Gun Lube Opinion

[Scorpioj]

Has anyone ever used any Cherrybalmz Weapon Lube? It was recommened to me and would like any real world usage opionions?

 

[teratos]

Has anyone ever used any Cherrybalmz Weapon Lube? It was recommened to me and would like any real world usage opionions?

You can spend a ton on lube. You will find a lot of folks use Mobil 1 motor oil. Find School of the American Rifle (SOTAR) on YouTube. Great stuff there, and some videos on lube.

Don’t tell them I sent you.

 

[Virgil Co.C]

Not familiar with it. I use Lucas extreme duty gun oil.

 

[Scorpioj]

You can spend a ton on lube. You will find a lot of folks use Mobil 1 motor oil. Find School of the American Rifle (SOTAR) on YouTube. Great stuff there, and some videos on lube.

Don’t tell them I sent you.

Understood and i have. lol. This lube "seems" to be different as it a grease and not an oil. Read an article on ARBuildJunkie.com about this lube and looked at some of the info. The spiel on Tribology explaining the difference between sealed and unsealed systems lubrication was interesting. just curious as to whether anyone had any real world experience with this particular lube. I am thinking of giving it a try.

 

[holesonpaper]

I've never used CherryBalmz- but over the years, I've tried a number of - everything from Geissele Go-Juice, Mobile 1 - both grease and oil (as SOTAR recommends), Frog Lube, Hoppes, and probably a dozen or more others (grease and lubricant/oil)... They all do more or less the same thing and properly lubricated is the correct answer (in my opinion).

Give it a try - and if you like it, use it. Where I stand now, my goto is normally Mobile 1 grease and oil - initially recommended by SOTAR. They work plenty well for my needs, are inexpensive and commonly available.

 

[Ray Savage]

I always wonder why people try and rethink the wheel on gun oil and spend so much on it. I have been shooting competitions for 40 years and in this entire time have seen the light weight thin gun oils (no specific brand) prove themselves again and again. Most failures I have seen , come from people trying something other than gun oil or a real heavy weight oil. To clarify neglect is normally the biggest cause of failures with guns but I have seen many heavy oils gum up weapons causing them fail.

 

[clandestine]

Cherry Balmz works well, but I would advise you to use more than they recommend. I know the owner and he makes a good product.

Geissele very thin grease and go juice is another great choice.

Heavier viscosity (thicker) firearm lubricants are better for reliability in my experience. They stay put better than thin lubes when the weapon is not being fired (storage and daily carry/transport) and it also works better for a suppressed applications. They deal with contaminants and fouling better as well.

The only time thicker lubes can present a problem is if it gets too cold for the viscosity you are using.

Cold temps don't just shut down "thick" lubes like grease. It can shut down many thin "gun lubes" as well.

I see more issues with over cleaning and under lubrication.

In the end it really does not matter what lube you use as long as you understand these things:

1) Use enough of it.
2) Understand what temps the lube can be used at.
3) Be sure if you have to mix different lubes that they are compatible with one another.

 

[Scorpioj]

Cherry Balmz works well, but I would advise you to use more than they recommend. I know the owner and he makes a good product.

Geissele very thin grease and go juice is another great choice.

Heavier viscosity (thicker) firearm lubricants are better for reliability in my experience. They stay put better than thin lubes when the weapon is not being fired (storage and daily carry/transport) and it also works better for a suppressed applications. They deal with contaminants and fouling better as well.

The only time thicker lubes can present a problem is if it gets too cold for the viscosity you are using.

Cold temps don't just shut down "thick" lubes like grease. It can shut down many thin "gun lubes" as well.

I see more issues with over cleaning and under lubrication.

In the end it really does not matter what lube you use as long as you understand these things:

1) Use enough of it.
2) Understand what temps the lube can be used at.
3) Be sure if you have to mix different lubes that they are compatible with one another.

Thanks for your perspective. In what application woud you use differnet lubes on the same firearm? I've always used the same oil for all the action lube points on a gun action. Is that not how i should be doing it after cleaning? I only do tange shooting fo practcie and no competetive events. I do conceal carry so lube that stays put while moving and traveling is benefical.

 

[hobiecat590]

I used to use Miltec but found it got sticky w/ age and now use Ballistol for cleaning and lube and a dab of syn grease for slides/rails. Ballistol is non toxic and is good for wood, leather etc. also.

 

[308Scout]

I always lube both my .45acp and 9mm cartridges before a contest to see which is better.

 

[Stevie Boy]

Thanks for your perspective. In what application woud you use differnet lubes on the same firearm? I've always used the same oil for all the action lube points on a gun action. Is that not how i should be doing it after cleaning? I only do tange shooting fo practcie and no competetive events. I do conceal carry so lube that stays put while moving and traveling is benefical.

You can watch Clandestine's (School of the American Rifle) video linked above to see how he lubes an AR-15. The early part of the video discusses making his "homebrew" lube but halfway through or so, he shows how he lubes an AR-15 using his own lube.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Has anyone ever used any Cherrybalmz Weapon Lube? It was recommened to me and would like any real world usage opionions?

