Is gun oil snake oil?

[VERT]

Question about the clp’s; how can something that can actually clean a bore of lead and copper also be a lube and preservative? Conversely, if you can see it’s doing it’s job as a lube, how can it be cleaning that great? Seems mutually exclusive to me.

I like hoppes and brite bore, and then usually Lucas and grease. Don’t use enough for $ to really be a factor.

My experience with CLP is that it is a decent cleaner for powder residue. But cleaners are cleaners and lubricants are lubricants. I do like the CLPs in a spray can for the convenience of blasting out those hard to reach areas, but two surfaces rubbing together get a lubricant.

 

[Leo]

Question about the clp’s; how can something that can actually clean a bore of lead and copper also be a lube and preservative? Conversely, if you can see it’s doing it’s job as a lube, how can it be cleaning that great? Seems mutually exclusive to me.

I like hoppes and brite bore, and then usually Lucas and grease. Don’t use enough for $ to really be a factor.

Others have addressed the copper question. While not specifically gun cleaner lube, I have some insight on other cleaner lubes.

For example Motorcycle chain cleaner lube in an aerosol can is Extreme Pressure grease suspended in Volatile aromatic hydrocarbons which are the solvents. When you spray it, the liquid solvents clean the part and is absorbed by your rag or drips off. The rest dries very quickly, leaving the grease component behind. Since it was very thin viscosity, the grease got in some really tight places where it will really do some good.

How many are old enough to remember heating grease with a hot plate in a shallow pan? Pour a little gas in it if it was not thin enough. Then you coiled your motorcycle chain in the now liquid grease. Let it cool a little while and hang it to drip the excess off. It protected the chain pretty well but was messy if you had white walls on your Electra Glide.

 

[DadSmith]

Extreme Duty CLP

Used and recommended by major firearms manufacturers, Lucas Oil Extreme Duty CLP is designed to clean, lubricate and protect your firearms in one simple step. Used and recommended by major firearms manufacturers, Lucas Oil Extreme Duty CLP is designed to clean, lubricate and protect your...

lucasoil.com

I just seen they made a CLP. Am I behind times?

Has anyone used this? If so how well does it work?

 

[88E30M50]

For years, our PD range staff has used a mixture of motor oil and trans fluid as gun lube. It works REALLY well in cold and heat without too much migration. I've switched from SLIP2000 to our homemade brew. I really like it after I tried it. I blew it off for years as the department being cheap. However, once I really looked close I think it's a better oil than the expensive stuff.

I've been working through the same batch of motor oil and ATF for more than a decade now and still have about a third of a quart left. I had added a bit of STP to increase the viscosity a bit. It also makes a decent cleaner on stuff you want to do a light cleaning on.

 

[88E30M50]

What is the oil and transmission fluid you all use and what is the mixture? 50/50?

I used Mobil 1 oil and Mobil 1 ATF. I think it was 50/50 with just an ounce or two of STP thrown in to increase the viscosity a bit. That two quart batch has lasted for more than a decade

 

[Kneedeep87]

Oil is oil and a growing number of people are using grease also. The main thing with motor oil and grease is that you can buy high temp versions. Gun oil is designed to leach into the metal so it seems dry while still lubing. I don't know if motor oil has the affect. It may be too thick, which is why it is said to last way longer on the parts you run wet(ie bcg). It is obviously way cheaper also.

 

[Trapper Jim]

I try most all new products to come out

Extreme Duty CLP

Used and recommended by major firearms manufacturers, Lucas Oil Extreme Duty CLP is designed to clean, lubricate and protect your firearms in one simple step. Used and recommended by major firearms manufacturers, Lucas Oil Extreme Duty CLP is designed to clean, lubricate and protect your...

lucasoil.com

I just seen they made a CLP. Am I behind times?

Has anyone used this? If so how well does it work?

t

Extreme Duty CLP

Used and recommended by major firearms manufacturers, Lucas Oil Extreme Duty CLP is designed to clean, lubricate and protect your firearms in one simple step. Used and recommended by major firearms manufacturers, Lucas Oil Extreme Duty CLP is designed to clean, lubricate and protect your...

lucasoil.com

I just seen they made a CLP. Am I behind times?

Has anyone used this? If so how well does it work?

As a fan of BF CLP, I keep testing newer entries to see if it does anything better than my proven experience. I try to support the Lucas products and the gun grease, red oil and other products are very good. Regarding Lucas EDCLP, it worked as good as BFCLP and is a good product, however it is a thinner medium than BF. Not that it lacks in performance but I like a heavier base and the Lucas is thinner.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

Use Mobil 1 or SLIP2000 for lube. Use Hoppes to clean. Use Sweet's 7.62 to remove copper fouling.

 

[Altrex]

Is there much of a health hazard difference between motor oil/atf and marketed gun lubes?

 

[churchmouse]

I have a personal blend that has proven reliable through the years. I have to adjust it for the severity of the weather but unless we are camping sub zero it works very well.
hoppes is part of the blend so yes I believing gun products to a point.
none of the snake oil crap I have seen/used save for some of the heavier greases works as well as my own.

 

[churchmouse]

Is there much of a health hazard difference between motor oil/atf and marketed gun lubes?

Unless you are eating it I would say no…

 

[sofrosune]

A couple of good videos from School of the American Rifle. A "homebrew" lubricant recipe and a video on lubricant compatibility.

 

[999cs]

My problem has always been trying to find something that works well but doesn't have a bad odor or fumes smell as my wife is very sensitive to strong odors/fumes/perfumes, etc. due to her Asthma. So for that I can use most of the products on the shelf like Hoppes, Ballistol, etc. I found basic CLP works good enough for me and has little to no odor. For cleaning, sometimes I just use a spray bottle of water and dawn dish soap and microfiber towels to remove carbon and dirty grease, then follow up with drying with another clean microfiber towel, the light coating of the CLP. I generally buy whatever CLP is on sale or cheap at the moment I need it.

 

[wwdkd]

I use white lithium grease for everything, pistols and rifles. Excellent lube, stays in place and doesn't gum up when hot or freeze when cold