The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Gun lubricants

Curuzer · February 24, 2001, 12:58 AM

Whoa. Hold on.

Romulus, CLP is a fine lubricant and will protect your gun. Keep your weapon lubricated (not too wet, not too dry) and it will give you many years of enjoyment. Many gun makers recommend against using grease on your gun (other than for storage). Grease generally attracts dirt and provides marginally better protection than a good liquid lubricant. If you must use grease, I have no reason to believe that Tetra or any other "white grease" would provide significantly different protection. Some people use Slick 50 PTFE grease, others say that it is "gritty" and will damage your gun. I honestly don't know, other than to say that if your manufacturer says "use oil" I would use oil.

By the way, Mobil 1 sells a spray synthetic lubricant you can use for guns (Castrol/Hoppes and Pennzoil also make synthetic gun lubes). I like and use the Castrol/Hoppes brand.

George, the main reason engine lubricants are viscous at room temperature is a function of the package of polymeric additives needed to maintain a low viscosity at low temperatures (ie. winter cold starts) and stable viscosity at operating temperature (eg. hot engine). My educated guess is that, while gun lubricants are not purposely made viscous (because it is of no operating benefit), it is likely also of no detriment (it won't hurt the gun, because it doesn't really affect lubricity whether or not it is thick...to a limit). Having said that, I favor using Castrol/Hoppes or some other similar sythetic GUN oil (synthetics DO provide a small advantage over distillates, again in my educated opinion).

Now regarding blueing, parkerizing, and other coatings: so called "miracle lubricants" that "bond" to the metal depend on adhesion directly to metal surfaces - and only steel and iron for that matter. If 95% of the surface has been blued or parkerized, then you get absolutely no advantage from the "miracle lubricant" (the additive sits on the coating surface, and the carrier oil does all the work). While lubricant that soaks into the pores of the metal will protect from corrosion, it provides absolutely no extra "bonding protection" on the surface, which is largely parkerized/blued. Now, you are right that some surfaces will become worn and the metal will become exposed. How will the "miracle lubricant" help in that case? Well, in order for the active ingredient to work, it needs heat, friction, and significant time to properly bond. In a car engine, this happens quite naturally. On a gun, when do significant heat, friction, and time come together...NEVER. The gun only really operates for a few minutes during an hour at the range. That is not enough time for bonding to occur. For those who decide to bake or use a hair blower, they risk exposure to strong acid vapors, and cannot nearly create the conditions created inside an engine (which is where the d**n additives were meant for in the first place). Now teflon enriched gun oils are a different matter...I have no real problem with those. Take my advice, the reason all those "miracle lubes" lose their law suits is that they are stretching the truth beyond its scientific limits. Pick up a good gun lubricant at the gun shop and avoid all the "mop and glow" products.

February 24, 2001, 12:58 AM	#20
Curuzer Senior Member Join Date: August 26, 2000 Posts: 114	Whoa. Hold on. Romulus, CLP is a fine lubricant and will protect your gun. Keep your weapon lubricated (not too wet, not too dry) and it will give you many years of enjoyment. Many gun makers recommend against using grease on your gun (other than for storage). Grease generally attracts dirt and provides marginally better protection than a good liquid lubricant. If you must use grease, I have no reason to believe that Tetra or any other "white grease" would provide significantly different protection. Some people use Slick 50 PTFE grease, others say that it is "gritty" and will damage your gun. I honestly don't know, other than to say that if your manufacturer says "use oil" I would use oil. By the way, Mobil 1 sells a spray synthetic lubricant you can use for guns (Castrol/Hoppes and Pennzoil also make synthetic gun lubes). I like and use the Castrol/Hoppes brand. George, the main reason engine lubricants are viscous at room temperature is a function of the package of polymeric additives needed to maintain a low viscosity at low temperatures (ie. winter cold starts) and stable viscosity at operating temperature (eg. hot engine). My educated guess is that, while gun lubricants are not purposely made viscous (because it is of no operating benefit), it is likely also of no detriment (it won't hurt the gun, because it doesn't really affect lubricity whether or not it is thick...to a limit). Having said that, I favor using Castrol/Hoppes or some other similar sythetic GUN oil (synthetics DO provide a small advantage over distillates, again in my educated opinion). Now regarding blueing, parkerizing, and other coatings: so called "miracle lubricants" that "bond" to the metal depend on adhesion directly to metal surfaces - and only steel and iron for that matter. If 95% of the surface has been blued or parkerized, then you get absolutely no advantage from the "miracle lubricant" (the additive sits on the coating surface, and the carrier oil does all the work). While lubricant that soaks into the pores of the metal will protect from corrosion, it provides absolutely no extra "bonding protection" on the surface, which is largely parkerized/blued. Now, you are right that some surfaces will become worn and the metal will become exposed. How will the "miracle lubricant" help in that case? Well, in order for the active ingredient to work, it needs heat, friction, and significant time to properly bond. In a car engine, this happens quite naturally. On a gun, when do significant heat, friction, and time come together...NEVER. The gun only really operates for a few minutes during an hour at the range. That is not enough time for bonding to occur. For those who decide to bake or use a hair blower, they risk exposure to strong acid vapors, and cannot nearly create the conditions created inside an engine (which is where the d**n additives were meant for in the first place). Now teflon enriched gun oils are a different matter...I have no real problem with those. Take my advice, the reason all those "miracle lubes" lose their law suits is that they are stretching the truth beyond its scientific limits. Pick up a good gun lubricant at the gun shop and avoid all the "mop and glow" products.