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

I use my Jennings J22 for all of my lubricant experimentation. I choose it because it is the most tempermenal gun I own.
The thing found to get this gun from shelf to shot without being fussed with is:
Apply a very thin coat of grease (Axle, Bearing, GAA... whatever) to the internals for storage, then apply two or three drops of transmission fluid to all of the contact points.
/Works 60% of the time, every time!
 
Cosmoline.... you should use cosmoline :D

I like ATF, and synthetic motor oil.

Some times I mix baby oil in too for consistancy... depends on what tickles my fancy that day...

I am surprised that there are not more people swearing by their $300 per 1/2 oz Teflon and silicon infused wonder oil... :cool:
 
As a cheaper solution, I've used walmart non chlorinated brake cleaner for cleaning and then high temperature wheel bearing grease for lubing. Grease seems to do very well on either guns that get very hot, like during a high round count class or practice session, or on guns that sit for a long period of time. Grease tends to stay where you put it and doesn't evaporate. I've used it on glocks, 1911s, and Ars and its worked great. You can buy high temp grease at walmart for $2.99 a can, which would last you a life time.
Most often I tend to just stick with breakfree or FP-10 though because the chemicals are less offensive to my nose and skin.
 
I use motor oil in motors.
I use gun products on my guns.

The cost isn't all that big of a deal, it just isn't that expensive and I'm using products that are optimized for the job at hand.

I'll keep the ATF and Brake Cleaner field expedients in mind for just that. Field Expedients. If it were to come down to not having access to dedicated products for whatever reason. ;)
 
Considering that most motor oils have additives(lead soap,phosphorus..etc) in them that assist in high heat and high pressure adhesion in their molecular stucture that can be harmful if you inhale the vapours while firing your hot shootin iron, I'd stick to products that aren't harmful to injest. I use a product called "moovit" Its not WHIMIS controlled and environmentally friendly.(i assume you guys down south have this system in your work place)
If you can't eat it, don't breathe it. I've used CLP(breakfree) for years in the military and its nasty stuff to injest. Oils from sperm whales and basking sharks was the best stuff going.
I used moovit on everything from my guns to giant babbit bearings at my work. I wish i had this stuff 20 years ago. I wash my guns in soapy water and lightly oil my guns for the conditions and ambient temperatures.
 
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A couple of things I am particularly concerned about is the effect petroleum products have on other surfaces made from different materials over an extended peiod of time. The varnish buildup itself is detrimental to performance, and detracts from the beauty of stainless and polished surfaces. Soft plastics, rubbers, and nylons used for things like buffers, bumpers, screw inserts, mounting blocks, magazine followers, grips, and other accessories not previously treated with a preventative agent may actually be eaten away when exposed to petroleum for long periods of time. That's also true for aerisol propellants and drying agents in cleaners, thus the warnings to clean away quickly and completely. It's hard to beat good ol' clean PTFE, silicon, or MPHD to lube and fight friction without harmful affects to other gun parts.

-7-
 
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Of all the costs associated with shooting, that of a can of lubricating oil must be the smallest. How much are you guys getting through, to be worrying about it? :confused:
 
Motor oil and gasoline to clean a .22 semi-auto

My mother's half-brother was about 20 years older than her and was more like my grandfather than my uncle.

He grew up in the woods and grew up poor, so he had a lot of cool tricks.

One of them was the way he cleaned .22 semi-auto rifle.

The rifle had to be all steel, no plastic parts.

He would mix gasoline and standard 30 weight HD motor oil in a coffee can.

Then, after taking the stock off the rifle, of course, he was put the action into the gasoline, let it sit, then take it out and let the gas drip out. Repeat that until the gas comes out clean.

He said the motor oil would remain and leave a light coating which was perfect for those .22s.

The method seemed to work.
 
I'm resurrecting this zombie thread because it is the very reason I tried something new...

I've read enough replies and links to research that basically says rem oil ranks lower than most others, and that plain jane ATF fluid ranks among the highest, that I tried ATF.

