With low round counts like that, you're right, a couple oz will last a long time. For those of us who train and practice regularly with semi auto rifles and handguns in dirty conditions and in a variety of weather, 2 oz. doesn't last nearly as long.
Homemade Cleaning and Lubrication Formulas
- Thread starter DustyGmt
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The overwhelming majority of my shooting is done with revolvers, both centerfire and percussion. For the centerfires I have settled on tearing out leading with Chore Boy or 0000 steel wool, wiping off powder fouling with WD-40, and then drying with a paper towel. If the gun is to be stored I will give it a thin coat of RIG. I hardly ever shoot jacketed bullets so don't have much of an issue with copper fouling. Once a year the sideplate comes off, the innards get hosed down with WD-40 and then brake cleaner. Then a drop of oil (I hardly care what kind) is placed onto each pivot point and blown through the lockwork with compressed air.
This is been my method for the last couple of decades and I haven't yet found a reason to change.
This is been my method for the last couple of decades and I haven't yet found a reason to change.
I reload on a single stage press and live in Florida . I know my round count is low but my ammo is the way I like it. Very reliable and very accurate. I like to take my time with reloading and shooting. I no longer do any thing like mag dumps. I only SD train at the indoor range that I belong to climate controlled and filtered air. I don't hunt anymore and when I go to the outdoor ranges I belong to I usually only bench rest shoot. I stay away from dirt. I'm 67 so I no longer do vigorous training in all kinds of conditions .I did all that many years ago.With low round counts like that, you're right, a couple oz will last a long time. For those of us who train and practice regularly with semi auto rifles and handguns in dirty conditions and in a variety of weather, 2 oz. doesn't last nearly as long.
GHinNH
Member
WD40 is no longer what it was, hasn't been for at least 20 years. It is only a namesake now. Water Displacement, 40th formula, used to be a good solvent and highly flammable, leaving a thin protective coating after gassing off, developed for Convair to use on missiles.
I used it frequently as a starting fluid for small engines. I have a couple old cans with a few drops left in them, and I can guarantee you the new stuff is not even remotely the same. It's barely even flammable, whatever it is. I don't buy any WD corporation products anymore, they have all been dumbed down to appeal to the average consumer. I now have cans of specialized products in my garage, that actually work.
I have no doubt that if you could get the old formula, it would be an excellent all around cleaner, lube, protector.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40
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I've messed around with a number of cleaners, including various homebrews. I've found some that work really well, but none of them were homemade.
The spray version of Hoppes Elite Cleaner (not the foaming one) is a standout that is great for both bores and standard cleaning. It does a number on carbon and even works reasonably well as a copper solvent. The standard MPro7 cleaner is about the same.
BreakFree CLP is actually a pretty good cleaner but I don't like it because it makes such a mess. BreakFree used to make a clear "nitro solvent type" cleaner that was about the best carbon cleaner I ever tried.
Some of the foaming borecleaners are quite good while others are mostly useless. I didn't like the Hoppes Elite foaming cleaner at all. Outers makes a pretty good one as does BreakFree. I also like RemClean exclusively as a bore cleaner to get the last bit of stubborn fouling out of a bore when I want to clean all the way back to bare metal.
As far as lubricants go, they will almost all make the parts slick enough for the gun to work. Folks tend to focus on the lubrication aspect of oils and greases but I've found that pretty much all of them work fine. Where they differ is in corrosion protection. Also, smell, toxicity, compatibility with other products/plastics/metals, longevity, etc. I figure that since they all lubricate pretty well, it makes sense to pick based on the other factors. So I do.
I do have a homebrew lube I use, but it's nothing special. It's very fine powdered molybdenum mixed with a light oil until it forms a thin paste. It is easy to apply, stays where you put it, is super-slick for steel-to-steel contact and works just as well even after the oil dries out. It gets used in areas where there is sliding steel-to-steel contact that is especially likely to cause wear, or where it's important to have very low friction. It takes only a very tiny amount, usually precisely applied with a tiny flat-bit screwdriver. There is other stuff out there that will probably work as well, but I ended up with a lot of molybdenum powder a long time ago and so I keep using it.
The spray version of Hoppes Elite Cleaner (not the foaming one) is a standout that is great for both bores and standard cleaning. It does a number on carbon and even works reasonably well as a copper solvent. The standard MPro7 cleaner is about the same.
BreakFree CLP is actually a pretty good cleaner but I don't like it because it makes such a mess. BreakFree used to make a clear "nitro solvent type" cleaner that was about the best carbon cleaner I ever tried.
Some of the foaming borecleaners are quite good while others are mostly useless. I didn't like the Hoppes Elite foaming cleaner at all. Outers makes a pretty good one as does BreakFree. I also like RemClean exclusively as a bore cleaner to get the last bit of stubborn fouling out of a bore when I want to clean all the way back to bare metal.
