Motor Oil = Gun Oil...... Opinions?

B

(BH)

New member
Im a big fan of not spending alot of money when i dont have to...and I was recently browsing another forum when i saw a thread dedicated to the amazing, life-changing greatness of using MOBIL-1 as a firearms lubricant.

Iv used ATF before on the rails, and now iv been using grease on some of my guns. I like to find ways to save a little money for ammo here and there since i dont have a ton of cash to pump into my gun hobby/addiction. A good bit of the stuff that is not made specifically for guns seems to work better than the stuff that is.

So does anyone know any reasons not use MOBIL-1 on my guns? Iv read some testimonies saying its the best gun oil ever.... so i just figure i need to get TFL folk's opinion on it.

Also, could it be bad for the finish?
 
After a lot of shooting, I clean my pistols then let them soak in either ATF or synthetic motor oil. Always use synthetic motor oil as the lube if I don't soak. On the slide rails I use lithium grease.
 
Here's a good read on the subject, though I don't know if the properties he attributes to motor oil applies to synthetics such as MOBIL-1 as well. At any rate, I use ATF. Very sparingly, too.

From: http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html

"Ironically, the product that scores at or very near the top of just about everyone's testing is also the most available, and the cheapest. It also has good migration, a good boundary lubrication package, is the right weight (thickness) for general firearms use, doesn't oxidize over long periods of storage, and is compatible with a wide range of metals and plastics. In addition, it is recommended by at least one real degreed firearms engineer! Just what is this miracle elixir??...Dexron-type Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF). That's right, plain ol' ATF."

"Motor oils: Generally good boundary lubrication (particularly the Havoline formulations), but very poor corrosion resistance and poor resistance to open-air oxidation. In addition, their pour-point additives often contain benzene compounds, which aren't a good thing to have next to your skin on a regular basis! ATF is better on every count, even if it is a tad more expensive. (ATF is still 1/10 to 1/100th the cost of a specialty "gun oil"!)"
 
So I used Remoil in a pickup and it would always backfire with reliability regardless of the weather and dirt. Sometimes I had to clean the carb with Hoppes after that though. Good for avoiding deer collisions too, they smell that gun oil on your truck and stay away from the road.
 
You don't use "just motor oil," you use fully-synthetic Mobil 1! I use Mobil 1, exclusively, for lubing all my firearms. It's particularly effective on those AR parts that get hot during rapid fire...won't cook off like some of the mega-bucks firearms "specialty" oils. :cool:
 
If you ever get the chance to kill a whale, a sperm whale in particular, the whale oil had the reputation as the best gun oil back in the old days. But even bear grease will work in a pinch.
 
WD40

I was given the advice to never use WD-40. An old gun shop owner at the Shooters service in Livonia Michigan told me once that there was a state trooper killed in the line of duty due to using it on his duty gun. He claimed it rendered the bullets useless. Perhaps the ingredients that loosen stuck parts interact with the bullets and loosen the lead from the shell casing. I'm curious about the Mobil 1 synth.
 
Yeah supposedly whale oil is the cream of the crop. From what I understand, ATF is actually just a man-made whale oil.... but not quite as good.

I wonder how much oil a whale could yield?
Any body got a boat with a crane on it??????:cool:
 
ATF makes a great gun lube. It is the best lube I have found for locks and knife pivots. Motor oil tends to evaporate more quickly in open air though compared to products like CLP, RemOil, etc. Motor oil will lube guns fine but is not a good rust preventative. Breakfree Collector is an excellent preservative. I have use CLP for many years on many guns and never had any rust.
 
This debate goes on and on but I use Mobile 1 synthetic on all my guns and it works as good or better than anything else I've used. It a LOT cheaper and I like the way it seems to penetrate the metal and keep it slippery without being wet.
 
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