Grease on a Barrel? What!?

So today I was out and about looking for lubricant for my airsoft gun. I know that fox has silicon oil but being the cheap and fashionably late person i am, they were closed. So instead of waiting a day, I made my way to the nearest auto parts store and picked up what I thought and had heard was a good lubricant. However my Lubricant turned out to be white lithium grease, and being the simple minded simian I am, I made the purchase before I realized that grease isnt supposed to work on barrels, only gearboxes. Frustrated that my impatience had not paid off, I decided to get my monies worth of my product and used it for my intended purchase. I soaked a paper towel in the stuff and removed excess grease of and slipped it down the barrel in an experimental fashion. To complete the action I threw on my labcoat and took my poor choice of lubricated gun to the range (my backyard). I must reiterate that the amount of grease used was very very VERY small as large amounts have a jamming effect. Anyways as I put multiple rounds through my gun I experienced no such jams as my gun had when it needed lubricant. My question is that could this be a short term thing or have I found a (very poor choice for a lubricant that I used anyway because I am an impatient person that cannot wait a few hours yet..) new way to lube my gun that should be used sparingly. I know that grease should never be used to lube a barrel but is it in tiny amounts a possible replacement?

White lithium grease has some good points and bad points.

Good: Durable, works well in very hot and very cold environments. I personally use it to lubricate my Glocks and M4's. I also use this for greasing my airsoft gear boxes.

Bad: Breaks down extremely fast when exposed to degreaser (good for gun cleaning). It also has a tendency to grab sand and dirt particles like a magnet. If any of that gets stuck to the grease, a BB passing through the barrel is going to scratch it, so be careful. Even in small amounts it does this. Does a marvelous job of grabbing the carbon from discharging a firearm, but tolerances are much looser in the moving parts of guns, than the typical .03mm tolerance of a BB passing through a barrel.

Personally I love white lithium, but you must be careful how and where you use it. In firearms its great unless you are in Iraq, or similar sandy area. Generally for airsoft its best in a sealed environment, or an area less likely to be exposed to dust and dirt.

So you're saying that unless the op area has no dust, I shouldn't use it?. I probably will invest in silicon oil anyway but.... train of thought derailment....

Delta366 wrote:So you're saying that unless the op area has no dust, I shouldn't use it?. I probably will invest in silicon oil anyway but.... train of thought derailment....

Inside the barrel it's a bad idea because of how tight the tolerances are.

Airsoft BB's are 5.98mm. Barrels are typically 6.01 to 6.04mm. This allows a .03 to .06mm tolerance.

An extremely fine grain of sand is .06mm and sand can be as big as 2mm. As a BB would not freely clear this, it would likely scratch the interior of the barrel as the BB is passing through at 300+FPS

In the gear box you're fine.

Alright, well as unfortunate as my decision making is, I will be either borrowing or buying silicon oil soon.

Delta366 wrote:Alright, well as unfortunate as my decision making is, I will be either borrowing or buying silicon oil soon.

Silicone oil is safe for rubber and plastic as it will not degrade them.

An alternative lube you could use for the interior of your barrel is Rem Oil with Teflon Lubricant (sold in sporting goods by the gun stuff at Wal-Mart). Some petroleum based products are not safe for certain rubberized components, but if you are just using it for the interior of your barrel you are safe.

Yeah I was originally in the market for a cheaper, and larger amount for my money replacement for the lubing of my inner barrel.