Grease gun question

[Wayne M.]

Anybody else have wars with their grease guns? I've had issues since the '60's. Either they are one squirt from empty, have an air pocket, or leaking oil and grease out of the back. I end up with more grease on me, the floor, or the bench than I use on the fittings. The grease cartridges don't fit so usually I need to load the gun with a putty knife. Does anyone know of a brand or grease gun that actually works, loads easily, and is not a PITA to use?

Could be operator trouble.

Guess I was sleeping in this one.
Single best thing I've found, when loading, is to loosen the tube a turn then let the piston go. Then roll the tube in its threads a few times to bleed the air out, then sock it up. I think this works better than a bleeder if there is one. Another thing is, when it's open for loading, take the back of the tube off and clean out any grease that may have gotten past the piston. To pull the piston back, I hook the gun/ handle in a open vise.
The tip is way more important than the gun itself regarding quality. I made myself a custom long Parker -2 hose to ease up on the clumsiness.
Regarding grease, I use anything quality. Store bought? usually the red tacky stuff.
If it falls off the truck, Lubriplate or Mobil.