Gun Oil

[LSU]

Oil does go bad. It generally has a self life of about 5 years.

Sumboodie - I’m not an engineer, a chemist or even a professional mechanic but this is the first time I’ve ever hear that oil generally has a shelf life of five years.

My father in law is a retired petroleum chemist (U of Wisconsin) (Ethyl & Exxon) so I’m going to ask him about this.

I have gun oil that I know is 20 years old. I’ve not notice any problem with any of these.

The old LSA - I wonder about but what do you base your belief on?

Thanks.

 

[charbar]

I usually have Remoil or Hoppes floating around. Easy to find around my area. I've used WD40 or PB Plaster for various gun related things also. Hell I even use Lubriplate (the same assembly lube I use on engine rebuilds) on certain pieces when I am putting together an AR

 

[BTJHP]

I've used all sorts of lubricants and protectants. One of my favorites is G96. I'm surprised no one has mentioned it.

 

[Mooky]

Froglube

 

[AndrewMarek]

I love to Duck hunt and have been all over the US and Canada hunting. 2 of the places I go regularly are Baffin Bay in Texas (~50 ppt) and around the Great Salt Lake in Utah (~100 ppt). Seawater is ~35ppt. I too have a Benelli SBE 2. So is your SBE dipped? If so that helps a whole lot with corrosion (not your main question). If not and you hunt in saltwater that should be on your list of to dos. So to your question on Lubes…. It depends. If I am hunting southern coastal…. I wipe all exposed metal with a light coat of corrosion x before I Go. I also take a small can of break free and wd40. Anytime I get spray I do the wd40. End of hunt before it goes in the case I do the break free. Immediately when I get back clean it well. And main lube for all the moving parts in breakfree. Up north is a whole different deal. Hunting in 10 degrees on open water can be awesome. Problem is lube gets sticky and boom-boom-boom turns into just boom. We’d just wipe all the exposed parts with ATF and wipe off as much as possible. My $O.02 YMMV.

 

[LSU]

“So is your SBE dipped?”

No it is not because I don’t know what dipped is??

 

[LSU]

“Up north is a whole different deal. Hunting in 10 degrees on open water can be awesome“ - yea, not for me anymore.

Most of the time down here (southern Louisiana) we’re dealing with mosquitos rather than freezing spray.

I spent two years in the Army in Germany. Hunting in the cold isn’t for me at this stage in my life.

In Northern Europe we’d have issues with our M-16s freezing up if we brought them into the heated tents and then back out into the cold. The condensation would freeze the weapons up. We were told to leave them out in the cold and not bring them into the warming tents. This was early 1970’s and we we’re using LSA to lube them.

CLP wasn’t around the army back then.

 

[LSU]

I've used all sorts of lubricants and protectants. One of my favorites is G96. I'm surprised no one has mentioned it.

I‘ve never heard of this. Who makes it and what can you tell me about it? Thanks.

 

[cpttuna]

I cleaned out the family home in Pa. recently. I brought all the gun cleaning stuff back. I made up a small cleaning kit for my brother-in-law and had some of the stuff still laying beside me here on the floor. I have a bottle of Sweet's 7.62 solvent, Outers gun oil,Gunslick gun cleaning solvent and marksman's choice firearms bore cleaner to name a few.

 

[Jacobs976]

Sumboodie - I’m not an engineer, a chemist or even a professional mechanic but this is the first time I’ve ever hear that oil generally has a shelf life of five years.

Over time oil changes into a grease/gel and/or looses their additives potency. That said unless you're dumping the whole bottle directly on the piece you won't have any issues. The bad stuff isn't coming out till you've used up most of the oil and the bad stuff isn't necessarily bad just not what you want.

Usually that gel is visible in bottles of miscellaneous oils once it's empty, even just a year old, but there's not enough to declare it unusable for any purpose till there is more gel than the intented purpose reasonably allows. Motor oil is one of those purposes that gel/grease wouldn't be preferable so 5 years would be the recommended use by date.

