Synthetic Motor Oil for lubing a gun?

I've owned my Glock 17 for about 20 years. Other than putting a thin coat of oil on the inside of the barrel about once ever couple of years, I don't think I've ever put any lube, oil or "stuff" on it to make it run.
 
I've fired them dry, wet, and gooped up on gop, and they haven't failed.

I think lubrication is probably less critcal for Glocks than Glock owners would like to believe. I have heard that the number one reason Glocks go back to Glock is because they are over-lubricated. It may be an Internet rumor - I have no idea...
 
Lubrication and corrosion resistance are two completely different things.

This thread is talking primarily about lubrication.

I generally don't use oils or greases to provide corrosion resistant to my firearms, I use oils and greases to lubricate them.

For corrosion resistance I use Johnson's Paste Wax, or another similar wax high in natural carnuba wax.

Lubricants are generally NOT forward compatible. By that I mean what's good for oiling the hinges on your front door generally will not be good for keeping your car running.

But, lubricants are very often backward compatible, i.e. a lubricant for a severe duty application may very well be more than adequate, or even superior, for a lesser duty application.

Obviously, that's not always the case, either. A heavy bodied gear grease may very well not be suitable for lubricating the slide on a firearm simply because it's too heavy for the job, which can result in lowered slide speed and misfeeds.

But, to categorically claim that an oil or grease simply isn't suitable for use as a firearms lubricant because the manufacturer doesn't put the picture of a gun on the bottle is, well, silly.

So, I propose this to all of the naysayers.

Provide us with verified examples of instances in which motor oils have failed to properly lubricate a firearm.

You'll get extra points if said failures (remember, verified) caused the catastrophic destruction of a firearm, and even more points if vaporized the shooter.


Oh, and one last point...

Before you're so fast to cleave to the word of the manufacturer that product X is the bestest mostest wonderfulest thing in the world for lubricating firearms, I give you WD-40. Perhaps the WORST choice in the world for lubricating firearms.

But, it MUST be OK since the manufacturer says it's OK, and the manufacturer would never steer us gunnies wrong...

Would they?
 
I started putting Turtle Wax on the slides of my Glocks, but now I'm freaking out because it doesn't say "canuba" on it.

I'm thinking that if it's car wax there is no way it can hurt the finish on a pistol right?

Maybe I should just go out and purchase pure canuba...

I agree that corrosion resistance and lubrication are different as evidenced by the response of the DuPont Engineer to my Krytox question. But I want all the components of my firearm to be protected against rust - internal and external. My fear is that on a humid day at the range, using super lubricity substance A with no corrosion resistance makes my firearm vulnerable to rust, whereas if I'd used something with corrosion resistance properties - I maintain a rust-free gun.

Originally WD-40 didn't claim to be a firearm lubricant. I'm guessing that some corporate wonks in the marketing department just decided one day to add it the growing list of "uses" for WD-40.
 
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"I'm thinking that if it's car wax there is no way it can hurt the finish on a pistol right?"

:rolleyes:

As with all things, KNOW your products.

I know that Johnson's Paste Wax doesn't have rubbing compounds in it like some car waxes do. I also know that JSP has a long history of being used on things like decorative brass work, church bells, metal statues, and the like to prevent corrosion, and that it does it well, is long lasting, doesn't leave a greasy feeling on the hands and, because it's an actual physical barrier between the metal and exterior contaminants that it does a BETTER job at preventing rust than oils, which are easily wiped away and which, oddly enough, FLOAT ON WATER... And what is perspiration? Water... with salts and skin acids that will just rip the finish of a gun to hell and back.
 
My experience is that Synthetic motor, and hydraulic oil is toxic. It gives me headaches. I dont use gun oil in my car... I dont use car oil on my gun.
 
Hygroscopicity test

By consulting with semi-expert psuedo-trilobitologists. I was given this test to determine if a substance is hygroscopic or not.

1) Take the substance and place it in a small 1 to 2 oz container.

2) Add a drop of water.

3) Observe

If the water stays in a droplet - the base substance is generally not very hygroscopic. If the water begins to disperse or dissappear, then the base substance is hygroscopic.

And second follow-on test is to:

4) Shake the mixture up

5) Observe

If the water disappears or the base substance become cloudy, then the substance has hygroscopic properties. Hoever, even if the single water droplet becomes multiple tiny droplets - if the water remains, then the substance is basically non-hygroscopic.

I would really like to perform this test on things like Eezox and Ballistol.
 
catastrophic destruction of a firearm, and even more points if vaporized the shooter.
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Just the other day at the range the guy next to me was completely vaporized. I wanted to ask him if he had used Castrol High Mileage or just some generic oil, but he was gone, completely and utterly vaporized. :eek:

Since his range bag was just left sitting there, I thought I might take it, but then became afraid that I might vaporize too. :p So, I offered it up to the Fast and Furious program.

My Dad used Chevron Delo 400 for years and years. Once, and only once, he wiped down a gun with WD-40. The gun got surface rust on it in just a day or two. Kentucky is humid.
 
Testing results for motorcycle oils

So far, I haven't seen any gun lube manufacturer publish any testing results.

A lot more science and testing has gone into automotive and industrial lubricants than has gone into any of the so-called gun lubes.

