Snake Oil?

[The_Antibubba]

I've seen for sale various gun oils that, in addition to lubricating metal parts, have additives that claim to "bond" with the metal, either preserving it better, making it better lubricated, or somesuch. Molybdium Sulfide (sp?), for example.

Do any of these items work as they claim?

Are any of them harmful or actually incompatable with shooting?

Which ones?

I know everyone has a favorite, and I would really like to hear from the metallurgists and chemists on the board.

Thanks

 

[MAXM]

I'm not metallurgist or chemist, but speaking of oils nothing REALLY bonds to metal. Regards, MAXM

 

[BigG]

This is coming from an enthusiast with a few years of keeping guns looking new. Breakfree CLP is about as good as it gets. Shake well and rub it sparingly over the surface with your finger tip. It keeps them pretty good.

 

[lycanthrope]

FP-10!!!

 

[The_Antibubba]

BigG

But Why BreakfreeCLP? Or any other special lube? Does Teflon bond to metal, or is it's presence in the oil enough? should I take this to another forum?

 

[lycanthrope]

Teflon adds nothing to a lubricant except the association that if nothing sticks on the frying pan then nothing will stick to your gun......

A good oil will not be dispersed easily and will lubricate at a very thin level.

You can see tests done by an independent contractor (Canadian Police Research Center) at the FP-10 website.

 

[mete]

It's molybdenum disulfide. There are polarized lubes that offer rust prevention because the molecule is polarized, that is one end of it has a + charge and the other end a - charge. One end then attaches to the metal and the other end to the water molecule ,thereby separating the two.........I started to read the Canadian report on low temperature performance of lubes and stopped when it said that one of the advantages was that the label was written in both english and french !!!! So much for a "scientific " report .

 

[lycanthrope]

I started to read the Canadian report on low temperature performance of lubes and stopped when it said that one of the advantages was that the label was written in both english and french !!!!

Read on.....

The tests in Canada were done as part of research for a contract. Bilingual labeling is important in Canada if they are going to supply their police forces with it so they can use it correctly sice many provinces only speak French in some areas. You will notice that wear tests took precedence.

 

[mete]

Every country that is bilingual has problems because of it. We in the USA are heading down the same dumb path. The problem here is that the politicians are mostly interested in pandering to various groups and that is why we still do not have an OFFICIAL language. I assume that in a short time everything here will have to be written in english/spanish.

 

[bountyhunter]

I know everyone has a favorite, and I would really like to hear from the metallurgists and chemists on the board.

The problem is they don't shoot guns. I listen to guys who have about 100 world shooting titles and send a million rounds a year downrange like Brian Enos, Todd Jarrett, Rob Leatham, Chip McCormick, et al. They actually knows what keeps guns cycling and reduces wear. They use (and in some cases make their own) lubes and use grease in their guns.

As for liquid oils, FP-10 is the best OVERALL performer because it gets good marks for lubrication, rust prevention, and cleaning ability. As for pure slickness of an oil, I have tested most and found Militec metal conditioner to be the slickest as measured by trigger pull reduction. But, Militec is a poor rust preventer. Nothing is perfect.

Overall, liquid lubes of any kind suffer the effects of gravity: they run downhill and off where you put them. I've heard all about how even after they are gone they leave behind a molecular film...... that doesn't make me feel real confident for protection against metal shear as on slide rails and sear faces.

I settled on using a 50-50 mix of a liquid lube and a high tech grease. I mix FP-10 or Militec liquid into Rig+p grease or Brian Enos Slide Glide. Basically, grease is a thickened suspension that has lubricant trapped in it so it holds it where you put it. The wear in my guns dropped drastically since I switched to the new high tech greases blended with oil and I shoot my guns a lot. The down side of using grease is that it's not idiot proof. In colder weather, you have to dial down the viscosity (with liquid lube) to make sure the gun cycles properly. I believe a 50-50 mix like I use would be good down to temps much colder than you would want to be out in.