mobil 1 synthetic oil for pistol gun useage

[emmie]

I have read in many threads the use of Mobil 1 oil to lube guns. does this come in different weights? 10w/30 tec?? if so what weight is best for the lubeing of firearms?

thank you for your time----

emmie

 

[kir_kenix]

ive used automatic transmission fluid...but never synthetic oil. dont see what it would hurt besides smelling funny. i would think that a straight weight oil would be the way to go tho....but i really have no idea.

somebody here will know alot more about this then me. i would deff wait for one of their responses before going on what ive said. we have used 10/40 on our .50's over in the desert before tho.

 

[Sgt.Dusk]

Mobil 1 will work just fine, as will almost anything else.
Used motor or will do just fine too....but is not recommended.
Oils purpose is to form a protective layer on metal to shield it from corrosion.
Motor oils are made to maintain that layer even under mechanical stress and high pressure so I think that
in a gun that doesnt actually work with forces like that will be more than protected using motor oil.

 

[1 old 0311]

I have used 5w30 Mobil 1 for decades.

 

[schmeky]

Yes, I prefer the heavier oils since it tends to make the action on an auto "feel" smoother. Mobil 1 works great, highly recommended.

 

[Ala Dan]

Mobil 1

Good enough for the Corps, then its good enough for me~!

 

[possum]

neer used that but i do use lithium based grease that can be found at auto parts stores, as lube, there is no better that i have found.

 

[ATAShooter]

Mobil 1 makes a 0W that can be gotten at Wally. Never tried it in a handgun, but as a shotgun hinge lube, it ain't so good.

 

[Crimp]

I was reading somewhere recently about "Red Oil." It was supposedly used by the Army Marksmanship Unit at Ft. Benning. The formula was 1 qt 10w oil, 1 qt ATF and 1 can of STP.

 

[1911NM]

Afraid I have found it attracts more dust and powder residue than I like. Have gone through Mobil 1, Remoil, Millitech, white lithium on 1911 slide, and finally have settled on Weapon Shield. George Fennel who created FP-10, has formulated this one, and it's da bomb.

 

[strat81]

neer used that but i do use lithium based grease that can be found at auto parts stores, as lube, there is no better that i have found.

Another lithium grease user here. I originally bought it for my Garand, and I've used it on everything else since with no ill effects. Got a big tube of it for a few bucks, NAPA brand.

I'm not sold on its protection ability (is there any?), so everything gets a light coat of CLP and then some lithium grease in appropriate spots such as frame rails and camming surfaces.

 

[waterhouse]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=291494&highlight=lubrication+test

here is a thread from Gun Slinger which has some data on the subject. I use 10w40 and 15w50, no better reason than that they were easy to find. I use it on my ARs as well as 1911s. I haven't noticed any wear issues, and the guns seem pretty happy with it.

 

[nalioth]

I was reading somewhere recently about "Red Oil." It was supposedly used by the Army Marksmanship Unit at Ft. Benning. The formula was 1 qt 10w oil, 1 qt ATF and 1 can of STP.

Would you perhaps be thinking of Ed's Red? It's been around for decades.

 

[Rem700]

I have used Mobil 1 for quite awhile. I also tried the free sample of Weapons Shield I went back to the Mobile 1, The weapons shield I could actually notice the slide running slower and almost sticky on a Kimber. Who knows maybe I didnt apply the Weapons Shield properly.

 

[the naked prophet]

This is an excellent article about lubrication. It appears that motor oil has very poor protection qualities, not to mention it's somewhat toxic, and tends to oxidize fairly quickly in air (unless you clean your gun frequently, you'll have rancid gummy tar glued to your gun).

http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html

 

[PO2Hammer]

Don't like motor oil. Too messy/stinky.

Lithium on my Sigs' rails and rifle bolts. (painted on very lightly)

FP-10 everywhere else.

 

[-terry]

Is there something wrong with the oils specifically sold for firearm maintenance? Why the search to adapt something else from an unrelated industry?

 

[Soybomb]

Is there something wrong with the oils specifically sold for firearm maintenance?

They're pretty expensive, at least compared to a quart of mobil 1, especially when you consider that many of them aren't that great.

When my tube of grease runs out I plan to try some mobil1 grease or some plain old high temp moly grease. Most of my lubrication is actually grease and the oils are usually just used as a rust preventative, for that I'm happy with eezox.

 

[Blue Brick]

I use Molly lube.

