Is gun oil snake oil?

[1775usmarine]

I remember when Frog Lube was all the rage. It was crap IMHO. My guns were stored out in our family room which gets down into the low 60's during winter and they just flat out wouldn't run. Thankfully I only tried it on a couple of guns and cleaned it off and started using "real" gun lubes again. But Frog Lube is non-toxic and mint flavored, so I guess if you were one of the kids that liked eating paste in grade school, it would be perfect.

A buddy I worked with used it on his Sig 226 and when we went shooting in Nov it was 32 out. His Sig kept jamming while my 4506 with surplus CLP kept chugging. Told him to ditch it and use something else.

 

[BigMoose]

Talking to a friend in Canada. He went to a dry lube and likes the results. Using regular gun oil, in the minus double digit temperature the oil got thick enough to cause lite strikes. States he lost a moose this way. Told him I like to hunt like I golf, in the 70’s and 80’s, degree F that is.

The army distributed a low temp oil to the troops, it was pretty much straight ATF.

 

[DadSmith]

I bought a can of this and I've put it on the firearms I have in the back of the safe aka those that don't get shot much. It's been about 9 months I check them every 3 months. I decided to pull them out and look them over. They look great inside and out. So I put them back in will check them in another 3 months.

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This time I put some on my edc and weapons o have quick access to. Will see how well it does on my edc. Going to pull it out in the rain see if it beads up etc. It feels really slick. Maybe it can be used for lube as well as a protective layer against rust?

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

BreakFree CLP
Hoppe's no. 9
Hornady One Shot

 

[rwjohnson1965]

I use whichever oil the manufacturer will guarantee my guns to shoot sub moa !

 

[Notropis]

Gun cleaners and CLP I consider snake oil for the most part. About a decade ago I switched to homemade "Ed's Red" and believe it's superior to any CLP I've used for both cleaning and protecting. Ed's red however will not remove copper. I use ammonia based cleaners when copper removal is in order.

 

[videodon]

Breakfree CLP on all my weapons...for a long time.

 

[Mark106]

If you pick something that will operate at the extreme ends of the temperatures you're likely to carry and/or use your firearms in, you're probably fine with gun, auto or multi-purpose products ... but on the last you'll want something that doesn't gum up and/or cause a varnish like buildup over time if left unchecked.
To that end, some Super Lube multi-purpose synthetic oil and some Lubriplate SFL-0 grease would likely meet about 95 percent of all gun lube needs. And they're both food grade/non-tox.
If you get into area of gun cleaning and metal protection, you open the door to more stuff on your bench. Personally, I like having a decent CLP handy, and I tend toward G96 of late.
Also, Kroil is pretty darned handy as a gun cleaner, IMO, especially when it comes to bores.
Finally, a bit of Ballistol on the gun bench or work bench is a nice thing, IMO, as it comes in handy for guns, knives, tools, leather, etc.
Pick your stuff for the properties you need and or prefer. There's a crapload of choices available from Mobil 1 on up and about at any price range imaginable. OTH, don't buy into anything that makes miraculous/ridiculous claims. Gun cleaning and lubrication does require (a) doing and (b) a wee amount of labor. Ain't no big whoop.

 

[steverino]

I got the recipe from ILEA, which I'm guessing is where Denny347 got it also. It's 1 quart of Mobil 1 synthetic 15W50 mixed with 1/2 quart of Mobil 1 synthetic ATF transmission fluid. I just went through my old notes to find it.

I only shoot when the temperature is between 50 and 90 degrees. Not sure if I need a 15W50 grade. I would like for a petroleum specialist to weigh in on this.

 

[RANGERRON72]

I think we are suckers for advertising, wondering how a good 30W auto oil would do on my guns.

