Too much gun oil causes excesive dirt?

[armedpolak]

Hi there!
So everytime i'm done shooting my guns are very dirty. Now, i rented few guns last weekend, and RO told me they are never cleaned, yet they sure were cleaner than mine after just one range trip.

Could it be that I put too much oil on my guns after cleaning (6-10 drops, on all moving metal-touches-metal places) ???

I just don't get it, my guns are always a mess when I shoot them!

I'm sort of giving up. Instead of spending hour and a half on my .45 yesterday after 2 hours at the range and 200 rounds through that gun, I just wiped it off on the outside, bore snaked it, and cleaned the ramp a bit, that's it... but is it ENOUGH to keep it runing over the years?

What about the sonic kits? Do they work? How about some fluieds you submerge the gun parts into and let it sit overnight? Do they work?

Thanks!

 

[Molon Labe]

IMO, too much oil is much worse than not enough oil.

First of all, dirt will find its way into any gun when you're shooting it. If there is not much oil (or no oil) in the gun, the gun can't "hold" much dirt. On the other hand, if the gun is very oily, the dirt will become suspended in the oil. In other words, an oily gun can "hold" a lot more dirt than a gun with very little oil.

But it gets worse... the metal-to-metal interfaces are now being lubricated by oil that contains dirt. This can actually accelerate wear.

And finally, a lot of people think that oil will always lower the coefficient of friction, even if the oil is clean. This is not always true. In many instances, oil will actually increase the coefficient of friction, and thus more force will be necessary to make the parts move.

So in a nutshell,

- If you use lubricating oil on moving parts, less is better.

- Experiment with using a dry lube.

 

[Lupinus]

yes you probably are at 6-10 drops on all moving parts.

As already said oil allows dirt to have something to suspend itself in, and dirt and grit is bad juju.

A gun should be oiled just barely enough to have a very thin coat, nothing more.

Clean, oil, use a rag or cloth and wipe away excess. The very thin coating left behind is plenty. Overoiling is probably the absolout most common care mistake.

 

[civilian]

my experience has been the opposite - for the most part a wet gun runs better than a dry gun. yes, the oil will tend to attract a bit more dirt, but a proper cleaning program eliminates that problem. unless you're in a combat zone (i've had to carry and clean glocks on afghanistan and iraq and despite the light lube required for glocks, i was still scrubbing them down every night), oiling your gun as the manufacturer intended shouldn't be a problem. i would be hesitant to use a gun that was bone dry, and certainly wouldn't rely on one to protect my life.

 

[Big Calhoun]

When I initially started cleaning my firearms, I found they got dirtier using too much oil rather than too little. What I've since done is widened the opening on a bottle of CLP and use one of those 'straws' you'd find on a can of WD-40.

With this method, I can get the oil exactly where I want it and the exact amount that I want. One or two drops, move associated action to check for smoothness. One more drop, or move on to the next part.

 

[XDKingslayer]

I've got guns that go either way. My XD will run forever dry but my Taurus PT-138 needs a good amount of oil on the slides in order to cycle properly.

I've always been a fan of as little oil as necessary. But you do need to be flexible enough to recognize what your individual weapons require.

 

[ndh87]

When i clean my guns occasionally I'll have to use 5 or 6 drops in the same spot while trying to get some baked on burnt powder to come off, but once im done, i wipe everything down with a silicone rag and generally dont use much oil, i've never had a problem doing it that way.

 

[xd45gaper]

i use graphite on my Ruger 10/22 works very good. ive been using that for years. i recently cleaned it and used normal gun oil on it when i took it to the range and shoot 400 rds threw it i had a HUGE mess on my hands with the oil mixing with the spent powder residue.(im almost positive i over oiled lol) so from now on its all graphite.

I recently bought some MIL TEC1. but cannot comment on how well it works! you have to go shoot your gun to heat it up then wipe it down then reapply they say after 3 good coats all you have to do from then on is just wipe your gun down

here is there site if you are active duty military they give you discount+ free shipping

www.militec1.com

 

[TimboKhan]

I agree wholeheartedly with whoever said that too much oil is worse than not enough! 6-10 drops is quite a bit of oil, but at least your not as bad as the guy a couple of months back who said he used 1-2 TABLESPOONS of oil every time he cleaned and lubed his gun.

