Best Gun Oil ?

[danez71]

cdk, based on your work, what would you recommend for my situation?
the high plains are very dry. i need no rust protection.
i need no grease or anything that might attract sand.
i'm concerned about my new to me s&w model 15.
i've never had a double action revolver before.
i think it probably needs some oil in a few spots. my semi autos i run mostly dry n that works for me. not sure about this gun.

My 1st advice is take everything with a grain of salt.

I prefer using gun oils because I believe they ARE tailored for guns. I tend to use lube for fishing reels on my fishing reels, also.

The cost is minimal. $5 for a bottle that will last year's or even decades... just from a little bottle.

Having said that, I've used 3-N-1 oil, Marvelous Mistery Oil, and lots of other stuff.... my friend used oil from the dip stick in his truck once. At all worked fine.

Oil isn't a dust magnet. It doesn't attract dirt. Brand A isn't going to attract most dirt than Brand B. Sure, dirt will stick to oil more than a completely dry surface, but your gun shouldn't be completely dry. Which ever oil you choose won't change the frequency of cleaning to any significant degree.


Just read the manual and oil as directed. You may find the gun might like an extra drop or 2 here or there... or maybe not. I think you learned this already from what I read in one of your posts about your Ruger.

 

[Walkalong]

I love gun oil threads.

The biggest mistake is not oiling with something. I have seen that way to often at the range. I have never had someone bring me over a clean, oiled pistol and say...... it just doesn't work.

Over the years I have used all kinds of oil, gun oil, motor oil, ATF, air tool oil, oil additives, mixtures of oils, etc. Like many people, I have my favorite gun oils, but nothing has ever "failed".

The last thing I tried was Mobile 1 Racing 4T, simply because I just bought three quarts, and only needed 2.2 to fill my four wheeler.

 

[susieqz]

thank you, walk.
owner's manuals for 50 year old guns are hard to come by.

 

[danez71]

thank you, walk.
owner's manuals for 50 year old guns are hard to come by.

The manufacturer most likely will give you one for free.


Here is a great resource for a LOT of them.

http://stevespages.com/page7b.htm

 

[susieqz]

yow, dane! that's a great site.
i haven't got to my model 15 yet.
i just found the manual for my marlin 989 !!!
this was my first gun. i got it used, when i was 16.
i love it. it has eliminated more vermin than i can count.
it lives next to the door to my garden, to protect my plants.

 

[v35]

snake oil

Snake oil must be the best for guns, because that's what I read on The Internet.

I can't seem to find any though, so until then I've been using what my gun manufacturers recommend. Haven't had any problems yet.

That snake oil must be good though. Can't wait to try it.

 

[Gun Master]

Snake Oil

You used to buy it at every carnival or fair coming through your area.
I really don't think the purpose was to oil guns. Rather, to "oil your innards", and other medical remedies, depending on the "hawker". It most frequently contained alcohol, and made you "feel good". The formula varried, but its ingredients were always questionable.

I think the main purpose of snake oil was to "line the pockets" of the seller.

 

[the big guy]

Hi. I don't know what the best gun oil is. After 50 years of hunting in Northern Manitoba, Canada I use Hoppe's No 9 oil mixed with 10% clear kerosene. This seems to work really well for me at -40 deg. F. Never had a misfire. All I shoot are bolt actions. Can get a little chilly here, definitely don't want my rifle to fail.

Thanks

 

[Gun Master]

Chilly North of USA - Canada

Welcome to THR for your 1st post. You are some kinda man to hunt in those chilly temps.

I've got some cousins up there.

I'll try to not complain about my AC bill while I remain in the "Sunny South"!

P.S. - It gets cold here too, even below 0 degrees F. Now that's cold to us.
You're smart to use bolt actions in those conditions.

 

[the big guy]

Hi. Thank you Gun Master for your reply. I'm looking forward to being a member of this site. I still have much to learn, and always looking for ways to make life easier. I should be smart like my son, he moved south to 1 hour north of Atlanta. He won't hunt in the cold anymore.

I should have added that it was a clear based kerosene Lamp Oil that I mixed with the Hoppes. 10 parts Hoppes oil to 1 part Lamp oil. There are so many great oils on the market, don't know if there is an ultimate do all oil

 

[basicblur]

In a previous life I worked in heavy industry - part of my apprenticeship required I pull 200 hours with the oiler.

He had everything from sewing machine oil all the way up to crater (looks like tar). He once told me after more than 30 years of lubing all kinds of stuff, he'd come to the conclusion it didn't make a heckuva lot of difference - just keep some type of lube on it!

Having said that, last time I needed some gun lube, I got up a group buy and did a little research. FPS 10 seemed to be highly thought of in the gun community, but digging into the history of the fellow that started the company (and then was run off, partially because he didn't like the bean counters diluting his product), we went with Weapon Shield, which was his new, improved product.