As far as lubricants go, they will almost all make the parts slick enough for the gun to work. Folks tend to focus on the lubrication aspect of oils and greases but I've found that pretty much all of them work fine. Where they differ is in corrosion protection. Also, smell, toxicity, compatibility with other products/plastics/metals, longevity, etc. I figure that since they all lubricate pretty well, it makes sense to pick based on the other factors. So I do.
I do have a homebrew lube I use, but it's nothing special. It's very fine powdered molybdenum mixed with a light oil until it forms a thin paste. It is easy to apply, stays where you put it, is super-slick for steel-to-steel contact and works just as well even after the oil dries out. It gets used in areas where there is sliding steel-to-steel contact that is especially likely to cause wear, or where it's important to have very low friction. It takes only a very tiny amount, usually precisely applied with a tiny flat-bit screwdriver. There is other stuff out there that will probably work as well, but I ended up with a lot of molybdenum powder a long time ago and so I keep using it.
justlucky
Member
I am sure I can’t make anything better than is on the market today. But I did find the best lubricanting I have ever used. It is called, “Slick as Snot”. I fisrt bought it for my brother just because of the name.
We got a big kick out of the name. After we tried it and read up on it we went back to Rural King and bought what they had left. Really great stuff and it really is slick as snot.
We got a big kick out of the name. After we tried it and read up on it we went back to Rural King and bought what they had left. Really great stuff and it really is slick as snot.
Zerodefect
member
Love these threads. "Oil is too thin.''
"Grease is too thick.''
Hmmm. Whut to do? Wat to do?
"Grease is too thick.''
Hmmm. Whut to do? Wat to do?
J-Bar
Member
If the metal looks ok you are doing fine.
If the metal looks bad, do something different.
mokin
Member
I guess it's been about that long since I gave my engine a squirt to help it turn over. For that matter, it's been that long since I had a carborated engine.
I've toyed with the idea of mixing my own but the cost effectiveness and convenience of products already out there prevails.
rdnktrkr
Member
I use Rds Red in an ultrasonic cleaner, I remove wood grips on revolvers, semis get broken down and everything goes in then I run a brush and patches thru the bore, rifles get BCGs or bolts run thru the cleaner. I use 0w20 syn motor oil even though I doubt I'll ever be outside when its cold enough to stiffen up any motor oil
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I like Ballistol used with Windex for black powder days and Dawn and hot water when I get home. When a gun is new I clean them good and run patches of Motorkote thru the barrel during break in, they say it is supposed to improve muzzle velocity, (I know it reduces the transmission temperature and will make a 650hp cat idle smoother in big trucks).
I made up 2 spray bottles of ATF/Acetone and that works VERY good, find someone who can get hair salon/ barber supplies wholesale and a gallon of acetone is about $8
.I like Ballistol used with Windex for black powder days and Dawn and hot water when I get home. When a gun is new I clean them good and run patches of Motorkote thru the barrel during break in, they say it is supposed to improve muzzle velocity, (I know it reduces the transmission temperature and will make a 650hp cat idle smoother in big trucks).
I made up 2 spray bottles of ATF/Acetone and that works VERY good, find someone who can get hair salon/ barber supplies wholesale and a gallon of acetone is about $8
FL-NC
Member
I use whatever the cheapest motor oil is from auto zone for exterior metal. I think that the idea that engine ratings and name brands make a difference for gun lubrication is ridiculous. For moving parts in semi autos like bolt carrier groups in AR15's, I use white lithium grease from auto zone. I use carb cleaner to clean bores in "clunker" guns like my beater AR-15 and SKS, but for nicer guns I actually use MPRO-7 bore cleaner.
That just shows a lack of knowledge about the subject. There are various grades of greases. Some are free flowing. The same with oil. There are very light oils and oils so thick that they can slow down a slide.
Been using good old regular gun solvents and gun oils for 60 years. The kind you find in your LGS. Who I try to help stay in business. Not some huge conglomeration. Every thing has been fine. I see no sense in all this mixing and product searching.
A can of liquid wrench developed a puncture and all the pressurized gas leaked out. Instead of tossing it, I transferred what left to a bottle. I have been using the contents of that bottle for cleaning pistols. And I am surprised by how good liquid wrench is as a powder solvent.
I looked up the Liquid Wrench MSDS and it did not tell me much other than the composition is mostly light petroleum distillates. If you remember from chemistry class, "like dissolves like", gunpowder is an organic residue and liquid wrench is an organic liquid. I am certain that the light evaporative oils in liquid wrench make for a good gunpowder solvent. Probably will not dissolve primer residue, certain not a lead or copper remover, but I use a brush for lead and copper, and the primer residue gets mechanically wiped out at the same time.