 

[1911NM]

Rem100, go light with the Weapon Shield, and I notice from your sig. you are much farther north than I am. Temperature have something to do with it? I was having problems with shooting dirty powder last year, and other lubes gumming up, slowing the slide. Weapon Shield has done much better for me to get through a 200rd match, also shooting a Kimber with a very tight slide, also trading off some powder, and going mostly with Clays and W231

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I used it tonight. Works great and has lasted for years. One quart goes a long ways. The key thing to remember is it is not really a rust preventative oil.

 

[Crimp]

I was reading somewhere recently about "Red Oil." It was supposedly used by the Army Marksmanship Unit at Ft. Benning. The formula was 1 qt 10w oil, 1 qt ATF and 1 can of STP.

Would you perhaps be thinking of Ed's Red? It's been around for decades.
~nalioth

Nope. Not Ed's Red. That's a bore cleaner, not a lube.

 

[yakkingallover]

I use Mobil1 0-40 on the slide and other moving parts of my 1911. I apply it with a syringe and it runs like a dream. I use rem oil or somethingcomparable for rust prevention. I only use the actual gun oils for corrosion prevention because my 1911 is a WWII piece and is a thirsty gun, meaning if it isn't oiled regularly it will dry out and flash rust, but the Mobil1 stays put and the gun will still run just fine....

 

[stevereno1]

as long as it is "detergent" free. Any oil that has a detergent can cause corosion even on stainless steel. Detergent is a codeword for bleach. It is slick on metal, but corrodes as well (see stp additive or the old 80's style quaker state.)

 

[Gun Slinger]

Originally posted by stevereno1:

as long as it is "detergent" free. Any oil that has a detergent can cause corosion even on stainless steel. Detergent is a codeword for bleach. It is slick on metal, but corrodes as well (see stp additive or the old 80's style quaker state.)

This is absolutely untrue.

The detergents found in motor oils are typically alkaline (sulfonate) compounds and contain no bleach at all in their chemistry. In fact, they are formulated to be highly basic (high PH) and counteract any acidity (low PH) by their presence that will eventually occur due to the accumulation of combustion generated compounds ("blow-by") in the oil and are rated by their TBN (total base number) as to their ability to reduce the resultant acidity that eventually occurs due to the accumulation of combustion products in oil that react to form acidic/corrosive compounds.

Detergent is absolutely NOT a "codeword" for bleach or any chlorinated compounds that would play havoc with and corrode metallic surfaces. The sulfonates and other "detergent" compounds typically found in motor oils also serve as dispersive/suspension agents for sludge (sendiments) and combustion contaminants by holding them in suspension so that they cannot settle or accumulate and are carried away from the engines critical surfaces and deposited in the oil filter. Those particles that are too small to be caught and held by the oil filter remain in suspension thanks to the detergents present in the oil and are removed with the next oil (ex)change. Since they do not really 'clean' the engine, 'detergent' is a bit of a misnomer as its real purpose is to hold in suspension the contaminants that enter the oil through exposure to combustion gasses that amke their way into the manifold. In addition, unused motor oils are relatively innocuous and pose no real health threat or toxicity unless misused egregiously. Used motor oils, on the other hand, can and often do, contain measurable levels of some heavy/toxic metals (lead, especially when we had and used leaded fuel) and have very real carcinogenic potential and should be avoided at all costs.

STP Oil treatment doesn't have much, if any, detergency and is composed primarily of ZDDP (zinc dialkyl di-thiophosphate) which is used as an EP/AW (extreme pressure/anti wear) additive and also possesses some AOx (anti-oxidation) qualities as well. Polymer VM's (viscosity modifiers/improvers) compose the remaining balance of STP Oil Treatment for the most part.

ZDDP and Molybdenum Disulfide AW/EP additives, along with detergents that contribute to an oil's TBN are referred to as 'additive packages' and are commonly found in many motor oils including Mobil 1 synthetic and many other brands of motor oil. By the way, this is the very same "moly" that is used in some of the more popular 'gun specific' lubes and greases. Consultation of VOA's (Virgin Oil Analysis) confirms this and disproves the presence of 'bleach' as a constituent of motor oil formulation.

As a matter of fact, my favorite gun lube, Mobil 1 20w50 (VTWIN) synthetic contains very high levels of ZDDP and Molybdenum EP/AW additives and has an excellent TBN. It's base stock is a Group IV PAO (polyalphaolefin) as confirmed today with Mobil Corporate while on the phone with them regarding this very issue. Mobil 1 20w50, as an example, also has an excellent VI (viscosity index) with a very low pour point and very high extreme temperature tolerance and utility.

I don't care what you use, really I don't. Motor oil is not that far removed from the 'gun specific' lubricants since it uses the very same base stocks (PAO's) that many of the synthetic gun specific lubricants do.

Of course, YMMV!

GS