Survivalist Forum banner

Gun lube

17K views 83 replies 39 participants last post by  Cuteandfuzzybunnies  
#1 ·
O.k. I see a lot of separation on the subject of Motor (Synthetic, ATF) oil use on firearms. What about micro lubes?

Zmax, Dura lube etc. I know these lubricants work very well and will last for quite some time. I used some Dura lube on a squeaky door hinge once and it kept quiet for years.

Obviously, this type of lube should be used after the "break-in" period. "Gun Juice" is a product I've seen at gun shows and it is a micro lube.

Also I've tried Ballistol, Hickok45 swears by it. I've found that it loses viscosity and doesn't feel as slippery. I've used CLP for the longest time, considering it's G.I.


Any thoughts?
 
#2 ·
Here's my thoughts:

Most people use to much oil.

The biggest cause of friction in a gun isn't from the wrong lubricant but from dirt, sand, and other abrasives

These things can stick to oil and make your problems worse, doesn't matter how good or expensive your lubricant is if it has sand in it!

Micro lubes.....so long as it has good lubricating properties is fine.......so long as it's applied in the right manner to the right parts
 
#3 ·
"Weapon shield" is a good ( one of the best kept secrets) all around lube.★☆★☆★
STEEL SHIELD Industries in Bethel Park, Penna. Makes it, and the gease they make is really the right thickness, for all sliding, - surfaces. Grease has a plunger & needle point applicator.
Products as these...are kind 'a like....breakfast cereal. My fav. Is different than yours, but it does the same thing.
 
#9 ·
True words. Whatever ya got will do in a pinch. I just took my tractor in for an oil leak. Hydraulic oil got so low that it wouldn't steer so I put some diesel motor oil in there to top it off enough so I could get it loaded on the flatbed. I got to the shop and told the guy to dump it and use fresh because of what I had done but he said not to worry - it will continue to operate just fine. I suspect that gun oil is similar in many respects.
 
#6 ·
Image


Think I'm good for this week full can of LAW, case of TW-25b, other odds and ends.
 
#7 ·
I've been using this for while: FireClean

Without a doubt the best gun lube/cleaner I've ever used. I put 4 drops total on my USP about 5 months ago and haven't reapplied since. I carry it everyday, took it to the range a few days ago and noticed after going through one mag the gun was dripping, literally dripping oil. Took it home and wiped it clean with a napkin, reapplied a few drops (they say to only use two). It's more expensive but it last so much longer so it evens out. Check out the Amazon reviews, 100% recommended.
 
#13 ·
I am loosely incharge of my BSA Councils firearms - 18 Savage Mk I, 5 Savage Rascals and a dozen shotguns. During our 6 weeks of summer camp they get used A lot - 25k rounds of 22 lr and 15k rounds of 20 gauge.

During the week they're cleaned by scouts as part of merit badge class for this we've switched to Ballistol mostly because it's reasonably priced and almost totally non-toxic. They get wiped down with ballistol 2 - 3 times a day. Lotta sweaty paws on these guns day in and day out.

Over the weekend staff cleans the rifles with Ed's Red - especially the bolts and there is quite a bit of stuff comes out of them. They were doing the shotguns but found it wasn't needed.

Layup over the winter is Ed's Red with a light coat of 30 wt motor oil done by camp rangers - pretty much weather we want them to do it or not
 
#14 ·
If you feel the need for grease - Mobil 1 Synthetic is second to none on the market but if you feel the need for something that will stay in place, protect, lubricate and not "stain" your clothing - then either Hornady One-Shot gun cleaner and lube or Hornady One-Shot HD-Extreme will be your ticket.

If you live near the coast, then Hornady HD-Extreme will give a little more peace of mind relative to corrosion protection. You might find some items that can perform as well as the Hornady products, but you won't find any product that will perform better.
 
#19 ·
George Fennell makes weaponshield. It's a proven product. Fennell has gotten very quirky in the last few years, but he knows his stuff, and has the track record to prove it, along with the customer list.

Bruce Gray has recently really pushed Lucas extreme gun oil and grease, and followed and measured wear on competition shooters Sig pistols. He states the product truly is a step above all the others he's tried over the years. I've known Bruce for almost a decade, and he's not one to push something he doesn't believe in , or just for the money.

G96 synthetic gets a nod from the military and .mil customers, and I know of no-one who has issues with it.

ALG go juice had the misfortune of being introduced during a time which biolubes were being given a bad name by lawsuits etc. and it lacks a lot of data, but I've liked how it's done in the past for me. I do not know Bill G personally.
 
#25 ·
I have/had a couple of high round count Glocks that had notieable wear on the rails, and to some repsect, the slides. One gun had a rail eventually break.

Guns were cleaned and lubed (mostly Mobile One) after every outing.

The edges of the rails were worn to a sharp edge, and compared to the rails on newer guns that havent been shot a lot, were noticebly different.

Ive had noticeable wear on some SIG's and a couple of others over the years as well.

Barrels also tend to show a lot of wear. The barrel on the Glock that broke the rail, has a "smilely" that you can actually feel when you run your fingernail across it.


I think for most people, the guns arent likely to be shot enough to wear out, even if you used no lube at all. Most people really just dont shoot that much, even over decades.

Just the cost in ammo will far surpass the cost of the gun, so, even if something should go, you likely paid more for the ammo to get to that point, than you paid for the gun.

On that Glock that I broke the rail, just using what it cost for my reloads, I figured out that I could have bought something like 35 more 17's for what I spent in componenets loading for it. If that had been factory ammo, it would have been something like 50.


If you want to get the most out of them, clean and lube them, and you shoud be fine. And you can save a lot of money going with something like Mobile One instead of the high dollar gun lubes being sold these days, and it works just as well.

I switched over to it about 8 years ago now, and Im still using the first ($7) bottle I bought, and its still about 3/4's full. And I use it on everything now, and thats at least 3-4 different guns cleaned and lubed each and every week.
 
#27 ·
I'm in the camp that uses motor oils and transmissions fluids. I have a special blend I use, about 50/50 synthetic motor oil and synthetic transmission fluid.

Why?

1. These are designed to be used in RACE CARS costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and micron tolerances at 5000 RPMs for hours... Companies have invested billions of dollars perfecting these to work and compete to win races with purses for millions of dollars. They also go into hundreds of millions of daily driver cars across the spectrum. I'm fairly confident if a $500,000 professional formula 1 race car or a daily driver can use XYZ brand and weight motor oil, my $1000 firearm will be fine.

2. Cost and availability. Not only does it almost surely outperform all the small overpriced boutique stuff found in gun stores, it's very inexpensive costing as little as $3 per quart for synthetic. I've seen snake oils that cost $10 per ounce... that's a LOT of money per quart comparatively.

3. Variants. From 0W40 to 20W50 and many ATF variants, pick your favorite weight and type.

4. Safe for rubber. Engine oils must be safe for rubber seals, and guns often have rubber parts like grips, plastics in followers and mags, etc.

Guns are machines that operate hot and cold, with tight and loose tolerances, and cycle a bolt or slide repetitively, and handle explosions. I'm unconvinced there is ANY formula of snake oil out there that does better at lubrication than that used by auto engines and transmissions for viscosity, thermal absorption, and longevity in hot and cold temps.