WD40 and Gun Cleaning

[RoadkingLarry]

WD-40 is solely responsible for cancer, global warming, male pattern baldness, ED, ADD, ADHD, BHO, NWO, the extinction of the wooley mamouth, Arctic ice caps melting, the hole in the ozone layer, the decline and fall of the Roman empire, liberalism, Mexican drug cartels, Africanized killer bees, slow internet connections, daylight savings time, BPH, PMS, mad cow disease, typhoid, mumps, measles, halitosis, ingrown toe nails, fake scottish accents, athleats foot, jock itch, pro baseball steroids use, inflation, deflation, stagflation, and is suspected to have been involved in the post katrina New Orleans gun confiscations.
YMMV

 

[jimmyraythomason]

But RoadkingLarry, I thought former President G.W.Bush was responsible for all of that.

 

[_JT_]

My browning auto 5 had some scratches that rusted after a very wet and rainy hunting trip. The WD 40 did a great job cleaning her up. I used to work as a landscaper, our work vehicles were rust buckets, but they were kept together thanks my my endless WD40'ing everything.

 

[X-Rap]

[The WD40 film can be very, very thin. It can be everywhere, because of the typical spray application. And it can be very sticky, almost like Scotch tape.
Once misuse develops this, it can be very hard to remove with normal solvents and gravity to do a "flush".
/QUOTE]
I have to go along with post #63. I have yet to see my guns looking like the oilpan of a 1978 Chevy Vega. I don't have mildew forming on the furniture. They do not rust while in storage. It is not the only product that I have on my bench and I do not believe it is put on the earth by Satan. It is however a very good penetrant so keep it away from your scopes and primers.

 

[RoadkingLarry]

But RoadkingLarry, I thought former President G.W.Bush was responsible for all of that.

He was under the evil mind control influence of WD-40

 

[06]

In boot camp at PIsland we completely cleaned our rifles. Put them in boiling soapy water, ran drill powered bore brushes through them, brushed them with solvent and then sprayed them with very light amounts of WD-40. The next day was command inspection. Afterwards we turned in our 14s and they were put into storage. The WD was an unapproved lub. but we used it anyway. When I put firearms into the safe I liberally spray the bores/actions/and exposed metal. They always come out rust free. I do clean them prior to firing and never have any problems. I have gone to using Rusty Duck or Rem Oil or Tetra(hate the smell) as my lubs but have been guilty of using 30 weight when others are unavailable. Cotton swabs and oil or light grease go into roller channels and onto rails/wear points. My motto on the job and about guns is: oil is the cheapest repair you can do!!! Will add, and the best, wc

 

[Harold Mayo]

No offense, but it's best to get the terminology correct.

The terminology IS correct. It goes way beyond personal experience but I've learned not to share too much that's not first hand. I won't disparage anyone specifically, but I tend to doubt doom and gloom internet stories told by most persons as they are usually made up after reading something and the people just want to jump on the bandwagon in the discussion. It's like Wolff ammo threads. I've fired MANY thousands of rounds of the stuff and never had a problem with it in any of multiple firearms in multiple calibers and for different uses (and I can even include "in different climates"). It's even printed what are basically one enlarged .223 hole groups at 100 yards off the bench in my Bushmaster Varminter, so I am disinclined to believe much of what I hear about it because what I've done personally is statistically significant.

 

[Tirod]

My experience with WD 40 is this - never use it in door locks. I can't tell you how many cylinders I've restored to function after cleaning out all the gummed up residue from facility maintenance workers spraying WD40 into lock cylinders for years. It doesn't work in that application - it never gets out completely. Hinges on doors? Even worse - it's too light and the squeaks return. Commerical lock and hinge makers specifically tell you not to use any - ANY - wet spray oils, only graphite.

Now - apply that to firearms. Use it if you want - DOD has put down their foot and made it heresy - but, yes, it will do what a lot of people expect. It will act as a solvent flushing out loose crud, and dry to a pleasant finish.

But what it will not do is clean and "lubricate" weapons. That requires copious amounts of GI "Elbow Grease," which is exactly what the WD sprayers are trying to avoid. WD40 is the lazy man's answer to proper maintenance, as this thread has pointed out well. As for lube, most makers only ask for a dab on the rails or barrel ramp, not a hose down.

Used with the directed amounts of "Elbow Grease," any solvent will do. But WD40 alone is pretty much the last thing I grab for precision mechanical objects, especially in a spray can. It isn't a miracle, but it seems to marketed that way.

Invented by Satan? No, but it is misused by his imps daily.

 

[481]

Thanks! I learned something from your post.

SlamFire1-

Thanks. Glad to help out whenever and wherever I can.

The constituents of WD-40 are pretty innocuous for the most part.

The "Stoddard's solvent" formulation within WD-40 is made up of straight white mineral spirits, hydrotreated heavy naphtha and lightly hydrotreated paraffinic petroleum distillates.

The chief complaints that appear to "crop up" with the use WD-40 arise from its misuse, using alot of it and never removing the residue that it leaves over the extended time and accumulation. The "gummy" build up that occurs over extended time periods and with voluminous exposure are a result of evaporation of the hydrotreated paraffinic distillates. Over time and with exposure to heat and simple evaporative processes, the repetitive application and resultant deposition of lightly hyrotreated paraffinic solvent eventually accumulates into a "waxy", slightly brittle "residue" that can be problematic and seems to find its way into the closer tolerances of some firearms.

Taken care of properly, through the proper cleaning of your firearm, it will not have the chance to accumulate in the amounts necessary to cause "problems" and I suspect that most of those here that are complaining about its "insufficiency" or "inappropriateness" for cleaning firearms are not the most fastidious sort when it comes to the proper maintenance and care of their firearms.

Any product misused, intentionally or uninintentionally, even those that are marketed as being "firearms specific", can lead to unanticipated issues.

 

[streakr]

40 tries to get it right? Not bad.

Salverson 606 was the 606th attempt to find a drug to treat syphilis...but I digress.

WD 40 works great to remove water and gunk from firearms but I always re-lube with something else. I used it alot when goose/duck hunting on the Eastern shore of Maryland. Remove the wood stocks and spray the internals until everything comes out. Dry with air and re-lube.

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