Cheap gun grease question

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That's what my dad used for years 30 wt. applied with a shaveing brush. His guns did not rust and seemed to work ok. My self Im a WD40 man displaces water and sprays into the hard to reach places.
Beware, WD-40 will also dry to a gummy varnish unless cleaned off often.

I have a Browning .308 BLR (older Belgian) and had used WD-40 for years, one day the trigger simply refused to work. I flushed and scrubbed it with WD-40 (it's own best solvent) followed by carb cleaner, then oil. The trigger once again worked perfectly.
 
10-30 smells badly. Good gun oil is not expensive.

That is an opinion.

I also use Mobil 1 whatever grade! I have no issues with the smell whatsoever.

As far as the cost, to me I consider it FREE as I use the drippings left over when I change oil.

Cots of a 2.25 bottle of Hoppe's gun oil converted to a quart is $31.85. Now thats not inexpensive in my book.
 
WD40 works fine on the outside of guns as a rust preventative. There are probably hundreds of thousands of people using it every day....but no, it isn't a lubricant.

Just because hundreds of thousands are using it improperly doesn't mean I should. As stated above it leaves a sticky varnish behind as it dries. Why do you want this on the outside of your firearms? If you're trying for cheap use ATF oil.
 
Who are you to say they are using it wrong? If it works for them, they are using it right for their own purposes...

Nobody said you should do anything...do what you like. Let others do what they like.

Yeah WD 40 is no good on moving parts, but it has proved perfectly functional on exposed surfaces.

I don't use it because I just don't like the look of the varnish..but most of my guns are inherited...WD40 was used on the exterior metal for 40+ years on some of them...not a single one has rusted...some sat in a barn for20 years too. I use CLP because I like it better than the rainbow colored varnish WD40 leaves...but I certainly recognize that WD40 works...and I would use it to clean rust, and remove water.
 
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I can't stand it anymore.

Take a clean glass bowl. Spray a bunch of WD40 into it. Let it sit for a couple of hours until the solvents evaporate. Examine the thin, semi-solid, extremely slippery grease that remains and then explain again how WD-40 isn't a lubricant.

As for rust protection:

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=...nic__Knowing_the_Limits_of_Rust_Preventatives

But what does Brownells know about gunsmithing!

Look, I don't use WD-40 on my guns, I think there are better products available, but it IS a lubricant and it DOES prevent rust.
 
Right now I'm using Lucas X-tra heavy duty grease. Seemed to fit the bill for what I needed. Picked up a tube at home depot for around $4, and transferred the contents into small glass jars. It'll be more than I'll ever need, I'm sure.

I only use wd-40 to spray in hard to reach places in the action. For anything I can reach with my fingers or a q-tip, I use good ol' Rem-oil.
 
Since I use 5-30 synthetic motor oil I drain the jug into a small bottle and save it to use on my fire arms. It's a very high quality lubricant and is basically free. Where grease is needed I use Valvoline synthetic wheel bearing grease from the same can that I use for wheel bearings. Also a high quality lubricant that is basically free to me. Rust protection comes from the can of Johnson's Paste wax that I use for woodworking. Basically free also.

I use these products because they do the job I want and do it well, not because of the free part. If they didn't perform I would find something that does. I have used some of the high tech, high cost gun specific lubricants and protectants and none have performed better and in most cases not as good as those I have listed.

I am NOT suggesting anyone use what I use. I'm just posting what does good for me in answer to the OP.
 
Take a clean glass bowl. Spray a bunch of WD40 into it. Let it sit for a couple of hours until the solvents evaporate. Examine the thin, semi-solid, extremely slippery grease that remains and then explain again how WD-40 isn't a lubricant.

Personal experience - gummed up firing pin on an HK USP.

no big deal to clean, but it gets gummy.
 
Personal experience - gummed up firing pin on an HK USP.

no big deal to clean, but it gets gummy.
The question addressed was "is it a lubricant".

As far as the gummy/varnish thing, there may be something to it because I hear it a lot. However, in 40+ years of using WD-40 I haven't had it happen once. Perhaps there is something it interacts with.

Millions of cans of WD-40 get sold every year. I can believe that successful marketing could sell a product that doesn't work as well as its competitors. I find it hard to believe that it could sell a product that does the exact opposite of what it's supposed to do.
 
The old WD-40 isn't a lubricant thing gets real tiring. It most certainly IS a lubricant, albeit maybe not the best one. The manufacturer even states it is a lubricant.

I too have used WD-40 for a lot of things for 50+ years with ZERO gumming. I don't get where that comes from as I personally have never experienced it.

