Lubricants - What do you recommend?

Coyote33 said:
Seriously? Two car fluids, mixed together? In a gun? Aren't those a bit thick anyhow? ATF? Type-F? What about other synthetic oils? What ratios? I am pretty cheap, but gun oil goes a LONG way, and isn't all that expensive.

I would be leery of this, and also would worry about my finish using something weird like that.
Click to expand...

depends on the gun I suppose but the "mobile 1" comment was in response to the OP's question, which was what can be purchased in bulk.

also McMaster Carr has lubes in bulk. 1 gal of CLP for $94! or buy a case of 4 gal. and save even more

http://www.mcmaster.com/#clp-lubricants/=ft4sgh
 
shotgunwilly870 said:
Frog lube
Click to expand...

NotThisShitAgain.jpg
 
ATF won't hurt a gun's finish, it's not brake fluid. It may eat paint, not sure on that. You don't want to get it on your clothes though, which is true for any lubricant worth it's weight. It just works great, migration is awesome, it never dries up and it's cheap. You know it can get the job done, a transmission is a rough place. Saying it's better than all gun oils is admittedly a very blanket statement and an exaggeration, HOWEVER, at least as far as handguns go, I would put money on it doing just as good of a job as anything marketed as a gun only oil. I bought a couple ketchup squeeze bottles for under a dollar at walmart and a quart of syn ATF for under 5 dollars and it will last me a lifetime.
 
Castrol 0-w60 from when I had my BMW M3. Applies nice and thick then after a few rounds turns into basically the weight of water and works its way into every moving part. I have well over 7K rounds through one of my AR's and have used nothing but remoil to clean and the castrol motor oil for lube and I have had zero problems.
 
PaulD said:
I won't use it on everything but for this gun, it'll work well in the winter. I'll go back to grease in the summer.
Click to expand...

Yep, same as me. I use it mostly in the winter as well, mostly on the slide of my S&W 945 which is also tightly fit.

ETA. Another bicycle product I've had good luck with is Buzzy's "Slick Honey". It's very light weight and performs well in cooler temps. I use it for shock stanchions but it's excellent for lubing slides on the pistols. It is expensive, but one tub of it will last a very long time.
 
Last edited:
Never had a problem with Hoppe's. Guy who's been using it for 50 years turned me onto it. I love it. I use all their products. I also ordered a can of Ballistol lately. I will see how that works.
 
ntomsw said:
Never had a problem with Hoppe's. Guy who's been using it for 50 years turned me onto it. I love it. I use all their products. I also ordered a can of Ballistol lately. I will see how that works.
Click to expand...

I used to use Hoppes #9 as a cleaner, but Mpro 7 works just as well, has no odor, and is non-toxic.
 
M1911 said:
I used to use Hoppes #9 as a cleaner, but Mpro 7 works just as well, has no odor, and is non-toxic.
Click to expand...

I wish I could figure out what MPro 7 really is (I highly doubt it's a bespoke formulation) and buy it in bulk.

I say this because one day I was in my garage where the floor is painted with epoxy. I usually just blow the garage out with an electric leaf blower and a couple of times a year or so, I'll spray the floor down with water and squeegee it out. I've never really used detergent on it. Well, on this day I noticed a puddle of oil under one of my cars and I was holding a bottle of MPro 7. So, I wiped the oil up and sprayed it with MPro 7. It worked great! The floor looked like new.
 
M1911 said:
I used to use Hoppes #9 as a cleaner, but Mpro 7 works just as well, has no odor, and is non-toxic.
Click to expand...


Yeah, it can be a little strong. I guess at this point I am use to it. I am always 'afraid' of trying new stuff, now that I find something I like as much as the Hoppe's. But maybe after I give the Ballistol a try, I suppose I could also try the Mpro 7 too.

I like Hoppe's oils too though. Seems to work good on the rails and such. No problems as of yet.
 
I bought a SIG P 226 9mm Stainless last year that came with grease recommended for lubrication. I tried it on the slide and was put off by the mess. I went back to my "tried and true" lube; 20W50 synthetic motor oil with superfine moly powder (.3gr per oz.). After approximately 30,000 rounds the gun is still tight; there is almost no slide to frame play. I am impressed by both the lube and the SIG.
 
In truth, I use Militec-1, the stuff is just awesome, gets into the microscopic imperfections in the metal and stays there! I had a problem with my Beretta failing to load sometimes, after using this oil a few times and shooting about 100 rounds through it, no more problems, this is a used gun BTW.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
i just found this in a post on another forum, and wow it makes pretty good sense. its all metal right?

IF those "specialty" gimmick lubricants were as good as Mobil 1, they'd be found in those $250,000 racing engines
Click to expand...
 
Gammon said:
I bought a SIG P 226 9mm Stainless last year that came with grease recommended for lubrication. I tried it on the slide and was put off by the mess. I went back to my "tried and true" lube; 20W50 synthetic motor oil with superfine moly powder (.3gr per oz.). After approximately 30,000 rounds the gun is still tight; there is almost no slide to frame play. I am impressed by both the lube and the SIG.
Click to expand...

