Gun lube

[AMC]

Mystic, Is your head spinning yet, because it sure sounds like it is, lol.

Your second paragraph really sums it up. It really doesn't matter what you use, so long as you are maintaining your gun. High quality gun care chemicals certainly help in the process.

To address a few other thoughts; Frog lube- I have tested this stuff out and while it is an interesting product, I dont care for it. To me, It is more of a waxy seasoning that you basically cook onto your guns similar to seasoning a cast iron pan. It really isnt an oil based lubricant at all and the process of seasoning your guns with it is just ridiculous if you ask me. The high price tag and the fact that it doesn't play well with traditional cleaners and oils adds to the silliness. Also, the fact that it was developed by a Navy seal really means nothing...... Just my 2 cents.

Lithium Grease- If you are going to use grease to lube a gun, straight white lithium grease is about the worst you could use. If you are going to use a grease, use a high temperature grease (preferably a synthetic) that does not dry out or get tacky when exposed to open air. Super lube is probably the best example of a grease that is good for guns.

Guns are not fragile little decorations that need the utmost in care or fancy chemicals. Feel free to experiment with them and find what you like for yourself. Recommendations from others are always great but your own experiences are the best to go by.

 

[Astro14]

Naturally, with all the SEAL Teams around here, Frog Lube is popular.

But the whole application process is involved and time consuming. No thanks.

A good cleaning, followed by bit of Mobil 1 grease on the key parts of the M1, a careful application of whatever gun oil is on the shelf for the rest, with a careful wipe down and back into the safe they go.

A drop on each slide contact point on the polymer frames, not much else. ARs get plenty on the BCG, but it takes surprisingly little oil to properly lube a gun. One 4oz bottle of oil lasts me years, with dozens and dozens of range days and clean/lube cycles. I finally used the last of a bottle of that was bought in the 90s just the other day.

 

[ChrisD46]

Ballistol , FP-10 , Weapon Shield , MPRO7 , Hoppes Elite , SLIP2000EWL , Rigg #2 Oil , Birchwood Casey Synthetic Oil , Super Lube , Lucas Gun Oil , Mobil 1 20W 50 V-Twin Synthetic Oil , Corrosion X , Rem Oil , Pro Gold Oil , Zero Friction Gun Oil , Gun Butter ...As you can see I am a : "gun oil prepper" !!

 

[Mystic]

Yes AMC the best thing is to keep a gun clean. I always clean my gun after going shooting and I lubricate the gun. I have searched a very long time to try to find the best gun cleaner and the best gun oil. I pretty much have come to the conclusion that there is no simple answer and there are a few products worth using.

I just started using CorrosionX for guns. The last time I went shooting with it the gun performed great and seemed really smooth. But I don't think CorrosionX is that great of a cleaner. I would use something else for cleaning the bore.

Frog Lube looks too involved for me. You have to heat the gun and all of that and from what I can find out it is not so great for storing a gun.

A guy at YouTube who uses the user name of GearObsession has done a lot of testing with metal plates exposed to the elements and CorrosionX and Breakfree seem to be pretty good for protecting a gun from corrosion. Apparently the NRA museum uses Renaissance Wax for long term storage of priceless guns.

I probably would have went right on using Hoppes No. 9 Bore Solvent for the bore and Breakfree for the rest of the gun until I found out that Breakfree has apparently declined in quality. And it would be nice to be able to use a cleaner indoors that does not smell like good old Hoppes.

CorrosionX seems like a pretty good replacement for Breakfree. And for cleaning the bore something like MPro7 or Hoppes Elite. So that is where I am going right now.

 

[AMC]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
CorrosionX seems like a pretty good replacement for Breakfree. And for cleaning the bore something like MPro7 or Hoppes Elite. So that is where I am going right now.


