Greetings,

Lube discussion:

I know some have said they use Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil. I was considering using Rotella T6 synthetic - 5w40 oil used in Diesel engines. It’s what I use in my Cummins 6.7. My thoughts are that this oil can handle the high demand and heat of diesel engines which should allow it to standup to handguns and AR15s?

Now for the slide. Would a lightly oiled slide be fine or does it “require” grease? In my active Marine Corps days we exclusively used LSA oil for my M16-A2. As I remember it working well. I was thinking about possible going back to that. It’s a bit thicker that the Rotella T6 and my answer my slide question? As I remember LSA also had staying power. My weapons aren’t in the environment from my old field days. If I got down in the dirt it would take at least two people to get me back up. Those days are long gone. Therefore, just range shooting.

I’ve only used Hoppes bore cleaner and Hopped lube in the recent past. In my most humble opinion CLP is ok for cleaning but isn’t a good lube.

Looking at Hoppes #9 as the cleaner and either Rotella T6 or LSA as the lube.

Suggestions on cleaners and lubes are welcome.

Any thoughts?

Regards,
Knezz

My rule for me only, here. There's no "requirement" anything. As long as I keep it lubed, oil, grease or anything in between, it's gtg. I don't overthink these things.

Cleaning? CLP.

You are over thinking it by half.


Keep it simple. Use what ever you want. Most clp's are fine for cleaning. When running an aluminum framed gun i prefer any gun grease on the slide.

I used just basic gun oil for years and years. No issues. My dad gave me his P229 and the frame showed a lot more wear after a couple hundred rounds than mine showed in several thousand. So I used grease on that. But then it sat in the safe and I used grease on mine. And out of habit, the rest of my guns too.

If it slides it gets grease, if it rotates it gets oil. But I certainly won’t be worried that I’m trashing my guns by just using oil. Really for me it was just because of the tightness of that one pistol and that it was SS slide on aluminum alloy frame. Steel on steel I probably wouldn’t have worried about it.

So on one hand I think people way overthink lube. At the same time, I do more than I think is necessary myself. Just whatever you do, don’t use crap like froglube.

In regards to lubrication I feel it is a personal choice.

I have spent many a day reading, studying and comparing various lubrication during my down time and during those long training days for Uncle Sam. (Also now that i am out of work and to kill time)

I have tried, used and recommended everything from Breakfree, Hoppes, Remington, Lucas and a brand I bought from Walmart on the clearance rack 20 years ago.

In all my years of using, researching and testing lubrication, there has been only one brand that I have hunted down with a passion. That brand is Cleanzoil.. I discovered a can of it in the back of an ammo bunker and I swear it looked it had been there when the Russians took Kandahar.


A 2021 article from Field and Stream states:

Clenzoil Field & Range Saturated Wipes are the best for wipes.

Breakfree ClP is the best to prevent rust

Ballistol is the best all around, do everything lubrication.

https://www.fieldandstream.com/gear/best-gun-oils/

Right now my flavor of the month is Cleanzoil and Lucas.



(I really need a job because I have way to much time on my hand)..

LSA was for regular temps and had Teflon “gunk” in it…much like the old Breakfree that smelled like bananas…

LAW was for cold temps and is 0w oil with no gunk….

In a pinch any oil will do, but if I remember when I was a Fireman in the CG (that’s working in the engine room for you lubbers) the diesel oil was very detergent heavy…and some were acidic and there’s were alkaline depending on NSN…we used 9840 (I think) in our Cummins VT 903 engines but I digress

I use Mobile One 0w one my rifles and pistols for lube, but clean them with pretty much anything. The only exception is my M1A that gets grease in the op rod and bolt per the book…oil slings off and doesn’t provide lubrication .

I used just basic gun oil for years and years. No issues. My dad gave me his P229 and the frame showed a lot more wear after a couple hundred rounds than mine showed in several thousand. So I used grease on that. But then it sat in the safe and I used grease on mine. And out of habit, the rest of my guns too.

