[scooterthegreat]

I did a search and didn't find what I was looking for here. Sorry if I didn't search correctly and missed it... I am new to handguns and semi autos. Just bought a SA XD .40 and I love it!! (The boyfriend is a bit upset though 'cause his girlfriend has a bigger gun than he does... :cool: ) Also have a Ruger Mark II .22.

I have been told that I should be using Teflon Oil. I went looking for some and of course, saw different brands and different prices. I know that a bargain isn't always a bargain and that the most expensive isn't always the best.

Any horror stories as to what NOT to use? Or are they all pretty much the same? Should I be using this with all my guns? (pump shot guns, rifles, lever action)

[osteodoc08]

I've been using RemOil for some time now and it works as intended. It is also fairly cheap and easy to find.

[AirForceShooter]

Mobil One works on everything.

AFS

[EddieCoyle]

Dextron III automatic transmission fluid. It's cheap, won't evaporate or leave a residue, and is the best rust preventer in the world.

[paul45]

Use whatever brand name oil you wish. Everyone has their favorites...

[P95Carry]

I wouldn't be hung up on Teflon oil - as has been mentioned Mobil One is good and a quart will still be here when you are dust!

Modern lube technology has advanced a lot and there are many options - just don't go spending too much on a wee little bottle with a fancy name when other things will do as well.

I'll add too - ''less is more'' - do NOT over lube. Better to clean and re-lube a little more often than to bathe gun in it. Oil is a crud magnet and only a very thin film is needed to do the job.

[scooterthegreat]

Oil is a crud magnet

Which is why I'm really left scratching my head over using motor oils. Won't they have a tendancy to go on "thicker"?

[dfariswheel]

The facts of gun lubrication are, WHAT you use is of far less importance than that you DO use lube.

Most modern gun lubes produce very similar results, and NONE of them stand out over the others.

Everyone has their favorites, and will argue endlessly on the Internet about it.

One of the top lubes is CLP Breakfree which contains Teflon, and is used by the military.
Other people use a thin coat of grease on the slide rails since grease doesn't evaporate or run off, and provide continuous lubrication.

Again, don't agonize over this.
Buy a lube, try it, and once you've found something that works for you, move on to more important things than what lube to use.

[ArmedBear]

Rem Oil is good stuff if you don't mind reapplying it. It doesn't get all gummed up with fouling. I love it on choke tubes and for as-needed oiling in the field or at the range.

I prefer Bullfrog spray for my Ruger .22 semiauto pistol bolt, as well as my other guns though. It's thicker than Rem Oil, slicker than Break Free, it keeps the rust away, and one application is good for 1000+ rounds in the little Ruger.

[P95Carry]

There is IMO a compromize regarding viscosity choice.

Too thin (sewing machine oil) and persistence may be too reduced - too viscous can be good for persistence but perhaps also too much crud attraction factor! I have moved away from greases on semi's because of crud issues.

In fact Mobil One - if say with an SAE of 5-20, or even 10-30 is still pretty much a good compromize and has reasonable persistence. Any oil in fact will attract crud, the thicker ones more so arguably. Then too is the choice regarding lube areas.

The semi slide rails for example I think benefit well from something a bit stiffer and so more persistent - Mobil One again tho also Militech1 is I find a good slide lube, and many still like and use CLP. Internals tho where lube can be real minimal might well be well served with a thinner oil as stresses are for most part light, except maybe for high pressure contact areas like trigger notch and sear etc.

Quite a few papers have been written on gun lube - opinion varies quite a lot - a web search may well yield some interesting offerings.

[Ala Dan]

Also, another good syntheic choice is Eezox~!

[lee n. field]

ust bought a SA XD .40 and I love it!!

Call Springfield Armory and ask if there's anything out there that you shouldn't use, that's known to damage the plastic.

[dairycreek]

Which is why I'm really left scratching my head over using motor oils. Won't they have a tendancy to go on "thicker"?

Any oil will tend to attract dust and "crud" if it is put on too thickly. How thick the oil is left to coat the surfaces of your gun is entirely up to you. As a general rule - less is more. I am 69 years old and have used Mobil One for a long, long time and it has performed quite well although I prefer Eezox to clean and lube my guns.

