Lubricating Oils

[davidjblythe]

Ladies and Gents,

I usually use CLP to clean and lube my AR-15, but lately I tried something very different for lubing: Motor Oil.

In fact it was Castrol GTX 5w30. When I performed a function check, the action was the smoothest I've ever felt. What does this mean? The jug of oil says that it's made to resist thermal breakdown (which would be a good thing for an AR-15 action, right? )

Let me know if I need to get this stuff out of my rifle and re-CLP it.

On a side note, I have been using CLP for a long time on my milsurps. I did a quick check on them the other day and found that there was a bit of rust in my Mauser 98k barrel! I have not fired corrosive ammo for almost a year (I reload now) and cleaned it many many times since then. I usually clean this rifle after every range session and did after the last one. I leave a coat of CLP in the barrel to prevent rust, but it didn't work this time! I was so pissed when I saw that rust that I plunged a bore swab into the Castrol GTX and ran it through the barrel. After I did that I began to wonder about using motor oil as a lube instead of CLP... it sure would be cheaper.

 

[eatont9999]

This is interesting. I usually use the hoppes oil for the action and lubing the barrel. I could see motor oil if that is all you had, but I have never heard of it being used in a civilian rifle. I will keep my eye on this thread to see where it goes. I found CLP to be too thin for me. I think it breaks down quicker when shooting.

 

[jdc1244]

The jug of oil says that it's made to resist thermal breakdown…

That is applicable to an engine with long-term use of oil, several months or thousands of miles. Since one refreshes oil more often in a firearm I doubt it would come into play.

I see no problem with using motor oil – the viscosity of 5w30 should be sufficient to penetrate and adhere to all the moving parts.

I use Corrosion X, here in the tropics I have no rust issues while using it. It’s a cleaner and lubricant but I clean first with Hoppes and then follow up and lube with Corrosion X. Might want to give it a try.

 

[elsullo]

Mobil One

On another gun messageboard where a bunch of real, professional gun-toters hang out, there is a surprising commonality---most of them use Mobil One 5/50 as their only gun oil/grease for both long and hand guns, and they all use AR-15s and M4s! Some also recommend Castrol 5/30 Startup oil, as it is more strongly polarized and clings better.

If I ever run out of BreakFree CLP, I might try some!..................elsullo

 

[gun4funtime]

CLP, cleaner, lube, protectant, all in one?

How many things you know of that will do it all, and do it all well?

Most products will do one thing well. My personal opinion, I buy what I feel is a very good cleaner for what I want to clean, Then the best lube I can find,imo, and then protect my guns however I can from the elements it may be exposed to.

I really don't feel one product can do it all. CLP is on my bench, but it has its place.

Oh, don't forget to clean that heavy motor oil out of your bores before you shoot. But, it should protect it .

Have fun, be safe.

 

[davidjblythe]

Good advice about cleaning the motor oil out of the barrel before shooting. I would imagine that trying to send a bullet down a molasses coated barrel could lead to unwanted pressures.

 

[esmith]

WD 40 and some mobil 1 is all i use for oils. Hoppes and water for a solvent (not mixed together of course).

Good advice about cleaning the motor oil out of the barrel before shooting. I would imagine that trying to send a bullet down a molasses coated barrel could lead to unwanted pressures.

A light coating of motor oil should be fine to shoot on in a barrel. I've done it a lot.

 

[degoodman]

CLP, cleaner, lube, protectant, all in one?

How many things you know of that will do it all, and do it all well?

Ding ding ding...we have a winner.

The military uses CLP not because it's some kind of superior product, but because it fits the needs of the military to a Tee. They need a single gun care product, because carrying 3 (cleaner, lubricant and rust preventative) takes up extra space in the soldiers gear, and requires x3 the logistics support, etc. Additionally, many of the cleaners in particular are inappropriate for soldier carry because they are flammable, and the military goes to some length to ensure that the soldier's "kit" doesn't include flammable liquids for obvious reasons.

