Mobil 1 for oiling guns?

I tried it many years ago. I was working as a copier tech and had a dripper with it in it. I don't remember what gun it was, but the pistol started jamming with the mobile 1. I cleaned it and put in gun oil and it started working fine again.

So, I don't use Mobile 1 in my guns, but I do use it in my car.

Been changing my own oil, transmission, and brake fluid for many years. No finger or hand cancer yet! I'm sure that what little might get on you while lubing your gun isn't going to be a problem... unless you like licking it off...

If you are THAT worried, you could wear latex gloves, pour a bit of oil in the cap, and use a q-tip to apply while making sure the room is ventilated.

Heir Kommt Die Sonne said:

I've heard of people using motor oils, and I'm sure it'll work. It'll give better heat resistance, which to me is key if you're keeping it in a car. Normal oils dry up. My concern is the cancer, on the bottles it has a big warning that says "CANCER". Whatever that's worth, can anyone who has more experience using motor oil on guns chime in their opinion and experience?

Click to expand...

I received a new shirt today. It had one of those Prop 65 warning stickers on it.

According to California EVERYTHING causes cancer. Ignore them, they're nuts.

I use Valvoline's version of synthetic oil; seems to work just fine......

I have been a fleet mechanic for over 30 years. When I get low on gun oil I use the Mobil 1 empties to fill up my needle oiler.

I use Hoppes as a cleaner and Mobil 1 for as long as I can remember without problems.

If you look in almost every other country on this planet, especially the third world vacation spots, you’d find most of them lube their AKs and whatnots with the oil off their Toyo’s dipstick.

But I think there are probably better options. Not saying to buy the new and expensive miracle gun lube/cooking spray, but there are options that rstay in place better than motor oil with better rust protection.

I use Hoppes oil, but I do like Mobile Red Synthetic wheel bearing grease where a grease is called for.

Guns are relatively low stress mechanical devices except for a few "autos", locking lugs!

Look at the issue the other way around! Where does gun oil come from?

The lubricant manufacturing process is extremely expensive. "Gun oil " is a niche market with relatively small sales.

Gun oil is repackaged oil sourced from major markets. Or formulated from oil "off the shelf" with additives in order to distinguish it from "motor oil"!

ATF is just about the perfect viscosity for the rotating parts and Lubriplate 105 Light Assembly Grease is about perfect for sliding parts. Prove me wrong! Use it for the next 30 years and report back here! I've been a hard use competition shooter for
30 +years and have had zero lube related issues.

Mobil 1 5W20 and ATF are about the same viscosity.

In order to apply ATF/M-1 I use small applicator bottles available on Ebay. They come in a varitey of sizes and applicator styles. For light grease I also buy small syringes that also cane be ordered with several different styles of applicator tips!

Smiles,

A light coating of Mobil1 in the barrel, seems to make cleanups easier, later.

Been doing oil changes for over 4 decades now, that's funny, no cancer...

You won't get cancer from a little motor oil, you'll get it from mountain dew & Cheetos first. I'm in my 19th year in the auto industry and in my earlier years I took a lot of oil baths - used oil is more of a concern but still not the worst thing for you.
I wear rubber gloves when I work with chemicals and I recommend you do the same. I don't use Mobil 1 on guns, heck- I barely lube my guns and when I do I'll zap them with CLP. It's thin and gets all over , I'm pretty sure that's a good thing.
I've never had a problem keeping my guns relatively dry, thin film at best, keeps them from attracting fuzz and grit. YMMV.

I use EDS RED in an ultrasonic cleaner to clean, motor oil and red marine bearing grease for a lube and so far no problems.

Dibbs said:

A light coating of Mobil1 in the barrel, seems to make cleanups easier, later.

Click to expand...

A PPC shooter here was given to slathering his .38 with lube before the match. Said it made cleaning easier.

Yeah, DNK if slathering is a good idea, for a couple reasons. The first being it's going to make a mess.

Texas10mm said:

According to California EVERYTHING causes cancer.

Click to expand...