For me, I have stopped using oil on my auto pistols in favor of a graphite lube. The graphite lube works very good, but you really have to be very sparing when you use it, because it will pick up dirt faster than oil if you use to much. For guns I do still use oil on, I never use more than two drops of oil.

 

[barnetmill]

Many guns actually need to have some grease or other nonvolatile lubricant. I was using CLP breakfree on my 1911 duirng when my club would set up a long IPSC type of stage. It took as many as 23 rounds to finish the stage (about 28 seconds, which was slow). The gun got hot enough to "dry" off the oil and the gun did not function as well dry as it did wet. A little grease solved that problem with rapid fire.

 

[TrapperReady]

I tend to run my guns pretty dry, typically with just a drop of Militec or FP-10 on the moving surfaces (for example, on a SIG pistol I'll use 1 drop of FP-10 on each rail and nothing else). However, there are exceptions...

* My Beretta 391 shotgun seems to run best with the gas piston wet. It gets incredibly dirty, but doesn't malfunction and cleans up easily. When I run it dry, it still works fine, but is far harder to clean.

* On O/U shotguns, I'll lube the pivots with grease (RIG +P or similar).

If I detail clean a gun, then I'll sometimes lube it pretty heavily, let it sit for a bit (maybe while I clean another gun), and then blow the surfaces off with compressed air. This lets all the surfaces be treated, but doesn't leave excess oil to trap dirt. I find this works really well for trigger groups.

 

[Baphomet]

My general rule of thumb for lubing pistols is... If I can see it, without having to look for it, I'm using too much.

 

[CountGlockula]

Lubing tip.

Here's a tip: Instead of droping the lube onto your gun using the container, just place one drop on a Q-tip and apply it.

I love cleaning my Glock by the way. I like to keep it running strong.

 

[Boats]

I use a light smear of Tetra. I much prefer grease to oil, since oil migrates too easily.

 

[El Tejon]

armed, OK, fess up, what kind of ammo are you shooting through your guns? Guns spend a bazillion dollars on their guns and then spend pennies on ammo from East Camelstan.

Even American made ammo, e.g. Remington, can shoot "dirtier" than others.

Lube, depends on what kind of weapon you have. If a Glock, lube it and then wipe off all the lube. If 1911, have it slopping over the sides (the 1911 is a mudder ).

I prefer SLIP2000 but use Gunbutter or Kellube for my 1911s, M1s and M14s.

I carry a dirty 1911. I know it works. Lube it up and you are fine.

Soaking? Every once in a while I soak a bore overnight. I use Carbon Cutter from SLIP2000 and let it soak in there as well as the Cooper Cutter stuff.

I'm not hung up on clean weapons. Of course, I'm not shooting any benchrest matches either (don't get those guys started about cleaning).

 

[torpid]

my experience has been the opposite - for the most part a wet gun runs better than a dry gun. yes, the oil will tend to attract a bit more dirt, but a proper cleaning program eliminates that problem. unless you're in a combat zone (i've had to carry and clean glocks on afghanistan and iraq and despite the light lube required for glocks, i was still scrubbing them down every night), oiling your gun as the manufacturer intended shouldn't be a problem. i would be hesitant to use a gun that was bone dry, and certainly wouldn't rely on one to protect my life.

Seconded, in my experience.
I've actually had fantastic results using Rig +P grease for the last ten years.

The only problem I've yet seen was due to lack of lubrication, so I'm liberal with the lube and clean the guns after each firing.

 

[230RN]

Over my years of paper-punching, I've found that my firearms usually shoot better in terms of accuracy when they're a little dirty. I guess the gunk takes up some of the slack, and on targets, you want the first shot out of the barrel to be the same as the last shot out of a now-dirty barrel --whence the so-called "fouling rounds" before a match.

But for my carry guns I keep them pretty clean and lightly oiled without being a fanatic about either the cleaning or the oiling. I do wipe the gun off religiously whenever I pick it up or put it down.

More guns, cameras, small boys and coffeepots have been ruined by excessive cleaning than by any other single cause.