So far everybody's been satisfied. I'm not much of a cleaner, but a few of the fellows in my group buy are, and remarked how easy cleanup is after the initial application.

 

[slumlord44]

After reading all this I think that firearms oil is like motor oil in your car. What brand or type you use is not nearly as critical as changing it on a regular basis and keeping the crankcase full. Clean oil is better than dirty oil or no oil.

 

[Nano65]

I started using Froglube on my 3 handguns about 6 months ago. I really do like the Liquid CLP. I did the full treatment with the liquid, paste, and heat in the beginning. Since then I only use the liquid to clean and lubricate with Q-tips and patches for the barrel. I don't think I would buy the paste again. I am very impressed with how easy the guns are to clean using the liquid.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I use oil on my guns....any kind (except for finishing oil). No need to over think it.....It ain't rocket surgery.

 

[harrygunner]

I've been using Lucas gun oil on all my firearms. I always had the impression each gun ran smoother compared to other oils.

 

[Gun Master]

I'm still leaning toward synthetic motor oils, but I've come to the conclusion that you should use any reputable oil on you guns, as long as it is not "snake oil"!

 

[cdk8]

One other thing that might be worth noting is that I feel humidity control can ensure the storage environment doesn't contribute to corrosion or water damage. The air-tight seals of fire-resistant products such as safes, file cabinets, or lock boxes can trap in high humidity levels that can contribute to corrosion (among other things.) And as many of those products are found in basements and garages (where there can be higher humidity levels than the rest of the home), and as some fireproofing material has a high moisture content that can further increase humidity, I've found that using either a humidity rod or a silica gel product inside these containers is a worthwhile undertaking, IMO.

 

[LiveLife]

Just keep your gun clean and well lubricated and the choice of lubricant becomes almost moot.

Keeping it clean and lubricated is far more important than which lube.

After reading all this I think that firearms oil is like motor oil in your car. What brand or type you use is not nearly as critical as changing it on a regular basis and keeping the crankcase full. Clean oil is better than dirty oil or no oil.

+1

I have used different lubricants over the decades but now tell people to use any gun oil (I prefer BreakFree CLP) or motor oil.

I started using Froglube on my 3 handguns about 6 months ago.

There's been several threads on different forums that expressed Froglube is coconut oil based (one forum thread did chemical analysis to verify). While coconut oil would work fine, I don't think it would be applicable in cold temperatures (not sure if Froglube has additives to flow in cold temperatures).

 

[Nano65]

"There's been several threads on different forums that expressed Froglube is coconut oil based (one forum thread did chemical analysis to verify). While coconut oil would work fine, I don't think it would be applicable in cold temperatures (not sure if Froglube has additives to flow in cold temperatures)."

bds, I also have read about the analysis showing it to probably be coconut oil. That doesn't bother me because it works really well. The coconut oil that I have seen solidifies at a little below room temperature. I have also read that Froglube gums up. In my experience I have not encountered that but I will be on the look out for it. Based on your comment about the cold I performed a little experiment. I unloaded my XDs45 and placed it in my zero degree chest type freezer for 30 minutes. I then dry fired it and racked it a bunch of times while holding it down in the cold air of the freezer. I could tell absolutely no difference from the way it acted at room temperature. Racking it was very smooth just like it is at room temperature. Maybe there is a secret ingredient in Froglube to keep it lubricating well at very low temperatures. In our area we almost never get down to zero. Besides, when the gun is on me it is very nearly the same temperature as I am. By the way, thanks for the comments.

 

[au_prospector]

Did you not notice the "sticky" on this very subject top of this forum?

 

[Nano65]

I did not see a post at the top labeled as a "sticky" but posts 3 and 4 mention Froglube. Your point?

 

[Buzznrose]

I always use Ballistol because it is great for wood and leather, as well as the metal. I believe it is mostly mineral oil....Good stuff

I have been meaning to order a can of Lubriplate grease to have in my shop as well. Just because...


Take Care,

Buzz

 

[sbwaters]

Hornady One Shot has the longest protection according to tests.

 

[AlfonsDeWolf]

Slamfire, post #3, that schtuff in your drink was some sugary coconut MILK, not oil. "CocoLopez"?

 

[Gun Master]

I finally "used" the product I had "selected". It is a synthetic motor oil (10W-30W) similar to Mobil 1. The difficulty of using it before, was "how to transfer it" from the qt. bottle to my small eye dropper container.
This may seem silly, but I didn't want to spill a quart of oil, where "The Lady of the House" would have to supervise my cleaning it up.
'Nuf said about that.
My solution was using an empty syringe (like a shot container at the Dr.'s office) without the dreaded needle.
My recently purchased Star Model Super B is now sufficiently bathed in motor oil, and resting in one of my old T shirts. I plan to leave it alone for a few days, and check on its progress.