It would be easier if the state of California required labels only for the few things that don't "cause cancer"

I use mobile 1 mixed with a little dextron. I clean my guns first, applying oil to a dirty gun is a good way to ensure malfunctions.

There are far worse things you could lube a gun with, and more than a few people use it with no problems. I know several mechanics that do.

I use an Elf synthetic oil quite a bit, there are a lot of other worse choices than mobile 1.

Mobil 1? Nah, makes a hot gun smell like a wet dog.

Conelrad

I haven't yet used passenger car motor pil for forearms lubricant, and I personally never will. There's a boatload of additives added to yransform the base pils supplied by refineries & chemical plants to turn it in to an effective lubricant in direct exposure in combustion chambers that don't do anything WRT arresting metal oxidation at ambient temperatures. Some of these could be viewed as suspended rather than dissolved per se. Detergents, bases to neutralize combustion gas acidic components (calcium sulfonate is one example), dispersants to keep the crud in suspension between oil changes, etc. There's a LOT of sulfur compounds added even to that oh-so-clean Pennzoil Platinum base oil made from natural gas, and the hydrogenated 1-decene component of Mobil 1. These additives are why re-refining used crankcase oil only yields about 60% "re-seperated" base oil. Those various additives are about 25% of the lubricant by volume and are left with just enough carrier oil to keep the mix homogeneous and pumpable. That 40% winds up blended into asphalt and/or blended into heavy fuel oil like cargo ships and some power plants burn. Even then it's blended at a very low ratio, typically 3% max, into such fuel oil due to problems those additives create in the furnaces or engines that use that fuel.

I too have changed oil and other automotive fluids from before I was old enough to drive with my father teaching me and I still habitually don't wear gloves doing so. It's not "best practice" and I'm fully aware of that and know I'm making a conscious choice not to wear gloves for such DIY tasks. If I'd done that on the property of any of my employers after I finished college I'd be a candidate for a safety and industrial hygiene intervention. I do it at home where it's my own business.

But I'm also not a technician at Jiffy Lube with a new crankcase full of way warm used lubricant above my head every 10 to 20 minutes to drain day in day out. I put my truck up on ramps, 4 if I'm working with the transmission pan as my "poor boy" lift, and only mess with any of that when everything is at ambient temperature. Intermittent acute exposure with long breaks between events vs chronic exposure at elevated temperatures.

Like so many things, YMMV

No to motor oil itself. As Zorg said, meant to work in a different environment. I vacillate between ATF and whatever the gunoil du jour, currently BreakFree CLP. Old school and use Hoppes 9 for cleaning.

alfsauve said:

the gunoil du jour,

Click to expand...

Last month was froglube , next week it's doglube. It never ends

ATF/STP, 1:1. Add Lucas Red n Tacky grease until it's nearly a ketchup like thickness.

That's been the same lube I've used for about 20 years now. I'm the guy who doesn't need strong degreasers and ultrasonic cleaners after a 2000 round training day.

Generally, oil is a nasty carcinogen when it's used, not when it's new and clean. Wipe your pistol clean, and you shouldn't have much exposure. The non-cancer gun oils are cooking oils. They will vary in quality with weather changes. Car stuff stays consistent. Feel free to blend canola oil and Crisco if you want. Lol. Chances are, the safe cooking oils cause cancer to.

Mobil 1 Synthetic 0-20W seems to work exceptionally well on my firearms.

I think the main thing is to use and clean your guns regularly. The actual lube product does not seem to matter much.

The nice applicator is usually what the gun oils have over the automotive oils. Getting the oil where you want it is the key to good lubrication. ATF would in my opinion be a good all around lubricant. Although I have been using the Go Juice Very Thin Grease and really like it. Use it on my reloading press as well.

I've been using tiny dabs of this stuff for years and years, and have been very happy with it. Doesn't gum up in cold weather and won't run everywhere when it's hot. Revolvers, autos, anything that shoots smokeless.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ZOOM-SPO...=sem&msclkid=255be08513e51411beadbfa0ac3bcf9e