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

Forgive me for answering someone's question: Yes, it would be "cheaper" to use used motor oil but that stuff is carcinogenic and more toxic than fresh oil on top of having microscopic crud in it. It's a no-go.
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The posters were talking about using new fresh from the bottle motor oil, not drippings from the crankcase.

Your points about USED motor oil are correct, but the amount of bad stuff is pretty small in modern oils from a modern engine. Older cars 40's, 50's and 60's were bad, but modern ones are orders of magnitude cleaner -- still wash it off with soap, don't use it for salad dressing, etc.;)
 
Been using WD 40 for over 35 years and not ready to switch. I have no new or old motor oil around, I let jiffy lube service my vehicles.
 
2. Just as I have learned that the old saying "the right tool for the job" has a lot of merit, I also believe that the right chemical product for the application also does.
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Ah, but which IS the right product?
Motor oil (transmission fluid, chassis and wheel bearing grease) are strictly graded by SAE, you know what you are getting, in the areas they test for.

Those specialty gun oils run from water thin to pretty viscous grease not to mention the stuff which bonds with the metal or penetrates its pores. They all claim to be the best but there is no test regimen other than what their ad agencies dream up. Many of them work, but I don't think they are better just because they are sold in the gun department.
 
Ah, but which IS the right product?
Motor oil (transmission fluid, chassis and wheel bearing grease) are strictly graded by SAE, you know what you are getting, in the areas they test for.
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Presumably products made for firearms will not have addatives that automotive lubricants have which at best are unhelpful for firearms, and at worse bad for them.

As to viscosity, it is easy to observe what it is, close enough for gun use anyway. You can easily tell if you think something is too thick or thin. I would never leave that to chance for an engine, but it's okay for a gun. You can see what is going on with the gun but the inside of an engine is not readily inspectable.
 
1 quart(32 fluid ounces) of ATF = ~$4.00 to $10.00
Google Shopping for Automatic Transmission Fluid

4 ounces of Hoppes Elite Gun Oil = $9.99
http://www.cabelas.com/p-0028834226978a.shtml

scaling up..... comes out to $80 of Hoppes for the same amount of ATF

or you can go with the Hoppes "Firearms, Fishing Reels, and all mechanisms" Oil
http://www.gundogsonline.com/shooting-supplies/gun-cleaning-supplies/hoppes-gun-oil-4oz-aerosol.html
which is 5.99 for 4 ounces, bringing it it up to $48 for the same amount of ATF

of course it says on the can, Firearm, fishing reel, and all mechanisms
That doesnt seem too specifically tailor made to a firearm if i can also use it on a fishing reel....... :confused:

So what is it? a "specialized" gun oul that sells for $80 a quart when ATF is $6 a quart, or $48 a quart for a product that isn't tailored to firearms anymore than it is tailored to fishing reels.

Also, as for those of you who are saying the additives and such in motor oil and ATF are harmful if inhaled, I doubt inhaling all the burnt gunpowder residue from all the rounds we shoot every week is exactly healthy for us.
 
Russ5924

We may spend thousands of dollars on guns, but we feel we get the value we pay. Would you pay 800 for a taurus pt111? Its less than a 2k Colt 1911, so surely its got to be a good deal/good gun? right?

most people would not pay 800 for a taurus pt111 because they know it is only worth $300. So why pay $80 for oil when you can buy something just as good if not better for $6?

would you buy a box of target 9mm ammo for $30? i mean, its only $30, we can all afford that. but we know that we can get the same box for $12. and if we buy it at $12 a box, we can get 2 boxes for the same price as that one $30 box. for an additional $6 over the price of the $30 box of ammo, we can get THREE boxes.

Its simple economics

if you keep overpaying for things that can be obtained cheaper, your gonna have less than your maximum potential
 
On re-reading parts of this interesting discussion, there is one area that may have been missed.

The cold temperature performance of the lubricants. I know in the old days, you would fail to fire because the spring/firing pin would get gummed up by the oil in low temperatures. Then you would trudge back to camp cold and ****** off and when the gun warmed up, it worked smooth as glass. But at cold temps, the oil stiffened up and slowed the pin enough so it wouldn't fire.

Modern lubricants (ATF or 0w motor oil or the "gun oils") don't do that. But if you just used 10w40 from the squeeze can, it may keep the boom from happening.

To me, the worst thing is to fail to lube a gun no matter what you lube it with.

jb
 
Not sure if I'd use motor oil, but I do just use the 3-in-1 tool oil out of the tool department. It's cheaper than the actual gun oil and works great.
 
We all spend thousands of dollers on guns and related products and you worry about $9.99 for a can of gun oil
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Exactly!

I'm still of the opinion that motor oil is designed to operate at high temperatures and is too thick at room temperature to be used as a gun oil. It is also waaaay too thick at the freezing temperatures we tend to hunt in.
 
3&1 Good Choice

Bad choice. That stuff can gum over time. Gum in gun is not good.
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I don't use 3&1 as much as I use to, but I have used it for 50 plus years on on types of firearms. I have never ever seen any gum conditions due to 3&1 oil. There are products now that I use instead of 3&1, but if that's your choice don't worry, it will serve you well.

There is way too much hype about what type of oil to use. All lubricants will dry out over time. Keeping a gun clean and lubricating often is the best method....no matter the product used.
 
It is also waaaay too thick at the freezing temperatures we tend to hunt in.
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Stick a quart of 0W synthetic motor oil in the deep freeze along with a bottle of CLP or whatever you use. I'd be interested to know which one is still a liquid at -30F.

If it's cold enough where you hunt to thicken oil to the point where it stops your gun from working correctly, you need dry graphite for lube instead.
 
Guys, there is a new lube that was specifically designed for knives that is getting very good reviews for guns. I use it in my shop, and it is some of the slickest lube I have ever used. It's called Latama Quick Release. I'm going to try it on a few of my guns, but I don't get to shoot much anymore. I would think it would be excellent for guns. The designer is a knifemaker friend of mine, but I'm not involved financially with the lube. It's available at www.latama.net
 
I don't use motor oil on firearms. It does attract dirt & particles from the fired rounds. Last time I looked, none of my guns have oil filters to rid themselves of the contaminants. I use lubricants designed to lubricate firearms not something else. I don't want any teflon in my weapons either. I do want a high temperature lube for my firearms.Moly is a good lube but it does get that black stuff everywhere. Petroleum based lubes just don't cut it in certain instances. It will burn off very easily.

You also need corrosion protection. A good lube that can't protect against rust is useless. I had a Sig with the old carbon steel slide (made in Germany), rust up in 24 hours even though it was just lubed up with Break Free 4 days earlier! (It was a rainy deer hunt).

I've found something that meets all my needs and works better than any other product I have tried(over 20 products). SLP 2000. It even made the gritty trigger in my Walther PPS like fine silk.
 
It even made the gritty trigger in my Walther PPS like fine silk.
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Gritty trigger? PPS? Mine has a trigger in a class of it's own..... even after quite a few range trips over two months using exclusively using motor oil (Mobil1) on the internals.
 
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