CLP aresol ok for lubricating?

[brentn]

Just bought a can of this stuff, and have never used CLP before. They didn't have any more squeeze bottles left and only the aerosol cans.

First off, this stuff stinks, stinks bad, like almost not safe to use indoors, possibly not safe to use indoors at all.
Its also very very thin and runny, not as viscous as the oil i've used for my other guns.

Is it ok to use this as a primary lubricant for my AR15?
Is there a difference in viscosity with the squeeze bottle versus the aerosol?

Finally, my AR15 shipped with this 'lemony' smelling gun oil on all the vital moving parts. Was 'fairly' runny for an oil, but smelled awesome, any idea what it is?

thank you!

 

[boredelmo]

Pinesol? lol

 

[General Geoff]

First off, this stuff stinks, stinks bad, like almost not safe to use indoors, possibly not safe to use indoors at all.

I find the citrus scent of CLP intoxicating. I use it indoors all the time. Unlike many gun solvents/lubricants, CLP is nontoxic in and of itself, and the fumes are pretty much harmless (unless you start huffing it in a paper bag or something). I've used CLP exclusively on all my guns for the last year or so, with no adverse effects.

From what I understand, AR-15s like to run with very little lubricant anyway. No need for grease or the like.


If it smelled that bad, are you absolutely sure it's CLP? Seriously, the stuff smells wonderful to me.

 

[Chris B]

I used spray CLP for about 5000 rounds through a Bushmaster and it worked great. I'm lazy so I used Powder Blaster to clean the gun and lubed with Breakfree CLP spray. I no longer have the gun though.

There are several different schools of thought on cleaning and lubrication of AR's, CLP spray worked fine for me. I'd go with whatever technique is popular for whatever your primary use is. People in the sandbox are cleaning and lubricating differently than three-gunners are and people that keep AR's for HD are doing things differently as well.

IIRC a writer for Guns and Ammo's "Book of the M-16" reccomends using enough CLP so that the first shot sprays CLP on your shooting glasses. This might be great for keeping your AR running at the range; however it would be most inconvenient if you got CLP in your eye from your first shot in an HD scenario.

Sorry I don't have anything more specific for you.

 

[brentn]

General geoff,

Citris smell? mine smells like pure ****, seriously its just downright nasty. Its in a black can titled "break free CLP" with a yellow logo on it.
Maybe I didn't shake it enough? It defenitly does NOT smell like citris

Chris
I think what i'm trying to ask is if the aerosol is as good for lubrication as the bottle.

thanks guys for the speedy responses!

 

[Chris B]

I just sprayed some to make sure... Break Free CLP definately does not smell like citrus. The label says "Avoid prolonged breathing of vapors" so use it in well ventilated areas.

I don't have a non-spray bottle to compare labels but I would think that it is the same product as normal CLP aside from being pressurized.

 

[General Geoff]

I just sprayed some of mine on a paper towel, and it sure as hell does have a citrus scent.

So unless Break Free just recently changed their product and is omitting the citrus scent, one of us is crazy...

 

[hemiram]

It's you, it doesn't smell anything like citrus. Smells like chemicals to me. A friend emailed me back when I asked him, "It smells like citrus about as much as a Skunk smells like a flower!"

I actually like the smell, but where do you get citrus from it?

 

[RyanM]

Just sprayed some in a rag, and it actually does smell vaguely lemony-limey to me.

Anyway, CLP is just about one of the best all-around products out there. It's an excellent lubricant, excellent protectant, and not a bad cleaner.

 

[General Geoff]

Maybe it's a special Pennsylvania blend?

 

[kd7nqb]

So HOW MANY of us were just convinced to spray CLP and sniff it?

Anyway I have used it on a fair number of guns as the primary lube.

 

[Alagator]

Welcome to the strange world of sensory perception. Some people can smell things that others can't. When you were a very young child, you learned that what you smelled when someone cut a lemon was called "lemon scent". Same for the kid next door, but that is just a label you share. There is no way of knowing if what goes on in his brain is the same as what you are perceiving. I'm willing to bet the CLP is the same, and your noses/brains are wired differnently. My wife loves the smell of wild crabapple flowers in the spring, and to me they smell like a wet dog.

 

[Robert Hairless]

Decent, not great, lubricant. CLP is like a toaster oven: does several things okay, none of them great. "CLP" is the abbreviation for "Cleaner, Lubricant, Protectant." Should do just fine in your AR-15 unless you're spending all your time in a hot desert.

Not too good as an aftershave or cologne unless you're dating someone else who crawls around the desert or a camel. Then you will have to beat them off with a stick, which can be distracting.

