https://www.fieldandstream.com/gun-maintenance-all-about-gun-oil-lube-and-grease/
He says even the new stuff, keep it off your bolt gun trigger.
He says even the new stuff, keep it off your bolt gun trigger.
Old Petzal.....on gun oils
- Thread starter Hookeye
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Entertaining article... but I'm not sure it really informed much. Grease for preventing wear, oil for finer mechanisms and overall for rust prevention, leave the lube out of the trigger group. That's about it.
I seem to see lots of gun oil threads, and they recur with regularity. So far, not much new under the sun!
I agree, the article was lightweight. But this is true for all gun oil articles, they don't have any technical data to differentiate one gun oil from another. It is my opinion that most "gun oils" are simply repackaged industrial oils, or straight mineral oil. The term mineral oil is a historical term, carried over from the era when oils were "whale oil", "bear oil", etc. Mineral oil was the stuff made from petroleum. Coal oil, incidentally was kerosene.
Without standards and published results for gun oils, we the public do not have a basis for choosing gun oils, outside of blaring can labels, and anecdotal experiences. You can find old Military oil specs in DODISS , and read enough of them and you can have an idea of what standards industry uses for oil tests.
AK103K
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News to me.
Ive always put a small drop on the contact surfaces of most things, and a couple of drops in the trigger/hammer area of older revolvers Ive bought, just to get some lubrication in there without removing the side plates.
Never had any issues doing so.
These days, I mostly use Mobil One for oil/lube, and it seems to work just as well as the high dollar gun specific lubes, and at a fraction of the cost.
briansmithwins
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For pretty much everything I use Royco CLP, which does a great job of loosening fouling and preventing rust and has test results (from meeting the .mil spec) that mean it’s also a good lube.
One of the things I appreciate about the CLP is that it’s extreme creepy and gets in between parts that aren’t going to be disassembled. I’ve seen it applied to the inside of a AK receiver and within a couple days it had creeped out around the rivets on the outside.
The other lube I use is Ballistol on the 7.62x39 AK and vz58. I’m shooting corrosive ammo in those and use Ballistol and water to clean the corrosive powder fouling.
BSW
One of the things I appreciate about the CLP is that it’s extreme creepy and gets in between parts that aren’t going to be disassembled. I’ve seen it applied to the inside of a AK receiver and within a couple days it had creeped out around the rivets on the outside.
The other lube I use is Ballistol on the 7.62x39 AK and vz58. I’m shooting corrosive ammo in those and use Ballistol and water to clean the corrosive powder fouling.
BSW
Elkins45
Member
I’m trying to imagine a lubricating oil you can buy today that isn’t up to the task of keeping a gun working, and I’m not having much luck except MAYBE for extremely viscous stuff like sewing machine oil.
Having said that, I will take this opportunity to plug the stuff that was recommended to me by an old NG Armorer 25+ years ago:
2 parts ATF
1 part STP
1 part Mobil1 synthetic (I used straight 30 wt)
The original quart I mixed up still has a tiny bit left but I have used it almost exclusively since sometime in the early 90s. The ATF gives it good penetrating qualities, the Mobil1 resists high temps well, and the STP gives it the ability to cling to wear surfaces well.
Having said that, I will take this opportunity to plug the stuff that was recommended to me by an old NG Armorer 25+ years ago:
2 parts ATF
1 part STP
1 part Mobil1 synthetic (I used straight 30 wt)
The original quart I mixed up still has a tiny bit left but I have used it almost exclusively since sometime in the early 90s. The ATF gives it good penetrating qualities, the Mobil1 resists high temps well, and the STP gives it the ability to cling to wear surfaces well.
AK103K
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Ive been using Mobil One (30wt) for a number of years now, and it works great.
Still on the first quart I bought at Walmart for around $7, and its probably only less than half empty, and I shoot, clean and oil around a half dozen guns a week.
I have a number of little "needle oilers" that I fill, and it makes it real simple to get just what you want, where you want it.
Sewing machine oil isn't viscous. It's VERY thin.
Ed's Red lube:
2-Quarts Synthetic Motor Oil.
1-Quart Automatic Transmission Fluid. Brand and spec don't matter.
1-Bottle of original STP. The blue bottle.
1-7 oz. jar of Hoppe's #9
Elkins45
Member
The “non” must have been eaten by autocorrect. Sewing machine oil has about the viscosity of water.
Why would you want Hoppes in a lubricant?
Pat Riot
Contributing Member
earlthegoat2
Member
I have a few manually lubricated industrial sewing machines. Sewing machine oil is just “machine oil” in industrial terms. Not any different than way oil.
Anyway since I have a bunch of sewing machine oil around and it is really cheap, that is what i use mostly.
Then again, I also tend to use mineral spirits as gun cleaning solvent so maybe you shouldn’t listen to me.
Anyway since I have a bunch of sewing machine oil around and it is really cheap, that is what i use mostly.
Then again, I also tend to use mineral spirits as gun cleaning solvent so maybe you shouldn’t listen to me.
Alaskan Ironworker
Member
Ive had a trigger freeze up in the cold on me when I was just a lad. I learned early on not to leave excessive oil on trigger parts. It was a Jaeger trigger on a commercial Mauser. It was about 9 degrees outside.
AK103K
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I think youve touched on the key word here, and with anything, that word being "excessive".
I think a lot of people seem to think, if whatever your lubing isnt dripping in lube, you havent done a proper job. Thats rarely the way things should be lubed, and far from correct.
