suggestions for new cleaning/lubricating products?

[Warp]

I use and like Slip 2000 EWL for lube on most of my firearms.

Hoppes Elite (spray, not the smelly overly toxic hoppes 9) for most cleaning.

FrogLube paste possibly transitioning to FireClean on ARs

As far as the smell of motor oil, you subject yourself to much worse at a campfire.

No I don't.

 

[oneounceload]

hmm, some of you talking about ed's red, ATF, and motor oil have me considering mixing up my own batch of something like ed's red or bug juice to try out for a lubricant.. im looking for something that can be rubbed or sprayed on and really protect the metal from corrosion

WD40 has shone brightly in anti corrosion tests, as has Boeshield, developed by Boeing

 

[ohbythebay]

The PTFE and Tetra sound interesting

But have no cleaning properties.

I like the idea of the PTFE though ..basically, Teflon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytetrafluoroethylene

 

[Warp]

WD40 has shone brightly in anti corrosion tests, as has Boeshield, developed by Boeing

Too bad WD40 isn't much of a lubricant, really

 

[texasgun]

CLP to lube my AR
RemOil to lube my handguns

CLP or Hoppes to clean

Really - any gun oil / gun cleaner will do.
Guns are fairly simply in terms of lubrication needs and not anything like car engines running at high rpms or machines....

A few drops of a gun oil and you're good to go. Don't waste your money on "invented by Navy Seal" or whatever "high end" gun oils there might be out there.....

 

[Warp]

Guns are fairly simply in terms of lubrication needs and not anything like car engines running at high rpms or machines....

I should hope not, I'd hate to have to spend the same kind of money on gun lube as I do on oil/filters for the cars!

 

[hso]

Good old WD40 is not, nor has it ever been, a lubricant.

The best anti corrosion product that isn't wax is the Specialist Long Term Corrosion Inhibitor Spray from...WD40.

Our own DIY _guy ran a real world test for lubricant and corrosion blockers and provided the answers to the questions. Frog Lube was about the best lubricant and Specialist Long Term Corrosion Inhibitor was the winner against rust. We stickied it for everyone in Shooting Gear.

 

[justin22885]

well i must commend diy guy for his brutally scientific, unbiased test of these products, interesting.. wish there were a few more products on the list like the diy stuff like ed's red and bug juice.. but im surprised the birchwood casey product scored as well as it did..

this isnt the birchwood barricade stuff, and it wasnt in the list but has anyone tried this stuff? http://www.midwayusa.com/product/65...tic-gun-oil-45-oz-liquid?cm_vc=ProductFinding

anyway.. considering the cost of frog lube and the cost of wd-40 specialist and how closely the two compared in all tests.. i think i'll be using WD-40 specialist for general cleaning, and protection.. not sure how well it lubricates after it dries though

 

[ku4hx]

Hoppe's #9 for powder residue, a little Remoil on tiny parts bearing surfaces, Sheath (aka Barracade) on other surfaces followed by Mobile 1 on slide rails, barrel and other "heavy wear" lube-needing areas.

Stainless steel semi autos get Rig +P on the rail mating surfaces.

Wipe all guns down (regardless of finish) with a rag that has a mix of all the above (plus a modicum of WD-40) before going in the safe.

 

[ohbythebay]

Just an FYI

DIY did an awesome job ..I wanted to point out, the WD40 that scored so well is WD 40 specialist, not the regular WD40. I did but some too and have been experimenting with it. It does act as a cleaner and lube but not as good a cleaner as FrogLube.

 

[Schwing]

I have used eds red for a couple of years now and won't go back to any of the high priced stuff any time soon. I suspect most shooters probably already have some or all of the ingredients on hand. If not, for roughly $40, you can buy enough ATF, Kerosine, mineral spirits and acetone to mix 4 gallons of the stuff.

I have been through just about every cleaner and lube out there. My experience has been that, at least for regular cleaning and lubing, nearly all of them work pretty well. I can't speak to the best lubes for long term storage since I don't own a single firearm that doesn't see the range at least a few times per year.

 

[ohbythebay]

Schwing brings up something interesting

In my case, I could probably use anything. Why ? I go to the range weekly, I clean my guns after every trip. What level of LONG protecting would I need? They are never in the elements so its pretty moot.

I like what I like because it works well, but truly in my case, I could use any cleaner and protectant because the guns never stay dirty.

 

[Warp]

In my case, I could probably use anything. Why ? I go to the range weekly, I clean my guns after every trip. What level of LONG protecting would I need? They are never in the elements so its pretty moot.

I like what I like because it works well, but truly in my case, I could use any cleaner and protectant because the guns never stay dirty.

That is an interesting combination. I take it you shoot indoors exclusively, and only have a handful of firearms?

 

[ohbythebay]

Warp..yes

I go weekly and shoot 1 rifle and 3 or 4 handguns ( I own a Marlin 60 .22 and an S&W M&P 15 .556)...The handguns are all 9mm.