I am not happy with the "shopping link" added to my post that recommends Red Line motor oil. Perhaps I should have been more specific when referring to 20W50 synthetic motor oil. I used 20W50 Amsoil mixed with .3 gr of superfine moly powder per oz. Amsoil is one of the few pure synthetic motor oils on the market. Most of the major brands (Mobil 1, Castrol, etc.) are now blends, not pure synthetic.
 
Gammon said:
I am not happy with the "shopping link" added to my post that recommends Red Line motor oil. Perhaps I should have been more specific when referring to 20W50 synthetic motor oil. I used 20W50 Amsoil mixed with .3 gr of superfine moly powder per oz. Amsoil is one of the few pure synthetic motor oils on the market. Most of the major brands (Mobil 1, Castrol, etc.) are now blends, not pure synthetic.
Click to expand...

First, there's probably about 20 different Mobil 1 motor oil SKUs and many (maybe most) are full synthetic though there are blends. Castrol has at least one full synthetic also.

Second, it doesn't matter. Even the cheapest petroleum based motor oil will be fine in a gun. It's simply not that harsh an environment relative to what the oil was designed for. The biggest problem with lube in a gun is does it stay where it's supposed to be or does it drip out the bottom and synthetic motor oil will be no better than regular in this regard.
 
PaulD said:
Second, it doesn't matter. Even the cheapest petroleum based motor oil will be fine in a gun. It's simply not that harsh an environment relative to what the oil was designed for. The biggest problem with lube in a gun is does it stay where it's supposed to be or does it drip out the bottom and synthetic motor oil will be no better than regular in this regard.
Click to expand...

I agree. I use synthetic motor oil in my guns simply because that is what I have around. If I only had regular motor oil, I'd use that.
 
Anybody heard of Frog Lube - if I remember correctly. I still have not tried it but others have good things to say about it.
 
PaulD said:
First, there's probably about 20 different Mobil 1 motor oil SKUs and many (maybe most) are full synthetic though there are blends. Castrol has at least one full synthetic also.

Second, it doesn't matter. Even the cheapest petroleum based motor oil will be fine in a gun. It's simply not that harsh an environment relative to what the oil was designed for. The biggest problem with lube in a gun is does it stay where it's supposed to be or does it drip out the bottom and synthetic motor oil will be no better than regular in this regard.
Click to expand...

The SAE has changed the specs for "synthetic" motor oil to allow blends and the major manufacturers are taking advantage of this change. Pure synthetic oils are becoming rare. I agree that this change is more relevant to automotive use.

Synthetic motor oil has an affinity for metal and tends to stay in place rather than drip out of the gun. I would think that this is an advantage in firearm lubrication.

Why are these ads for "Red Line" motor oil being inserted into my posts. I don't even like the crap. Amsoil is far superior.
 
Just for discussion. I was an avid insane mountain biker and as such had changed over from all of my oil/teflon products to Krytech wax lubricant. Never once had any problems in rivers, mud, sand, snow. I recently met a guy who did the same and said he used it on his glock. Interesting, but true? I know a glock will shoot mostly no matter what, but has anyone else heard of this? Thanks
 
The biggest problem with lube in a gun is does it stay where it's supposed to be or does it drip out the bottom and synthetic motor oil will be no better than regular in this regard.
Click to expand...

Slide Glide from Brian Enos (www.brianenos.com) is very good in this regard. Get the tubs, not the little tubes as the later has a much, much higher per unit price for the lube.
 
I use Honda silicone grease on my rails. ( Part number 08C30-B0234M ). The intended purpose is to lubricate brake caliper slide pins. Those are subjected to tons of pressure during use. The grease is rated for very high and very low temperatures and must stay functional for years without service.

The reason I chose this grease was the incredible discount I recieved being a technician at a Honda dealership. ;)

For all small rotating and sliding internal parts I use whatever is light and slippery. Usually CLP or Hoppes oil. Hoppes because I have a ton of it.

I might consider trying ATF. The conditions within an automatic transmission are some of the harshest you will find. The lubricant, therefore, must have supreme qualities.
 
Last edited:
I spotted some M-pro LPX at a local gun shop and a friend said he had used it in Iraq and liked it. Tried it on his recommendation and so far I like it. Not cheap but a bottle should last me a year or more so the cost not an issue.
Like others have said something like Mobile one and ATF would be fine as well.
I have seen this same debate over the years on the Harley sites when they start talking about oil for them. The realaity is there are lots of oils out there that will do a fine job.
 
 

Similar threads

Scope recommendations for .308
2 3
Replies
60
Views
871
Cuz
Cuz
Shooting tripods, what are you all using for your rifles?
Replies
24
Views
849
lukewarm_fuzz
lukewarm_fuzz
Gun case recommendations?
Replies
18
Views
361
Cuz
Cuz
Bikers. Where and how do you carry?
Replies
24
Views
902
IPSC_DRL
IPSC_DRL
  • Poll
Rifle cases ,double safe, converted closet
Replies
8
Views
206
Yotacrawler
Yotacrawler
Back
Top Bottom