[mrmeval]

'Wet' CLP out performed several other lubes and 'dry' lubes when tested for a desert environment like Iraq.

Ignore the howl (paid shill?) at the beginning and scroll down for the test.

http://defensereview.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=377

I seriously dislike any company that would pull crap like Miltech has which can get people killed.

[Standing Wolf]

The facts of gun lubrication are, WHAT you use is of far less importance than that you DO use lube.

That, and it's a good idea to use enough, but not too much. How much is that? Well... the right amount, basically.

Seriously: it's a trial and error matter.

[TX1911fan]

I just bought some Tetra Gun Grease to use on my O/U shotgun. Does anyone have experience on how it would work on the rails of a 1911? I hate how the RemOil tends to bleed out of the rails and onto the frame.

[Ala Dan]

an excellent product, and will aid in lapping in slide to frame fit on 1911's~!:cool:

[dmallind]

I use Tetra grease on all my slides. I use Tetra lube on internals. Works fine. Doesn't ooze out. Easy clean up. No technical reason to assume it is better than other options but works for me.

[Sport45]

Dextron III automatic transmission fluid. It's cheap, won't evaporate or leave a residue, and is the best rust preventer in the world.

I don't know about the "best in the world" claim, but Dextron III / Mercon is really good stuff when it comes to gun lube. It's a major ingredient in Ed's Red. When I clean a handgun with Ed's Red there's usually enough residual ATF that I don't have to apply any additional lube at all.

My version of Ed's Red

1 Pint Mercon ATF
2 Pints 100% Mineral Spirits
1 Pint 100% Acetone (Wally World finger nail polish remover)

Makes a half-gallon of gun cleaner that lasts a long time. I currently keep it in a gallon jug that RC car fuel came in. I've also used empty metal camp fuel cans. For use, I transfer it to on old Shooter's Choice bottle.

[NeveraVictimAgain]

Scooter-

Welcome to The High Road. I'm always glad to hear of another female gun enthusiast. For some very surprising statistics you won't hear from the mainstream media, I suggest you go to Gun Owners of Amercia's website at www.gunowers.org and read the "Gun Fact Sheet".

I took a course in gunsmithing and was taught that the proper amount of oil can be barely seen or felt. All of the products mentioned here have their fans. If you go to www.militec-1.com and give them your address they will send you a free sample of their synthetic gun lube, thought by some to be superior even to CLP.

Safe Shooting,
Dave

[Skirmisher]

hey scootertgegreat, I have over 5000 rounds through my XD 40 and use G96 Treatment. It not only smells great,:D but it cleans, lubricates and protects. I use it on all of my polymer guns and my Browning O/U shotgun. My husband is a little jealous of my XD40 because it is so accurate and fun to shoot. I also found that the Blazer Brass 185 gr. is easier to shoot and cheaper than Winchester white box at WalMart.:D

[orionengnr]

and if you are a new XD owner, check on XD Talk (might have to Google it).
Bunch of XD owners talking about rusting slides, some recommend Blue Wonder Armadillo Coat. I bought some for my GF's XD and seems to work well. I also use Eezox on all of my firearms.


I found mine on eBay (it is not readily available locally).

[gudel]

'Wet' CLP out performed several other lubes and 'dry' lubes when tested for a desert environment like Iraq.

Ignore the howl (paid shill?) at the beginning and scroll down for the test.

http://defensereview.com/modules.php...rticle&sid=377

I seriously dislike any company that would pull crap like Miltech has which can get people killed.

What he said. I never have any problems with BreakFree CLP on my HK's. It helps in cleaning too.

[panzermk2]

Some polymer framed firearms as dictated by their MFG state NOT to use gun lube that has Teflon in it.
I had always used Breakfree CLP since that’s what we used on every gun on our tank. Now since the no Teflon edict I use M-Pro 7 Military Grade Field CLP

[gudel]

Some polymer framed firearms as dictated by their MFG state NOT to use gun lube that has Teflon in it.


Which gun is it?

[johnnytang24]

1 Pint Mercon ATF
2 Pints 100% Mineral Spirits
1 Pint 100% Acetone (Wally World finger nail polish remover)

Is there a reason you don't use any kerosene? Does this work better?