AMU (Army Marksmanship Unit) taught using Mobil One Synthetic for lubing our competition M-16/AR-15’s …not necessarily for cleaning

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

If you pick something that will operate at the extreme ends of the temperatures you're likely to carry and/or use your firearms in, you're probably fine with gun, auto or multi-purpose products ... but on the last you'll want something that doesn't gum up and/or cause a varnish like buildup over time if left unchecked.
To that end, some Super Lube multi-purpose synthetic oil and some Lubriplate SFL-0 grease would likely meet about 95 percent of all gun lube needs. And they're both food grade/non-tox.
If you get into area of gun cleaning and metal protection, you open the door to more stuff on your bench. Personally, I like having a decent CLP handy, and I tend toward G96 of late.
Also, Kroil is pretty darned handy as a gun cleaner, IMO, especially when it comes to bores.
Finally, a bit of Ballistol on the gun bench or work bench is a nice thing, IMO, as it comes in handy for guns, knives, tools, leather, etc.
Pick your stuff for the properties you need and or prefer. There's a crapload of choices available from Mobil 1 on up and about at any price range imaginable. OTH, don't buy into anything that makes miraculous/ridiculous claims. Gun cleaning and lubrication does require (a) doing and (b) a wee amount of labor. Ain't no big whoop.

I do have G96 on hand...because Dan Wesson

 

[WmNifleims]

I grew up around Hoppe's No. 9 and it is what I continue to use today

 

[Gabriel]

I grew up around Hoppe's No. 9 and it is what I continue to use today

That's what you lubricate your firearms with?

 

[thelefthand]

Over the course of the first few decades I tried more lubes and cleaners than I can remember, and I still have a lifetime supply of several of them. Currently I use Hoppes and break cleaner for general purpose cleaning, shooters choice for inside a rifle barrel, barnes CR10 for heavy copper fowling, and MiliTec for lube. This is primarily because I already have them. If I didn’t, I'd use diesel (or K2, acetone, mineral spirits, paint thinner, or Simple Green depending on what I have on hand and what I'm trying to clean) and Break Cleaner for general cleaning and a VERY light application of ATF for lube. If I ever run out of Barnes CR10, I will try to find some more.

 

[Khj]

I remember when Frog Lube was all the rage. It was crap IMHO. My guns were stored out in our family room which gets down into the low 60's during winter and they just flat out wouldn't run. Thankfully I only tried it on a couple of guns and cleaned it off and started using "real" gun lubes again. But Frog Lube is non-toxic and mint flavored, so I guess if you were one of the kids that liked eating paste in grade school, it would be perfect.

To each their own. I agree with another poster that what ever works for them is best. I have found that frog lube works well for me. There again, I shoot all 3 of my firearms every 2 weeks. I clean them immediately after shooting as well. What I like is the carbon wipes right off. I then use my finger to reapply a light coat of the lube to the appropriate areas. The problem with frog lube, I will admit, is if you use too much, it will congeal in colder temperatures. They even state this in their literature. I have fired all my firearms in temperatures as low as -5 degrees F without problems. Bottom line, what ever works for you, and you are confident in, especially with your EDC, carry on.

 

[nonobaddog]

All I ask of a lubricant is lubrication and corrosion protection. Guns are not a demanding application for just about any lubricant.
Motor oil does not have additives for corrosion protection, ATF does.

If you want the lubricant to stay where you put it, like on slide rails, use grease or chainsaw bar lube.

 

[teddy12b]

I've tried a lot of the gun oils and honestly they all seem to work just fine, but I prefer grease. Gun oils always run wherever gravity takes them when stored, grease stays right where you left it.

I bought a can of this for $7 and change back in 2015 and I'm still not half way through it. Amazon product ASIN B0077K8WJC
I still clean my guns however seems appropriate for the gun, but when that's done I put a thin coat of red bearing grease on the moving parts and I've been very pleased with the results. I'm shocked at how few comments there are about it.

 

[hANNAbONE]

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 use something similar : I use Permatex (pre engine parts install on new/rebuilt engine-lube) and mix it with 5-20 synth Castrol. I have different mixed parts ratios for summer vs winter shooting. But for a thicker blend I use 40% Permatex 60% oil -- thinner 25% & 75%

Works the charm - give it a try

 

[ditcherman]

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.

 

[gregkl]

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.

I'm not sure that CLP will remove copper deposits. I use a specific copper remover if I have that in my bores. That might also go for lead.