I can't beleive I came late to this party. I love lubrication!
I don't like the fact that Grant Cunningham doesn't list any references in his blog, but here it is:
http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html
It makes interesting reading.
I have been using Castrol Dexron VI Automatic Transmission Fluid to clean my pistols. It works OK. I've been using Walmart Super Tech Extreme Pressure Multi-Duty Complex Hi-Temp grease on my G34 and it works fine. That is pretty cheap, like $6.00 for 14oz.
I also have been using Lubriplate SFL-0. Not so cheap - like 30 bucks for 14oz
You should do a search for lubrication, there's tons of opinions - very little good info. Almost all corporations that have heavy machinery for manufacturing or processing have figured out the proper lubricants for their equipment. There are batteries of tests that can be used to determine which lubrication displays the best characteristics for any particular application.
You can test used lubrication for viscosity, oxidation, contamination, and so forth, but these tests haven’t been conducted on the various gun oils on the market. So what we have are a lot of claims by manufacturers and claims by users, and a lot of room for debate.
And there are people who do all sorts of unorthodox things – like run their firearms through the dishwasher, or drop them in pails of solvent, hose them down with pressure washers, dry them in the oven, etc…
The debate about cleaning and lubrication goes on...
I think it’s kind of amazing that some shooters will spend hours scouring the Internet to get the best deal on ammo to save a few bucks on a 50rd box, but they’ll pay $40.00 a gallon for “gun” oil to clean their firearms.
Having said that, unless you want to do a lot of research into lubricants, my advice is stick with Break Free CLP.
I also would stay away from carburetor cleaners, brake cleaners and anything that has chlorinated esters or chlorinated hydrocarbons in them. Unfortunately there are some products marketed as gun cleaners that do have chlorinated esters in them.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460140&highlight=woo+hoo