Lubricants are a necessary addition to every airsoft player’s kit, as, without them, the airsoft guns wouldn’t work for long. Lubricants directly impact how airsoft guns work and their lifespan, so a well-lubricated replica will always endure longer than the poor-cared one and may have a better performance like higher FPS.
In this article, I’ll explain a few important tips about lubrication and give you a few proven recommendations that you can use because taking care of your airsoft gun is super important if you want it to last.
We use two types of lubricants: the low and high-viscosity ones or, in other words, silicone oil and grease. So, ideally, you’ll need both in the stash as not all airsoft gun parts are the same and require different lubrication.
When should you use silicone oil for your airsoft gun?
You should use low-viscosity lubricants such as silicone oil more often than high-viscosity lubricants such as grease.
Use silicone oil to ensure the Cylinder head, Piston head, O-rings and magazine valves (gas guns only) are constantly lubricated, as it’s essential for a healthy airsoft gun which performs at the peak of its capability.
Green gas and Co2 guns
There’s a difference between gas magazines, so mags that use green gas don’t need to be additionally lubricated as green gas naturally also contains silicone oil for lubrication purposes. However, it would help if you regularly kept the O-rings lubricated on Co2 mags by tapping some silicone oil into them.
WD-40 Silicone Lubricant (Recommended option)
Standard WD40 contains petroleum which can damage the airsoft gun’s plastic and rubber parts, which is not recommended for maintenance and lubrication purposes.
However, there are multiple WD40 products on the market, and some are actually wonderful! The beauty of WD40 products is their compact design, as they can be sprayed directly, or you can use an attached straw to reach otherwise hardly reachable parts.
For instance, this WD-40 Silicone lubricant is among the best silicone lubricants on the market. It’s safe for use on rubber and plastics, lubricates non-metal and metal surfaces and quickly dries, ensuring no mess.
If you need a silicone-based lubricant to use on valves, o-rings and other parts of the gun safely without worrying about damaging a hop-up rubber, this WD40 is the correct choice. Moreover, you can use it to clean the dirt and dust off and add to the waterproof ability of your gun on high-humidity days.
Silicone oils are considered a general, all-around lubrication for airsoft guns, but it doesn’t make them ideal for literally every case. For instance, grease will be better for gearbox and metal parts under constant collision, but silicone oil is useful for keeping the o-rings oiled and is easier on plastic components.
Why do you need grease for your airsoft gun?
The gearbox needs grease, and you can’t use silicone oil because it’s a low viscosity, dries out quickly and won’t stick to the fast-moving parts.
Grease is high in viscosity and will properly stick around gears and remain there for a pretty long time. This is the reason why you don’t need to apply grease very often but only once a year unless you play airsoft with the particular gun every weekend.
A rule to follow is : Use grease instead of low-viscosity silicone oil in gearbox or any metal part that often collides with another metal part and thus creates friction which leads to a wear down.
So, grease is superior in hardcore lubrication compared to oils, as grease sticks and remains for a long time before it dries out. You should use greases such as lithium or moly on gears, cut-off levers and metal sliding parts of blowback guns.
Best grease for airsoft gearbox
Let’s see what grease is recommended for your airsoft gearbox and other metal parts. I found some greases on Amazon that got great reviews, and frankly, you don’t need to spend much to find a decent grease that will do the job. Expensive stuff may matter more for complex machines that generate high temperatures and force, but airsoft guns are not nearly as complex.
Thus, I could recommend something like White Lithium Grease you can find on Amazon, as it’s ideal for airsoft guns and the price is not absurdly high.
This White Lithium Grease has the perfect combination of temperature tolerance, longevity and stickiness and will ensure all metal parts remain healthy so the gun doesn’t decline over time.
How good is lithium grease compared to moly?
Lithium and moly grease is used for lubrication in airsoft, yet there are a few technical differences that won’t make a big difference in our case. Moly is more hardcore grease; it lasts longer, it’s thicker and has better temperature tolerance, so it’s usually used on complex machines in industries outside of airsoft, yet moly is an excellent choice for airsoft guns. Similarly, lithium grease will do the same job in airsoft; the difference, such as lower temperature tolerance and lesser lifespan under chaotic conditions, doesn’t play a big role.
I don’t think you can go wrong, whether you go for moly or lithium grease, as both greases will do the job for what the gearbox needs. Apply the grease once in a while to the gears and sliding metal parts, and that’s it; your gun will love it.
Remember that grease shouldn’t be applied to plastics and rubbers, as petroleum can damage them.
Don’t use petroleum based products on plastics as they can hurt some non-metal airsoft gun parts such as hop up rubber!