Back before all the wonder gun treatments, we have today, we used to use WD 40 for our wipe down rags and for a finish wipe down after cleaning. Then the internet comes along, and Im constantly told that it gums your gun up, leaves a varnish on things, and in general, is the worst possible thing you can use. Funny thing is, we never had any of the issues youre constantly told youre going to have, and we used it weekly for decades.
But then again, it was used sparingly, and either used with a damp patch, or a damp rag. Not sprayed directly on the gun (unless the gun was in the river, etc), or loaded up so it was dripping off.
Using Glock as an example, their manual has a lube schedule and shows "a drop" of oil, in specific locations, and a drop rubbed on your fingers and wiped around the barrel. Thats it. When done properly, the metal looks shiny, and there is no excess.
I have no idea. I left it out of the lube.
Pat Riot
Contributing Member
I have heard on other forums and have talked with folks that use Mobil 1 oil and grease on their guns and I haven’t heard one negative thing about it yet. I do believe I am going to give it a try.
Ed's Red was originally supposed to be a sort of CLP type product which would account for there being some "cleaner" type ingredients in it.
That said, the recipe provided is not for Ed's Red although it does have some similar ingredients.
Here's a discussion of Ed's Red with the original formula.
https://noebulletmolds.com/smf/index.php?topic=61.0
earlthegoat2
Member
If you have a bit of experience with industrial sewing machines, you will find that mechanically they are very similar to guns. Similar mechanisms of moving parts. Similar metal on metal contact. You even should use gunsmithing screwdrivers on sewing machines.
Where sewing machines differ is in certain high friction/speed/wear areas, there will usually be a wick for lubrication. This is where thinner oil is a necessity. Those are only certain areas though. Other than that it is plain old non-pressurized oil film lubrication for reciprocating and rotational motion. 5500 stitches per minute is not unheard of. That is pretty fast for an unpressurized lubrication system.
I am not trying to tell everyone to switch oils because I only use it because it is lying around but IMO, sewing machine oil can be used successfully on guns.
Where sewing machines differ is in certain high friction/speed/wear areas, there will usually be a wick for lubrication. This is where thinner oil is a necessity. Those are only certain areas though. Other than that it is plain old non-pressurized oil film lubrication for reciprocating and rotational motion. 5500 stitches per minute is not unheard of. That is pretty fast for an unpressurized lubrication system.
I am not trying to tell everyone to switch oils because I only use it because it is lying around but IMO, sewing machine oil can be used successfully on guns.
DIY_guy did an excellent job evaluating gun care products in this thread:
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/results-of-gun-care-product-evaluation.751408/
It caused me to buy a can of Hornady One Shot. Full disclosure, I've been saving Rotella drippings. Its a nice heavy lubricant that I use pretty often nowadays for pistol slides and such.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/results-of-gun-care-product-evaluation.751408/
It caused me to buy a can of Hornady One Shot. Full disclosure, I've been saving Rotella drippings. Its a nice heavy lubricant that I use pretty often nowadays for pistol slides and such.
Orcon
Member
My favorite blend (works really well) is as follows:
1 gallon ATF
1 hogshead 5w
1/2 deca-quart machine grease ( low visc)
1 twist of lime
1 half quart of unleaded ethanol-free gasoline (for huffin')
8 oz Seltzer
Mix well, throw in the trash.
(skip all steps above)
Buy a bottle of Slip 2000 EWL, apply as needed.
1 gallon ATF
1 hogshead 5w
1/2 deca-quart machine grease ( low visc)
1 twist of lime
1 half quart of unleaded ethanol-free gasoline (for huffin')
8 oz Seltzer
Mix well, throw in the trash.
(skip all steps above)
Buy a bottle of Slip 2000 EWL, apply as needed.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
I use Mobil 1 (5W30 EP that I buy for my car) on the AR, and before that I used it on a SAR-1 (Romanian AK) I had. Vastly better lubrication than Rem Oil, and much more resistant to “drying out” over time. It also made cleaning the AR a matter of “disassemble, wipe parts with a paper towel, re-oil and reassemble”; no more carbon caking.
Just don’t use it on the outside of a gun; it leaves a nice thick film that stays put for a long time, which isn’t what you want on the exterior.
Also, for longer term corrosion protection, I’d use a corrosion preventive compound (Boeshield, Corrosion-X, whatever) rather than synthetic oil. But as a lubricant, it is great.
I’m going to give Lucas Gun Oil a try though...I think it’s a high quality synthetic oil also, and it comes in a nice applicator.
Elkins45
Member
For long term corrosion protection it’s hard to beat a coat of Johnson’s Paste Wax...unless you go all the way and use Cosmoline.
doubleh
Member
I have been using Johnson's since the late '60's. NO rust since I started.
As to the OP: The guy had to write something to get paid even if it was a fluff article. Personally I oil my triggers. There is a lot of pressure on two very small point of metal so It helps with wear and it also lighten the pull. I'm past the point of being out shooting when it's cold enough to cause viscosity problems. With the lower temps synthetic oils are able to handle that's far too cold for this old geezer but it's your trigger so oil it or don't, your choice.
As to the OP: The guy had to write something to get paid even if it was a fluff article. Personally I oil my triggers. There is a lot of pressure on two very small point of metal so It helps with wear and it also lighten the pull. I'm past the point of being out shooting when it's cold enough to cause viscosity problems. With the lower temps synthetic oils are able to handle that's far too cold for this old geezer but it's your trigger so oil it or don't, your choice.
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