That sounds like a great combination! Wal-mart now sells the mpro 7 LPX gun oil and Mpro 7 gun cleaner, a combination I recommend for the guy that does not need to buy in bulk and wants to buy locally. For cleaning, you could try making the corrosionX and mineral spirits cleaning mixture I have talked about earlier in the thread if you dont want to bother buying the mpro cleaner. It will probably smell stronger than the mpro but still not bad and the mixture will last a long time.

I have seen the gear obsession page and he is pretty funny. His tests are also very easy on the gun oils because he doesn't add salt water to the plates, he basically just lets them sit in the elements. I think I posted a link earlier in this thread to the long test posted on M4carbine.net which tested several modern gun oils for rust resistance. That page is a good read if you are interested as well.

 

[Mystic]

I have heard some bad stuff about the water based lubes like MPro7 gun oil and Hoppes Elite gun oil. I would stay away from them. But the MPro7 gun cleaner and Hoppes Elite gun cleaner are okay for gun barrels. I would rather use CorrosionX or Breakfree to lubricate the gun.

When I shot my gun using CorrosionX it seemed like the slide was rolling on ball bearings. Breakfree is still pretty good also. If a guy wants to buy local products Breakfree is still pretty good and Hoppes No. 9 or MPro7 or Hoppes Elite gun cleaner are pretty good.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: Mystic

I probably would have went right on using Hoppes No. 9 Bore Solvent for the bore and Breakfree for the rest of the gun until I found out that Breakfree has apparently declined in quality. And it would be nice to be able to use a cleaner indoors that does not smell like good old Hoppes.


Honestly, the smell of good old Hoppes No. 9 is why I use it! Reminds me of being a kid and around my uncle when he cleaned his deer rifle...so many good associations with the smell of Hoppes...

In fact, I got my kid brother Hoppes No. 9 air fresheners (no, really, they exist!) for his truck...he's got the same association that I do...

 

[GMFan]

I use Rem Oil to oil the outside of my shotgun and rifle and Hoppes 9 for the action parts, etc. I recently bought Hoppes 9 field wipes and I like them a lot for oiling the outside of my guns.

I use Breakfree CLP during cleaning and Hoppes 9 Solvent in the bore.

 

[BlownF150]

Quote:
The only problem is that the old military CLP may have changed over the years and not for the better. And even back in the Vietnam War days the veterans said that they would clean their M-16 rifles with choke cleaner or brake cleaner and then use the CLP for lubrication.


It hasn't changed much in the 15+ years I've been in so far. CLP works just fine and works better the more I've used it on a given firearm. Has no problem with tough residue and I've never had a spot of corrosion on anything including my bead-blast finished pocket knives.

 

[AMC]

Mystic- I am not sure about regular Mpro gun oil but the LPX gun oil (the one that wal-mart stocks) is supposed to be PAO based?

Blown- Breakfree CLP has changed over the years and the company (now owned by Safariland) admits to it. It no longer contains a measureable amount of teflon, has a higher solvent content and has a lower flash point now. Breakfree CLP still works good enough but most people agree, it was better before it changed.

 

[strat81]

For those who have used Kreen in their engine oil, the manufacturer also sells a product called Kroil. Kroil is a fantastic penetrating oil for rusted fasteners and is a good bore cleaner too. It works well removing lead fouling.

 

[Mystic]

AMC I am really leery now about using Hoppes Elite Gun Oil and MPro7 Gun Oil. They are supposedly the same thing. Hoppes has a contract with MPro7 or whatever. But I have heard stories of guys using Hoppes Elite and having serious corrosion issues. A guy who was involved in gun competitions claimed to have problems after using Hoppes Elite. There was a long involved article at some website but I can't remember where. The guy went into a lot of detail. Plus in some of the testing that was done by Gear Obsession Hoppes Elite did not provide good corrosion protection.