Fully synthetic motor oils make GREAT firearms lubricants. They work well within the clearances common in firearms, are usually designed to "adhere" to metal parts well, so they stay where they need to go, and are not only designed to resist thermal breakdown, they are polymerized so that as they become hot, they actually become more adherant to metal and lubricate better. Most of the good oils (the reasons for the full synthetics) also have detergants and other chemicals in them that are designed to specifically maintain their performance as they become contaminated with carbon based residues, and particulate contaminants (know anything in a gun that produces those things?).

Now this also means that you need to choose an appropriate cleaner to deal with metal fouling in particular, and to a lesser extent firing residues and cleaning the weapon of oils too. AND, depending on your gun and its storage conditions, you also need to use a SEPERATE rust preventing preservative. Many oils are actually quite hydroscopic, meaning that they attract and hold water, and given enough time there can be enough build-up of water IN the oil to actually permit some rusting. If your guns are "shooters" and you use and clean them with some regularity, this isn't much of an issue. But if you plan on storing a gun from the end of rifle season in december until the following fall, you probably should consider some kind of dedicated preservative product

 

[eatont9999]

Motor oil in the barrel will burn and smoke adding more crap to clean out and inhibit accuracy. I usually leave a light coating of Hoppes oil in the barrel and do not clean it, but engine oil is different. Ever shot a rifle with cosmo under the barrel? Imagine that smoke coming out of the barrel.

 

[esmith]

Motor oil in the barrel will burn and smoke adding more crap to clean out and inhibit accuracy. I usually leave a light coating of Hoppes oil in the barrel and do not clean it, but engine oil is different. Ever shot a rifle with cosmo under the barrel? Imagine that smoke coming out of the barrel.

This has yet to happen to me, i use motor oil in the bores of my sks' and when i shoot a full magazine worth of rounds i notice no smoke, it didn't seem to dampen any accuracy that you speak of either.

 

[Thernlund]

WD 40

-T.

 

[esmith]

Thats funny Thurnlund. If it makes you feel even better i use the generic kind from Wal-Mart too. I don't buy scams either, those scams being something that does the exact same thing under an elite name with an outrageous price tag. So you can shove your CLP in your crack pipe and smoke it for all i care.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Lots of people swear by Mobil 1 as an oil for guns. I don't think it would be much of a cleaner. I use FP-10 as oil and cleaner, it works great for both. It is marketed as a CLP, but none of the CLP's seem to be great on corrosion resistance. It does a great job of reducing friction, but it seems to evaporate or leak away after a couple weeks in storage, which isn't great for all my safe queens.

I'm probably going to use Boeshield T-9 on the outside of stuff, as soon as I can find it somewhere. It gets wonderful reviews for prevention corrosion. Not so much for cleaning or lubrication.

Remember, motor oil isn't made for firearms, and especially isn't made to dissolve copper and lead. I was going to add carbon to that, but diesel rated oils are intended to grab and hold soot. I'm now wondering if I should try a CI-4 or CJ-4 diesel engine oil to lube an AR mechanism - the soot issues are probably similar!

 

[pbrktrt]

i'm another fan of corrosion-x. it just plain does everything well.

 

[Horsemany]

The Boeshield is very good but has some qualities that are not good IMO. Your guns will be sticky or tacky as if they were coated with candle wax. I could never get over it. I use Corossion X and couldn't be happier. It stays looking good. It lasts longer than anything else I've tried on guns I display. Most other oils will evaporate and leave rainbow colored streaks or dark spots by screw holes. Not the case with Corrosion X. It looks like it was freshly wiped with a moist silicone cloth, and it stays looking that way for several months. I've run my own corossion tests for about 4 years now, and I own almost every gun oil or grease I've ever heard of. IMO there is no finer product for storage and rust prevention than Corrosion-X. It's also non-toxic and contains no teflon so it's safe for bores.

As an aside, BF CLP is one of the best rust preventives on the market. It's in the top 5 of products I've ever tested. I doubt the OP's rust problem would have been avoided if using another product in the bore. I'd suspect some corrosive salts were not completely removed after shooting them a long time ago.

 

[RP88]

where can you get CLP anyway? Or Corrosion X...?

I use one of the hoppes cleaning kits for shotguns on both my Mossberg 500 and my AK. No problems. I sometimes just use hot water instead of Hoppes, dry it down thoroughly, then lightly apply the oil. No problems yet.

