Best Gun Oil & Grease [2024 Guide to Save your Gun]

Bryan Hill / October 18 2025

Most gun owners only have to clean their pistol a few times, ever. Why? Except in a few cases, you don't need a detailed cleaning of your pistol.

What are those cases? Knowing them could save your pistol!

On this Page:

1. How Often Should I Clean a Pistol?
2. What Makes Good Gun Oil?
3. What Makes Good Gun Grease?
4. Gun Oil vs. Motor Oil
5. How to Oil Your Pistol
6. Best Gun Cleaning Kit
7. References

How Often Should I Clean a Pistol?

With our recommended lube, you only need to clean your pistol after you:

• Got it wet via:
  • Dropping it in water.
  • Holding it in heavy rain.
  • Taking it from an environment colder than 35ºF to a warmer one (making condensation).
  • Having it out in heavy humidity (over 50%) or a high dew point (over 65) or near the ocean for more than a few hours.
• Dropped it in mud, sand, dirt, etc. and now it's jamming.
• Shot 3,000-5,000 rounds with our recommended ammo.
• Shot 1,500-2,500 rounds with cheap, dirty ammo.

Otherwise, cleaning is a waste of time and money.

After a range trip or training class, if you don't meet the above criteria, you don't need to clean your pistol.

After cleaning a pistol, lube it. There are two types of gun lube: grease and oil.

• Grease is thicker and stickier. It's for parts that scrape together with some pressure, like the sliderails and where the barrelscrapes against the slide.
• Oil is lighter and slippier. It's for rotating parts.

Cleaning for Long-term storage

Storing a pistol in a safe can cause it to rust over months or years, depending on your environment. Why? The safe is sealed tight, but moisture can still get in. If you live in a desert, no problem. If you live in a swampy area, or on the coast, watch out.

Before storing a pistol (or other firearm) for years, clean it and use protective grease. It's made to stop rust at all costs. It's not for lubing a pistol to stop jams.

What Makes Good Gun Oil?

• High flash point (400°F or more). This is how hot lube can get before it ignites and burns off.
  It's also how much the lube evaporates as it gets hotter. Guns get hotter the faster they're fired. A higher flash point means you can shoot the gun more without having to re-lube it.
• Low pour point (-60°F or less). This is how cold lube can get before it gets so thick it can't be poured.
  Water freezes at 32º F. What does oil freeze at? It depends on its pour point! If you live in a place that never freezes, it's not as important.
• Non-toxic. For long-term health. Please wear cleaning gloves and a dust mask while cleaning a pistol.
• No odor. For hunters, this is critical. For everyone else, do you want to smell bad while carrying?

If you can't find the flash point and pour point for a product, don't trust it.

What Makes Good Gun Grease?

Rust protection is king. The longer it protects, the better. The more it holds up against the elements (wind, etc.), the better.

If it's non-toxic and doesn't stink, that's another plus.

What about temperature range? It depends.

If you're greasing a gun just for storage, it doesn't matter. Why? After you take gun from storage, remove the protective grease and use gun lube before carrying it.

When greasing a gun for carry, then temperature range is very important. Grease tends to do worse in cold temperatures and better in warm temperatures. Check the pour point and make sure it's much lower than the lowest it gets in your winters. If a product's flash point and pour point aren't listed, don't trust it!

Gun Oil vs. Motor Oil

Many people oil their pistols with motor oil. After all, a running car engine goes through more wear in a few minutes than a pistol does in its lifetime. So why use gun oil?

It's simple: Cancer

Motor oil is made to be contained in a car engine. It's toxic - that is, it increases your risk of cancer the more you breathe it, touch it with your skin, etc. Any oil on your pistol evaporates over time. If you carry a pistol every day, that means the oil gets into your clothes and on your skin.

Good gun oil is non-toxic. Not all gun oils are non-toxic, but some are, and I only recommend non-toxic products.

Any oil or grease should have a Safety Data Sheet (SDS). This details whether it causes cancer, skin irritation, reproductive harm, etc. It should include this line or similar:
This chemical is not considered hazardous by the 2012 OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200).

If you'd like to check your favorite oil or grease, Google its name + "Safety Data Sheet". You should get a PDF result in the first few results.

Pick a different lube if:

• The SDS says it's a hazardous chemical according to OSHA standards.
• The SDS says it has cancer-causing or carcinogenic materials.
• The SDS says it has materials that cause reproductive harm.
• There is no SDS.

Also look for what to do in case of ingestion. A less toxic lube will just say something like, "rinse mouth". A more toxic lube will say something like, "Call a poison control center or doctor immediately". Something inbetween will say something like, "May cause abdominal cramps and diarrhea", or "Swallowing large amounts may cause gastric upset".

