Slick 50 for Gun lube. Anyone else?

[The Gleam]

Yea, I have normally always done that. But, I bought four times as much S50 for the same price as gun oil. They are both synthetic oil, one is designed for extreme temps, contaminants and pressures; and it ain't gun oil.

Liquid oil is great if you can repeal the law of gravity. If not, it's going to run off where you put it. That's why I use grease or grease/oil blend because it stays in place.

Another aspect of standard motor-oil that people tend to forget is that it does not have staying power as you noted, but also burns off more easily.

Think of oil as a constant "wash" for lubricating parts. It takes a lot and a constant recycling of it to re-wash those parts in it to remain effective. So long as you can repeatedly replenish the oil you are using for lube every 100 rounds fired, fine; but are you really going to sit there with an oil-can on your bench to squirt the rails or action every 100 rounds?

There is a reason that engines have a vast and copious reservoir of surplus oil (the oil-pan and sump) with filter, and an oil-pump with lifters, hollowed-rods that feed the oil, along with galleys, eaves and passageways and in some cases and oil-cooler to constantly feed an enormous and continuous amount of oil (i.e., Mobile 1) to the engine's moving parts - because oil does not stay long for where you put it and burns off easily. A constant bath is needed. It wants to get off hot parts and move away from compressions, not adhere when that happens. The viscosity is just too thin to "lube" on a stand-alone basis; it has to constantly be replenish for each and ever revolution in order to lube the parts. But anything thicker would just not work by pumping, and while it would lube longer than oil, would still burn off after tens-of-minutes rather than oil's several seconds.

Grease on the other hand, is in fact lube when you have no means to repeatedly lube the parts by constantly keeping them awash in oil with a pumping system. It stays put. It adheres to metal, even hot metal, a whole lot better. It's viscosity is more appropriate for the type of movement requested of gun parts.

Think in terms of your tie-rods ends and ball-joints in the same vein as so many people comparing a gun to an engine and using Mobile 1. I would not try to use Mobile 1 as the sole lube on my tie-rod ends and ball-joints, or CV-Joints, wheel-bearings and axle-shafts. That would be sheer stupidity.

So why would you lube your gun with motor oil for its moving parts? That makes no sense to me, unless of course you keep a squirt-can supply on the ready at all times in use, and replenish every 100 shots. As protection only, fine, but it's quite a weak endeavor for any repetitious movement of mated metal parts.

• In that regard, when I think of "lube" I think grease.
• I think of oil as an overall wash for protecting all of the parts with a thin layer to prevent corrosion or rust, but not to act as a lube for use.
• And I think of CLP as a cleaning agent and protection akin to oil, but not as a lube at all.

[LowThudd]

Another aspect of standard motor-oil that people tend to forget is that it does not have staying power as you noted, but also burns off more easily.

Think of oil as a constant "wash" for lubricating parts. It takes a lot and a constant recycling of it to re-wash those parts in it to remain effective. So long as you can repeatedly replenish the oil you are using for lube every 100 rounds fired, fine; but are you really going to sit there with an oil-can on your bench to squirt the rails or action every 100 rounds?

There is a reason that engines have a vast and copious reservoir of surplus oil (the oil-pan and sump) with filter, and an oil-pump with lifters, hollowed-rods that feed the oil, along with galleys, eaves and passageways and in some cases and oil-cooler to constantly feed an enormous and continuous amount of oil (i.e., Mobile 1) to the engine's moving parts - because oil does not stay long for where you put it and burns off easily. A constant bath is needed. It wants to get off hot parts and move away from compressions, not adhere when that happens. The viscosity is just too thin to "lube" on a stand-alone basis; it has to constantly be replenish for each and ever revolution in order to lube the parts. But anything thicker would just not work by pumping, and while it would lube longer than oil, would still burn off after tens-of-minutes rather than oil's several seconds.

Grease on the other hand, is in fact lube when you have no means to repeatedly lube the parts by constantly keeping them awash in oil with a pumping system. It stays put. It adheres to metal, even hot metal, a whole lot better. It's viscosity is more appropriate for the type of movement requested of gun parts.

Think in terms of your tie-rods ends and ball-joints in the same vein as so many people comparing a gun to an engine and using Mobile 1. I would not try to use Mobile 1 as the sole lube on my tie-rod ends and ball-joints, or CV-Joints, wheel-bearings and axle-shafts. That would be sheer stupidity.

So why would you lube your gun with motor oil for its moving parts? That makes no sense to me, unless of course you keep a squirt-can supply on the ready at all times in use, and replenish every 100 shots. As protection only, fine, but it's quite a weak endeavor for any repetitious movement of mated metal parts.

• In that regard, when I think of "lube" I think grease.
• I think of oil as an overall wash for protecting all of the parts with a thin layer to prevent corrosion or rust, but not to act as a lube for use.
• And I think of CLP as a cleaning agent and protection akin to oil, but not as a lube at all.

Explain to me what additive is added to gun oil that is not in motor oil? Your thinking is off. The viscosity of oil is all that matters here. Motors have circulating oil because they operate at high RPMs. Low RPM motors sometimes do not use circulitory oiling, but splash oiling. Not very common these days, but still exist. Grease followed by oil may indeed be a better choice however.

[The Gleam]

Explain to me what additive is added to gun oil that is not in motor oil? Your thinking is off. The viscosity of oil is all that matters here. Motors have circulating oil because they operate at high RPMs. Low RPM motors sometimes do not use circulitory oiling, but splash oiling. Not very common these days, but still exist. Grease followed by oil may indeed be a better choice however.

It's more about what is NOT added to the oil. Motor oil has several-ways-to Sunday SAE detergents and additives in addition to EPA regulations about additives and refinery processes. So good luck on experimenting with all sorts of unknown additives that you put on your gun whereby standard CLP will have none of it.

