For all you who use Mobil-1 to lubricate.....

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jcwit: said:
Exactly what I was thinking as I was reading about those who claimed using ATF. Regarding what weight of syn.oil do I use? Right now it a compination of 10W/30 and 5W/20 as its the drippings fromwhats left when filling engine at oil change. I do not think a firearm is going to know the diference in oil weight like a vehicle. None of my firearms have starters with a 12 volt battery. However a few do have keys.
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j-

Agreed. Looks like Grant Cunningham's dis-(mis-)informational website content regarding firearms lubrication continues to perpetuate the myth of "ATF over motor oil" to "internet proportions". :D

Mr. Cunningham might be a fine gunsmith, but he is a lousy lubricant engineer and chemist and his "knowledge" (lack thereoff) of ATF and motor oil formulation reveals that quite clearly.

Mr. Cunningham's "information" fails from his ignorance of the differences between ATF and motor oil in that ATF has much less in the way of an additive package than motor oil, which he eschews in favor of the much less fortified ATF.

Additive packages in motor oil are much higher in EP/AW (Extreme Pressure/AntiWear) and anti-corrosion additives as well as detergents/dispersants (which keep dirt in suspension making clean-up easier) than ATF and both fluids are composed of the same (or very similar) basestock oils.

The only other difference between the two fluids is their color. Motor oil uses a yellow or gold dye; ATF uses red. Perhaps it is the red color of ATF that has Mr. Cunningham convinced that it is a superior choice to motor oil. :scrutiny:

Mr. Cunningham's assertions lack validity, well-intentioned though they might be and painfully little of Mr. Cunningham's article is correct.


Loved the crack about firearms and keys! Definitely good for a laugh. Thanks, j.
 
The only other difference between the two fluids is their color. Motor oil uses a yellow or gold dye; ATF uses red. Perhaps it is the red color of ATF that has Mr. Cunningham convinced that it is a superior choice to motor oil.
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Someone has to introduce him to Royal Purple! :D
 
General Geoff: said:
Someone has to introduce him to Royal Purple!
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That's funny. :D

Forgot about that.

RP uses purple dye in their motor oils.

jimmyraythomason: said:
FoMoCo ATF was brown in the mid 1970s(when I worked for Ford).(FWIW)
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I am too young (I was a little one in the 70s) to remember that. If I saw brown ATF on my oil rag during PM, I'd assume that I'd burned up my trans fluid :banghead: and take it in for service.
 
One thing to add - keep motor oil off your wooden stocks and grip panels.

It also smells kinda bad, don't it?
 
I use weasel grease..

Take a medium sized weasel, boil it down for the oil and Voila!

If you can't find a weasel, a politician works just as well.
 
I use Mobil 1 10W30, which is a nice weight for my guns and this climate. For grease, I generally use either Tetra or Shooter's Choice, and I prefer a syringe-type applicator to allow me to put it exactly where I want it.

One thing to add - keep motor oil off your wooden stocks and grip panels.

It also smells kinda bad, don't it?
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Full synthetic oil (which is the only motor oil I'd recommend for firearms) doesn't smell bad at all. Smells like crayons or unscented candle wax to me. I suppose the fossil-derived oils might smell worse.

The reason motor oil smells bad out of an engine is all the partly burned combustion products that piston-ring blow-by puts in the oil. Crankcase fumes stink, and the oil soaks that up. But fresh oil doesn't have that smell.
 
benEzra: said:
Full synthetic oil (which is the only motor oil I'd recommend for firearms) doesn't smell bad at all. Smells like crayons or unscented candle wax to me. I suppose the fossil-derived oils might smell worse.
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This has been my experience, too.

While higher quality synthetics have an odor that is "different" from that of "gun specific oils"; it can hardly be described as "objectionable".

I've been using M1 20w50 V-TWIN for almost a one and a half decades without a single issue (no corrosion, damage, malfunctions, etc.) in wide ranging environments (from -35F to +120F) on all of my firearms.

Can't beat it. M1 works.
 
Coltdriver said:
BluEyes,

Isn't ATF abrasive? If it had superior lubricating properties it would be used for motor oil.
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Abrasive, no. There are lots of journal bearings and roller bearings in a transmission that wouldn't like that.

However, ATF has much more to do than just lubricate. Remember it is also a hydraulic fluid and a wet clutch fluid. The friction package is very complex because the clutches have to hold torque and must have a consistent friction/pressure curve so that the shifts are consistent and smooth.

ATF is also darn good at dissolving things. Auto trans seals are made of very specific compounds or else they will literally dissolve. Special inks also must be used to hold up to ATF.

