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Homemade lubricants- do share
- Thread starter skizzums
- Start date
cryogenic419
New member
Any word on Eezox? I ordered some to try out but I was wary of it because it warns not too apply too much. It says too much will leave a sticky residue. Something about that worries me but I'm not sure why.
I've found Eezox makes an excellent rust preventative, not so much an overall lubricant. It seems to work decent for lubricating internals, magazines, reloading gear, etc.
I select lubricants based first on certifications against industry standards, and second on my respect for the company or formulator. Unlike in the aviation and automotive industries, I am not aware of any industry specifications or standards for gun lubricants. There is a military specification (MIL-PRF-63460E) that defines a light solvent based cleaner, lubricant, preservative (CLP) intended for use in adverse environments, but I can't say its design is relevant to my use.
I would and have used any firearm lubricant formulated or approved by a major gun manufacturer or oil company skilled in this application. That said, many other lubricants including motor oils may work fine, perhaps not optimized but quite satisfactory when well maintained. Without an industry standard it is difficult to make scientific comparisons, but there are many testimonial based comparisons available on the internet.
I am currently using CorrosionX for my shotgun, and they also make a version optimized for guns which I will buy next when I get my CZ 75BD. That is not intended as an endorsement since I do not have the means to conduct comparative tests - I just I know and have great respect the formulator.
TomNJVA
I would and have used any firearm lubricant formulated or approved by a major gun manufacturer or oil company skilled in this application. That said, many other lubricants including motor oils may work fine, perhaps not optimized but quite satisfactory when well maintained. Without an industry standard it is difficult to make scientific comparisons, but there are many testimonial based comparisons available on the internet.
I am currently using CorrosionX for my shotgun, and they also make a version optimized for guns which I will buy next when I get my CZ 75BD. That is not intended as an endorsement since I do not have the means to conduct comparative tests - I just I know and have great respect the formulator.
TomNJVA
I select lubricants based first on certifications against industry standards, and second on my respect for the company or formulator.
I would agree.
I would and have used any firearm lubricant formulated or approved by a major gun manufacturer or oil company skilled in this application.
Since there is no specification to follow, and since I don't personally know anyone in the gun lubricant industry, I don't know who or whom might have the slightest idea of what lubrication requirements a gun might have. I have come to the conclusion that firearm lubrication is not as stressing as automotive, aerospace, applications. Therefore I am of the opinion that a known, spec'd automotive/aerospace lubrication will perform just fine in a firearm. I have a copy of SAE-J300, "ENGINE OIL VISCOSITY CLASSIFICATION". A review of this document shows that engine oils have very real requirements to meet before they can claim to meet the standard. These test requirements are stressing and detailed. The gun industry has basically nothing, no requirements, no test requirements. All the consumer sees is bright bottles with interesting logos blaring for attention with other bright bottles with blaring labels. This is how Fireclean can sell gun owners canola oil, and I suspect, most gun oils are straight mineral oils without any additives.
That said, many other lubricants including motor oils may work fine, perhaps not optimized but quite satisfactory when well maintained.
Since gun oil manufacturer's do not put test data or performance requirements in the public domain, I am going to say that it is highly probable that most gun oils are repacked automotive or industrial oils, but I would love to see data that refutes this.
There are a number of comparative informal tests of various oils (including automotive/industrial oils), including one particularly carefully conducted test that was posted here on TFL.I am going to say that it is highly probable that most gun oils are repacked automotive or industrial oils, but I would love to see data that refutes this.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=546316
They do offer levels of performance and properties that differ sufficiently to strongly suggest that while they may all provide adequate functionality there is still significant benefit in making a careful choice.
The differences are particularly pronounced in the area of corrosion protection where the best performing gun oils dramatically out-performed most of the general purpose/automotive lubes, as well as many of dedicated firearm products.
The differences in lubrication abilty (friction reduction) seems to be less pronounced, however, again the top performers were dedicated firearm products, not general purpose/automotive lubes.
I'd write more, but I can't really say it better than this:
TomNJVA said:I would think the use of many types of synthetic or mineral oil based lubricants would be reasonably effective provided the gun is cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. This is evidenced by the many home-brews and cleaning methods noted in this thread that apparently work reasonably well. Personally I would prefer to stay with a product that has been formulated by a technically qualified company and thoroughly tested.
I would and have used any firearm lubricant formulated or approved by a major gun manufacturer or oil company skilled in this application.
I think you are falling for a paid endorsement that has nothing to do with the quality of the product. We hear "The only insurance endorsed by the AARP", or "The official oil of NASCAR" and other such drivel. Consider how many guns have been around for over a century and are still functioning like new before special oils were developed. It shows that almost any normal oil is satisfactory and the endorsement means little because they know the oil then endorse will work as well as most others and it doesn't matter.