 

[chilly460]

Same experience here, I find that too much oil makes a mess. My protocol now is to spray a part with RemOil or CLP, then use compressed air to blow the part off. This leaves a light coat of oil, but not the excess that catches dirt. I do this with semi auto shotguns, O/Us, and revolvers, and I think it works well. On high wear points like the slide on the inside of a shotgun receiver where the bolt rides, I do use Hoppe's gun oil. I find this definitely helps slick up the action. Same for magazine tubes and gas pistons on semis, i shoot them wet but a very light coat.

 

[kungfuhippie]

my local indoor range guy upon inspecting my pistol back when I used as little oil as necessary told me it was too dry, after others said it was "perfect"

I asked him what to do and he said think of it like a car...grease things that slide (except mags) and oil things that rotate. So I lightly tetra grease the slide, oil the hammer, barrel link, etc. and call it good. If it gets dirty I don't care since it is reliable, even after "rapid fire" after it's been in a hot car, and 500 rds, I've had no problems. I'd sooner have a dirty gun that functions well than a "dry" gun that messes up. And leaving a pistol in your trunk in august is a quick way to see the superiority of greasing some parts as the oil thins in the heat and runs out of the places it should be.

Cleaning a gun is fun...really

Maybe I'll try the graphite approach. What should one get?

 

[carebear]

A little lube on your finger, or a rag, or a q-tip, enough to leave a shiny coat, is fine. Just a slick, I can do most guns with just a few drops total.

If you go light (not dry, just light), be aware you will need to relube regularly if you aren't shooting/cleaning much. As has been said, oil does go away due to gravity and time.

You only need lube (for lubrication purposes, not rust-prevention) in places where metal moves on metal, typically those places will show polish or wear. No point dumping it on pristine finish, it ain't lubricating anything there.

Take lube to the range with you. If you're going to be shooting long strings of fire, touch it up a little heavy. If you go light for day-to-day carry, make sure you wring the gun out at that level as well. Use a realistic(-ish) fast course of fire for at least as many rounds as you carry. if your normal lube amount causes a hang-up, go a little heavier.

 

[heypete]

*shrugs* Everyone has their own style, and what works for some guns might not work for others.

Revolvers have few moving parts, and so require less lubrication than an autopistol. The parts that do move in a revolver move much more slowly (as opposed to a reciprocating slide on a pistol), so a small amount of oil might work better.

I lubricate my XD-45 much like I lubricate my Glocks -- clean them throughly, wipe dry, then put a small amount of oil on the following parts: interior of barrel (let sit, then run a dry patch through to remove the excess), exterior of barrel (same, though leaving a very slight bit more than on the interior), barrel lug, block on the frame that the lug intersects with, half a drop in each slide rail (worked around vigorously to ensure an even amount is spread, then wipe off excess), and a tiny bit on the trigger mechanisms between the slide and frame (firing pin safety, disconnector bar, sear, etc.). Hasn't failed me yet.

My AR gets a little bit of oil where metal-on-metal contact occurs to keep wear down, as well as some between the bolt and bolt carrier, and between the cam pin and bolt carrier to ensure the bolt locks and unlocks well. Only a thin film, really. Even with Wolf .223, the AR cleans up quickly. With the M16s my unit had in the army, a shot of CLP into the action loosens up any crud and keeps the gun running (though it might cause more to build up later). We'd run our M16s really wet to keep 'em running, but we were shooting them all day long during exercises.

My Browning 1919 machinegun runs really, really wet. With eleven pounds of reciprocating mass (the whole gun weighs 30 pounds), I like to keep that metal moving smoothly. As such, it gets a helping of 10W-30 motor oil before the shooting starts, and additional oil as the day goes on. On the few occasions I've run it dry, I've noticed the action cycling slower than usual, and a few new "shiny spots" on the working parts showing a bit of wear. I prefer to keep things moving smoothly, and 10W-30 is useful for those large parts as it sticks around, but isn't as thick as grease.

All my guns get wiped down inside and out with oil every month or so, and then wiped dry to prevent them from rusting.

In short: it depends on the gun and your style. Some guns work better dry, some work better wet. You and your manual know your gun best. It shouldn't take more than about 15-20 minutes to clean a gun (unless you've been shooting corrosive ammo, or are doing a major detail cleaning), and not every little part needs to be sparkling clean to work properly (such as non-important parts like the interior walls of a pistol slide that don't contact anything). As long as your gun is running well for you, then you shouldn't have any problems.