Each manufacturers ATF spec is different though. Putting in the wrong fluid is a sure-fire way to drastically affect the operation of any modern transmission.

Honestly, if I were to use something automotive to lube my firearms, I would use synthetic *diesel* engine oil. Diesel engine oils have more additives for extreme pressure than gas engine oils (some have even been removed in more recent gas engine oil standards because the additives were harming catalytic converters). Finally, diesel oil has more dispersants and bases to help keep soot suspended and neutralized in the oil. Diesel soot is both abrasive and acidic so the oil must keep it from damaging the engine internals.

That said, I use Hoppes 9 oil on my guns...
 
"Full synthetic oil (which is the only motor oil I'd recommend for firearms)" Why? Any petrolium based oil will work fine on firearms. Firearms simply do not care what additives that oil does or doesn't have. Extreme temporatures may dictate what viscosity to use but overall it won't make any difference. SomeBODY may take offense at the feel or the smell of the oil but the gun won't know any better.
 
"Full synthetic oil (which is the only motor oil I'd recommend for firearms)" Why? Any petrolium based oil will work fine on firearms. Firearms simply do not care what additives that oil does or doesn't have. Extreme temporatures may dictate what viscosity to use but overall it won't make any difference. SomeBODY may take offense at the feel or the smell of the oil but the gun won't know any better.
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Because petroleum based oils smell worse, stain worse, tend to have slightly inferior lubricative properties compared to PAO based lubricants (although as you state, the additive packs are generally comparable), and such.

Sure, petroleum-based motor oil would make an OK lubricant in a pinch, but when a single $7 bottle of Mobil 1 will literally last you a lifetime, I don't necessarily see saving $4 or $5 on a one-time purchase of an inferior product.
 
Weasel Grease?

I use weasel grease..

Take a medium sized weasel, boil it down for the oil and Voila!

If you can't find a weasel, a politician works just as well.
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PETA WILL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT!! And politicians are way too slimy for good lubrication... :barf:

I have used Lubriplate and the redddish-brown GI rifle grease on Garands/M14s/carbines, LSA on ARs and other assorted autos, and every oil know to mankind on them all. I have settled on Tetra Grease for the slides/op rods/bolts on the autos because if applied as directed, can be run "dry" or with very little excess with excellent results (i.e., no discernible wear beyond what I consider normal - scuffing, polishing, etc). I also have Mobil industrial synthetic grease I have used with very good results and still use on some. What the heck - the more the merrier. I might even use some of the synthetic ATF & motor oils sitting around - and I'll be willing to bet that every one of them will do the job (since I am not running a full-auto machine-gun balls-to-the-wall till the barrel turns red & sags). And we don't have many weasels down here in the low country of SC, although there is a huge over-population of slimy politicians... :barf: :barf:

One can never over-emphasize the importance of good lubrication... :evil:
 
another contender

Has anyone used the dielectric grease; silicon spark plug boot grease?

It is relatively expensive, but those little envelopes go far.
 
I don't know how well dielectric grease will work or last. It isn't designed to lubricate except to keep the rubber plug wire boots from sticking to the spark plugs(which it does very poorly). It's primary function is a corrosion inhibitor. It may well do a pretty good job though. Have you used it for an extended period?
 
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limited experience

JimmyrayT:

Sorry Jim, I've used it in my Mauser HsC and Bennelli B76 semiautos, but they do not get extented shooting.

I'm not an avid shooter; I shoot perhaps once a week, mostly during the good weather months, and so, I cannot give experience, at least long term, with the dielectric grease.
I've been using it for approximately ten years.
I've used it too on my revolvers, but those things revolve by my finger power just fine, and probably would do so with most any oil or grease.

It's good points are that it stays in place, doesn't seem to harden with age,
the silicon does provide "slipperyness" and as you state, it is antisieze and anticorrosion -somewhat. High temp too. I use it sparingly, so as not to capture dirt.

So far, I could recommend it.
 
BluEyes: said:
...However, ATF has much more to do than just lubricate. Remember it is also a hydraulic fluid and a wet clutch fluid. The friction package is very complex because the clutches have to hold torque and must have a consistent friction/pressure curve so that the shifts are consistent and smooth.

ATF is also darn good at dissolving things. Auto trans seals are made of very specific compounds or else they will literally dissolve. Special inks also must be used to hold up to ATF...
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Blue-

This makes me question, all the more, the wisdom of using an AutoTransFluid as a field expedient firearms lubricant, especially in preference to any oil; "motor", "gun" or otherwise.
 
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