If it slides it gets grease, if it rotates it gets oil. But I certainly won’t be worried that I’m trashing my guns by just using oil. Really for me it was just because of the tightness of that one pistol and that it was SS slide on aluminum alloy frame. Steel on steel I probably wouldn’t have worried about it.

So on one hand I think people way overthink lube. At the same time, I do more than I think is necessary myself. Just whatever you do, don’t use crap like froglube.

The OP was discussing lubbing an AR....the only advise I've ever gotten for those was, "the wetter the better".

As for Semi-auto pistols: Since I came to this forum I've started greasing the slide and oiling the other moving parts.

Over the 45 year history of it getting issued, the M16 - a ferrous bolt carrier in an aluminum housing - has done ok with what we now consider junk lube.

Just give it some and it will operate. In dry arid conditions, the LESS the better. In subzero conditions, again, the LESS the better - for most firearms. And you leave it out in the cold. It won't sweat and condense humidity that way.

Some issues with alloy or stainless frames happened over 25 years ago and the solution then is now the tradition - like why Gramma cut off the end of the Easter ham. It would only fit in the pan that way. A lot of folks invent reasons to use certain lubes with lots of justification yet the owners manuals just state "gun oil."

One web site goes to far to suggest that certain food processing lubes are better as they don't add any corrosive affects - however there is nothing proof against negligence. Leave the best oiled lever action propped against a mesquite for 100 years and expect junk when you find it again. Ferrous metals rust, aluminum oxidizes, and gun forums like to brag on their exotic formula that nobody else can get to elevate their social status.

It could be said not shooting it is worse than not using lube. Buy synthetic car oil, it's cheap, go shoot more. if it's SN grade Dexos and less than $5 a quart, even better. There is a minor case to be made for car oil, but on a firearm, not. Special machinery grease and oils that are hard to find take money away from shooting.

It not rocket surgery. Even peanut oil will do in a pinch. Dunk it in before the Holiday turkey and wipe it down. Just don't tell the Missus.

Use lube according to the application.

While oil is oil you still need it to do what you want it to do.
For the fire control stuff a wicking type oil like mineral oil is better than engine oil which is designed to be pressurized and forced into clearances.

For P22x slides I have an air tool grease gun with Lubriplate #105.
Lays down a thin bead and doesn't make the mess bigger than it needs to be.
I use that when at the range.

I just use CLP on the slides for carry pistols.
Much easier to periodically wipe down and it will have enough lube to make it through two mags if I had too.

For AR's I spray white lube down the extension tube and CLP everything else.

In the end, dirty engine oil is better than no oil.

While this story relates to glocks which don’t require hardly any oil anyway, I do agree it generalizes well to just about all weapons.
I was at the armorer’s bench at a gssf match getting my pistols inspected.
I noticed the guy had several different small bottles of lubes on the bench.
I asked him if they were alll for a specific purpose, he said he use them since he got them at trade shows as free samples, and it didn’t matter at all, that the gun doesn’t care. Neither should we. Wet it run it. Whatever you have laying around will be just fine.
Regarding using less in a dry arid environment that has been proven false.
When we first got to Iraq ( fairly early 04) we were told to limit oil as it attracts dust. Later it was discovered ( as has been advised by Larry Vickers) a wet dirty gun runs longer than a dry dirty gun. Especially rolling in tracked vehicles which I did a fair amount, there is no way your guns are going to be even remotely clean.more oil keeps them functioning.

In my Marine Corps days we used nothing but Breakfree CLP on our A2s. I never even saw a bottle of LSA.

quote:

Originally posted by captain127:
Especially rolling in tracked vehicles which I did a fair amount, there is no way your guns are going to be even remotely clean. more oil keeps them functioning.

Thank you for that observation.