Thanks.

[Sport45]

Is there a reason you don't use any kerosene? Does this work better?

I started using mineral spirits because it was what I had on hand. I used to keep a kerosene heater in the garage when I lived in East Texas. I found that burning kerosene in it would leave the house smelling of burnt sulfur. I did some research back then and found that mineral spirits were essentially kerosene without the sulfur, so I started buying it in 5-gallon cans and burning it in my kerosene heater. (Didn't stink up the house.) I brought a 5-gallon can of mineral spririts with me when I moved to Houston and am still working that one off after being hear almost 10 years. The kerosene heater is slowly rusting away in the attic now. If you lok for a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for mineral spirits, kerosene, or Stoddard solvent you will find that they are all essentialy the same "cut". I can't say if it works better, because this is the only way I've made the stuff. I can say that it works very well. And you can't beat the price!

I use Breakfree CLP for any supplemental lubrication needed.

[mattk]

I use Brian Enos' Far superior SLIDE GLIDE. Its a grease, you can thin it with break free too.

[Greek]

I've used a number of lubricants and corrosion inhibitors.
Rem Oil, Hoppe's Oil, MPro7 oil, Mobil1 Synthetic etc.
Currently I'm using Militec. When I run out of that I have some Boeshield to try out.
Keep your firearm clean and lubricated.;)

[benEzra]

The only place I wouldn't want to use a teflon-based lubricant would be in the barrel and chamber area. Combustion gas temperature behind the bullet exceeds 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is enough to break down Teflon, IIRC. There's no health hazard from the tiny amounts of decomposition products in the smoke, but fluorine salts are highly reactive and I'd be afraid they might make promote barrel corrosion over time. (All hypothetical, though.)

I've used Tetra lube on my 3913LS and it seemed to work fine. I actually prefer greases (Tetra or silicone) to gun oils for the slide/frame rail interface, since greases are less likely to dry out over time and adhere to the rails better.

[osteodoc08]

OK since we are finally off of Teflon gun lubes and on others, I also like the Wilson-Combat ultima-lube. I use it on the slides and links on my guns with a little Rem-Oil mixed in for good measure. My gun slides "Feel like butta"

[Waitone]

Grease tends to stay put longer. That said, I use Tetra Grease (teflon) on my Kimber 1911. I actually shoot better using it. :D

[Lebben-B]

Tetra grease is good, but I've come to like TW25B more. It's just like Brylcreme - "A little dab'll do ya."

As far as lube with teflon additives go, BreakFree CLP and RemOil have performed very well for me. Hoppes Elite gun oil is also very good.

Mike

[p35]

No, not Pamela Anderson...


What about silicone spray oil? I like it for a lot of stuff but haven't heard much about using it on guns.

[mrmeval]

Would a Horta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horta_(Star_Trek)) find Pamela Anderson pretty or pretty tasty? :neener:


p35
Silicone?
No, not Pamela Anderson...

[gitarmac]

[quote]'Wet' CLP out performed several other lubes and 'dry' lubes when tested for a desert environment like Iraq.

Ignore the howl (paid shill?) at the beginning and scroll down for the test.

http://defensereview.com/modules.php...rticle&sid=377

I seriously dislike any company that would pull crap like Miltech has which can get people killed.[unquote]


From the article:

Ret. Lt. Col. Robert Kovacic: "Those weapons if properly lubricated will work better than anybody else's. But they have to be properly lubricated, CLP is not the proper lubrication."

Col. Kovacic contacted Eyewitness News outraged that the military was equipping soldiers with a government-issued lubricant known as CLP.

Ret. Lt. Col. Robert Kovacic: "It didn't work when I was a tank commander and it's not working now."

Eyewitness News obtained a copy of a general's "lessons learned" report which details weapons performance in Iraq. The report says soldiers repeatedly stated that "CLP was not a good choice for weapon's maintenance", claiming it "attracted sand to the weapon."

We heard similar complaints about the lubricant from some New Jersey Marine reservists back from Iraq:

Corporal Steven Gentle, Montclair NJ: "I used it as little as possible.