Unused Motor oil from 1952, I've used for lubricating tools/rust prevention, I found with only a little over an 1/8" of grease/gel built up. Unused Motor oil from 1935, was only 30% liquid if that.

It's not noticable short term but the older the oil the less it'd be recommended for any high performance uses.

 

[AndrewMarek]

“So is your SBE dipped?”

No it is not because I don’t know what dipped is??

Basically water transfer printed. Aka camo dipped. Provides a nice protective barrier to a lot of the gun. A lot came from the factory camo dipped but not all. Doesn’t affect lubrication and running but definitely helps on overall maintenance.

What to Expect for Hydro Dipping Prices | Liquid Concepts

What to Expect for Hydro Dipping Prices When you want to have some items finished with hydro dipping, you might be unsure of the cost. The prices for hydro ...

www.liquidconcepts.com

The receiver on the SBE 2 is aluminum. Once dipped the main area that attracts corrosion is the bolt and inside of the barrel.

 

[AndrewMarek]

“Up north is a whole different deal. Hunting in 10 degrees on open water can be awesome“ - yea, not for me anymore.

Most of the time down here (southern Louisiana) we’re dealing with mosquitos rather than freezing spray.

Simplifies a whole lot. I’ve been running SBEs (old HK version and the newer 2) for over 20 years mainly in the salt marshes and Breakfree has kept them running fine. Wipe it down before casing after the hunt and bore snake it and clean the bolt rails after every hunt. Break it all the way down about 2 or 3 times a season. The SBE runs well but heavier loads like 3” mags really take the guesswork out. Only problems I’ve ever had was with 1 1/4 oz teal loads at lik 1250 fps. Sometimes not enough to make reliable if its a little dirty.

 

[BTJHP]

I‘ve never heard of this. Who makes it and what can you tell me about it? Thanks.

https://g96.com/

A bit pricey but very good and there is no harsh chemical odors

 

[Sumboodie]

Sumboodie - I’m not an engineer, a chemist or even a professional mechanic but this is the first time I’ve ever hear that oil generally has a shelf life of five years.

My father in law is a retired petroleum chemist (U of Wisconsin) (Ethyl & Exxon) so I’m going to ask him about this.

I have gun oil that I know is 20 years old. I’ve not notice any problem with any of these.

The old LSA - I wonder about but what do you base your belief on?

Thanks.

I work in lubricants. It's mostly due to additives falling out of suspension.

Is 20 year oil going to lube a gun fine? Probably, guns aren't too fussy.

 

[Wyoming09]

Hoppe's for cleaning, Mobil 1 for lube

 

[slowtwitch73]

Next time my gun is off I'll blame it on expired oil.

 

[uratool]

Rem oil has served me well, hunt mostly in the cold with rifle and shotgun, no issues with corrosion after a couple decades of use.

 

[Mr Ratchet]

Good oils that I have first hand experience with would be CLP, FP-10, and Militec. Non of them have caused issues in negative temps. Hoppes is what I use to wipe down any blueing when I put a gun away.

On the SBE II make sure you lightly lube the gun after cleaning. Make sure you tear down the recoil/bolt return spring assemble in the stock at least once a year or after the gun gets dunked. It's the most neglected part of an auto loading shotgun that has them in that location. The usually starts causing issues in the cold once they start getting dirty and gummed up.

 

[M6erfan]

For whatever reason I've never been impressed with all in one CLP's. I like a solvent to clean and oil or grease to lube. I've been using Breakthrough Clean's Military-Grade Solvent and Battle Born HP Pro Lubricant for the last several years. Zero issues; no signs of gumming, the oil doesn't freeze, zero odor, Ph neutral, and the solvent has been awarded a complete Toxicity Clearance by the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion & Preventative Medicine.

Pretty good stuff IMO.

 

[AndrewMarek]

Next time my gun is off I'll blame it on expired oil.

I like it! Best excuse I have ever used was hunting in Canada and complaining my lead was off because the pellets flew in meters per second vs feet per second.

 

[Sumboodie]

Sumboodie - I’m not an engineer, a chemist or even a professional mechanic but this is the first time I’ve ever hear that oil generally has a shelf life of five years.