In this Amsoil document the metal to metal test on page 13 and the rust test on page 20 are tests that I think have some applicability to firearms.

http://www.amsoil.com/lit/g2156.pdf?zo=1181889

I would love to see how the gun oils do in the rust test, 4-Ball wear and gear wear tests.
 
griz said:
Engines have O-rings and seals in them to keep the oil inside. Doesn't seem to hurt those.
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As always, "It depends."

Awhile back I went looking for an odd-size O-ring. Couldn't find anything closse at Lowe's or Home Depot, so I turned to the Internet. And I discovered that there are MANY different formulations for the elastomer (many aren't rubber, so calling them "rubber" would be inaccurate) used. Most of the web sites tell which elastomers are resistant to or damaged by which chemicals.

You can't generalize. You have to know what an O-ring is made of before you can figure out what might damage it. For example, one of the more common is EPDM (Etylene-propylene-diene-monomer) "rubber." Great for plumbing, but lousy if exposed to hydrocarbons. Meaning the most common O-rings you can buy at Lowe's get eaten by gasoline and motor oil.
 
Or I could say "Use Castrol Super Grease, it's used to grease the load bearings of 200 ton log pickers, there isn't 200 tons of stress applied to your pistol so if the grease can keep the joints from shearing, it will definately work in your firearm."
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Greases are a very complicated story by themselves. I don't like using grease on a AR15, though I have, as oil dissolves powder residue better and is easier to wipe out. Shotguns, do what you want.


There are obviously grades of greases in the NLGI list that are so stiff that they will not work well in a firearm.


There are books on lubrication, I only wrote a paragraph, but for those budding tribologists, this book is free and informative.


EM 1110-2-1424

Title: Engineering and Design - Lubricants and Hydraulic Fluids

http://140.194.76.129/publications/eng-manuals/em1110-2-1424/toc.htm
 
The reason O-rings inside engines fail from fluid mishaps is because in the case of putting motor oil into the brake system, as one user said, the seals would swell. When they swell they dislodge from the seating groves. If you were to take an engine seal and put them in a container of various other fluids (I've done this). You'll see it will either swell or break down, and this holds true if you cross other seals into other fluids.

If your gun has O-rings in it, I wouldn't advise putting automotive fluids on it. Or brake cleaner/carb cleaner, because those will dry them out and run the finish if you have a wood stock.

Countzero: I wouldn't worry about using Turtle Wax. Carnauba wax is a huge thing because cars have clear coat now and carnauba wax doesn't damage it.
 
I prefer ATF. Grant Cunningham persuaded me.
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While I would agree that ATF is probably an ok-good gun lubricant, this article, which I've seen referenced a number of times, has always disturbed me a little. He states in the article that mineral oils (and specifically mentions mineral oil based Remington teflon oil) probably are not the best oils for firearms. Yet further down in the article he states that Nyoil is a good firearm lubricant. Nyoil is refined mineral oil, and while I use it on my own firearms and other things, because there is no arroma and it's non-toxic, it does attract more dust and lint than any oil I've used since I started carrying concealed.

Cleaning your firearm often and using A dab of grease on the slide, and a "small" drop of oil in the right places is more important than what you use. If your storing your gun for sometime without use or cleaning it, then lubrication is not the prime objective, protecting it from corrosion is. This requires different materials as Mike has already pointed out. My dad always oiled his Browning Auto 5 once or twice a year after squirl and rabbit hunting. Not just to lubricate it but he figured enough oil would protect it also. One day we took it out just to pattern it and the front stock disentegrated in my hands. Upon inspection we noted the stock was soaked with oil from years of over oiling the firearm. Dad's motto was always if a little will do good, a lot will do better. Unfortunately that little mishap didn't change dad's mind.
 
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Re: differential (gear) oil, I've read that it's basically the same as motor oil, just with an additive to make it stick to rapidly-spinning gears and another additive to prevent the friction disks in clutch-type limited slips (such as those used in older American cars) from absorbing the oil and degrading.

I'm don't think the former additive would be beneficial on a gun, and I doubt the latter additive would do anything at all.

Personally, I wouldn't use the stuff simply because it smells awful and stains clothing permanently.
 
differential (gear) oil, I've read that it's basically the same as motor oil, just with an additive to make it stick to rapidly-spinning gears and another additive to prevent the friction disks in clutch-type limited slips (such as those used in older American cars) from absorbing the oil and degrading.
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Gear oil is just real thick weight oil, 75w-90 is a common weight in gear oil. There is a special additive that you have to add to the gear oil when you service Limited Slip differentials. It's added separately when you're refilling the diff.
 
I have been cleaning my pistols with Castrol Edge 5w30, for years, no problem. And I started doing this when I saw how the gunsmiths at my Regional HQ cleaned the old Cetme C assault rifles... with motor oil. I asked if I could use that for my pistol and said "go ahead".

Since then, I ended up buying a spray of Legia gun oil, just because theoretically it cleans and lubricates, and it wasn't that expensive at 6 Euro, given that it should last for quite some time. But whenever I run out, you bet I'll clean my guns with motor oil and sleep perfectly well afterwards.
 
Sport45 said:
V/100 - viscosity at 100 degrees F in centistokes(higher is better)
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I think you need to qualify the "higher is better" part. There is a proper viscosity range needed for every lubricant application. Too high and things don't move well.
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Good point. If a fluid is too viscous, it can slow things down. What I should say is that higher viscosity indicates a greater resistance to flow under stress. That means greater protection which is a good thing provided it is not so thick as to create it's own set of problems (like too heavy weight oil in very cold winters).
 
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