Big Caliber
New member
Is there anything bad about using a little 5-20 Valvoline conventional oil to clean out a bore in addition to Hoppe's 9???
Valvoline oil
- Thread starter Big Caliber
- Start date
Gunplummer
New member
Yeah, I use it for storage too. It is sticky and does not work it's way down the gun as quickly as some gun oils.
Motor oil is not going to be an aggressive solvent, so if you are trying to dissolve powder and copper fouling, leave it out. You will just dilute the Hoppe's.
You can read up on bore cleaning ingredients by reviewing the logic of Ed' Red:
Ed's Red
http://handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=9
You can read up on bore cleaning ingredients by reviewing the logic of Ed' Red:
Ed's Red
http://handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=9
Big Caliber
New member
Thanks. I asked because after I cleaned out a rifle bore with Hoppe's, I was just going to run 1 patch w/ the motor oil and then 1 dry patch. Well, the dry patch came out dirty with carbon even though the I cleaned (or thought I cleaned) the bore thoroughly. I'm not looking to substitute oil for a solvent. The oil is only for rust control after cleaning. I was more concerned about the Valvoline as many folks like to use Castrol or some other synthetic oils. I've never had any problem mixing oils with Hoppe's, including Kroil oil. I always run a couple of dry patches thru the bores the night before a shooting outing.
Engine oils have cleaning/dispersing properties to shed carbon and other contaminants from the moving parts into solution- as well as lubricating ones...
I don't use motor oil (and rarely Hoppe's, either), but I suspect that the motor oil could loosen deposits that were not dissolved initially by the Hoppe's.
g.willikers
New member
^^^
Yup, before automotive hand cleaners became available, motor oil, along with dish washing liquid, was the way to get clean enough to be able to go home.
If you want to use an automotive product for cleaning, ATF (auto trans fluid) does help.
It's one of the ingredients in Ed's Red mix.
Yup, before automotive hand cleaners became available, motor oil, along with dish washing liquid, was the way to get clean enough to be able to go home.
If you want to use an automotive product for cleaning, ATF (auto trans fluid) does help.
It's one of the ingredients in Ed's Red mix.
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Yes. Board member Hummer70, who was an Aberdeen Proving Grounds Test Director, said the Army Marksmanship Unit went over to Mobile 1 synthetic oil for all their bore cleaning and general maintenance lubrication. If you look at the formulations, some of the modern oils approach something like 20% additive content. These additives are to dissolve carbon and other contaminants in an engine as well as to keep the oil from breaking down, and they work well on gun powder fouling. This is especially true if the barrel is still warm and the carbon has not had time to harden when you put the oil in. So take some to the range with you and get the bore wet with it before you pack up and head home. By the time you do, the carbon should all be well-softened.
I got some 0-W-20 on Hummer70's recommendation and it does seem to work well. I've been playing around with additives to get faster penetration (a little Kroil). Jury is still out on whether that really makes a positive difference or not.
I got some 0-W-20 on Hummer70's recommendation and it does seem to work well. I've been playing around with additives to get faster penetration (a little Kroil). Jury is still out on whether that really makes a positive difference or not.
Is there an expectation among oil makers that some oils will come into contact with people on a regular basis, others won't, and so products are formulated differently?
Anecdotal evidence of washing your hands in motor oil aside, I'd think prolonged contact with the skin would be something not on the list of priorities for motor oil, while gun care products could be expected to regularly come into contact with the skin.
Are there specs or requirements for the contents of motor oils and gun oils that are incompatible? Is Big Brother dictating what is "safe" for oils (The United States Department of Cleaning, Lubrication and Preservation)?
Anecdotal evidence of washing your hands in motor oil aside, I'd think prolonged contact with the skin would be something not on the list of priorities for motor oil, while gun care products could be expected to regularly come into contact with the skin.
Are there specs or requirements for the contents of motor oils and gun oils that are incompatible? Is Big Brother dictating what is "safe" for oils (The United States Department of Cleaning, Lubrication and Preservation)?
In the past it has been the other way around. Motor oil wasn't harder on skin than petroleum jelly, but there were a lot of pretty nasty chemicals in gun cleaners, like nitrobenzene and spirits of mercury, and skin penetrating compounds like DMSO in turpentine components to carry those nasties right through to your bloodstream. You have to keep in mind that gun cleaners are designed to work at their job first, and have only been tamed of some levels of toxicity as regulatory requirements have stiffened. Indeed, Gunzilla's maker has a story of developing his non-toxic vegetable oils-based product in the 90's precisely because he couldn't find a really skin-safe gun cleaning product at the time. Even the military's CLP then still had one carcinogenic component (since removed).
As to Mobil 1, I don't know what modern additives have done for skin contact safety. You could read the MSDS sheet to see if it's any different than a non-detergent single-weight, like the old stuff was.
As to Mobil 1, I don't know what modern additives have done for skin contact safety. You could read the MSDS sheet to see if it's any different than a non-detergent single-weight, like the old stuff was.