Do you have any evidence that the gun lube companies actually pay a "...chemist with advanced degrees...", to develop their product? Or, do they only re-bottle an existing lubricant(s) and sell them under their name. Such companies would like everyone to believe they expend such resources in the search for the perfect gun lubricant (to justify the price), but do they actually do it? I for one am not that gullible having worked in many different industries all my life and have seen what disingenuous practices go on in pursuit of the more profit. For myself, I use Mobile one.I figured that I wasn't going to know more then a chemist with advanced degrees who develops lubricants for a gun products company.
Yes indeed some companies get paid for endorsements and some rebrand other lubricants. But all large companies are concerned with their reputation, and blindly putting their name on a bottle of junk is not wise. I worked with and sold to many rebranders in the oil industry and all made an effort to confirm that my products were worthy of carrying their name. Imagine the consequences of an gun manufacturer endorsing a lubricant that caused their gun to rust or wear - customers would blame the quality of the gun before the lubricant. At least an endorsement by a major gun manufacturer with skin in the game is better than unsupported marketing claims from the oil manufacturer.
Lubricants that are designed for a specific purpose are usually better balanced for that purpose. For example, jet engine oil formulations are driven by high temperature stability and low temperature fluidity (operating temperature range from -40°F to >600°F) and yellow metal corrosion protection with very little need to anti-wear in a high speed turbine. Car engine oil formulations, on the other hand, are driven by anti-wear in extreme pressure environments and coping with blow-by fumes and water. A jet engine oil would cause a car engine to fail, and a car engine oil would cause a jet engine to fail. This is the danger in using lubricants designed for a different purpose.
The demands on a gun lubricant are much less severe and it is unlikely any decent oil would cause a failure. While I prefer a lubricant that was designed and intended for firearms over say one formulated for jet engines or cars, I believe most oils would provide sufficient protection from wear in a gun, where loads are low and motion infrequent. The differences are likely more significant in areas like rust & corrosion protection and oxidative stability (deposits and gumming). Odor, materials compatibility, and ease of use are other factors to consider. Motor oils offer plenty of protection against wear, rust and corrosion, but also contain metallic additives that are unnecessary in a gun and in theory could lead to deposits (ash) if the gun is not well maintained. Jet engine oils are ashless and very stable, but are based on light synthetic esters which may eat certain plastics or seals. Hopefully a gun oil formulator and/or a gun manufacturer would take the requirements of a gun into account and optimize for those parameters.
TomNJVA
Lubricants that are designed for a specific purpose are usually better balanced for that purpose. For example, jet engine oil formulations are driven by high temperature stability and low temperature fluidity (operating temperature range from -40°F to >600°F) and yellow metal corrosion protection with very little need to anti-wear in a high speed turbine. Car engine oil formulations, on the other hand, are driven by anti-wear in extreme pressure environments and coping with blow-by fumes and water. A jet engine oil would cause a car engine to fail, and a car engine oil would cause a jet engine to fail. This is the danger in using lubricants designed for a different purpose.
The demands on a gun lubricant are much less severe and it is unlikely any decent oil would cause a failure. While I prefer a lubricant that was designed and intended for firearms over say one formulated for jet engines or cars, I believe most oils would provide sufficient protection from wear in a gun, where loads are low and motion infrequent. The differences are likely more significant in areas like rust & corrosion protection and oxidative stability (deposits and gumming). Odor, materials compatibility, and ease of use are other factors to consider. Motor oils offer plenty of protection against wear, rust and corrosion, but also contain metallic additives that are unnecessary in a gun and in theory could lead to deposits (ash) if the gun is not well maintained. Jet engine oils are ashless and very stable, but are based on light synthetic esters which may eat certain plastics or seals. Hopefully a gun oil formulator and/or a gun manufacturer would take the requirements of a gun into account and optimize for those parameters.
TomNJVA
Motor oils offer plenty of protection against wear, rust and corrosion, but also contain metallic additives that are unnecessary in a gun and in theory could lead to deposits (ash) if the gun is not well maintained. Jet engine oils are ashless and very stable, but are based on light synthetic esters which may eat certain plastics or seals. Hopefully a gun oil formulator and/or a gun manufacturer would take the requirements of a gun into account and optimize for those parameters.
This year I fired 1800 45 ACP rounds in Bullseye Competition. Each match involved firing 180 rounds of 45 ACP rounds. During the match I dribbled oil around the barrel hood, barrel bushing, and slide rails. I probably over lubricated at times. I also applied oil to my rapid fire and timed fire rounds. After the match, I field stripped the pistol, wiped out all the old oil, reapplied new lubricant.