My father in law is a retired petroleum chemist (U of Wisconsin) (Ethyl & Exxon) so I’m going to ask him about this.

I have gun oil that I know is 20 years old. I’ve not notice any problem with any of these.

The old LSA - I wonder about but what do you base your belief on?

Thanks.

I work in oil/lube distribution. IE... much of the fluids that is in shops, dealerships, hangars, parts stores, etc.... in the state, we supply it. As well as diesel and gasoline and some specific blends for planes and ships.

We aren't allowed to sell oil that's over 5 years old. It's industry standard that there's a high chance it's not going to meet specs at that point.

Is it ok? Maybe, but I'm not going to be on the hook for an engine failing due to oil issues... some of which cost much more than I make in a year!

 

[slowtwitch73]

It's not expired. it's NOS.

 

[Kenskip1]

When storing your firearms may I make a suggestion? Store them in a cabinet with the barrel pointing down. Why? If you point the barrel up the oil from the gun will eventually seep down into the wood. This could ruin an expensive and irreplaceable firearm.

 

[slowtwitch73]

^^ saves the **** pad too.

 

[dscheidt]

Um, WD-40 is a degreaser

WD-40 was developed to protect rocket bodies from corrosion. It's approximately kerosene with a light weight oil. spray it on liberally, it displaces any water and loose dirt, and leaves an oily film behind. for a protectant until it can be cleaned and lubed properly, I don't see what it's going to hurt, and this is really what it was designed to do.

 

[uratool]

^^ saves the **** pad too.

Truth - had a nice LimbSaver pad turn sticky from the chemical interaction between it and the foam liner at the bottom of the gun cabinet...always store my weapons barrel side down now.

 

[slowtwitch73]

I did notice the back of my gallon of WD40 says that it's a lubricant.

It also slices and dices.

 

[M6erfan]

I did notice the back of my gallon of WD40 says that it's a lubricant.

It also slices and dices.

Technically it is. Water is a lubricant too. And a solvent.

My guess is most liquids can be considered a lubricant. Things like glues and thread sealants are lubricants.

 

[Orangina]

I'm using Ballistol (founded in 1874, the oil used since 1905 in the German army till the 70s)
not for guns (rather unusual in Germany) but for my tools and classic car parts.
It is based on liquid paraffin - harmlessness to humans, completely biodegradable -
usable also at wood, plastic, leather, ... not only metal.
In early time also used as wound oil - has some positive side effects on bacteria, fungi, ...
The german army today use a NATO S-761 made by Addinol - a CLP (Clean-Lubricate-Protect).

WD40 should not be used on plastic parts - especially polycarbonate and polystyrene - could cause cracks.
It is based on isoparaffin and petroleum, evaporates quickly and almost completely.
I use it to clean metal parts from grease and oil - put not to protect anything. It smells better than Ballistol.
It was developed 1953 as "Water Displacement, 40th formula" for US Navy as the Atlas missile.
Since 1958 also sold by retail trade, in the 60s used also in Vietnam war as gun oil...

regards,

 

[toolenthusiast]

Gasoline is a pretty good solvent, but I understand some people use it to run their car.

 

[AdAstra]

I use Militech-1 and have used LSA, Tri-Flow with Teflon and Breakfree CLP. The Militech-1 because we got a case of it that nobody ordered and I was the only one that knew what the stuff was. Militech also makes a firearm grease. They sent me a free sample 15 years ago. The only drawback to Militech-1 is the odor. Same could be said for LSA that smells a bit fishy.

Might want to reconsider Militec-1, the DoD found that it actually causes corrosion and banned it. The chlorine is both corrosive and toxic. It got pushed by lobbyists/politicians, not engineers. PDF report here is instructive: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-09-735r

Also seen in more casual testing, image at bottom shows it doing worse than control. https://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/corrosion-protection-products/

 

[AdAstra]

CherryBalmz has a good multi-page engineering-driven brief on firearms lubricants: https://www.cherrybalmz.com/educate-yourself

It's good reading on making a decision, even if you decide to go for another product (like I did).

