Target Sports

Which gun oil?

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Gulf Coast States

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • kidsoncoffee

    Wears a live rattlesnake as a condom
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Joined
    Apr 8, 2013
    Messages
    1,523
    Points
    113
    Location
    Gulf Breeze
    What gun oil are yall using? I've been using Hoppe's oil for the past few years but I feel like I'm having to reapply it to my guns too frequently to stop surface rust. I have a dehumidifier in the safe so I don't think that's the issue. I do enjoy the No.9 cleaner though. I don't have any complaints on that end. Looking for something that won't be too tacky while shooting and heating it up. Let me know what you use and I'll buy some and give it a shot. Thanks.
     

    Big Shrek

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Joined
    Mar 4, 2016
    Messages
    986
    Points
    63
    Location
    Pensacola, FL
    You live in Florida, near the Gulf of Mexico...and especially where I used to live in GB...Salt Air is your Enemy. Even with a safe in the back of the closet in the Master Bedroom...still had to go over all my guns with an oil rag every 4 months like clockwork. Moved to Pensacola, now it's every 6 months Everything gets a wipedown. Just the nature of the Florida Beast ;)

    I've also been switching over to Stainless guns...seem to have slightly less issues...YMMV.
     
    Last edited:

    ChrisC

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Joined
    Oct 16, 2013
    Messages
    1,384
    Points
    83
    Location
    FLORIDA
    Dont use a cleaner. Use a CLP to clean. Cleaner strips oil and if you dont relube, it’ll rust.
     

    Telum Pisces

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Joined
    Oct 15, 2012
    Messages
    1,825
    Points
    113
    Location
    Baker
    Shoot them more often so that you have to clean them more often! Heck I just use a standard CLP like RemOil and things have been fine for many many years!


    I did go through a phase where I used Frog Lube and I liked it. If you apply it like you are supposed to with heat etc... You can see the oil seeping back out as the gun heats up during shooting etc... Plus my wife didn't mind the smell like the typical CLP etc...
     

    wildrider666

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Joined
    Sep 26, 2012
    Messages
    8,753
    Points
    113
    Location
    Panama City Beach, Fl
    Another oil/lube Thread. I think OP is combining two seperate issues that require seperate actions. Range lube is limited to mechanical/friction surfaces. Storage corrosion protection requires protective coating of all metal surfaces. You must also consider temp and humidity for both situations too.

    Internals of frequently use firearms shoud be lubricated like their going to the Range.

    Internals and exterior metal parts for medium term storage should be lightly coated with grease. These should be wiped off and reapplied based on what you find on wipe down inspection interval under YOUR conditions.

    Long term storage/preservation exceeds the scope of OPs issue.

    Lubricate per owners manual (+- environmental conditions) and how rapidly you shoot. How hot you get you firearm is normally the threshold between an avg gun oil and something with better staying power in continous heavy use. In general, what works good on your Skeet gun won't necessarily work well for multiple mag dumps from an AR.

    "Tacky" is hard to determine if its a problem. Tacky as in it sticks where placed (+- kinetic or heat flow). Lube burn off, breakdown, evaporation and lube life duration (load/no load)? Gumming up (additives, carriers, stabilizers, ...) residue after lubrication properties have been depleted or binding with debris/carbon? IMHO properly applied gun oils are filmy they flow; and gun appropriate greases are tacky, they blob (both at room temp) .

    Generic milspec CLP doesn't even come close to the lube/temp specs of milspec LSA. CLP was a poor trade off to produce a one bottle maintenance do all chemical. CLP works for most jobs but so would a Hi-Point. Lol
     

    kidsoncoffee

    Wears a live rattlesnake as a condom
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Joined
    Apr 8, 2013
    Messages
    1,523
    Points
    113
    Location
    Gulf Breeze
    Another oil/lube Thread. I think OP is combining two seperate issues that require seperate actions. Range lube is limited to mechanical/friction surfaces. Storage corrosion protection requires protective coating of all metal surfaces. You must also consider temp and humidity for both situations too.

    Internals of frequently use firearms shoud be lubricated like their going to the Range.

    Internals and exterior metal parts for medium term storage should be lightly coated with grease. These should be wiped off and reapplied based on what you find on wipe down inspection interval under YOUR conditions.

