Gator Weiss wrote:
...Many of us use alternatives to standard gun oils:...
Yes.
Needlessly so.
While there may be some exception, the manual for EVERY gun I have ever bought has said that it should be lubricated and protected from deterioration by a "high quality firearms oil".
In short, everyone seeking an alternative to a "standard gun oil" is violating the directions in the manual and potentially voiding their warranty.
STOP PLAYING GAMES WITH GUN MAINTENANCE. Follow the instructions given in the manual that accompanied your firearm. If you do, then 93 out of 100 times you will choose a "high quality firearms oil" (which, in other words is, 3 IN ONE oil or its private label equivalent).
As I have posted separately meany times before, I have the unique experience of having had to have left guns in a garage in Texas for 20+ years with nothing more than a good oiling with Sears Household Oil (plus grease on the top of the Mini-14's barrel under the handguard) and the guns suffered ZERO deterioration.
Other preservatives may equal that experience, but I doubt it did so for $0.12 per ounce.
There's no point in spending a lot of money on gun preservatives - unless, of course, you're trying to "one-up" your neighbor on how exotic your gun oil is and how much you're willing to pay for it.
But then, P.T. Barnum already addressed that mentality.