I've pulled time as a bullet sponge and I've upkept my fair share of weapons in environments that I prefer to not be subjected to again. I've used the military CLP, strike hold (for cleaning, not a lube), varisol to clean, miltech, outers gunslick... Everything I've used does NOT compare to ATF. ATF even CLEANS!?!?!? I didn't know it would clean... though it doesn't do it as well as any solvent, it does almost as well as CLP. I have found that cleaning after firing is MUCH easier when lubed with ATF than it was with CLP, and the stuff slicks the metal fairly darn well. The only thing I'm not really sure on is corrosion resistance. That's a very big slice of the pie. Does anyone know how well ATF protects? I'm assuming at least fairly well... better than the mineral based products. Anyway, I thought I would cast my lot with ATF. Thanks to those that mentioned it, you've created another believer.

CLP is all you'll ever need!!! (you can even brush your teeth with it! Just don't get it in your eye.)
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ROFL... yes I've brushed my teeth with CLP. I think every grunt in the USMC has at least once. Sure doesn't taste all that good though :(

Of all the costs associated with shooting, that of a can of lubricating oil must be the smallest. How much are you guys getting through, to be worrying about it?
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It's not about being a cheap tightwad. It has everything to do with not getting ripped off or using an inferior product just because it says "gun oil" on it.
 
I use motor oil in my motors and gun oil on my guns. Why? Because it's what they're made for. Motor oil is not a good substance to be in constant contact with or inhaled. If you're using enough oil to complain about the cost of it, then you REALLY don't need to be spending so much time with it on your hands or breathing the vapors. I'm glad I don't have so much time on my hands that I think of ways to "stick it to the man" by not shelling out a whopping five dollars every two or three years for gun oil. :rolleyes:
 
Craig, how do you know it's gun oil? You don't actually "know" where the oil came from, it could be 10W50 repackaged.. Like CLP... :p

Want to have some real fun with this? Ask the "Gun Oil" makers for MSDS sheets. You'll be very :eek: and maybe :mad:

:D
 
Peanut oil - works great and when the barrel gets really hot it smells just great. :D

But seriously, if I'm spending thousands on my firearms yet worrying about ten bucks for a can of CLP that will last me a hundred years then I think my logic centers have suffered a mini-stroke and I need to seek help.

Firearms products on my firearms, Mobil 1 in my hot rods. PERIOD!

Oly
 
I'm sorry, I never thought that anyone would seriously put motor oil on the guns! WD40, sure. 4 -in-1 oil, ok. 10w30? :confused:
 
I don't have any Mobil 1 around; would Harley synthetic be just as good? 20-50, works in air-cooled motor in 100+ temps around here ... very interesting idea ...
 
Put 300 rounds down range yesterday with my P89 after I cleaned and lubed it with 15-50 mobil 1 not one problem, works good in my harley too.
 
I use motor oil in my motors and gun oil on my guns. Why? Because it's what they're made for.
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I love statements like that--it's sort of like saying pepper spray's not effective because capsaicin was designed to make food spicy, not make a combative suspect compliant; or that gasoline's not an effective solvent because it was designed solely to be burned in an engine. Simply because a product was originally intended for a particular use does not mean it can't be highly effective in some other use.

Motor oil is highly effective on guns because guns tend to involve moving steel parts in contact with one another--sounds kind of like what happens inside an engine, huh? Why is it such a surprise that motor oil should work well as a gun oil?


It's not about being a cheap tightwad. It has everything to do with not getting ripped off or using an inferior product just because it says "gun oil" on it.
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In addition, (at least for me) it's also about convenience and lack of clutter. I'm always going to have a case or two of motor oil in my garage, and if I can use it for other things, why not do so? I used to have 4 or 5 bottles and cans of different gun lubes, and it felt great to be able to get rid of them and free up a bit of shelf space. I imagine some of you who've been shooting a lot longer than I have probably have a lot more lubes and solvents than I used to keep on hand.

Mike
 
I bought a [US] quart can of LSA for about $3 - enough to refill those little bottles until World War Ten. That's cheaper than motor oil, for those who work on cost.
 
Do some of you really believe that a product has to be specifically designed for one purpose to function and could not possibly serve multiple purpose?

It's not all about saving money. I do love to save money, but will not penny pinch if I fell that my guns could be harmed by a product. It's more about giving something new a try and not paying more for something just because it says gun oil on the label.

I have been using Mobil 1 ever since I started this thread and I love it.

Seriously, do you think there is a "gun oil tree" out there? No. So that means that gun oil probably came about by modifying some other oil. Why would it be so hard to imagine that there are other products out there that could serve as gun oil just as well if not better and be cheaper?
 
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