    Long term storage/preservation exceeds the scope of OPs issue.

    Lubricate per owners manual (+- environmental conditions) and how rapidly you shoot. How hot you get you firearm is normally the threshold between an avg gun oil and something with better staying power in continous heavy use. In general, what works good on your Skeet gun won't necessarily work well for multiple mag dumps from an AR.

    "Tacky" is hard to determine if its a problem. Tacky as in it sticks where placed (+- kinetic or heat flow). Lube burn off, breakdown, evaporation and lube life duration (load/no load)? Gumming up (additives, carriers, stabilizers, ...) residue after lubrication properties have been depleted or binding with debris/carbon? IMHO properly applied gun oils are filmy they flow; and gun appropriate greases are tacky, they blob (both at room temp) .

    Generic milspec CLP doesn't even come close to the lube/temp specs of milspec LSA. CLP was a poor trade off to produce a one bottle maintenance do all chemical. CLP works for most jobs but so would a Hi-Point. Lol


    Thanks for the write up. What would you recommend using on guns that get shot at minimum every 2-3 months? I've only been using Hoppe's oil on everything with an occasional light grease on my triggers. After taking them out to the range, I clean everything with #9 cleaner and then oil. I just apply a light coat then wipe the excess off with a rag. As far as how hot they get and the "tackiness", I'm looking for an oil that's not going to turn to into a cosmoline type substance after mag dumping a few hundred rounds. I don't want to apply a grease and have to clean it off before and after shooting every few months. Surely there's an oil out there that can hold up to the humidity we deal with in FL. I've seen CLP mentioned here but I have no experience with it, hence my initial post. I'm all ears if you have a recommended gun oil to use that will lengthen the life and looks of my guns.
     

    Midnight son

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Joined
    Nov 5, 2012
    Messages
    465
    Points
    43
    This might sound stupid but go get a quart of Mobil 1 synthetic. It will last forever and good or better than any little bottle of gun oil you can find. Use it liberally.

    For general corrosion resistance I'm a Birchwood Casey Barricade fan.
     

    IronBeard

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Joined
    Sep 26, 2014
    Messages
    2,739
    Points
    113
    Location
    32566
    This might sound stupid but go get a quart of Mobil 1 synthetic. It will last forever and good or better than any little bottle of gun oil you can find. Use it liberally.

    For general corrosion resistance I'm a Birchwood Casey Barricade fan.

    Similar to this, I've been using automatic transmission fluid for years to swab barrels and lube; high temp bearing grease on slides. A quart will last you; still using the same one. I also use ATF as a "cleaner" between more thorough cleanings. IMO, it actually makes cleaning easier as you progress. Ever seen a transmission rusty/dirty inside? Good luck.
     

    wildrider666

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Joined
    Sep 26, 2012
    Messages
    8,753
    Points
    113
    Location
    Panama City Beach, Fl
    Thanks for the write up. What would you recommend using on guns that get shot at minimum every 2-3 months? I've only been using Hoppe's oil on everything with an occasional light grease on my triggers. After taking them out to the range, I clean everything with #9 cleaner and then oil. I just apply a light coat then wipe the excess off with a rag. As far as how hot they get and the "tackiness", I'm looking for an oil that's not going to turn to into a cosmoline type substance after mag dumping a few hundred rounds. I don't want to apply a grease and have to clean it off before and after shooting every few months. Surely there's an oil out there that can hold up to the humidity we deal with in FL. I've seen CLP mentioned here but I have no experience with it, hence my initial post. I'm all ears if you have a recommended gun oil to use that will lengthen the life and looks of my guns.

    This is old school but it works great storage. RigRag (TM) Kit comes with a sheep skin/wool oval applicator. Rig grease use to come in a metal tube but now comes in a small plastic jar. First time apply the equivalent of 1/2 inch x 3/8 (+-) of grease (total amount) to different spots on the wool side. Fold it like a taco and rub the halves against each other to distribute the grease around the applicator. Apply to a clean dry firearm. Coverage should be light but you will still see fingerprint if touched. Reapply grease to pad sparingly and only when needed, we're not packing bearings. It wipes off easily so range prep is quick. For routine storage maintenance: wipe off old coating then reapply. Why? There are desolved minerals carried in water particles/humidity. Dehumidifiers pull out moisture but minerals dry on surfaces and will be on top of any barrier you previously applied. You don't want to mix the mineral deposits and trap them against the metal surfaces.

