Chainsaw Chain And Sprocket Lube

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Extremely sticky and viscous. It holds residue to it causing a buildup of debris. I had a oil cap loosen and it permanently stained my Levi overalls.

There seems to be an idea that a firearm needs some kind of superlube "because gunpowder" but the reality it that a very light oiling and wipedown is all that most makers and the DOD recommend. Unlike the crankcase of an engine with a shaft spinning over 6,000 rpm on a layer of oil in the bearings, a firearm rarely sees 600 rounds per minute and the basic load of an Infantryman is half that.

Clean it, oil it, wipe it down. It doesn't need to be runny drippy wet and thick viscous oils and greases are a problem all by themselves. Guns are designed with enough space between parts that they function dirty. In the military they have to.
 
Never heard of chainsaw lube on a gun, but I am sure it has been used.

Bicycle chain lube, the high priced spread for your Porsche Design carbon fibre bike, has a following among shooters.
 
All that is needed to lube firearms is ANY light machine oil. Sewing machine oil, light weight motor oil, 3 in one oil is all you need. There are no harsh operating conditions in a firearm (OK, maybe in a machine gun but not in a manual or semiauto firearm) I am a retired smith and I switched to Dexron ATF many years ago because it's cheap, available almost anywhere and it works. The important thing to remember is to make sure there is lube in place and replace it when it's gone.
 
I use white lithium grease (sparingly) from auto zone. It doesn't evaporate or fling out of the gun when firing.
 
Haven't and wouldn't. Better options. I don't use old motor oil for chain/sprocket lube either.
 
Interesting. In a pinch I would try anything.

Excluding environmental considerations (dusty, muddy, etc...) it seems like those firearms that use a "dob" of grease might be a candidate. For instance the rotating bolt in a Mini-14, M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, etc. If it is a cost consideration I am not sure that my jug of chain oil for my Stihl is more cost effective than my little 1lb tub of Mobile 1 Red Synthetic grease.
 
Tirod said:
Extremely sticky and viscous. It holds residue to it causing a buildup of debris. I had a oil cap loosen and it permanently stained my Levi overalls.

There seems to be an idea that a firearm needs some kind of superlube "because gunpowder" but the reality it that a very light oiling and wipedown is all that most makers and the DOD recommend. Unlike the crankcase of an engine with a shaft spinning over 6,000 rpm on a layer of oil in the bearings, a firearm rarely sees 600 rounds per minute and the basic load of an Infantryman is half that.

Clean it, oil it, wipe it down. It doesn't need to be runny drippy wet and thick viscous oils and greases are a problem all by themselves. Guns are designed with enough space between parts that they function dirty. In the military they have to.
Click to expand...
the stickiness is what I was wondering about. I figured that would keep the oil where I want it, but was concerned about it also holding dirt.

Thanks
 
In 1979, I bought six 4 ounce cans of Sears Roebuck & Co., Household Oil and stuck them in my gun supply cabinet. They still have the 49 cent price sticker on them. It is all I have ever used on a collection that started out with four guns and has grown to eleven. I'm down to my next to the last can so you can see how sparingly it is used, but other than a tiny spot of rust on my grandmother's Smith & Wesson .38 Special that was already there when I inherited it, that level of oiling has been sufficient to protect all of my guns for nearly four decades.
 
As others have said, small arms are not an especially demanding environment for lubricants. Currently, I'm using white lithium grease on the rails/sliding surfaces of guns I shoot a lot. Everything else just gets 30 weight motor oil. Both of these seem to work very well even when completely blackened with soot and other gunk.
 
My experience has been that oil or grease will pick up the grit from fouling equally - it has nothing to do with how "sticky" the lube is. At least with oil it can get moved out of the way by the action more easily. When your lube becomes filled with grit it essentially becomes lapping compound and needs to be removed and replaced. Every time the gun cycles with that grit in there you will be getting abnormal wear. I find that oil is much easier to remove and replace.
 
Considering the vast array of gun specific lubricants on the market, never mind good ol' milspec gun oil and grease, why on earth would you even consider using something like chainsaw oil? It's not like lubricating any handgun or long gun requires so much lubricant that volume cost is an issue, never mind whether or not these "alternative lubricants" have the correct viscosity and lubricating properties. My son and I shoot a couple of action pistol or 3 gun matches a month in addition to regular range trips and I'm still using the same bottles of MPro-7 LPX and Wilson oil and grease that I bought several years ago. I've never understood people using engine oil, sewing machine oil, vegetable, oil, lard, and whatever else to lube their guns. I guess I can add "bar and chain oil" to that list now.:rolleyes:
 
With the summer heat down here in Texas a lot of folks will switch from an oil to a grease, especially on the slide rails.

I have seen folks using the "chainsaw grease", especially in USPSA type environments where it is 100 degrees outside, you are shooting fast with long field courses and high round counts, and as the guns heat up sometimes it doesn't matter if you use oil or grease because the grease will turn to oil anyway :).
 
Chainsaw bar oil is whatever comes through the pipeline that's in the transition zone. Add a tackifier and you have bar lube. So you really don't know what's in the oil.
 
I'm in crazy town, I use gun oil on my guns. I use bar and chain oil on my chainsaw, transmission fluid in my transmission, and motor oil in my car engines.

I know it sounds crazy but it works. ;)
 
Hey I got a great idea....

My Golden Retriever has allergies and he donates slimy green snot to me all the time. :eek:

Maybe I should try using that to lube my expensive treasures. :neener:

Anybody else doing it? :rolleyes:
 
DeepSouth said:
I'm in crazy town, I use gun oil on my guns. I use bar and chain oil on my chainsaw, transmission fluid in my transmission, and motor oil in my car engines.

I know it sounds crazy but it works. ;)
Click to expand...

I may have to give that a try. First I've heard of it... :)
 
Drail said:
When your lube becomes filled with grit it essentially becomes lapping compound and needs to be removed and replaced.
Click to expand...

Doesn't that depend on what the "grit" is made of? Certainly "grit" made of minerals like sand would have a lapping effect. Is "grit" made of gunpowder residue sufficiently hard to scratch/abrade steel components?
 
Do you have a source or empirical basis for that position? Just a question, not an argument.
 
No wonder gun manufacturers rend their garments, grind their teeth and drink to much.
 
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