Which gun oil?

Buzznrose said:

Ballistol

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Eddietruett said:

Ballistol

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whughett said:

Ballistol

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sturmgewehr70 said:

Ballistol

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Ballistol.

I've used WD-40 for the last 40 years.

Whatever generic motor oil is on sale at auto zone, applied liberally to the external metal surfaces. For an auto loader, white lithium grease on the moving parts.

drband said:

Almost any oil works. Really.

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This!!!

However, WD-40 is not the best at removal of rust. What you really want is a penetrating oil although really light oil can do as well. Kroil works well but then again PB Blaster Penetrating oil is ok too. The basic idea is that rust particles can scratch the surrounding surface when being removed by gentle abrasion so coating the area with oil gets under the rust, protects the existing surface you want to keep, and loosens the rust before you use a copper (not zinc) penny, bronze wool, fine steel wool, nylon/brass brush, etc. to remove the rust particles by abrasion. Copious use of oil and dabbing the surface with a soft absorbent rag/towel periodically floats the rust from the surface via the oil applied and prevents scratching the finish around the area as the rust particles are floated, picked up by dabbing, and then reapply oil, abrade the area, pickup rust particles by dabbing--repeat as necessary. Some crusty rust may take multiple applications to get to the surface. No oil will prevent pitting after removal if the rust has gotten that far.

For more pointers, search using the THR search function on the THR forums. (the magnifying glass on the right top of the THR home page) and these forum threads of responses give the basic way of removing it without harming the finish (if blued). If you like google, you can do the same with google but put the high road along with rust removal and it will pull up threads directly as well. There are some other products that can be used for rust removal but require care in application.

As mentioned before, rust requires the surface to have access to air and moisture to do its thing. Cut those off via a film of oil, wax, silicone/teflon, grease, etc. then no rust if the surface protection remains intact. However, for lasting protection, you need something that persists after the oil evaporates--thus oils often have a light solvent that helps it to penetrate and spread that evaporates over time leaving the oil as a more long lasting barrier. Grease designed for firearms, of course, is the longest lasting protectant but messy in application and removal.

Then, you have bags and papers that release anticorrosives which are a whole nother animal.

Looking at my bench, I see FP-10, Break-Free CLP, Rem Oil, and Ballistol. For removing rust with fine steel wool, I'd probably grab the FP-10 or Rem-Oil. In addition there are motor oils, chain oils, and other household lubricants that would work as well.

To date, I've only used the Ballistol on my black powder guns, but it would work on the smokeless guns too.

FL-NC said:

Whatever generic motor oil is on sale at auto zone, applied liberally to the external metal surfaces. For an auto loader, white lithium grease on the moving parts.

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Make sure that the grease or oil you use does not have chlorinated esters in it. Not good for firearms.

"That's a pretty good explanation of what we need - is there anything we should avoid? Of course - any product that contains chlorine compounds. These compounds, usually referred to as chlorinated esters, were used as boundary additives for many years. As boundary lubes they actually work pretty well; the problem is that they promote a phenomenon known as "stress corrosion cracking" (SCC). Essentially, SCC creates microscopic pits and cracks that, under heat and pressure, widen to become noticeable cracks - and sometimes, even broken parts!

(One major gun manufacturer actually had barrels fall off of their revolvers. An investigation ensued, and they found that the chlorinated esters used in their machining oils was causing stress cracking in barrel threads. When combined with the gun owners' use of cleaning and lube compounds containing chlorinated esters, the barrels simply sheared off at the weakest part - the threads. To this day, the company forbids any chlorine-carrying compounds on the manufacturing floor, to prevent a recurrence.)" https://rugerforum.net/maintenance/20058-eezox-4.html

Old THR thread on Ruger's problems, https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/ruger-redhawk-barrel-failures.224251/

There are some products that are LP, they don't contain the cleaner.

https://smile.amazon.com/BreakFree-...d=1579879687&sprefix=breakfree,aps,196&sr=8-5

https://smile.amazon.com/BREAK-FREE...9806&sprefix=sarfariland+brea,aps,212&sr=8-31

e rex said:

I've used WD-40 for the last 40 years.

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Get a rope boys and hang him.

One more for Ballistol.

Mobil 1 makes your gun smell like a wet dog...

Yuk.

Conelrad

I am glad to see the fad for hating on WD-40 appears to be fading. It certainly is no miracle oil, but it's not the evil fluid of death it has been made out to be. I use it to clean and wipe the outside of guns to remove powder fouling, fingerprints, and moisture.

I use Ballistol an awful lot these days, and agree with that recommendation here.

For a gun that is to be put away for the foreseeable future, I clean it thoroughly and then give it a good coating with RIG. I am sure there are many other preservatives that work well, but RIG has never let me down.

For years I used RemOil, and for years I fought with specs of surface rust showing up on my hunting guns if I didn't clean them THAT evening. I'd also sometimes get some surface rust on my guns just while they were in the safe. Mind you, this was just a steel cabinet in a home where the air conditioner was only run 2 weeks out of the year in the humid Ohio Valley.

I've switched to Eezox now, and my rust problems have disappeared. Of course now I have a gun safe with a Golden Rod and it's all kept in a temperature controlled room. But I no longer have to be diligent about cleaning my guns right away with the Eezox, even if they get a little rain on them.

Conelrad said:

Mobil 1 makes your gun smell like a wet dog...

Yuk.

Conelrad

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Ha ha no it doesn't!

Rem Oil in the spray can and I have a microfiber cloth in which I put motor oil on to wipe everything down.

I prefer Rem-Oil myself.

Hoppes 9, usually.

ohihunter2014 said:

Well after hunting in snow and rain for over a week and absolutely no time for anything I forgot to clean them. I have some light surface rust on them and usually grab a rough rag and wd40 or some light steel wool, but I read somewhere that WD40 isn't good for firearms. What do you guys use to wipe down guns that wont be touched for a year or so?

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QMAXX

Sewing machine oil.

Back in the day during the Reagan years, I used Liberal Tears to preserve my guns. But these days, most of the tears shed by modern day Liberals are contaminated with bull crap, thus, I now use Ballistol.

YMMV

3-in-1 oil has worked for me for decades.

A lot of good products out there these days but I've been using CLP for decades. First time I used it was on my M16 A1 at MCRD Parris Island in 1982 and last time I used it was last week to clean a Ruger Mk III.

Nothing wrong with cleaning a rusty gun or dirty one with WD40, its an excellent solvent. The problem with using it on the inside of a gun, is if left in place is it dries out and leave a "varnish" behind. I have used WD40 in the past at deer camp to wipe off a wet Win 94 30-30 because none of us had brought cleaning kits but WD40 was in the cabin.

Long term rust protection, I would use Eezox. If you want a simple solution and easy to use, just clean your firearm and lube with whatever gun oil you have and put in a Zerust bag.

https://www.zerustproducts.com/