I don't have to clean each time. I like to. And yes, thus far I shoot exclusively indoors.

I average 100 rounds on the rifles and about 60 - 80 rounds each on the handguns. YES, I use a lot of ammo...LOL

So based on that, cleaning is more of a "cathartic" exercise and a nagging from serious military guys who keep their firearms scrupulously clean. I don't shoot like they do, I know, but its a good habit I think.

 

[Warp]

I go weekly and shoot 1 rifle and 3 or 4 handguns ( I own a Marlin 60 .22 and an S&W M&P 15 .556)...The handguns are all 9mm.

I don't have to clean each time. I like to. And yes, thus far I shoot exclusively indoors.

I average 100 rounds on the rifles and about 60 - 80 rounds each on the handguns. YES, I use a lot of ammo...LOL

So based on that, cleaning is more of a "cathartic" exercise and a nagging from serious military guys who keep their firearms scrupulously clean. I don't shoot like they do, I know, but its a good habit I think.

I'm a bit envious of the ability to take the time (and ammo) to shoot every week. That's great.

Don't worry about scrupulously clean, it isn't needed. But then again if you know what you are doing it doesn't hurt anything either, and if you enjoy it, why not?

And you're right, I doubt you'd have any real corrosion concerns if they only go a week, or two or three, between cleaning/any kind of lube, always being indoors.

 

[justin22885]

well, looking at the ed's red and how less expensive chemicals like the wd-40 and other rust inhibitors and what not work.. i'm actually considering buying some of the basic chemicals used for lubricating, cleaning, and protecting metals and maybe develop my own cocktail that works and also try out ed's red too and see how tweaking different quantities of different chemicals changes its properties relative to ed's red

i think a light weight motor oil like 0w-20 or 5w-20 mixed with a corrosion inhibiting additive would work well for a general purpose lubricant/protector while chemicals like acetone, mineral spirits, or kerosene make good solvents for cleaning.. i may work up a general purpose solvent cocktail for cleaning lead, carbon, copper, and plastic fowling while using the light weight oil mixed with STP or other corrosion inhibitors as a corrosion preventing lubricating oil and when i have each component fine tuned where i like them, maybe even mix my new solvent/lubricants for my own CLP

what this means now is i'll be doing some of my own unbiased tests on how each chemical performs on various cleaning or lubricating tasks, take up a crash course in chemistry circulating solvents and lubricants and see what i can come up with.. i like experimenting with just about anything, this could be an entertaining endeavor.. i will focus on common, inexpensive, easy to find chemicals to keep the costs low and the recipe simple

___

until then ill probably just use hoppes #9 solvent for cleaning and oil for lubricating and protecting, or try out the birchwood casey product i posted above, i've used their bluing products and stock finishing supplies in the past and found them to make a quality product..

my concerns with wd-40 specialist is how well does it lubricate after its dried?

another question i have.. is hoppes #9 boresnake gun oil a CLP/3-in-1 kind of cleaner/lubricator or is it just oil requiring a separate cleaner likes hoppes other products?.. i have a two sided metal can that came when i bought my mosin nagant to store a separate cleaner and solvent in each side

 

[ulflyer]

Take a look at G96 products. Outstanding stuff.

 

[ku4hx]

I'm a bit envious of the ability to take the time (and ammo) to shoot every week.

People often ask us what we do all day now that we're retired; many of them have no concept of what to do with 100% free time. I feel sorry for them; they're job is their life.

To answer their question, I just grin and ask them what was their most enjoyable Saturday. They talk about sports events, outdoor activities, movies, family things, grilling and all sorts of things they enjoy. I answer their question by saying every day is Saturday to us and we just do all that all the time. And for us, that's at least one trip to the range every week. Actually it works out to one trip about every five days or so. And since I cast and load pretty much all we shoot, we can do it a lot. The only thing that marks a week as meaningful for us is Thursdays when garbage is picked up.

Retirement is meant to be enjoyed and we do so one way by shooting a lot more. Everybody should try it.

 

[Schwing]

well, looking at the ed's red and how less expensive chemicals like the wd-40 and other rust inhibitors and what not work.. i'm actually considering buying some of the basic chemicals used for lubricating, cleaning, and protecting metals and maybe develop my own cocktail that works and also try out ed's red too and see how tweaking different quantities of different chemicals changes its properties relative to ed's red

i think a light weight motor oil like 0w-20 or 5w-20 mixed with a corrosion inhibiting additive would work well for a general purpose lubricant/protector while chemicals like acetone, mineral spirits, or kerosene make good solvents for cleaning.. i may work up a general purpose solvent cocktail for cleaning lead, carbon, copper, and plastic fowling while using the light weight oil mixed with STP or other corrosion inhibitors as a corrosion preventing lubricating oil and when i have each component fine tuned where i like them, maybe even mix my new solvent/lubricants for my own CLP

what this means now is i'll be doing some of my own unbiased tests on how each chemical performs on various cleaning or lubricating tasks, take up a crash course in chemistry circulating solvents and lubricants and see what i can come up with.. i like experimenting with just about anything, this could be an entertaining endeavor.. i will focus on common, inexpensive, easy to find chemicals to keep the costs low and the recipe simple