Jim Hoffer: "You used it as little as possible? Why?"

Corporal Steven Gentle: "Because the CLP attracted the sand. It made the sand stick to the weapon and clot up, causing the weapon to jam."

In telephone conversations and e-mails from soldiers we heard numerous complaints about CLP. One sergeant told me it is a commonly known fact that the military-issued gun lubricant doesn't work in the desert. We've learned that some soldiers have been so desperate for a lubricant that works they're writing their families for help.

Art Couchman, Father [reading from letter]: "'Dad, that Militec is working great!' ..."

Art Couchman sent his son, a soldier in Iraq, a commercial lubricant called Militec. A firearms trainer for police in New York, Couchman became quite concerned when his son told him that the military-issued lubricant attracted dirt and sand to his gun. That's when Couchman sent him bottles of Militec.

In a recent letter, his son thanks his dad for the shipment of Militec, calling the lube, "pretty amazing stuff."

Art Couchman: "I think it could probably save some lives if they had more of this stuff."

Even that "lessons learned" report put out by the Pentagon states that soldiers considered "Militec to be a much better solution for lubricating weapons" than the military's CLP.

And now many are questioning why just as the war began, the military cancelled all troop orders for Militec.

Brad Giordani, Militec: "They were unable to get the product after the orders were cancelled."

The commercial lubricant's inventor says he knows why. Because the military invested millions of dollars developing CLP, Brad Giordani says Army bureaucrats feared their product would be outshined.

Brad Giordani: "(The orders) were cancelled by civilians within the Defense Department that realized our orders were getting to be such large quantities that if they would have allowed these orders to go through we would now be the standard lubricant within the army."

The Army declined an interview but in a statement to U.S. admits that in the middle of the war, it stopped filling orders for Militec. It doesn't explain why.



Colonel Kovacic says Militec is already proven in desert combat. And as long as CLP remains the government product of choice, he says, then that's what most troops will get, leaving the better lube on the shelf and soldiers lives on the line.

Ret. Lt. Col. Robert Kovacic: "There's a better product. I say we give the kids the best we can give them. I'm telling you CLP is not the best weapons lubricant, they even said that in a report."

For nearly seven months, the military blocked soldier's orders for the rival Militec. Only in October, in the middle of our investigation, did the Army again begin to fill orders for Militec."



It looks to me like CLP is the one "pulling crap to get people killed" not miltec.

[mrmeval]

You left out the rest of the article and convieniently screwed up the link then spewed several pages that mean nothing without the reast.

Again here's the unedited link. And again read the whole thing and not what panders to your particular bias.

http://defensereview.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=377

[1911 guy]

For 99 percent of shooters, it will work fine. My only bad experience was with Remoil in cold weather. Things got pretty stiff. My Dad keeps my .357 for a house gun and we were shooting it a few weeks ago when it was cold and damp. The Remoil got pretty gummy after just 60 or 70 rounds. No problems at all in warmer weather.

[gitarmac]

it just seems like the majority of the article and replys said CLP attracts dirt and they wanted the miltec back.

I don't get the part where miltec was jepordizing the soldiers.

[gudel]

I'm interested to see which gun manufacturer that does not recommend oil with teflon in it.

[sm]

Folks,

Militec threads have been hashed, bashed and locked before. Please tread lightly, attack the idea, not the poster please. This thread has good information and potential for more- some want to learn from it.

gudel I really did an advanced search on your behalf. I too "heard" or "read" that a Mfgr asked that Teflon oils NOT be used with their Syn stocked firearms.

Folks with Polymer guns please check your Owner's Manual if you please.

My gut says "___Mfg " just better to know for sure as I do not want to pass on incorrect information nor do I want to get a rumor started...

[gudel]

SM, that guy never replied to my PM or here. I'm curious about the teflon. PTFE is inert, so not really sure how it can mess up synthetic stock?
I thought that's what synthetic is supposed to do, extreme resistant to corrosion and probably indestructible!

Folks with Polymer guns please check your Owner's Manual if you please

No mention of it in my HK, Glock, or Sig manual.

[sm]

NO mention in a Keltec P-11 manual of mine either.

