the seal between the rim and tire. They’re actually talking about those molecules slipping in between the molecules of rubber and permeating through the rubber. And we’re not taking about one really thin sheet of rubber that’s only one or two molecules thick where that O2 molecule just needs to be aligned vertically to slip through a gap. We’re talking a thickness of rubber that would require a lot of twisting and turning to find the gaps.

So what’s more likely to result in an inflation issue, a minuscule seal leak between the rim and tire or air molecules permeating through the rubber? Now, nitrogen inflation should reduce water content and probably make a positive impact in the long term likelihood of leaks due to oxidation of the rim. I would also think that water vapor would be the reason for use in aviation, where pressure and temperature changes are much greater.

So is there some validity to nitrogen inflation? Sure. Is it something you’re actually gonna notice on your car? Very highly suspect if you ask me.

I use the Gunslick or Outers black grease in a little tube. Stuff lasts forever, doesn’t go anywhere, and is slick as snot.

I have used it any training courses in very hot, dirty, and humid conditions with no problems. I use it on my duty handgun. It gets hot and humid here and can get very cold in the winter. I have shot my duty gun in temperatures in the 10-20 degree below zero range after leaving the gun outside for a while. Never slowed down the slide as far as I could tell using this type of grease.

Been a Militec-1 and FP10 lube user forever. If grease is needed I use Militec grease.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
There are a ton of quality automotive greases out there that will match or exceed firearms industry grease.

I have seen that statement or something similar literally countless times in my years here, but the question I’ve never seen addressed (despite my asking) is how do we know which are best or at least better than others? How can I know if a particular automotive grease at the Napa store is better at protecting a firearm from corrosion and wear than a different grease that’s marketed for use on guns? Are there rigorous scientifically-valid studies that can be accessed to help us learn such things?

I don't know if it matches, or exceeds, and whatever the hell Im doing with my guns ain't scientific, but...

I've used only straight 30W synthetic motor oil and high temp wheel bearing grease for probably 15+ years on my guns.
Sig, Colt, S&W, Bushmaster, Remmington, Springfield, Rock River, LMT.
My 226, 220, G21, G19, Bushmaster and LMT are duty guns, and I abuse the hell out of them, and I use them in all sorts of weather (minus salt water environments)
The Marine Corps taught me how to keep them clean.

I haven't had a lubricant issue yet.
I just can't see paying extra money for the (almost) same product just because it has "Gun" or some pro-shooter's name on the bottle.

I know what's going on inside a motor, and inside a wheel bearing, and it's not coming close to what's going on in my gun.

Weapons Maintenance! As in "maintaining your weapon"! Keep it (relatively) clean, and lubricated. Gun is in a hot and humid environment? Might rust a little easier. Near saltwater? Same thing. Gun in a dusty, dirty environment? That oil will collect dirt quicker. You neglect that piece of steel, and bad things are going to happen to it.


I don't know what "best" is, and until that study is actually done, I don't know think anyone will know. Some might be pissed because they've been paying X5 more for 10W-30 mixed with a little WD-40.

What I do know is that it's been working great for me.