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By Duane ThomasGrand Master shooter Brian Enos is now selling

a very interesting gun lubricant called Slide-Glide.This product exists because Brian has a friend of20-plus years named Keith Lewis who just happensto be a retired engine development engineer at theGM Proving Grounds…and an avid shooter. Enosdescribes Lewis as, “real intelligent, super-meticu-lous, just a no-BS engineer kind of mentality.” Lewisstudied experimental and applied tribology, whichis the science of lubrication, friction and wearthrough the University ofMichigan. When Briantold his old friend he wastrying to develop his ownfirearms lubricantbecause he wasn’t happywith what was already onthe market, Lewis toldhim, “You know, it mightwork a lot better if youjust told me what effectsyou want, and then let medo it for you.”

The first thing younotice about Slide-Glide is its color and consisten-cy: red and thick. Slide-Glide is red, according toLewis, “Basically because I liked the color. Severalof the compounds I was already using had a redtint, so it was really easy to pump that up to brightred. The red dye in Slide-Glide is the same stuffthat’s used in automatic transmission fluid, whichhas a couple of characteristics I liked. (1) It’s non-staining; (2) typical clothing cleaning products willtake it out.” This means you don’t have to worryabout Slide-Glide giving you indelible “shooter’sink” stains if you get some on your clothes.

Lewis describes Slide-Glide as “a dual soap-based grease blend, with some base petroleum oilsand proprietary extreme pressure compounds, typi-cally referred to as EP additives, which boosts theability of the oils in the grease to withstand extremepressures. If this proprietary compound were avail-able on the market, it would sell for about $150 agallon. I haven’t found anything that can surpass itfor pressure characteristics. It gives the grease avery stringy, tenacious character that really makes itstay where you put it.”

You know how, after you’ve lubed a gun withstandard oil or grease, a few hundred rounds lateryou can take the gun apart and see the wear on themoving parts because the lubricant just doesn’t stayput? It pushes out into the grooves and recesses ofthe gun, and you have to clean and re-lube fre-quently. Slide-Glide doesn’t do that; its “stringy”characteristic just pulls it back into place, even onsliding surfaces in contact with each other, insteadof being forced away. Therefore it never stops lubri-cating, never stops working.

Two versions of Slide-Glide are available fromDillon Precision: Slide-Glide Standard is for gen-eral use, in decently warm weather (60-plus

degrees Fahrenheit), for semi-automatic, center-fire weapons. Slide-Glide Lite is a thinner viscosi-ty, and is appropriate for lower temperatures (30-plus degrees) in shotguns, bolt and lever actionrifles, carry guns, or any sort of semi-automaticthat doesn’t generate much in the way of slidevelocity like compguns or .22s.

Years ago, early on in testing this product formy own use, I decided to put a couple thousandrounds through a Slide-Glided 1911. Accordingly, Icleaned my Wilson .45 and lubed with Slide-Glide

Standard. Actually, by thetime I was through, I’dfired almost 5,000 roundsof lead-bullet handloadswithout cleaning andwithout malfunctions.Now, I have to say thatpart of that had to dowith the fact that I wasfiring Laser-Cast bullets,which are harder than thehinges of Hell, and Tite-group powder which Ifound very clean burning,

but a lot of it was the Slide-Glide which simplydoesn’t, when mixed with powder fouling, formthat sticky crud we’re so used to seeing with con-ventional lubricants. Really the only reason I even-tually broke down and cleaned the gun wasbecause I had it apart to replace the recoil spring,and I said to myself, “Okay, as long as it’s apartanyway….” But the point is I didn’t NEED to cleanit; the slide action was still smooth.

Slide-Glide seems to have a real cushioningeffect on the recoil stroke. It feels like, at the end ofits travel, the slide hits “stringy” Slide-Glide insteadof metal-to-metal. Shortly after I first Slide-Glidedmy 1911, an experienced gunman, when cycling itsslide, said to me, “I’ve never felt a gun this smoothbefore.” Enos says he’s gotten the same reactionmany times from people who handle his guns, part-ly because, “I’m not afraid to fill ’er up.” He uses alot more Slide-Glide than most people. With stan-dard lubricants we’re sternly warned against usingtoo much lube because it’ll leak out, and intoplaces it shouldn’t be. Slide-Glide stays in place, soyou can apply much more lube, and thus get themaximum benefit from its cushioning effect.

Slide-Glide is available from Dillon in 15-milli-liter (aka 1/2 ounce) tubes with a narrow nozzle toapply lube even in tight nooks and crannies. Areasto coat with Slide-Glide would be everything in thegun’s top end – barrel bushing, the barrel where itrides the bushing, the top barrel lugs and the corre-sponding lugs in the interior of the slide. Enos sayshe gets especially good effect from coating therecoil spring, guide rod, and the interior of therecoil spring plug. Also slide and frame rails receivea generous coating of Slide-Glide. This has been myown primary gun lubricant for years, and I can’t sayenough good things about it.

Brian Enos’ Slide-Glide

Standard G38-15571 $7.95Lite G38-15572 7.95

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