WD40 in Guns

[Aaryq]

Howdy folks. I was at work today and the topic of WD40 for cleaning and lubricating came up. I was under the impression that WD40 would cause siezing, and nasty in your guns. Who uses WD40? Who used WD40 in their guns and never will again? Who actively uses WD40 in their guns? Pics would also be nice if you can.

 

[Liberty1776]

Never again. it dries to a sticky, hard film that is difficult to remove. :banghead: For rustproofing, use CorrosionX. It's the closest to perfect I've ever seen...

 

[renegade1alpha]

When I was in Iraq WD-40 was all we used to CLEAN our weapons. Afterwards we would dry it off and lube them with MIL-TEC oil on all the moving parts. As for using it as a lubricant, I have used it with no problems. The thing with WD-40 is that it is too thin in my opinion to be used as a lubricant on moving parts. I always keep a can handy for cleaning my guns.

 

[Il Duca]

WD40 does not make for a good lubricant. It tends to gum up. Great for removing surface rust though. Breakfree is the way to go.

 

[RNB65]

Oh, no, you didn't say WD40???

You're going to find some people who say that WD40 is nothing but the work of Satan. Others will tell you it's all they've used on their guns for years and their guns are 100% reliable.

I recommend Break Free CLP. But if you like WD40, use it.

 

[joplinsks]

I highly suggest Crown's "All-4" liquid lube over WD-40. Definitely doesn't gum up like WD-40 and has excellent rust preventing properties. Most machine shops utilizing CNC gear prefer it over WD-40.

 

[FerFAL]

Never understood why some people have WD40 gum up on their guns. Whenever I spray a lot of it on my guns, it just drips and rinses away, leaving no kind of gum or any solid substance behind.
Rather the other way around, no matter how much WD40 I use, I find it to be too light as a lubricant, so I use it to clean everything, bore frame, slide, dry it all out and then add a few drops of oil where needed. That’s it, works for me and my guns function without any dirt related problems, bores look clean too.
Just make sure you dry all that WD40 away, you don’t want any of it even getting near your ammo, ruins the primers.

FerFAL

 

[CajunBass]

It's a decent solvent, but too thin for a lubricant.

 

[never_retreat]

Wd40 was created by the GODS It is good for cleaning but is too thin to lube mose gun parts. Thats what 90-110 weight is for. Nothing like the smell of gear oil cooking off.

 

[obxned]

Get a firearm soaked in the field and hit it with WD-40. It will be just fine. It is not the best lube, but will displace water faster than politicians from a lie detector test.

 

[bensdad]

but will displace water

Actually, I think "WD" stands for water displacement. I always thought it was invented and intended only as a means of preventing things from getting wet.

I use cleaners to clean, lubricants to lubricate, and WD40 on bike chains.

 

[CWL]

I think that all WD40 is is kerosene with some color and scent added to it.

Go ahead and lube your guns with kerosene if you want to.

 

[skinnyguy]

WD-40 = Water Displacement formulation number 40. It's made primarily from fish oil with some other additives and some sort of solvent as the carrier.

It's wonderful stuff without a doubt, but I use it for fishing (spray your bait with it, no kidding) and household stuff. The only time I would put it on one of my guns is for short term corrosion protection, and run any moisture off of it.

 

[Valkman]

It's not a lubricant, but it is flammable. We used to use it for starting generators at work before we got Hondas.

 

[10 Ring Tao]

Well, considering the fact it was never meant to be used in guns, and no other gun maintanence products are similar...

WD stands for water displacing. Do you go swimming with your guns?

But really, it basically comes down to the fact that there are better products available for the same price.

 

[Plink]

I'm with Liberty 100% here. WD-40 is trouble if left in guns. A large percent of gunsmith income is undoing WD-40. I also use CorrosionX. Outstanding product.

 

[mrmeval]

Take your prized gun. Lube it up with WD40 and let it sit for 3-6 months. Let us know how well it does.

 

[DWARREN123]

WD40 is not for firearms. Not a lube, a water displacement chemical. Use firearms cleaners and lubes only and you will be much happier and firearms cleaner/better lubed.

 

[Ala Dan]

I do not use WD-40 anywhere near or on my weapons; as I rely on
Break Free CLP and Eezox~!

 

[ScottsGT]

Only time I would recommend WD40 on a gun is right after it came out of a parkerizing tank. Then I'd blast it off with brake cleaner and apply RIG.

 

[WeThePeople]

I'm a big fan of Break Free CLP. I started using it in the Army and have continued to use it on my personal weapons. CLP stands for cleaner, lubricant, protectant and in my honest opinion it does a fine job of all three.

 

[RnR]

Flush It

I do keep WD-40, or it's Advanced Auto clone in-house. But prefer to use Muscle Product's (maker of FP-10) Moist-Out (M0-10) with a spray-trigger on larger areas; aerosols like WD-40 are good for targeted purging applications - just keep the dang stuff out of your eyes as it can bounce back at ya unexpectedly!

But frankly, WD-40's use has been relegated to FLUSHING only. That is, to make a mess where and when significant quantities with some application force are required to float foreign solid or liquid intruders off of surfaces or out of recesses. Beyond that - forget it.

Then apply a more useful and effective agent such as a legitimate spray cleaner for guns/metal or electrical contacts, followed with a good lube/protectant such as FP-10, Boeshield T-9, CorrosionX or EeZox depending on your immediate usage or storage expectations.

There are certainly other methods, but in reality anything - even WD-40 - will pretend to work in a pinch. Just don't rely on it until you see a WD-40 TV commercial showing jet engines running at 50% greater efficiency and doubling your car's gas mileage... then you'll "know" it's an overlooked MIRACLE.

 

[foghornl]

Good to use IF your firearm got "Dunked in the drink" Works best at displacing water (WD part of WD-40).

Also used to be used to remove water from car ignition parts...distributor, wires, plugs, etc. After one of the famous "intersection flash floods" in Houston, I saw tow truck guys have the flooded car drivers pop open hoods, would spray around under the hood, then cars would usually start. Then charge driver $40-$50 for "emergency ignition repairs".

 

[roo_ster]

I prefer Breakfree CLP to most anything...but I have used and will use most anything in the future, too.

WD40 does OK as a solvent/blaster and somewhat less OK as a lube. As a protectant, it is no great shakes, but better than nothing. It most definitely not the tool of Satan some will tell you.

If you want to use a more commonly available (then gun-specific stuff) lube & preservative, synthetic motor oil and synthetic grease do pretty well. Avoid lithium grease in cold weather.

I used it almost exclusively before I went into the service and discovered CLP. Never had a problem, but I clean & lube my weapons on a regular basis.

WD40 will dry up under heavy/rapid fire much faster than CLP. BTDT with my M4A1 when I was in the service.

 

[Risasi]

Even as a cleaner it's less than ideal. But I have used it before, when nothing else was available.

For several months now, as an all purpose cleaner/lube I've been using a mixture of Mobil1 (for diesel engines), Marvel Mystery Oil, and a small amount of CLP. Seems to work pretty good, and the Marvel cuts through the buildup in a barrel faster than just CLP. I like Mobil1 because that stuff just does not cook off like the CLP does. Which means the lubricant lasts longer, which means longer shooting before a failure.