Grease- be advised moly type greases will stain clothing that you likely can never get out, not just the oily spot from any petroleum product.
Learned this too many times over from my tractor. Hate the stuff as it seems the nicer the clothes I have on the farther from the tractor I can be and still get it on me.:eek: But yeah I use it as it is what is recommended.
On my guns- nope, I won't. But if it works go for it!
 
heavy weight synthetic lucas gear oil for storage on external parts, lithium/moly grease or gear oil on slides and rails. 30w synthetic for lube. simple, cheap, hasnt failed me yet
 
From Grant Cunningham on gun oils:

http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html

Motor oils: Generally good boundary lubrication (particularly the Havoline formulations), but very poor corrosion resistance and poor resistance to open-air oxidation. In addition, their pour-point additives often contain benzene compounds, which aren't a good thing to have next to your skin on a regular basis! If you must use something from the auto parts store, ATF performs better for firearms use on every count, even if it is a tad more expensive. (ATF is still 1/10 to 1/100th the cost of a specialty "gun oil.”)

From Quaker State Material Safety Data Sheet:

http://web.grcc.edu/Pr/msds/automechanics/MotorOil.pdf

MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET
MSDS Number: 14938 QUAKER STATE® PEAK PERFORMANCE CONVENTIONAL
MOTOR OIL - ALL GRADES
Page 2 of 8
Skin Contact:Avoid skin contact. This product is minimally irritating to the skin upon direct contact. Based on testing of similar products and/or components. Prolonged or repeated contact may result in contact dermatitis which is characterized by dryness, chapping, and reddening. Prolonged or repeated contact may result in oil acne which is characterized by blackheads with possible secondary infection. Avoid prolonged and repeated skin contact with used motor oils. See Section 11 - Toxicological Information.

You guys really enjoy getting this stuff all over your hands?
 
WD-40 is just light oil in a solvent, once that solvent evaporates you are left with a light oil and just like any light oil it may oxidize over time.

Any light oil will turn gummy over time. If a lot is allowed to accumulate in one place the layer of varnish/gum may be thicker.

Used it for years as a cleaner mostly, it isn't a great lube, but it works well for cleaning tasks. Never a problem with gumming, at worst it left a light layer of parrafin like residue-not entirely a bad thing.

Brake cleaner is much worse in this regard, by stripping all oil it opens the door to flash rusting under highly humid conditions.
 
I use a mixture of 10W-40 synthetic oil and ATF fluid. I don't believe for a second that "gun oil" is superior to what I used. Lets face it, the money spend on R&D for engine oils is probably several orders of magnitude higher than the money spend on gun oil R&D. If 10W-40 can protect the piston rings and cylinders in my old air-cooled Suzuki Bandit 1200 that I cruised at 7000 RPM at then I'm more than confident it will protect the inner workings of an AR-15.
 
Range guns get Mobil 1 10-40. Hunting rifles get Pure Canola Oil, don't know if that's considered baiting or not though :) the few places I actually use grease gets Lucas synthetic red wheel bearing grease. Reason for using these particular products. They are readily avail. in my garage and pantry!
 
I bought a one lb can of wheel bearing grease about 15 years ago. Use in on some semi auto pistols and M1 Garands. That one lb can is still near full and would probably last a couple of livetimes.
 
Here's how this issue can be seen. Look, automotive oils, while perfectly suited for an engine's internals, do not possess the same properties as oils/protectants engineered for use on the exposed surface of a firearm. Lubricant technology is not guess work, a lot of science goes into formulating something that has specific desirable properties. This would apply to a differential oil in a car as well as a product for protecting the finish on blued steel. Grease is the same concept. While any grease will "work" to lubricate, a grease designed for the undercarriage of a truck may not be optimal compared to a grease for a firearm to lube the bearing surfaces on a slide and frame on an auto pistol.
In the end, why be so cheap? Grease engineered for guns costs pennies per application.
 
Im an auto oil/grease user as well. The temperatures and constant working use over hours of driving is more than enough proof. Hopefully your vehicles engine is engineered to tighter specs than your firearms. And it still works there well. Id put engine oil in my engine and on my guns but not the other way around.

As far as the finish argument goes, ive never had any oil or grease remove a finish of any kind, paint, blued, chrome, anything.
 
I use Mobil red synthetic high temp grease. I got the tub 8 years ago and I hardly made a dent in it. I used Q-tips to apply the grease on my guns and a syringe for tight spots.
Yep. This. I've used it for some time. And one tub should last a lifetime.
B
 
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