I use STP oil treatment. On polished parts, bolt weighs and trigger pins- parts what not it's slipperier than hell.
I have a trimmed up acid brush and very small tub with lid/hole cut in it that sort of removes the big globs of it when you scrape it against it.
Works good on bearing babbit material too for a pre lube on cam -engine bearings too.
Ill smear a little on op rod saddles, bolt cams-shrouds bolt noses on M1's and inside shotgun actions action bars or what ever needs it.
Works like a champ without a too much mess. Sometime to the point you cant hold on to things when you wind up with it on your hands working on things.

 

[csxt602]

I've been using Cherry Balmz for about a year on our AR's, and have nothing bad to say about it. When it's all gone (I got a crap-ton of it from a sale they wwre running), I'll probably switch over to Clandestine's SOTARacha, but the Cherry Balmz is GTG in my opinion.

 

[omegared24]

I used to use Miltec but found it got sticky w/ age and now use Ballistol for cleaning and lube and a dab of syn grease for slides/rails. Ballistol is non toxic and is good for wood, leather etc. also.

It doesn't matter if a lube is non toxic. Lube will get contaminated once you fire the gun.

 

[Bullfrog]

It doesn't matter if a lube is non toxic. Lube will get contaminated once you fire the gun.

Your statement assumes that a gun is only handled when it is fired, or about to be fired. That isn't necessarily so.

A carry weapon will be touched at least a couple of times per day (putting on, taking off), probably more, without being fired. It should stay holstered, but lube migrates, so there will eventually be some at the muzzle and near the grip area. The wearer may be eating frequently after putting it on/taking it off, so constant exposure to a toxic vs non toxic lube might be a serious consideration.

Consider a police officer who eats while on duty and carries a firearm every work day through a 20+ year career.

 

[omegared24]

Your statement assumes that a gun is only handled when it is fired, or about to be fired. That isn't necessarily so.

A carry weapon will be touched at least a couple of times per day (putting on, taking off), probably more, without being fired. It should stay holstered, but lube migrates, so there will eventually be some at the muzzle and near the grip area. The wearer may be eating frequently after putting it on/taking it off, so constant exposure to a toxic vs non toxic lube might be a serious consideration.

Consider a police officer who eats while on duty and carries a firearm every work day through a 20+ year career.

So based on your comment I assume you're sanitizing the firearm after shooting. Then you lube with non toxic lube. Does that sound realistic to you?

The point is this, you shouldn't be handling your firearm throughout the day. Wash your hands before you eat. I'd be more worried about touching door handles with feces and urine than some "toxic" lube.

 

[Johnny5k]

I use CherryBalmz on all my firearms. I have over 8k rounds through my pistol, much of that doing training in the desert with zero cleaning, and only occasional wipe down and re-lube.

I have about 5k through my main AR, with most recently a three day class, (1200 rnds) that I shot with dirty steel case Tula.

Have had less than 5 malfunctions total between them both, and I can't remember having any that were not ammo induced.

After the steel, I did clean the AR. I put the whole BCG in an ultrasonic, which worked very well, except that the ultrasonic didnt get after the CherryBalmz like Id hoped. I think I could have ran it through 3 cycles of ultrasonic, and put it back together and there would still have been enough lube to run just fine. Wiping off the grease then putting it in the cleaner left it spotless.

In my experience it does everything they say it does. It stays put, lubricates very well, prevents ingress of contamination, and has a pleasant smell.

It is pricey, but I very much like the cherry balmz. Wait for a sale and stock up.

The bottles are small, but they last a good while. I'm running low, but thats because I usually give a bottle to each of my 2a friends. I use their bolt balm on bolt guns, and their rimfire lube on the rimfires. The only one I dont like is the field balm. It always seems a bit separated when you try to use it.

 

[Bullfrog]

So based on your comment I assume you're sanitizing the firearm after shooting. Then you lube with non toxic lube.

I don't bother wearing gloves when I change my dirty motor oil either, so no. I'm past the mid point of life so I'm sure I'll die of something else before motor oil or gun lube toxicity. Someone less than half my age that will be wearing a firearm for the next 1/3 of their lifetime may have a different outlook.

The point is this, you shouldn't be handling your firearm throughout the day. Wash your hands before you eat. I'd be more worried about touching door handles with feces and urine than some "toxic" lube.

Do you have feces in a holster strapped to your belt? It isn't even remotely comparable.

When you touch the firearm to holster it, you'll also touch the outside of the holster, your duty belt, any other items on your duty belt, your clothes. Unless you clean and holster your weapon while wearing hazmat gear, you are going to get traces on your hands after washing them, from re-touching things you touched before.

The amount will be minimal, but again we're talking about daily contact with miniscule amounts, over a long time, every single day.

People stress over far more trivial things than that in their environment all the time.

 

[dannyp]

I use STP oil treatment. On polished parts, bolt weighs and trigger pins- parts what not it's slipperier than hell.
I have a trimmed up acid brush and very small tub with lid/hole cut in it that sort of removes the big globs of it when you scrape it against it.
Works good on bearing babbit material too for a pre lube on cam -engine bearings too.
Ill smear a little on op rod saddles, bolt cams-shrouds bolt noses on M1's and inside shotgun actions action bars or what ever needs it.
Works like a champ without a too much mess. Sometime to the point you cant hold on to things when you wind up with it on your hands working on things.

that's a blast from the past , haven't thought about stp in like 20 to 25 years , used to use it all the time assembling drag car motors.

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

I use Slip2000