 

[Rustynuts]

I always thought CLP was for copper, lead, powder. Guess not!

 

[DMK]

I've used Breakfree CLP as a lubricant and protectant for years. I kind of like the aerosol better than the squeeze bottle. It lets you squirt it into tight spots you otherwise couldn't reach. I don't think there's much if any difference in viscosity.

If you want something a little thicker, FP-10 is very similar, but thicker.

From what I understand, AR-15s like to run with very little lubricant anyway. No need for grease or the like.

Actually ARs run better wet, unless you are in a desert. Folks think what works in Iraq is best for them here at home. Not always.

 

[asknight]

I learned what RRA uses when I first purchased my Entry Tactical model. G96 brand CLP and it smells GOOD. I've since switched to it instead of Break Free CLP as I think it protects from my corrosive sweat a little better. At least it feels better in my hands and my handled weapons haven't shown that pesky red rust tint as quickly as BF CLP. After applying and soaking for a bit, I wipe it off with a clean cotton cloth and it leaves a slick dry film that feels like a polymer dry film.

 

[Werewolf]

Breakfree CLP...

Great stuff for cleaning.
Even better as a rust proofer.

In my experience not so good as a lubricant. OK for the range if you just used it. Lube your gun and check it out a week later. Find any lube still remaining?

 

[springmom]

Use it outdoors, especially if you have pets or small children. You'd be surprised how little aerosolized oil it takes to kill, say, a parakeet or such. Voice of unhappy experience here (oil lamp burning, in my case, killed a Quaker parakeet).

Besides, you really don't need that gunk in your lungs, you need it on the gun. Do it outdoors. Even then, I'd wear a mask.

Springmom

 

[brentn]

Alright boys, I'm telling you, they have changed it.

I know that I have the 'capability' to smell citris, and I am not smelling it in this can. It smells purely like chemicals, its pretty disgusting.
However, I have gotten used to it, just did a spray down of all parts on the bolt and innards of the upper reciever.
I'll take it to the range today in about 2 hours for its 500 round test

 

[blutarsky]

i think you're all right

i have both an aerosol can and a large squirt bottle of breakfree -- they are supposedly the same product, but the aerosol smells much different than the squirt bottle. i don't like the smell of the aerosol very much (easier to toss in a range bag, though) but the smell of the large squirt bottle is pretty nice. it also seems to be that the stuff out of the squirt bottle is a bit thicker, more viscous, but only slightly.

although they're supposedly the same product, they're clearly at least a bit different.

 

[Cannonball888]

CLP aerosol is definitely less viscous than the nonaerosol. It smells different too probably because of the propellant or thinner or both.

 

[bruss01]

I've been using Breakfree CLP for going on 5 years now.

I can tell you that, durring that time, it has never struck me as having anything similar to a citrus scent.

I do enjoy the aroma of CLP. I guess that is an association of the joy I get while cleaning and handling my firearms. It is kind of like that "new car" smell in that, in and of itself, it's probably nothing to brag on, but the association with "new car" gives it a pleasant connotation.

I would associate the smell with a kind of light solvent with a not-unpleasant aroma. The closest I've come to "citrus" in that regard was a bunch of oranges that went bad and smelled a little like solvent due to the fermentation going on.

I think BF CLP is awesome stuff. It is all I use for lubrication and cleaning on my revolvers. I spray it on, then wipe it off and get it out of the crevices using canned air. I use it on my semi-autos too, but the high-wear areas like the slide rails and anywhere showing friction marks will get a heavier oil or some grease (Mobil 1 synthetic). I use some Slip-2000 for oil, so far it seems to be working fine.

CLP is actually both a lubricant and a solvent. If let stand, the solvent part will eventually evaporate leaving behind a thin layer of teflon impregnated oil, which I think would be good for most guns because oil tends to accumulate dirt and grime, which are bad things. Less oil = less crud.

 

[Ala Dan]

I recently saw test results of various products, when applied under extreme
conditions to such panels sprayed with salt water, muric acid, and etc. And in
this test Eezox was reported to have beaten the CLP products of Break Free,
FP-10, and MIL TEC. So, I bought a squirt can of Eezox today to give it
another look~!

 

[12Bravo20]

I have been using Break Free CLP since 1989. That is all that we were issued when I was in the Army and I have stayed with it after getting out. Just don't put too much on. I have used it from very cold climates to tropical forests to the desert.

 

[Omaney]

A coupla' dabs of CLP on the neck and the girls come running...but just the good ones! But really, I just disassembled my Bersa a few hours ago and the CLP was still under the grip panels after application at least a month ago. I prefer a more exact application than "spraying" so I usually just spray it on the formica of my bench and use a Q-tip.