    Anyone that uses DampRid (I do) will see mineral residue white/tan/brown collected in the crystal reservoir. The moisture has been pulled through to the water catch container leaving minerals on top of the remaining crystals. As the minerals are basically trapped, I don't clean them out every time I dump water and top off DampRid crystals. You just wantvto make sure the water draining holes/slits are not blocked so water drains through them. Electric and plug in to dry dehumidifiers collect some minerals which can deminish their effectiveness over time.

    I like LSA for internals/ function. Most call it a oil but its actually a light grease. I buy surplus, shelf life expired, LSA. Shake and apply. Looks, smells and feels like it did in 69'. Lol. I was a Gov directed convert CLP, works okay but hard use will require reapplication. Years later I compared the Preformance Specs of CLP to LSA. LSA is far superior. CLP: does it really make sense to combine a chemical "cleaner" with a lube you don't want to break down?

    Folks use what they find to work for their application/usage. No rights or wrongs, bacon grease to synthetic 1 to reptile shake and bake. I've even used high temp grill paint to stop pitting on a "salt water" shotgun and oil from truck dip stick.
    What lube? Is always a good question and on par to 9 vs .40 vs .45. Strong opinions, share knowledge and try new or old things.
     

    Cstokes91

    Marksman
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Joined
    May 31, 2017
    Messages
    516
    Points
    28
    Location
    Pace, Fl
    I know a few others have disliked CLP but the Germans did it right with ballistol. It smells a little odd but it has done a great job of being an all around cleaner and I haven’t had an issue with rust with some of them going a year or more without a cleaning.
     

    Ric-san

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Joined
    Sep 29, 2012
    Messages
    2,864
    Points
    113
    Location
    Milton FL
    A buddy of mine who’s recently gotten into gun/shooting/reloading and who is Engineering Support at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory likes Militec-1, it seems like high speed CLP.
     

    ChrisC

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Joined
    Oct 16, 2013
    Messages
    1,384
    Points
    83
    Location
    FLORIDA
    the problem with using a "cleaner" is it tends to strip the protective oil away and you have to replace that protection to avoid rust. most importantly, you have to make sure that the cleaner is wiped away before you apply oil or it will just render your oil useless.

    This is why it's a good idea to use CLP type to clean instead of pure "cleaners".
     

    ChrisC

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Joined
    Oct 16, 2013
    Messages
    1,384
    Points
    83
    Location
    FLORIDA
    Ha! Old thread from 2018. Got me there Ric-san.
     

    BluesBrother

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    103   0   0
    Joined
    Mar 12, 2018
    Messages
    2,353
    Points
    113
    Location
    Pensacola
    My vote is for Ballistol. It is a CLP. but the cleaning part is not as astringent as WD-40. The lubrication is it's selling point without tacking. It does smell odd but I thought that Hoppe's #9 smelled odd when I first used it. Now I like the smell of both of them.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Ron

    BluesBrother

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    103   0   0
    Joined
    Mar 12, 2018
    Messages
    2,353
    Points
    113
    Location
    Pensacola
    I heard Frog Lube works good. A friend of mine swears by it.
    I'm to lazy for Frog. I hear it's great stuff. But it's a process. Ballistol needs to be shaken. Once you have that part down pat, it's ready to use out of the can no prep required. If you forget to shake no problem you just get more lubrication less cleaning. But no harm, no foul. The more you use it the less you have to use to get the desired clean, lube, and protect. I use it on my paper shredder blades that would clog with paper scraps before. I Ballistol them when I think of it and they don't clog anymore.
     

    stage20

    Master
    GCGF Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    88   0   0
    Joined
    Jun 30, 2018
    Messages
    8,081
    Points
    113
    Location
    pensacola
    Transmission fluid cleans well because it's full of detergents. I too use it for many things other than it's intended purpose.
    I will revisit this later as I have been looking for a good range oil when I'm ready to shoot. Seems clp dries out. More and more manuals I read on blowback equipment (ar9 etc) recommends running them wet. Wet as in soaked as I take it. Not looking for the best although that's a plus. Prefer the most useful, available, easy to use.
     

    Latest posts

    Top Bottom