Motor oil as gun lube? Yes/No, which one?

[Willie Lowman]

About 15 years ago I had a car that took 4.5 quarts of oil. So I always had a half quart of Mobil 1 left over. I used it on my guns because I had it.

Nowadays I use FireClean or Slip 2000.

 

[Shadow9mm]

Motor oils designed for a different use, and different specifications. Different detergent for different fouling. Different operating temperatures.

Can you? Yes. Is it optimal. No. Would I do it. No

 

[johnslick]

I have used nearly every kind of lube in my shooting since 1967,and find very little difference, excluding sub freezing temps. Only CLP did I notice superior performance

 

[Pistoler0]

Mobil One...................Used by many.

Dunno man, your name is Happy Kaboomer....

Are you so happy because Mobil 1 helps you keep all your fingers after a Kaboom?

 

[WESHOOT2]

when it's really really cold lube

I have used nearly every kind of lube in my shooting since 1967,and find very little difference, excluding sub freezing temps. Only CLP did I notice superior performance

Ditto, but 1976...


Extreme cold, dusty environments, and high rd-ct taught me lubricant choices matter.
I use BreakFree CLP.

I have used many others (and still do).
I would like to try modern WeaponShield.



(I still have about a half-gallon of banned ProLix, which is the most incredibly aewsome stuff for my pistols)

 

[mehavey]

^^^^^ Ditto Above ^^^^^

And in so doing, I am reminded of LESTERS








(altho BreakFree still used, Hornady 1-Shot Cleaner/Lube has become my Go2)

 

[JustJake]

And in so doing, I am reminded of LESTERS

Yep, Lester's!

It's the ammo most Fuddleys prefer.

 

[langenc]

I finally obtained one of those Dewey 'oil cans'(about 1 oz0 and filled it w/ some Mobil 1 that was left in a 5 qt jug. I think it ill last forever. Use in on guns and anything around that needs a couple drops.

Had a friend on the Army whose Father repaired small appliances. He said Dad priced oil at $1/drop on repairs.--wow.

 

[dahermit]

I could never understand that "below zero, lube thickens thing." I have hunted deer in Michigan for longer than many of you have been alive, but cannot remember even one day that the weather was below zero during deer season... even the extended land-owner antlerless season that ends January first.

Maybe in Alaska some fool will venture out to hunt in below zero weather, but for the majority of us, a gun seizing up due to thickened lube strikes me as more fairy tale than fact. One of those, "I read it in a gun magazine so it must be true, things"?

So, Mobile One to lube my guns and stay the hell inside when its below zero seems to make sense for me.

 

[Seedy Character]

Yes, people do hunt when it is below zero.

Hunting Colorado, -8° and my hunting partner had his trigger seize up. Was afternoon before temp rose to 5° and he could use his rifle.

Hunting guide, 80 miles north of Edmonton, Canada, told us the hunting didn't get good until the temps got to -20°.

Triggers / actions freezing is actual fact and well documented, not just gunscribe myth.

 

[Jim Watson]

A friend got her last buck at 7 deg F, so not quite below zero, no problem with the rifle.

In olden times, before Modern Wonder Lubes, the Arctic hunter was recommended to degrease his gun and lube it with graphite.

 

[Nodak1858]

Coldest I've deer hunted in was -15 actual temp, and yes things that move in above zero temps get sluggish then. For times it's going to be that cold I make sure all the bolt internals are clean and no excess oil or grease.

 

[WESHOOT2]

friggin' cold

Our USPSA club shoots year-round. Coldest match start temp was -17F.
One quickly learns that lubricant choice actually matters.



Green Mountain Practical Shooters
IPSC13

 

[ME262]

I used Mobil One Synthetic 0w-20 for many years. Until.... I was at a competition in late October and the temps took a sudden dive. It went from 50 degrees to 20 in about 2 hours. My pistol started choking. 0w motor oil should not have been affected at all, but it did. A guy next to me let me try his oil, Pro Shot CLP, and my pistol started working like it should. I now use it exclusively.

I use Mobil 1 and I use so little - as u should - that i don't see why it would jam up the gun in cold weather, even if the oil became gummy, which Mobil 1 synthetic shouldn't. It doesn't in cars. What do u mean "choking"? How did the gun "choke"? Maybe there was some other problem with your gun.

Anyone here from Alaska with cold weather shooting experience?

 

[lll Otto lll]

I don't use gun oil in my truck, so why should I use motor oil on my guns?
The additive packages in motor oils are completely unnecessary for firearms.
Your gun oil has no need for anti-foaming agents, viscosity modifiers, detergents, dispersants or emulsifiers.

 

[JohnKSa]

Yup.

And it does benefit from anti-corrosion additives which aren't usually included in motor oils.

 

[totaldla]

I have read and seen videos exalting the virtues of motor oil as very efficient, long lasting gun lube that is resistant to heat and fouling.

What are your views on this? What would be the benefits/cons of using motor oil as gun lube (besides the obvious: cheaper cost).

And WHICH motor oil would be better? (they come in all kinds of viscosity grades)

Unless you're maintaining a machine gun, I can't see any reason to screw around with specialty oils. The only oil I recommend is ATF. Why? Because it is light weight, lots additives for wear prevention, and it is cheap. Doesn't matter a bit whether it is Dino or synthetic.

Now having said that, I loved the old FP10 because it kept my beater 1911 from rusting. But the new FP10 kindof sucks now because it doesn't stay where I put it. I like the smell of cinnamon so I'm working my way through a bottle Weapon Shield - but it isn't as good as FP10 (just smells better). Weapon Shield is non-toxic and made by little vegans that drink fair trade coffee.

 

[Cosmodragoon]

Unless you're maintaining a machine gun, I can't see any reason to screw around with specialty oils. The only oil I recommend is ATF. Why? Because it is light weight, lots additives for wear prevention, and it is cheap. Doesn't matter a bit whether it is Dino or synthetic.

Now having said that, I loved the old FP10 because it kept my beater 1911 from rusting. But the new FP10 kindof sucks now because it doesn't stay where I put it. I like the smell of cinnamon so I'm working my way through a bottle Weapon Shield - but it isn't as good as FP10 (just smells better). Weapon Shield is non-toxic and made by little vegans that drink fair trade coffee.

I don't like added smells in my lube. If the ingredient isn't helping the product to work, it doesn't belong. The same goes for colorant.

Little vegans and fair trade coffee aside, "non-toxic" is good. Seriously, don't we have enough stuff pushing up the health risks in our lives? Lead and solvents are largely facts of life for this hobby. Do I also want toxic lube on my everyday gear, in or on my pants, near the bits for which I want to keep the cancer risk as low as possible?

At least when high-quality non-toxic options like Lubriplate FMO 350-AW are available and affordably priced, why wouldn't I use them?

 

[JohnKSa]

Another interesting aspect of the issue relating to gun cleaning/lubrication products.

https://www.police1.com/police-prod...e-of-firearms-sniffing-k-9s-qEDFLofX4TeAsGY1/

"The gun dog is trained to focus on odor that relates exclusively to the oils, powder and residue commonly associated with a dischared <sic> firearm and not human odor."

I wonder if products like the Lubriplate FMO products which are not commonly associated with firearms would still cause a "gun" sniffing dog to alert.

That's really only curiosity on my part, the main reason I like low/no-odor products is the obvious one. And it certainly doesn't hurt if they are also non-toxic.