Synthetic motor oil for gun lube.

[Special T]

I read an article the other day about a soldier over in Afghanistan using 5-20 synthetic as gun lube for his M16. He stated that is seemed to work better than whatever they were using over there.
I normally use Rem Lube, but hunt the salt for ducks a lot and plan on tying this. Seems to me to be a much cheaper option and the writer said that it worked well in the dusty conditions of Afghanistan. Does anyone else use some kind of non gun specific lube on their guns? Article just got me thinking.

[DoubleJ]

Frog lube

[JLS]

I use it on my M-4 and have never had issue in cold weather.  I use Beretta gun lube on my shotguns.

[Bob33]

A few years ago I went to a hardware store and bought a thin sheet of metal. It cut it into small 2"x2" chips. I then applied various protectants to each strip: CLP, Rem Oil, WD40, etc. I left them outside in damp grass for one week, and compared results.

The clear winner in my test was, believe it or not: WD40. There were no rust. Every other product failed to one extent or another.

I did not include any motor oil in the test, but that might be an interesting one to try.

[Bean Counter]

I'm looking forward to following this one. Interesting proposition, with an entire quart of motor oil probably costing the same as a small bottle of lube.

Regardless, I'm glad the military has finally gotten a clue that continuous, copious lubrication to M4/M16s is the simple key to keeping them from jamming in a dusty environment. Grease it up!

[Swannytheswan]

WD-40 does protect from rust well but it attracts dust and dirt. I would just use lube meant for guns frog lube for me!

[Knocker of rocks]

Synthetic motor oil has been recommended to me by a maker of custom handguns

[Bean Counter]

WD-40 does protect from rust well but it attracts dust and dirt. I would just use lube meant for guns frog lube for me!

Most lubes attract dust and dirt. Still better to use more than less. 

[jackmaster]

when i served i kept my m203 dry as a bone and she never once failed me, and i shot her a ton, i never use lube i keep her dry as a bone........

[Slenk]

Mobile 1 works good.

[AWS]

WD-40 is to a gunsmith like candy is to a dentist.  I used to make alot of money off hunters that would just spray WD-40 into the actions of their shotguns, the stuff eventually turns to a gummy varnish and can stop O/U's from switching barrel and slowing auto and pump stikes enough to get unreliable ignition.  Spray it on the outside if you feel you have to but use a good light gun oil for the insides.

 Johnsons paste wax works realy well for protecting your shotgun in salt areas, just wipe it on and don't buff it.

[timberghost72]

WD-40 is not really a lubricating oil. It is a water dispersing agent (WD). It is great at protecting from water or moisture but as a lubricant not ideal. 5w-20 is a pretty thin oil and being synthetic it doesn't absorb moisture like conventional oils. Also I would think it would protect well on a firearm that has had several hundred rounds down the pipe in one session. Probably better than gun oils. I may try this just to see how it does. This oil was designed for engines with very tight tolerances and holds up well with those tolerances and the heat generated from engines.

[xd2005]

I use synthetic on my ar. Supposed to hold up well to the heat.

[Fl0und3rz]

http://www.grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html

Concurs on WD-40.

Best easily available: Dexron ATF

Best: Lubriplate food machinery greases and oils.

[Huntbear]

WD-40 is to a gunsmith like candy is to a dentist.  I used to make alot of money off hunters that would just spray WD-40 into the actions of their shotguns, the stuff eventually turns to a gummy varnish and can stop O/U's from switching barrel and slowing auto and pump stikes enough to get unreliable ignition.  Spray it on the outside if you feel you have to but use a good light gun oil for the insides.

 Johnsons paste wax works realy well for protecting your shotgun in salt areas, just wipe it on and don't buff it.

 

I have been preaching this since gunsmithing school.. but I am always told that pretty much I have no clue what I am talking about.   

[AWS]

F10und3rz

That was a great link, pretty much covers everything on auto oils and WD-40 and a great reference for finding GOOD
 lubes.

Thank You

[timberghost72]

ATF is probably pretty good as its a detergent based oil. But very messy and it seems to get everywhere. I would't use it.

[wraithen]

In those environments I want something with a more permanent coating like my all time favorite for my 240's which is a mixture of lsa or lsa-t and a super expensive commercial oil that sent us a package when requested for free. You could easily use motor oil but it will attract dust and dirt. If you're going to put your guns through hell just keep them wet with lube. It works on all things I love! 

[Jim the Plumber]

Yup, I use Silkoline Pro 4 Plus 10-50. Works great on my many AR-15 type rifles.

[Fl0und3rz]

F10und3rz

That was a great link, pretty much covers everything on auto oils and WD-40 and a great reference for finding GOOD
 lubes.

Thank You

NP. Later in his blog he notes that he received praise from a lubrication industry professional that it is about the best intro article on lube he had seen on the topic.

Also, the GC blog is pretty good.

I haven't used ATF yet, but I might give it a try, despite the warning about it getting everywhere.

[FALFire]

I've been using Mobil 1 for nearly 20 years on my AR's, never had a problem with them not functioning in every possible climate here in the PNW. During high rate of fire sessions, my guns ran where the other guys hung up for one reason or the other.

[300rum]

Many competition shooters who shoot 10's of thousands of rounds a year use Mobile 1.  I use Slide glide on my competition guns but on a carry gun Mobile 1 does the trick or when shooting at below freezing temps. 

Mobile 1 works good.

[mebco09]

On my M1 Garand I use Lubrimatic high temp wheel bearing grease.  Those heavy semi-autos need grease that stays put.  Never tried it on anything else.  My guess is that it might cause issues.