How to Oil Your Pistol

1. Field strip your pistol according to its user manual.
2. If the insides of your pistol are dirty, wipe them down with a dry cloth.
   Note: There's no need to clean the interior of the barrel if you've been shooting modern pistol ammo.
3. If your pistol is really dirty, use a carbon solvent , then a dry cloth.
4. Add a little grease to a cotton swab. Add a thin coat of grease to parts that scrape together with some pressure. The sliderails and where the barrelscrapes against the slide are a given. A light sheen is all you need.
   If you're unsure, look for scrape or wear marks on flat surfaces inside your pistol. If you've racked the slide at least 20 times ever on your pistol, it will show wear marks inside. Ensure that surface bears some weight. For example, on a 1911, the trigger bow is flat, but it doesn't carry the frame's weight as it scrapes against it. There's no need to grease that part.
5. Look for any metal parts without a finish, or with a worn-off finish. Grease those for rust protection. Again, just enough grease to give it a shine.
6. Add one drop of oil to a cotton swab. Add a thin coat of Oil to hinging and rotating parts.
   Again, a light sheen is all you need - just enough oil to make the surface reflect some light.
7. Use a dry cotton swab to wipe off any oil that's dripping or running, and any grease that's caked up. A little less is better than too much. Excess lubrication attracts dirt and can cause jams after some live fire.
8. Reassemble your pistol. Rack the slide a few times, operate the controls, and dry fire it a few times to spread out the lubricants.
9. If you see any excess grease or oil leaking out the pistol, wipe it off with a cotton swab. Consider field stripping the pistol to check for any excess runoff inside.

Best Gun Cleaning Kit

The best pistol cleaning kit includes:

• Grease.
• Oil.
• Carbon solvent.
• A cleaning mat (or just use a few layers of saran wrap).

A little goes a long way. These picks will last you for years, if not decades.

1. Grease
2. Oil
3. Carbon solvent

3 Best Gun Greases

Grease is for parts that scrape together with some pressure, like the sliderails and where the barrelscrapes against the slide. Grease those parts and you won't have to re-lube them nearly as much as when you use oil.

The best gun grease depends on your climate. One is good for cold climates, the other for everywhere else. The last one is best for rust protection.

Best Grease for Cold Climates

People often say grease isn't good in the cold.
However, Mil-Comm TW25B has a Pour Point of -90 °F.
Break Free CLP is a popular gun oil. It has a Pour Point of -59.4 °F.
TW25B has a better Pour Point than Break Free CLP and many other gun oils, yet it's a grease.

TW25B's Flash Point also beats Break Free CLP:
TW25B: 450°F
Break Free CLP: 320 °F

A grease with a better temperature range than oil? Welcome to modern gun grease.

If you're in a dusty or sandy area, grease is normally a no-no. However, TW25B doesn't attract dirt and dust like normal grease. Test it out and you might be surprised.

So if you're in a place where winters get to -30°F and below, this is the best gun grease.

Best Grease for Any Climate

SLIP 2000 Extreme Weapons Grease (EWG) is the best gun grease in all but the coldest climates. It has an unmatched temperature range: 750°F Flash Point, and -60°F Pour Point.

Like TW25B, EWG doesn't attract dirt and dust the way normal grease does.

EWG is non-toxic and has no odor, too. Unless you're in deep cold, this is the best gun grease.

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Best Gun Grease for Rust Prevention

In the corrosion test video above, the "Guardian LP" that aced the test is really just Lubriplate SFL-0. It's rebranded and repackaged in smaller containers.

So if you want a grease for rust protection, Lubriplate SFL-0 is one of the best. In other rust tests, Slip2000 EWG and Mil-Comm TW25B haven't done as well.

SFL-0 is also very good as a gun grease. It's much cheaper compared to EWG or TW25B. It has one of the best temperature ranges. However, its range is not as good as EWG or TW25B. And it's not made to repel dirt the way EWG and TW25B are.

So if rust prevention is most important, go with SFL-0.

If performance is most important, pick EWG or TW25B.

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Best Gun Oil

Oil is for rotating parts. If you try to use it like grease, it will evaporate and run off everywhere, leaving just enough to attract dirt, but not enough to protect and lubricate.

Slip2000 EWL30 has a temperature range of -100°F to 1,250°F. You won't have to re-oil your gun nearly as often, and it won't freeze on you if you live up north.

It's non-toxic, and has only a tiny odor like vegetable oil.

Nothing on the market comes close in its combination of performance and safety.

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Best Carbon Solvent for Pistols

Bore Tech C4 Carbon Remover is super effective and one of the safest cleaners to use. It'll get the job done for nearly everything.

If you have a suppressor locked up from carbon buildup and nothing gets it unstuck, boil it in antifreeze for a few minutes.

Where to Clean Carbon Buildup on a Pistol

If you're cleaning by hand, you can save time by cleaning only what you need.

Cleaning the Chamber & Feed Ramp

If this gets too gunked up, rounds won't load or extract as easily. You'll get jams. If you get a double feed jam, it will be harder to clear it.

