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Save your drops of motor oil

5K views 36 replies 30 participants last post by  Good beer 
#1 ·
With magic gun cleaner oil running $20 an ounce I decided to do an experiment. I figure if synthetic motor oil is good enough for $20,000 car engines, it's good enough for my guns.

On my last oil change, I upended my oil bottles into a drain pan. Got oh probably an ounce of oil in total. I recently cleaned a dozen guns and was able to oil them down nice and good with the saved oil.

So, as a consideration, that little bit of waste new oil is enough to clean a lot of guns. May only be a few dollars but it's nice to be smart with your money and it took no extra time at all.
 
#2 ·
As a Pro auto tech.. I have been doin this for years. When you do 3 to5 Syn oil changes a day.. You can save up a lot! So much so.. I do Full syn oil changes on all my vehicles, For the past 15 or so years, while only payin for an oil filter. And.. Supplying gun oil for my whole family and most of my good friends. If your looking for a good cheap cleaner.. Look into ATF,, Auto trans fluid.. A part of the infamous Ed's red cleaner.. But works great on its own
 
#7 ·
Grandfather use to clean his guns down with Diesel and then wipe down with used motor oil and then wiped the excess oil off. All of his rifles and shotguns to this day shoot as well as they day he introduced me to those firearms 30 years ago...and he has had them longer than that.

But for me...I use CLP. It won't gum up like Rem-oil and it protects pretty well. But I wouldn't hesitate to use Diesel and a cleaning agent and used motor-oil as a final touch.

I guess I should just start doing my own oil changes. Or just pull the dipstick out with a rag and the residue on the rag should be more than enough to clean a gun or two.
 
#8 ·
Lots of folks for years have known that Mobil One is awesome wet lube for AR's.

The point that some folks make is that a true lube isn't much of an actual cleaner. Most of your high dollar gun lubes have a cleaning component to them. But if you lube and clean religiously you rarely need an actual cleaning component to the lube. The less frequent a cleaner you are you need something to help cut the gunk down.

For that I like to use Corrosion X, which is a specialty product used by HVAC and electrical workers for mechanical switches. It's a cleaner, lube, and corrosion inhibitor all in one. Corrosion X realized so many gun users were buying their stuff that they began offering a product just forthe gun market, though it was really just the same stuff in a smaller can with a different color label for a higher price. Just buy the basic red spray can. A big can for about $15 from HVAC supply houses that lasts a super long time.

A can of Corrosion X and a couple quarts of Mobil One will run you about $25 and unless you hit the range weekly you will find that lasts you many many years. Double the order and add some Hoppes to clean metal fouling and I'd say you have all you need to seal away for TEOTWAWKI for a family of shooters.
 
#18 ·
For that I like to use Corrosion X, which is a specialty product used by HVAC and electrical workers for mechanical switches. It's a cleaner, lube, and corrosion inhibitor all in one. Corrosion X realized so many gun users were buying their stuff that they began offering a product just forthe gun market, though it was really just the same stuff in a smaller can with a different color label for a higher price. Just buy the basic red spray can. A big can for about $15 from HVAC supply houses that lasts a super long time.

A can of Corrosion X and a couple quarts of Mobil One will run you about $25 and unless you hit the range weekly you will find that lasts you many many years. Double the order and add some Hoppes to clean metal fouling and I'd say you have all you need to seal away for TEOTWAWKI for a family of shooters.
Corrosion-X is the bomb. Besides guns, I use it on outdoor electronics like boat lift controllers and breaker boxes. Also on everything electrical on my boat. Awesome ****.
 
#9 ·
Synthetic engine oil also works well for air tools. I have about $1000 invested into quality air tools. No problems what so ever using the left over synthetic oil from Rotella T6 oil.

I drive a truck for a living, and everytime I fill up I get roughly $10 added to my Loves frequent fueler card. Times that by 5 days a week, and I get all the oil, washer fluid, and wiper blades I can want from the Loves truck stops. Just have to run by Advance and buy the filter.

Anyways, good idea OP..
 
#13 ·
1 part Dexron II, IIe or III Automatic Transmission Fluid
1 part K1 Kerosene
1 part Aliphatic Mineral Spirits, a.k.a "odorless mineral spirits"
1 part Acetone


But I find that brake cleaner is just as good as a filthy bore cleaner with the exception of copper fouling. Spray can is just easier than buying all those other ingredients and mixing it up. Just remember that brake cleaner isn't lubricant. Once I have the bore clean I dose it with Corrosion X. But the only time I need to go this route is with guns that weren't kept cleaned and lubed properly to begin with.....other people's guns in other words.

Mobil 1 for true lube
Corrosion X to act as your "CLP"
Hoppes for metal fouling
Brake cleaner to get really old or hard filth off a gun or to remove cosmoline.
 
#19 ·
You have to watch out for that mix.. Alot of the new atf's wont mix with acetone. I used to do the same thing. then tried it in clear bottle.. And it separates. Switched over to mineral spirits.. and mixes great.. And works just as well!
And I agree!!!! IMHO!! Rem oil is junk!! Have seen nothing but trouble with those who have used it!
Coming out of the Marine Corps ( Many years ago!) I was a die hard CLP user.. Then I started shooting too much.. The wife started shooting too much.. That's when I switched to GM upper cly cleaner for cleaning. Basically the same stuff as shooters choice cleaner. They stopped making it years ago.. But I was smart.. Picked up 4 cases of it for 4 bucks a qt! That stuff will clean!
 
#15 ·
Yep, it sure will. That's why it should only be used on the bore or the bolt assembly.
 
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#20 ·
Had to clean a dirty 10/22 today after 5 hours of range time. It was a failure test, to see how many rounds the new rifle would take before breakdown. It only made 2000 rounds before it would not work. Now, I use Balistol frequently for cleaning and lube. When I got home and began cleaning the Balistol did nothing. But the Eds Red cut through everything with one wipe. It's cheap, reliable, and plentiful.

One more thing. Don't teardown the 10 round rotary mags of a 10/22. They are hell to get back together. I took 3 apart. The rest I hit with bore cleaner and 150 psi compressed air.

And, stay from RemOil. It will gunck like concrete.
 
#25 ·
Ive used full synth motor oil Royal Purple on my guns since I found this good oil for my vehicles. A tip from the gunsmith when I was in the army was to heat motor oil to 120 - 150 degrees (f) and immerse parts in the hot oil once in a while to get an oil film on everything. In his workshop he had guns from end of 1800 until now all still used every now and again so it obviously worked.

To clean a gun it's hard to beat atf, diesel or in worst case white spirit or acetone.
 
#26 ·
I like the Mobil 1 red gear gease on M1s and M1As. It's still viscous to WAY below zero F, and still adhering at WAY hotter temps than a human can stand. I like the 5W-30 for lubeing any weapons. Synthetics have incredible specs. I started using the 30 years ago when I read an article in a 4-wheel magazine and have never been sorry.

WW

shoot straight - stay safe
 
#28 ·
Funny this comes up... I just had a big problem with froglube in one of my guns. I switched back to regular CLP and had some leftover 10-30 amsoil in the shop. I dumped it into an old Hoppes#9 bottle and started lubing guns. I guess I need to drag some of my redline sythetic grease out of the shop and into the gun room also.
 
#33 ·
Ed's red is good stuff, great for cleaning. For straight lube I use Mobil 1 10W-30 and a quart lasts forever or red high temp grease if something tacky is needed. For copper fouling I traditionally used hopes #9 but for right now I'm trying the gunslick foam.
 
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