doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hinge pin lube

I need a new source for some hinge pin lube. I used Owen's that I would get from Jeff's Outfitters. Any suggestions?

Here ya' go, Mike.

https://www.lubriplate.com/products/sfl-gun-grease

I've been using Lubriplate in certain applications on the farm for longer than I can remember. A time-proven lubricant company.

There is no shortage of good lubricants out there. I tend to use bicycle bearing grease because I have it, and it comes in convenient little tubes.

Do you really need grease or will oil work just as well?

I have always used CLENZOIL everywhere on a gun and I have never had a problem or needed anything else. Although, just for that heck of it I have recently started using the gun grease on the hinges which I get in a tubes at the local gun shops/stores. Several companies make it. Lucas, Remington and many others. I am a hoarder, (they refer to as Dimmy) so I have numerous brands of gun grease ready to go. Good luck in your search.

I prefer the right grease on high impact load areas, such as hinge pins and the knuckle/forend iron joint, and locking bolt contact areas. Oil for other low impact places, like ejectors, triggers, top lever spindles, etc

JMOMMV

There's a reason that 5W-20 oil, which is used in an engine, isn't used in high impact applications like the differential and gearboxes.

Buzz, grease is oil...suspended in a thick soap base to keep it in place.

A small amount of any good grease or oil will be fine to lubricate a shotgun hinge pin joint or knuckle. Oil is more likely to run off or soak into wood if you use too much. The main concern is that you have a film of good lube that is free of any abrasive dirt or contaminants. Most people should never run out of it since so little is needed. DimmyW might because he says he cleans his guns twice a week. I use Mobil synthetic grease, but have several other brands in the garage. Any would be fine.

For years, we ran Lubriplate on the big machines in the bindery that required daily greasing, cam followers, shafts with open bearings, right angle gears driving chains, etc. the place is full of them. My operator was a woman who ran stitchers for 40 years, and I switched her over to Mobile One synthetic, and told her to keep track of replacement of the parts that wear. I had a devil of a time getting all the cans of Lubriplate away from her, but, in the end she ended up with her acid brush in a tube of Mobile One.

We haven’t had to replace any wear items since the switch. I was stunned at how much longer the life of wear items on the machines were.

A lifelong friend who single handily does the maintenance at a commercial print operation that does $65 million in business (no way do I want his job) told me to make the switch. We knew the synthetics had a longer lifespan as lubricants, but, from what I can tell they remain superior during that entire span.

Probably not an apples and oranges comparison, the shop is always 65 degrees, constant humidity, etc, but, the synthetics are far more temperature stable, a factor that would be useful on a competition gun, or, out in the cold.

I’ve been running Mobile One or Mobile 28 on the guns. But, honestly, if you are cleaning them and putting them away lubed, that is likely more important than what you are using.

Don’t use Vaseline. It has zero shear and no EP protection.

Best,
Ted

Lippard's Perazzi book says just use 30 weight motor oil but Perazzi gives a tube of grease with a new gun. The bad news on grease is it collects grit and can be abrasive if gritty, which isn't a big deal if you frequently clean your gun which sadly many people do not do. I like 30 weight motor oil and a lube called tri flow that contains teflon. I clean my guns pretty thoroughly after each use (usually). Moral of the story....any lube is better than nothing.