I have seen first-hand the very bad result of a blued LAR Grizzly pistol that was stored long-term in a swathing bath of motor-oil in a plastic barrier surround; the anti-corrosion properties of the motor-oil took the bluing right off the gun due to blue being a form of oxide-process. Horrible to see bands of "in-the-white" and variations of shades in bluing like some kind of 1970's hippie tie-dye job on the gun.

And you are confusticating the intent of my post above. The point was to explain that oil is oil - and not particularly good as a lube for guns.

Grease is lube for guns; not oil.

[71MUSTY]

I use builders lube. Designed for lubing bearings and parts on a new engine build. Very sticky, won't run off, high viscosity, high temp.

[f308gt4]

Think of oil as a constant "wash" for lubricating parts. It takes a lot and a constant recycling of it to re-wash those parts in it to remain effective. So long as you can repeatedly replenish the oil you are using for lube every 100 rounds fired, fine; but are you really going to sit there with an oil-can on your bench to squirt the rails or action every 100 rounds?

With all due respect, I've never had an issue with either motor oil or gun oil after a typical shooting session (say ~200 rounds). Never opened up a pistol or rifle and found a dry gun.

If I'm shooting longer sessions (~500 rounds) I will likely take a break and relube at some point. Makes for a good resting point, and it's probably good to break open the gun and look at parts/wear, etc. and while your in there, might as well add a little oil.

I don't think I've ever shot more than 500 rounds/firearm in any one session. And I always clean and relube after shooting. If the gun has been sitting around unshot for a while (which unfortunately happens a bit too often these days for me), I will do a quick lube before shooting.

I've always used oil, never grease, and have never had an oil related issue with any of my guns (except Froglube, but that's a different story).

[bsg]

i use Break Free CLP for simple cleaning and grease for rails and lube.

[Cokebottle]

Another issue to keep in mind...

Motor oil and gasoline are potentially carcinogenic.

I don't worry about it getting on my hands, but inhaling the stuff is something that concerns me, especially after losing a grandfather to lung cancer after working at Kirkhill Rubber. The family blamed it on smoking, yet grandma lived to around 100 and she smoked every bit as much.


When you fire your gun, the rapid movement and heat aerosolizes the lubricants.
This is the point behind the FrogLube fanbois touting that it is edible.

Ya, I use M1 on my AR bolts, but not on the handguns, and I shoot them FAR more often than the ARs.

[The War Wagon]

Close. I use Slick 50 1-Lube.

[The Gleam]

With all due respect, I've never had an issue with either motor oil or gun oil after a typical shooting session (say ~200 rounds). Never opened up a pistol or rifle and found a dry gun.

I've always used oil, never grease, and have never had an oil related issue with any of my guns (except Froglube, but that's a different story).

So - continue to use motor oil; be happy and content. I wish you well in your oily endeavors. It's unlikely it won't hurt your gun at all. It's just not the best lube for running, and if you did put a serious number of rounds through a gun in any one session you'd notice a difference.



But to extrapolate on the above:

I have several semi-auto firearms that carry the legend of being unreliable or jam-o-matics, yet I often hear anyone that observes me with these guns or whom allow to shoot them at the range, declare how reliable they are operating - no FTF/FTE or stovebolts.

It's the lube (grease) really helping that along, not merely oil.

My biggest point is that not all oils are the same. In this very thread we've even seen someone discuss using USED motor-oil. I can't think of anything more horrible than maybe saltwater with Muriatic Acid mixed with silt and sand. In any case, motor-oils are different and do have different properties. Just ask anyone that has a wet-clutch motorcycle (i.e., not an older Harley, some BMW or Ducatis) what happens if you put regular car motor oil in that bike. That clutch could end up useless in just a few hundred miles - because of FRICTIONAL properties such motorcycle oil needs to contain.

ALL oils for automotive use have different detergents, additives, rust inhibitors, friction accelerators (for wet-clutch motorcycles), as well as various additives regulated by the EPA. Personally, I have no desire to take a chance on that with my guns when I don't think plain oil is the best lube in the first place.

Nice for cleaning, MAY be OK for long term storage (pending what you use does not also have a penetrant or acidic property that also removes you bluing.

Even for my long term storage C&R stuff or uber-rare items, I'd rather awash them in Break-Free's "Collector Oil" recipe than take a chance on what might be lurking in some brand of oil that seems OK merely because it's billed as oil.

Every tool has it's rightful place. Just because a 13mm wrench might fit on a 1/2 inch nut doesn't mean I'll be using it.

Recently there was a thread about someone having bought a degreaser similar to another product merely because it passed a "sniff test". He thought; looks the same, smells the same, feels the same, etc.

"So I bought outers, smelled exactly the same so I thought nothing of it."

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1058263

His story ended in disastrous results - don't do the same with any old obscure oil out of your garage. Every tool has a correct application, including oil. 9 times out of 10, any old automotive oil is going to be just fine; and then one day.....

[BHLiu11]

Read this review. The guy did an excellent job testing many popular products out there. What scared me is the rust.

https://www.shootersforum.com/gun-cleaning/91566-results-gun-care-product-evaluation.html

[Ponderosa2]

I've always just used Hoppe's oil in the orange bottle. I am not an expert by any means, but I've never had an issue. I'm sure there is way better, much more advanced stuff out there. When I was a kid and my dad taught me to clean my first gun, he took me out and helped me buy some cleaning supplies. We bought Hoppe's oil that day, and I've just continued using it.

[Treadstone]

I've been happy with Frog Lube but I'm going to be giving FireClean a try.

[timmyboy450]

A can of CLP and a little Slip 2000 last a long time.