At $10.00 a can, liquid wrench is about a third of Hoppes. Instead of tossing an old can, just use it as a powder solvent, wipe it out, and apply a clean preservative of your preference.
Old GM engine top cleaner was an effective bore cleaner, the old version is gone. But I believe other brands, for out board motors, etc, probably would remove gunpowder and copper.
I looked up the Liquid Wrench MSDS and it did not tell me much other than the composition is mostly light petroleum distillates. If you remember from chemistry class, "like dissolves like", gunpowder is an organic residue and liquid wrench is an organic liquid. I am certain that the light evaporative oils in liquid wrench make for a good gunpowder solvent. Probably will not dissolve primer residue, certain not a lead or copper remover, but I use a brush for lead and copper, and the primer residue gets mechanically wiped out at the same time.
At $10.00 a can, liquid wrench is about a third of Hoppes. Instead of tossing an old can, just use it as a powder solvent, wipe it out, and apply a clean preservative of your preference.
Old GM engine top cleaner was an effective bore cleaner, the old version is gone. But I believe other brands, for out board motors, etc, probably would remove gunpowder and copper.
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DustyGmt
Member
Not to be flip, but if you're buying 2oz of gun care products every 20+ years it's not all that hard to imagine why mixing your own would be of no interest to you.
For those of us who shoot alot and use a fair bit of product, this might be a more economically viable solution vs the store bought brands. Personally, I can afford to buy brand name cleaning supplies, as I'm sure most people can but I do think $20 for a 4oz bottle is kind of ridiculous. Besides that it's just an interesting subject.....
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DustyGmt
Member
Thanks, those are great links....
I generally clean indoors and prefer to use something with a pleasant or at least inoffensive smell for a routine job. Of late that's been G96 liquid or ClenzOil, the former of which I have found over the years to be a very good protectant.
For bores, WD-40 works, and Kroil works even better.
If I need a copper solvent, I've got Pro Shot IV.
If I need to reach for the can of non-chlorinated brake parts cleaner, there's one around.
For lubes, lately been using Mobil 1 5w30 from a little needle bottle and Lubriplate SFL-0 from a syringe.
A 1-oz milsurp bottle with G-96, a little tube of Super Lube Grease and the 1.5 oz. can of the Ballistol aerosol goes in the kits that travel in the range/clays/hunting bags. .
For what I've got in guns, ammo and related gear, the small amount of cash outlay to keep around what I like for clean/protect/lube products doesn't really bother me.
For bores, WD-40 works, and Kroil works even better.
If I need a copper solvent, I've got Pro Shot IV.
If I need to reach for the can of non-chlorinated brake parts cleaner, there's one around.
For lubes, lately been using Mobil 1 5w30 from a little needle bottle and Lubriplate SFL-0 from a syringe.
A 1-oz milsurp bottle with G-96, a little tube of Super Lube Grease and the 1.5 oz. can of the Ballistol aerosol goes in the kits that travel in the range/clays/hunting bags. .
For what I've got in guns, ammo and related gear, the small amount of cash outlay to keep around what I like for clean/protect/lube products doesn't really bother me.
I agree $20 for 2oz. is way too much. Fortunately wher I shop it cost nowhere that much
I agree $20 seems a bit steep for 4oz of gun oil. I don't shop at places that over charge like that. http://www.outers-guncare.com/products/chemicals/lubricants.aspx
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DustyGmt
Member
For anybody interested I just scored from amazon a 32oz bottle of Hoppes No.9 for $12.58. I'm pretty sure that's enough bore solvent for a lifetime at a great price. Hoping it's not a knock off....
It did say limited time offer so if you need some hurry....
It did say limited time offer so if you need some hurry....
Trashyshoots
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Marvels mystery oil for tighter guns
Royal purple for ars and aks
Royal purple for ars and aks
GHinNH
Member
I got one, real deal.
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DustyGmt
Member
I also picked up a 15oz tub of lubriplate SFL 0 for $23 from amazon too. Not sure if that is the going rate but I know I pay $10 for 1.5 oz of Slip 2000 grease....
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DustyGmt
Member
https://www.realgunreviews.com/whats-really-in-gun-cleaners-lube/
I just found this link too concerning the ingredients of alot of popular brands, it's interesting that companies that make products for automotive and maritime applications also make products for guns except the gun care products cost on average 10x more but list the same ingredients in the same percentages. Interesting article.
I just found this link too concerning the ingredients of alot of popular brands, it's interesting that companies that make products for automotive and maritime applications also make products for guns except the gun care products cost on average 10x more but list the same ingredients in the same percentages. Interesting article.
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Outlaw75
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It was originally developed at one of the US Arsenals, but the formula was lost. Ed Harris, not the actor, figured out what the formula was years later.
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