Unlike a car engine in which the crankshaft is revolving thousands of times per minute, my M1911 cycled something less than 200 times in an eight hour day, and was cleaned afterwards. I am not concerned about sulfated ash, or any ash in the oil. I don't know how I would get sulfated ash in my gun oil firing a pistol, and I am of the opinion that even if there was ash in the oil, the ash is not going to stay long enough in the gun to cause any problems at all. Since I clean my pistols after shooting I am not worried about old contaminated oil causing any trouble. This might be an issue for people who never clean their guns, and I have examined a lot of firearms that appear to have never been cleaned.
In so far as corrosion, I don't rely on motor oils for anything except lubrication. For corrosion, I have used RIG grease for decades now, it works well for firearms that are put into long term storage.
I believe that's nearly exactly what TomNJVA said. "That said, many other lubricants including motor oils may work fine, perhaps not optimized but quite satisfactory when well maintained."Since I clean my pistols after shooting I am not worried about old contaminated oil causing any trouble.
That's probably wise. Although motor oils do provide a measure of corrosion protection, it seems clear that the better gun-specific products clearly outperform motor oil in this respect.In so far as corrosion, I don't rely on motor oils for anything except lubrication.
Nobody is saying that using something other than a dedicated gun oil will definitely ruin a firearm--quite the opposite. Most of them will work just fine.
But then that's not really the question.
The question is whether or not all gun oils are just repackaged products formulated for other applications. From the test results, it seems very likely that some of them are and it's clear that those products perform very similarly to general purpose/automotive products. From the test results, it's also pretty clear that some of the gun-specific lubricants are not merely repackaged products and that they do dramatically outperform general purpose lubricants.
Would I be afraid to use motor oil on one of my firearms? Certainly not. But I usually don't because I can buy products that perform better and are better tailored for the specific application at a cost difference that I consider to be negligible.
Would I choose a lube/oil/protectant simply because it's labeled as a gun specific lubricant? Not hardly. I want something better than a label to rely on. A recommendation from a major firearms manufacturer? That's a pretty good bet in my book, especially if it's for a product that they don't make or sell. Another option for making an informed choice is to look at testing results--preferably the results from more than one test.
My grandfather used 3 in 1 oil on his guns for years. It was cheap, and he could buy it down at the country store on the corner. Or steal it out of my grandmothers sewing machine drawer.
Today I use the modern equivalent "gun and reel oil" or something like that from Wal-Mart. It works.
No more than I use, I see no reason to try to re-invent it.
Today I use the modern equivalent "gun and reel oil" or something like that from Wal-Mart. It works.
No more than I use, I see no reason to try to re-invent it.
My grandfather used 3 in 1 oil on his guns for years. It was cheap, and he could buy it down at the country store on the corner. Or steal it out of my grandmothers sewing machine drawer.
Today I use the modern equivalent "gun and reel oil" or something like that from Wal-Mart. It works.
No more than I use, I see no reason to try to re-invent it.
On another forum a few years ago, someone suggested CRC Power Lube. I have used it on my 12 firearms, grandfather clock, and 4 other keywound clocks. It is an excellent lubricant and the recommendations show both firearms and clocks among other things.
Purple Bikerr
New member
I usually advocate motor oil and other general purpose lubes.
but I've also used firearms specific lubes for general purpose.
I usually have non-firearm specific lubes on hand, and I see no need to pay for expensive gun lubes.
I usually use varying mixtures of high temp grease and light oils to achieve the thickness I want.
A garand type action... and beretta 92fs... pretty thick.
ARs and bolt actions... thinner, but sometimes a dab of grease on the bottom contact points of an AR carrier
but I've also used firearms specific lubes for general purpose.
I usually have non-firearm specific lubes on hand, and I see no need to pay for expensive gun lubes.
I usually use varying mixtures of high temp grease and light oils to achieve the thickness I want.
A garand type action... and beretta 92fs... pretty thick.
ARs and bolt actions... thinner, but sometimes a dab of grease on the bottom contact points of an AR carrier
cc-hangfire
New member
Since I bought a gallon of CLP, that's my main lube. Along with a small tube of gun grease (I forget the brand) used on the rails of some metal framed semiautos.
Before that I used synthetic motor oil for the rails - it stays in place better than gun oils.
Not for lubrication, but I've used Automatic Transmission Fluid to soak old firearms like double barrel shotgun receivers. The detergent action plus lubrication of ATF breaks up all kinds of old gunk.
Before that I used synthetic motor oil for the rails - it stays in place better than gun oils.
Not for lubrication, but I've used Automatic Transmission Fluid to soak old firearms like double barrel shotgun receivers. The detergent action plus lubrication of ATF breaks up all kinds of old gunk.