You can reduce the risk of this by polishing the chamber and feed ramp with a Dremel or other rotary tool , a few felt mandrel attachments , and polishing paste .

Only use the felt mandrel attachments to polish. A hard attachment like sandpaper or a grinder will cause problems.

Cleaning the Bore (The Rest of the Inside of the Barrel)

Only clean the barrel's bore when:

• You've shot at least 50 rounds from a clean bore
• You notice your accuracy has dropped
• You're 100% sure that accuracy drop is the barrel and not you

If you shoot copper-jacketed ammo, you may never have to clean your bore. Copper conditioning in the bore is a good thing.

If you shoot non-jacketed ammo, or bi-metal ammo, you'll have to clean the bore much sooner. The exposed lead of the non-jacketed bullets leaves lead deposits in the bore. Bi-metal jacketed ammo leaves alloy deposits. Either of those will drop the barrel's accuracy until you clean the bore.

If you shoot non-jacketed bullets, or bi-metal jacketed bullets, then just use a bronze bore brush. Wear a respirator when cleaning so you don't breathe in any lead dust.

Cleaning the Striker Channel

If the trigger starts feeling gritty, cleaning the striker channel may help.

Some striker-fired pistols need this to be cleaned, some don't. For example, a stock Glock probably never needs this to be cleaned.

You do not need lube in the striker channel in most pistols. Adding lube here makes it dirtier faster. You'll have to clean it more often.

Cleaning the Extractor Channel

Many pistols need this to be cleaned every 5,000 rounds or so. Otherwise you'll start to get jams caused by a failure to extract.

If you shoot a stock Glock, you may not have to clean this.

This is a pain to clean in some pistols. For more info on cleaning this area, see How to Deep Clean Any Pistol Extractor without Removing It.

You do not need to lube the extractor channel in most pistols. But if you do to prevent rust, you'll have to clean that channel more often.

Cleaning the Slide Rails

If the slide rails get gunked up, the slide won't work right. You'll get jams.

Clean the slide rails if the pistol gets dirty. Otherwise, keeping them lubed is enough.

Cleaning Other Parts

Some pistols have other parts that need to be cleaned. Some aftermarket parts need to be cleaned or lubed. For example, the Glock Performance Trigger needs to be lubed, but the factory Glock trigger does not.

When in doubt, search the make & model of your pistol + the phrase "maintenance schedule" or "cleaning schedule". When buying aftermarket parts, check any documentation for it.

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References

1. Cleaning and Oiling your GLOCK® Performance Trigger (2024)
2. 20k Rounds Without Cleaning? (2024)
3. Best CLP? Hoppe’s 9 vs Break Free CLP, Slip 2000, Ballistol, Frog Lube, Extreme Force, Clenzoil (2022)
4. What is a safe flash point? How is it tested? (2021)
5. What does pour point mean for a lubricant? (2021)
6. Corrosion Behavior of 304 Stainless Steel Exposed to a Simulated Salt Lake Atmosphere (2020)
7. The Search for the Perfect Firearms Lubricants (2019)
8. Condensation Fact Sheet (2018)
9. Fuel oil Pour point testing procedure (2018)
10. Best of the Best Gun Lube Corrosion Test - Part 2 (2017)
11. CORROSION TEST 2016-2017 FINAL RESULTS (2017)
12. Best Lube Corrosion Test Time Lapse Video (2017)
13. Gun Lube Freeze Test Part 1 Ep 1601 (2016)
14. Gun Lube Freeze Test Part 2 Ep 1602 (2016)
15. Gun Care/Cleaning: Lubriplate SFL grease review (2015)
16. ASTM B117 Salt Spray Corrosion Test on 20 Metal Cleaning, Lubrication, and Protection Products (2015)
17. Effect of Relative Humidity on Corrosion of Steel under Sea Salt Aerosol Proxies: II. MgCl2, Artificial Seawater (2014)
18. How often should a CZ75 be cleaned? (2014)
19. Comprehensive Corrosion Test: 46 Products Compared (2014)
20. POUR POINT ASTM D97 (2014)
21. How to Oil and Lubricate Your Gun (and how NOT to) (2013)
22. Gun Lubricant Corrosion Test Part 3 of 3 (2013)
23. Gun Cleaning & Solvents (2013)
24. Plate of Truth - 2 Month Results (2013)
25. Mil-Comm vs Frog Lube (2012)
26. Plate of Truth - Lead Removal Testing (2011)
27. Flash Point Demonstration 1965 (2009)
28. Lubrication 101: Gun oil, snake oil, and how to tell the difference. (2006)
29. Corrosion Protection Products (2005)
30. MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET: BREAK-FREE CLP NC, Aerosol (2004)
31. Humidity and Dew Point: Their Effect on Corrosion and Coatings (2002)
32. A LABORATORY STUDY OF THE ATMOSPHERIC CORROSION OF METALS (1931)