CLP and Gun Oil

Being the ole phart I am, I understand the formula for Breakfree CLP has changed since I last bought any. Back in my day I was a great fan of the stuff.

Off course, back then, I ran my pistols through the parts washer at work and then lubed them with Breakfree afterwards until they were so filthy I felt guilty for not cleaning them.:o
 
Bob Wright said:
For whatever its worth: My cleaning method for the past sixty years or so has been to clean bore, chambers, and exterior of fouling/soot/lubricant residue/leading with Hoppe's No. 9 Solvent. Wipe that off and coat the gun with my mixture of 50/50 motor oil and Three In One machine oil. Coat heavily with oil then wipe down with a soft cloth or shop towel. Bore and chambers lightly oiled.

Works for me these past years, won't deviate now.


Bob Wright
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:cool:
 
I like CLP products for cleaning--but nowadays I use mostly Boretech products. CLP is still my favorite for lubricating BCG's however. Say what you will, but heavier oils can cause real problems if they build up in an AR chamber or gas system in my experience.
 
I've used Breakfree since forever it's great stuff. With the purchase of a Duty finish Dan Wesson I was advised not to use it on that pistol as CLP will discolor the nitride finish. Dan Wesson recommends FP-10.
As a further precaution I'm also using Weapon Shield solvent as a cleaner.
All other guns get Breakfree and Hoppes.
Kind of a pain in the butt but it is what it is.;)
As a side note I just purchased another Duty finished pistol from DW because it's the toughest finish I'm aware of for a stainless steel gun.
After a year of carry in a Milt Sparks summer special it still looks brand new with no signs of holster wear.
 
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It would be weird to clean a gun and not smell Hoppe's 9.
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I used Hoppe's 9 to clean my guns for years until my brother introduced me to MPro 7.

It doesn't have the sickly smell and it works considerably better. I'll never go back.
 
advised...CLP will discolor the nitride finish
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I don't know how the finish of my rifle compares to your Dan Wesson, but I use CLP on the nitride treated barrel of my AR and haven't noticed any discoloration.
 
I generally use grease on the slides of my auto pistols. Lubriplate, TW-25B, Brian Enos’ Slide Glide, Shooter's Choice Red Grease, MD7, I've used all of them with good success.

I use grease on a gun that will be carried for at least a couple of weeks before being shot & recleaned, which applies to my duty gun for work and and my back up and off duty guns. I haven't noticed a problem with grease in really cold weather, but if it's that cold I'm probably not out on the range for more than 90 minutes max anyway.

On guns that will be shot more frequently than that, I usually use oil. I have most recently been mostly using Slip 2000 EWL (extreme weapons lubricant) and also 10-8 Performance Lube.

For regular lube over the last 40 years I've used Triflow, Triflon, Break Free CLP, GI LSA, Militec, FP-101, Weapon Shield, Prolix, Snake Oil, Rem Oil, Gun Butter, Machine Gunner's Lube, Marvel Mystery Oil, Wilson’s Ultima-Lube, and etc. and hadn't had any problems with those, either. My mechanic uses Mobil One as a lube on his rifles and is very happy with it.

Some shooters recommend the procedure of using a "floater" (thin bead) of oil atop the grease before going to the range for a lengthy practice session. I've experimented with that a little bit but I suspect that getting that complicated may be over thinking the issue a little bit . . .

I was in the National Guard for 20 yrs (1980-2000). For most of that time we used GI rifle bore cleaner (RBC) to clean in the armory or after a range qualification, and Break Free CLP in the field as a cleaner & lube both. As a cleaner I found RBC to be MUCH better than the Break Free -- Break Free was too thick to clean very well. But in the field it was nice to only have to carry one product to accomplish both tasks.

About 30 years ago I shot on the State ARNG pistol team (to be honest, I was 2nd alternate) with a couple of old timers who made their own "Red Oil". If they liked you, they'd put a little bit on the slide rails of your M1911. It was a big honor. "Red Oil" was a mix of STP, Marvel Mystery Oil, Breakfree or Triflow, and something else that I don't remember anymore.

Seemed to lubricate okay. Tended to get all over the lenses of your shooting glasses because it was kind of thin

For a cleaner now, I generally use Shooter's Choice or Hoppe's #9. I have also used Montana Extreme and a commercial version of “Ed’s Red” solvent that I got from Brownell’s. (I have also used Ballistol with good results) Shooter's Choice makes a special formula for lead removal that I've found works really well, and Hoppe's has a couple of different formulas for different applications. Another solvent I've had good luck with is called Rustpruf.

I just got a sample pack of a new product called "Shooter's Lube", the solvent formula of which is reputed to be a good carbon remover but I haven't used any yet.

There are about a bazillion different products out there, and I've used most of them and they pretty much all worked well. Lube for different applications does indeed have a different formula and additive package. Some guys get all worked up because they don't want to spend the money for a weapon specific lubrication product, and others like to experiment and make their own cleaners ("Ed's Red") or lubricants. There have been MANY discussions about lubrication on this forum in the past.

I love the way Hoppe's #9 smells.
 
Sickly smell and Hoppes? Ya gotta be kiddin' me?
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Haha. Shows how everyone's nose is different! It smells like rotten bananas to me, versus MPro7, which has almost no smell (and works better).
 
I used Hoppe's 9 to clean my guns for years until my brother introduced me to MPro 7.

It doesn't have the sickly smell and it works considerably better. I'll never go back.
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I like the smell of BreakFree CLP and Hoppes as well. But the other resident of the house I live in has trouble with that kind of chemical smell.

I finally tried MPro 7 thinking that maybe it would work ok, but at least it wouldn't generate complaints. It turned out to work a lot better than most other cleaners I have tried and because it has very little odor at all--now I get no complaints when cleaning guns.

Of course, it's no good at all as a CLP--it's a cleaner only.
 
I've used Break-Free for pretty much everything for the 42 years I've been shooting and never had an issue related to lubrication, etc.
 
I don't mind the smell of Hoppes. Mrs. McGee does, so less odoriferous products are a good thing. Up until 7 or 8 years ago, all I'd ever used was Hoppes and Remoil. But I decided to experiment a little.
  • Tried Slide Glide. Didn't like it.
  • Got a free sampler of Frog Lube. The whole application process and prospects that went along with it led me to decide I didn't even want to try it. Gave it away.
  • Tried Mobil 1. Meh. It's oily & seems to work. Not convinced it's the best.
  • Tried Hornady One-Shot. It seems OK.
  • Tried Weapon Shield. I like it and it's what I settled on. The smell isn't too bad, the oil is thicker and feels slicker than Remoil. The only downside is that the bottle that the oil comes in leaks horribly. I have to store the bottle in a ziploc bag and oil gets all over the outside. I use both the oil and the grease, as appropriate.
 
Going back to the OP, though:
Roland Thunder said:
Do you feel that if you clean your gun with a CLP like Breakfree, G96 Gun Treatment, etc. that you should still use a gun oil to lube the gun or do feel there is no need to use a gun oil if you use a CLP.
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Hard to say, as I don't use those products. That said, I'd be more comfortable adding a little lube after cleaning. I'm not sure if it's strictly necessary, or if that's because of what I was taught lo these many years ago.
 
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