___

until then ill probably just use hoppes #9 solvent for cleaning and oil for lubricating and protecting, or try out the birchwood casey product i posted above, i've used their bluing products and stock finishing supplies in the past and found them to make a quality product..

my concerns with wd-40 specialist is how well does it lubricate after its dried?

another question i have.. is hoppes #9 boresnake gun oil a CLP/3-in-1 kind of cleaner/lubricator or is it just oil requiring a separate cleaner likes hoppes other products?.. i have a two sided metal can that came when i bought my mosin nagant to store a separate cleaner and solvent in each side

I forgot to mention in my last post that I use mobile1 for lube. I used to use rem oil but found mobile1 to work better and is much less expensive. On my revolvers, I don't even do that since the eds red leaves enough oil residue behind to be sufficient.

 

[justin22885]

what sort of weight motor oil is the best for guns?.. im thinking a lower viscosity oil?.. id like to find a good rust inhibitor that'll mix with it and not hurt the finish to protect from rust

 

[Warp]

what sort of weight motor oil is the best for guns?.. im thinking a lower viscosity oil?.. id like to find a good rust inhibitor that'll mix with it and not hurt the finish to protect from rust

People seem to use any of the regular 20 weight or 30 weight oils just fine.

 

[justin22885]

i guess the viscosity probably doesnt mean much when used on guns.. we're not pumping it around and compressing it or anything of the sort.. wipe it on into the pores of the metal and wipe off the excess so im guessing it probably doesnt matter much on guns

 

[olafhardtB]

Ok, I'll establish my bono fides. I am a retired chemical engineer and the son of a lubricants chemist. Lubrication, cleaning ability etc have been a common topic in my conversations since I was born. I very seldom clean my guns because I don't know why I should and I am outstandingly lazy. Here are a few facts: kerosene, mineral spirits, charcoal lighter, paint thinner etc are all light weight paraphenic distillates and all often come out the same tank. This is disregarding the "green" stuff based on citrus turpenoids. They are all great cleaners. They can be good lubricants too but they evaporate. Firearm fouling can be stabilized by unburned nitrocellulose. Nitrocellulose is very soluble in ketones such as acetone and MEK (methyl-ethyl-ketone). Steel and most oils have a high affinity for each other and oil lubricates and protects metals from corrosion. Petroleum based oils are cheap. Ketones stink and are really flammable and volatile. So if you throw together a can of plastic pipe cleaner (MEK), the same amount of motor oil ( synthetic, premium, cheap, used, what ever) and 4 or 5 times as much charcoal lighter, you have plc. Recommendations : store in a tightly capped container, keep out of reach of children and away from fire and update your will before drinking.

 

[stchman]

Hoppe's #9 for cleaning and either RemOil or CLP. I personally use 10W-30 synthetic for lubing the barrel.

I use a non-chlorinated brake cleaner to clean off the Hoppe's #9 before lubing.

 

[justin22885]

Ok, I'll establish my bono fides. I am a retired chemical engineer and the son of a lubricants chemist. Lubrication, cleaning ability etc have been a common topic in my conversations since I was born. I very seldom clean my guns because I don't know why I should and I am outstandingly lazy. Here are a few facts: kerosene, mineral spirits, charcoal lighter, paint thinner etc are all light weight paraphenic distillates and all often come out the same tank. This is disregarding the "green" stuff based on citrus turpenoids. They are all great cleaners. They can be good lubricants too but they evaporate. Firearm fouling can be stabilized by unburned nitrocellulose. Nitrocellulose is very soluble in ketones such as acetone and MEK (methyl-ethyl-ketone). Steel and most oils have a high affinity for each other and oil lubricates and protects metals from corrosion. Petroleum based oils are cheap. Ketones stink and are really flammable and volatile. So if you throw together a can of plastic pipe cleaner (MEK), the same amount of motor oil ( synthetic, premium, cheap, used, what ever) and 4 or 5 times as much charcoal lighter, you have plc. Recommendations : store in a tightly capped container, keep out of reach of children and away from fire and update your will before drinking.

thats some interesting information, i've been reading up a lot on the properties of the solvents and lubricators used in the use of guncare products, i've found most gun care products out there to be a simple mix of mineral spirits, kerosene, acetone, with a general lubricant

so what im going to do is just start making my ow using mineral spirits, kerosene, possibly denatured alcohol or acetone mixed with synthetic motor oil as the general lubricant and add in some lithium or silicone grease for added lubrication but primarily for their corrosion inhibitor properties to create my own CLP formula and save a lot of money