What lubricant is NO good

Lets go over the wd40 automatic poultry feeder lube some more.
I think we'll get more mileage out of that. The "best gun lube" can't hold a candle to that.
 
Thanks for the replies

As far as WD 40, I use a lot of it. I buy it in one gallon containers and divvy it up into hand squinters. It displaces water. I run a 26 foot sport fishing boat in the Pacific ocean and after a day long trip I spray WD 40 on everything that is metal or moving metal. Its not a lubricant, but a water displacement that keeps things from rusting and locking up.
But it's not something I'd squirt on a Browning High-power.
 
In my experience I've found remoil to be lacking substantially as a lubricant. It evaporates too quickly to provide long term lubrication, and it's viscosity is too low for it to stay where it's applied during storage.
I quickly tired of taking guns out of the safe after a couple of months and having to relube the gun before shooting, and finding oil stains on the stock where the odd drip of remoil ran out then dried.
 
Too much of any good lubricant
Most people tend to over lube. Use sparingly.
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I have always been the type of gun owner and shooter who does not like his handguns with too much lube on them. I don't care to have it oozing from cracks and I really don't want it flinging off during a session of shooting.

Ed Brown states in the owner's manual shipped with his 1911 pistols that when it is actually flinging off the handgun and on to your hand, that is the right amount of lube and that is the amount of lube he recommends for his 1911 pistols. He adds that you should be adding lube during long sessions of shooting.

Even still, I do not lube my handguns to that point. I have given in a bit and with some of my more finely fitted semi-auto pistols, I will lube them such that they ooze from crevices during a session of shooting... but flinging off on to my shooting hand? I still do not do that.

I have never met Mr. Brown but have had a couple of his handguns and I would have no problem admitting that he must certainly know more than me about 1911 pistols in any way we might measure.
 
I haven't had it "varnish" anything yet. This is mostly an Internet myth.
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It may be mostly an internet myth but I have seen it in real life. When my father passed on, I had to manage his guns. He hadn't touched them in probably 10 years, or more. A couple of his guns were literally varnished shut. His Colt Govt model, stored in a dresser drawer, mag loaded, chamber empty. When I cleared the gun, the slide moves slooowly forward, stopping about half way shut.

Savage 99, varnished shut to the point were the safety lever could not be moved and the action could not be opened.

Liberal application of WD-40 dissolved the varnish (dried oil), allowing actions to be opened and the guns broken down for a proper cleaning. It takes some time, but with enough time, oil turns to sludge, and sludge turns to shellac.

Or something very closely resembling it.

As to oiling a gun until it is dripping? Some of the top pistol competitors from the 80s, & 90s have remarked on how they like to run their 1911s "wet", meaning not actually dripping oil, but almost. I've never run mine that way, but then I'm not a speedracer kind of shooter, either.
 
Has Remoil Changed?

I have used Remoil for many years and have never had a problem. However, a buddy of mine said that they have recently changed their formula and now put "silica" in it which is like "sand" and causes scratches and such. I have a new can and haven't noticed any of this yet. Is this true? I also use CLP at times and that seems really slick, almost to the point that I can't wipe it off and my fingers get real greasy.
 
It may be mostly an internet myth but I have seen it in real life.
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I have also dealt with it -- twice. Old oil turns to goo, after that it turns hard and parts that need to move do NOT move. Did this on a nearly new late 80's Taurus Model 669 (actually a very nice revolver if you aren't familiar with the vintage) and I had the same problem with an early 90's era Colt King Cobra. And I attacked the problem with two different methods.

With the Taurus, I went inside after tapping off the sideplate and I tool all the guts out and I cleaned every bit with Hoppes#9 and careful scrubbing with patches and Q-tips. This made the Taurus act once again like the nearly new revolver that it had been before sitting in storage for 15 years. It's been 5 years since I cleaned out that Taurus and it works great.

The Colt revolver is far more involved when it comes to removing the sideplate and I really wanted no part of that. So I took the factory rubber grip off, took it outside and I sprayed the ever-lovin' crap out of it with non-chlorinated brake cleaner. Then I worked the action and sprayed it some more, and then I did it more. To say that I used this stuff liberally would be correct. It cleared up the sticking issue I had inside the Colt and it has not returned. Did this one two years ago.
 
Has anyone used Mobil 1?

Exclusively. My guns stay wet for months in the safe and it doesn't burn off during shooting. When it's time to clean, mostly wipe off dirty oil and relube. (except for gas rings and barrel/chamber)

Areas that slide also get a thin coat of Tetra gun grease. No wear, no rust, guns stay wet, easy to clean. Huge improvement over RemOil or Hoppes...
 
While WD-40 is probably not the best lubricant out there, it will do in a pinch and certainly isn't the worst. I use it on my hunting rifle when it gets wet or damp as soon as I come inside. It repels water nicely.

Here are some not-so-good lubricants:

STP
Slick 50
break fluid or any hydraulic fluid
KY Jelly
 
OK. I have to ask. How would KY jelly end up on your gun cleaning bench and what thought process would have you applying it to a firearm?
 
I suppose in this day and age Whale oil would be a no-no. I've been using 3-1 oil and white lithium for 40 years now and have been happy, I use a lot less in winter conditions though. A can of WD-40 is handy to displace water followed with a oil wipe down.
 
IIRC the Illinois State Police in its early use of the Smith Model 39 used WD-40.

As troopers learned, the stuff drained out or dried out and their 9mm pistols jammed.

This was in the late 1960s, early '70s.
 
WD40 is a good choice if you just recovered your gun from the bottom of a pond. Otherwise it would not be something I would choose.

IMO you just can't beat a 2-1-1 mix of ATF, Mobil 1 and STP. Penetration, heat resistant lubrication and amazing cling.
 
"Worst; WD-40 for sure and Rem oil is marginal at best"
Please elaborate on your "problems" so we can determine the lab procedure used to reach these findings.

" When my father passed on, I had to manage his guns. He hadn't touched them in probably 10 years, or more."
Based on the statement that the guns weren't "touched" for a decade, I think you should be happy to find they weren't RUSTED beyond recognition rather than demeaning the product that protected them for that period.

I quit using WD-40 when the formulation changed to non-flammable. This took away much of what I needed the product to do. I found other(more volatile) products that have better results although much more dangerous to use. A few years back, I got a great deal on aerosol Rem-Lube and have used it for general use(two full cases worth) w/o noticing any real difficulties.
I work with farm/construction equipment and can honestly say "the worst lube is the one not used as recommended OR not used at all".
 
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