 

[ChrisD46]

Apply Eezox or Corrosion X all over your gun and use Hoppes Elite Oil or MPRO7 oil to lube key areas only - then your set !
Originally Posted By: Mystic
AMC I am really leery now about using Hoppes Elite Gun Oil and MPro7 Gun Oil. They are supposedly the same thing. Hoppes has a contract with MPro7 or whatever. But I have heard stories of guys using Hoppes Elite and having serious corrosion issues. A guy who was involved in gun competitions claimed to have problems after using Hoppes Elite. There was a long involved article at some website but I can't remember where. The guy went into a lot of detail. Plus in some of the testing that was done by Gear Obsession Hoppes Elite did not provide good corrosion protection.

 

[AMC]

Too bad CorrosionX blows all of them away as a lubricant

 

[BlownF150]

Originally Posted By: AMC

It no longer contains a measureable amount of teflon, has a higher solvent content and has a lower flash point now. Breakfree CLP still works good enough but most people agree, it was better before it changed.


The stuff I have has a considerable amount of teflon in it or there is something else white that settles out. I bought a gallon jug, probably quite the same as the aerosol.

 

[AMC]

"The stuff I have has a considerable amount of teflon in it or there is something else white that settles out. I bought a gallon jug, probably quite the same as the aerosol."

Older stock CLP will still have the teflon. The new stock will not, or at least not enough that you can see it sitting on the bottom of the jug.

Either way Breakfree clp is still good stuff. It is a decent lube, one of the top rust preventers and best of all it is cheap and easily available. There are oils that are much better at lubricating and preventing rust, like CorrosionX and weaponshield but they cost quite a bit more and arent as easy to find as breakfree. There is nothing wrong with good ol' CLP at all. The only things I really dislike about CLP are its slow cleaning ability (easy to fix by adding some OMS to it) and the fact that the aerosol cans always seem to spray out a foamy stream rather than a fine mist....Just minor annoyances.

 

[Mystic]

That is a good thing that Breakfree can usually readily be found at local stores like Wal-Mart. And also at those stores a person could find Hoppes No. 9 or MPro7 or Hoppes Elite Gun Cleaner to clean the bore of the barrel and the barrel. One of the S&W M&P gun armorers I know uses Hoppes No. 9 to clean the barrel and Breakfree on the rest of the gun. And not too long ago a gunsmith recommended Breakfree to us on my S&W M&P.

Based on my experience with CorrosionX however I recommend CorrosionX for lubrication and to protect the gun. Hoppes No. 9 or some other bore cleaner can be used for the barrel. CorrosionX has to be ordered. A person is not likely going to find it at the local store.

 

[BlownF150]

I think it's just a matter of choosing a product for a particular purpose. CLP does what it does well as a one-shot product. If you want more lubrication then the is the LP product and if you want long term protection there is Collector. I have a small bottle of Collector but I haven't needed it because my firearms are in a safe with a dehumidifier and a VCI pack. I also like the fact CLP can attack residue over extended periods of time (which is more important for military weapons than civilian). I run a soaked patch or swab down the bores before they go back in the safe and I run a dry patch through them before I go to the range and I always get a little more residue out that didn't come out before even with solvent like Hoppes.

 

[Gillsy]

I like Frog Lube because I just throw a towel on the kitchen table and go at it. No fumes, no worry about ignition sources. Patches and paper towels go in the waste basket without concerns of combustion. The towel just goes into the washer. It works for me.

 

[-SyN-]

Just finished up a very tactical AR-15 Build-->300BLK.

Prepped with Frog Lube! Took about 15min. Coated inside and out except lower.

Took the 300BLK out for the first time this morning to run through 4 courses with club members.

I think I counted 250 rounds. Very light day!

Stripped gun down. Literally NO carbon build up on the bolt nor bolt carrier group itself. Took about 5 min to clean with FL solvent and reapply a little bit of FL CLP.

2 swipes down barrel! 1 Brass 1 patch-->With Solvent. 1 more patch with FL CLP. 1 patch had only a little bit of residue.

I will say the new Bolt Carrier Group had very little scuffing marks. I really had to strain to see them.

I did this all in the house! You could not do this with your average solvent or CLP. No Nasty Smell-No possible long term ill effects.

I didn't even wash my hands to eat.