My brain-fade wants to say it had to do with the nature of how polymer is made, how polymer will eventually break down, the discussion continued to quality of and got into the chemistry of polymer frames. Something about the Teflon fast tracked the breakdown.

I also wondered at the time if the mfg was advising against simply because he perhaps put in free samples of a another product.

Personally not a fan of Teflon for other reasons not really firearm related. Stems from taking Anatomy and Physiology and other studies in medically related...

Stems also from DuPonts own white papers and FTC lawsuits and Teflon use.

Recall all the wonder PTFE products that Dupont said Teflon was NOT to be used in engines and transmissions, and folks did it anyway and all hell broke loose?

Sheesh , after some studies I knew there was reason I hated teflon coated skillets and such.

Gun oil?

Some folks I know have been dealing with Cancers and such. I was reminded of a non toxic product I / we used to use, then the Mom&Pop shops went out and nodbody carried it. Then I started getting all these free samples from shooting kits and winnings...

These folks are using Ballistol with NO ill effects. Some of the other newer non toxic ones, did not set well - contact dermatitis being one...again folks that went thru some serious stuff and more sensitive to things as a result.

Ballistol on Polymer, never had a problem and folks say it makes cleaning easier not only the Poly, the whole gun. IN fact because of my checking this out - thanks to someone here reminding me of Ballistol, I have been using it on everthing including my Keltec with no problems.

Hot and humid here and no rust from sweat. Gun has run 800k rds without cleaning or relube, survived the freezing temp , and no rust when I shot out in the rain. These other folks with cancers and other health problems, and families all report the same be it with Revolvers and rubber stocks, syn stocked shotguns, to even eevil black rifles...

I dunno, too many choices and the internet sometimes is not a good combo.

[Lebben-B]

Having been deployed many times over the course of my career to gritty, dusty places, I knew that CLP wasn't the end all, be all of lubricants in that environment. Dry lubes like StrikeHold, Tuff Glide and Militec fill that niche. The one thing lubes like Militec don't do very well (if at all) is clean. Militec even says that it's not a cleaner right on the bottle. That's why .mil cancelled the contracts.

CLP isn't the greatest, but it's not a killer either.

Mike

[panzermk2]

Panzer is the handle, kinda hard to miss that one. Sorry tonot get back to you fast enough
I was moving my household,wife,3 kids a dog and enough guns to make sarah brady chew her own face off.

FN Herstal owners manual for the 5n7 USG/IOM is example

[_N4Z_]

Use RemOil and BreakfreeCLP sparingly on all my arms for lube. All revolvers, bolt action, levers and pumps though. Use the same stuff for cleaning unless something is fouled bad. Then I'll cut it down with brake cleaner (careful around blueing with this stuff), and follow with RemOil or BrakefreeCLP.

My only semi is an AKM, which gets lithium grease on the rails only.

[Plink]

Any good oil will do. I prefer Tetra and CorrosionX but automatic transmission fluid, motor oil, and any good grade of gun oil is fine. The only things to avoid are the cheapo gun oils that come in those cheap cleaning kits, and WD-40. The cheapo oils are usually nothing but repackaged sewing machine oil and really don't have much lubrication or protection, and WD-40 is meant as a water displacer and doesn't give much protection either and can gum up and attract dirt.

[harrydog]

Having been deployed many times over the course of my career to gritty, dusty places, I knew that CLP wasn't the end all, be all of lubricants in that environment. Dry lubes like StrikeHold, Tuff Glide and Militec fill that niche. The one thing lubes like Militec don't do very well (if at all) is clean. Militec even says that it's not a cleaner right on the bottle. That's why .mil cancelled the contracts.

I've found Militec to be one of the very best lubes. This is based on my own observations, which I trust much more than all the crap you read on the internet.
The Military specifies CLP because they want one product that does it all to help simplify maintenance. Militec is not a CLP. But it IS a great lube.

[Lebben-B]

I don't disagree with you about Militec being a good lube. But that's all it is. The point I was trying to make (which you clarified nicely, by the by) was the Services want a "do it all" type CLP to not only simplify maintenance but to also simplify logistics - why order 2 things when you can order one.

Mike