 

[davidjblythe]

Break-Free CLP is avail in many gun stores.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Breakfree CLP is available in nearly all gun stores and a lot of big box stores. I think walmart has it.

FP-10, which I recommend over Breakfree for cleaning and lube purposes, is a bit harder to find but it still at many gun stores and some big box stores (including Dick's Sporting Goods, in my area).

More specialized stuff and you can start thinking mail order.

So, I may be looking for Corrosion X instead...

 

[jkingrph]

Mobil l is a good lubricant, not as a cleaning agent for firearms. It was not designed to remove nitro residues, lead, or copper. Detergents in the lubricant package will help keep any dirt in suspension, as it would in an engine. I would think it or any good engine oil would have been designed to operate in temperatures in excess of what most firearms operate.

 

[f4t9r]

I have been using mobil 1 and FP10 and seems to work just fine for me.
I have tried them all and this is what I think works best for me.

 

[yakkingallover]

I use Hoppes or CLP to clean and Mobil1 to lubricate. Motor oil will do a lousy job of cleaning,but would probably be better than nothing. I would reccomend using a solvent to clean and an oil to lubricate.

 

[benEzra]

Excellent, very technical thread here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=291494

The upshot is, SOLELY AS A LUBRICANT, Mobil 1 or any other comparable full-synthetic motor oil kicks the butt of almost any "gun oil" on the market. Militec comes close, but doesn't quite measure up. And if you compare Mobil 1 to something like Rem Oil, there is just no comparison (Rem Oil is roughly 50% mineral spirits, BTW, which are awful lubricants).

Having said that, Mobil 1 is NOT the best thing for coating the exterior of a firearm, as the very qualities that make it a fantastic lubricant (extremely low volatility, creates a thick film that lasts and lasts) make it annoying on the outside, as it will remain "wet" and get all over everything. Something like Rem Oil, that dries quickly leaving only a residue, is better for coating the outsides of blued guns, although for the best corrosion protection you'd want to use something like Boeshield T-9 or Corrosion-X.

CLP does everything OK (clean, lubricate, protect), but as a result it does not do any one thing as well as a dedicated product would. Hoppes #9, Shooters Choice, etc. are better cleaners than CLP; pure gun oil or synthetic motor oil is a better lubricant; and Corrosion-X or Boeshield are better protectants. The utility of CLP is that it is generally considered "good enough" for all three uses, so that the military can issue one bottle instead of three, and it undoubtedly simplifies both logistics and training.

The problem with CLP, to me, is that it stinks to high heaven; it gives me headaches. Mobil 1 hardly smells at all (it smells like unscented candle wax to me).

BTW, I personally would *not* use non-synthetic, "dinosaur goo" motor oils as a first-choice firearm lubricant. The synthetic oils are far better lubricants (which is why I use Mobil 1 in my car too).

 

[sarduy]

there is nothing to worry about using Castrol GTX 5w30... but if you want something a little better use Mobil One Synthetic Oil 5w30, the oil last a lot longer and it's way better.

 

[ClayinAR]

Multigrade oils are very thin oils that are artificially thickened with a rubber compound. "Viscosity improvers" They are not oil.
That said, all good motor oils have an additive package that includes rust inhibitors, antiwear agents, and antacids. On the other hand, gear oils contain a case hardening ingredient, I don't know how they would affect a gun.
I sometimes use a single grade motor oil for lubing guns. 20 wt. Prolly a good diesel oil is best as it has more antiwear agents. (Don't use oils recommended for Detroit Diesel as it has no good antiwear agents. Has some organic additives, no metallic additives because it has to be low ash.)
I have been using a 140 gear oil as a case lub for 45 years.
CC

 

[Halo]

Having said that, Mobil 1 is NOT the best thing for coating the exterior of a firearm, as the very qualities that make it a fantastic lubricant (extremely low volatility, creates a thick film that lasts and lasts) make it annoying on the outside, as it will remain "wet" and get all over everything.

I find that if I give the firearm a quick wipe down with a flannel or microfiber cloth, it will take off that excess oil and leaves behind only whatever has adhered to the surface.