 

[Zeus36]

Might want to reconsider Militec-1, the DoD found that it actually causes corrosion and banned it. The chlorine is both corrosive and toxic. It got pushed by lobbyists/politicians, not engineers. PDF report here is instructive: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-09-735r

Also seen in more casual testing, image at bottom shows it doing worse than control. https://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/corrosion-protection-products/

That's some good reading! What is the product you decided on? The CherryBalmz stuff?

 

[svhamelly]

Always used Hoppe's #9

 

[pl_silverado]

I use Rotella T6

 

[Houdini5150]

MPro 7 gun cleaner then came across Shooters Lube on social media... works great, no smell

Lucas oil gun grease for the AR

Hoppes for the 9mm

 

[AdAstra]

That's some good reading! What is the product you decided on? The CherryBalmz stuff?

I went with Slip 2000 EWG and EWL/EWL 30 depending on the application. I concluded that there are majorly diminishing returns above that price point.

But CherryBalmz's views of when to grease and when to oil and target viscosities seem dead on.

 

[PoorUB]

Since this threads started I remembered I have a bunch of my dad's gun stuff to clean up.
I dug out the box and went through it. I gave away a few boxes of ammo and I have enough Hoppe's to last me and a few friends for decades!

I get a kick out of my dad. He was a cheap *******, but why did he have 5-6 nearly full bottles of Hoppe's? He probably couldn't find it as it was all over the house. He had gun stuff in every room, a bit here and there. Four bedroom house and he lived alone. He could of set one up with his guns and camping supplies!

I gave a buddy 200 pounds of 30-06 brass! My dad never owned a 30-06! Four big wooden crates, looked like army surplus.

 

[Legion Prime]

Slip 2k has a far wider range than any of us are likely to ever see, it's used by all the guys I know from the one's that shoot thousands of rounds per month, to supervising tens of thousands of rounds per class, to armorers for .mil & fed LEO agencies. It's inexpensive and easy to find. For cleaning I've been using Patch-Out. Wet a nylon brush, push it through the bore & leave it alone. Then when you remember just push patches till they come out clean. What could possibly be easier?

 

[Bubba Fett]

From Armalite:

Technical Note 64, Alternate Cleaning and Lubrication Materials for Small Arms

Background: ArmaLite officials conducting small arms maintenance training in an allied nation were advised that Military and Police officers often use common cooking oil as a small arms cleaner and lubricant. A 4 ounce bottle of cleaning material common in Europe or America could cost as much as a weeks income for a laborer in much of the rest of the world.

ArmaLite is concerned that improper cleaners and lubricants could threaten the performance of its rifles in critical moments. ArmaLite’s staff has therefore conducted a preliminary study to identify inexpensive, effective small arms maintenance materials that are available worldwide.

Findings: ArmaLite has consulted with Small Arms experts at Rock Island Arsenal and elsewhere, and has conducted preliminary evaluations of the materials they recommended:

Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) as a cleaner and light lubricant. ATF performs admirably as a carbon remover, and protects steel surfaces excellently (“Have you ever seen a transmission that’s rusty inside?).

Twenty weight engine oil serves in an environment that is far more strenuous than normally found in small arms so is normally quite successful. The Army authorities recommend synthetic oils such as Mobil 1. (In fact, one noted authority has used Mobil 1 as his personal firearm lubricant for over two decades.

No safe copper remover formulation has yet been identified, but government tests reveal that copper removal provides no advantage in a standard military arm. It may serve a useful purpose in cleaning the bore of a rifle meant for extremely precise fire, such as a sniper rifle.

Recommendations: Employ ATF as a small arms cleaning agent, and follow with 20 weight synthetic motor oil as a lubricant. Until a commonly available alternate copper solvent is identified, employ a commonly available commercial copper solvent such as Hoppe’s Number 9 on firearms intended for a high degree of accuracy.

Source:

ArmaLite, Inc. Technical Note - Alternate Cleaning and Lubrication Materials

While not a commemorative rifle, the AR-10B will be produced in limited runs, and is expected to be of most popular with collectors.

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