It actually supports what I had long suspected, but without personal experience or reports I admit I had (sort of) accepted the seemingly-conventional wisdom that dry, dusty conditions required dry lubricants to avoid failures due to dust accumulation. You didn’t directly say that “dry” lubes like MILITEC-1 don’t work as well as wet lubes, but it’s always seemed to me that dry is dry. A very thin dry lube may be better than no lube at all, but I’ll never forget that during my first SIG factory armorer course we were told generous lubricant helped keep firing residues in suspension. And what do dry soot and unburned powder resemble? Ta-da! Dry, dusty dirt.

quote:

Originally posted by captain127:
While this story relates to glocks which don’t require hardly any oil anyway, I do agree it generalizes well to just about all weapons.
I was at the armorer’s bench at a gssf match getting my pistols inspected.
I noticed the guy had several different small bottles of lubes on the bench.
I asked him if they were alll for a specific purpose, he said he use them since he got them at trade shows as free samples, and it didn’t matter at all, that the gun doesn’t care. Neither should we. Wet it run it. Whatever you have laying around will be just fine.
Regarding using less in a dry arid environment that has been proven false.
When we first got to Iraq ( fairly early 04) we were told to limit oil as it attracts dust. Later it was discovered ( as has been advised by Larry Vickers) a wet dirty gun runs longer than a dry dirty gun. Especially rolling in tracked vehicles which I did a fair amount, there is no way your guns are going to be even remotely clean.more oil keeps them functioning.

This reflects my experiences also.

And the statement that the gun doesn't care which lube you use also reflects my experience over the years.

I don't buy lubes that were "developed strictly for firearms use" as I consider most of them to be snake oil. I've got guns I've been shooting over 50 years that are in excellent condition and they've probably had everything from 3 in 1 oil to sewing machine oil to whatever I could lay my hands on.

"Glocks don't require any oil anyway"
Huh?
I broke down and bought a Glock last year.... after I finally figure out how to break it down using the special hand shake, managing some how to pull both iddy biddy tabs down and holding your head at an exact 15.65 degree angle I then saw in the owners manual there were something like 32 different places you need to oil.

Pretty much any decent lube will work in the environment you described. If you're exposing the gun to a very dusty environment or extreme cold, there are some you might want to avoid, but for someone who is just going to and from the range, your choices are pretty well unlimited.

Personally, I got tired of paying premium prices for gun lube. I now use a mixture of 2 parts full-synthetic 20w50 motor oil and 1 part full-synthetic ATF. A co-worked brought this recipe back from an armorer's class, and we've used it ever since. The price up front is about the same as a bottle of decent gun lube, but you get tons more. I'm still working on my first bottles from 11 years ago.

It gets really cold where I live, and some of my guns live in my car...I've not had any problems with this mixture freezing up. It's also decently viscous, yet not too thick to impede normal operation, and it takes way longer to evaporate like some thinner oils are prone to do. I'm not sure how well it would do in a sandy environment, as I imagine grit would likely stick to it, but that's not really a concern around here and it has served my needs well for the past 11 years or so.

There are a few specialty lubes that I use in certain applications. My M1s and other wood-stocked guns get a light film of white lubriplate grease, as it doesn't run down into the wood and rot it like oil does. I use eezeox on revolver cylinder arbors, as it resists carbon fouling better than oil, in my experience, and some really finicky semi-auto actions (mostly .22s) get Remoil, because it's thinner.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
I now use a mixture of 2 parts full-synthetic 20w50 motor oil and 1 part full-synthetic ATF.

Why the mixture. Does one make the mixture thinner or thicker? Like mentioned, I might be using 5w40 Rotella T6 Diesel synthetic oil because that's what I use on my truck and I always have 1/2 quart left over when I change my oil. I'm just curious as to why you use the ATF?

The ATF thins the 20w oil…it also is a better penetrating oil…so it migrates.

IIRC it’s a part of “REDs oil” a homemade concoction that includes ATF fluid for lube

quote:

The ATF thins the 20w oil…it also is a better penetrating oil…so it migrates

MikeinNC beat me to the response, and he's spot-on. It also has some detergents in it so it supposedly adds some self-cleaning properties, but I clean my stuff every time I shoot it so that's not really a big concern for me.

About lubricants-use them. I've used everything on the market, most likely, including, in a pinch, corn oil. My current choice is Eezox because it smells good and the wife lets me use it in the house.