Using Motor Oil for Gun Lube

[Carlostrece]

With all the posted results in other threads, if we use Valvoline Restore and Protect will it help with cleaning the carbon or prevent it from happening? Asking for a friend.

Undoubtedly yes, but any motor oil will do that. It's not just the lubricating properties of motor oil, it's also the detergents. Detergent motor oil is the best gun lubricant, IME. Even better if it's synthetic oil with PAO because it lasts longer without drying out, which matters if gun in storage. Also, I think PAO may add to cleaning abilities.

I used Mobil One 15w-50 for my guns. It lubricated very well, didn't run off or dry out, and cleaning gun was easier because no powder residue could stick to slides or other lubricated areas. Just wipe old oil off with a rag and all powder residue easily wipes off with the old oil. Then lightly reoil the slide or whatever part. I used fine tip paint brush to lightly apply a thin film of oil where needed.

Use whatever motor oil your car or lawnmower uses. I assume thicker viscosity motor oil is better, but that's just a guess. I used 15w50. My other choices would be 20w50 or 30 or 40 grade detergent oil, but any viscosity motor oil will do.

Conventional motor oil would work well and is what the guy in South America (who recommended motor oil) was using. Synthetic motor oil works very well and is what I use.

Try it. You'll see.

 

[Cropduster172]

There are a lot of “better” products out there than Remoil. It’s one of the weaker products available.

Agreed. Remoil seems like just cheap, lightweight oil.
Bought a large can of G-96...it will probably last me 5 years.
I like Ballistol too. It works for my guns just fine.
I was trained old school at the NJSP Academy...Hoppes #9 and Hoppes gun oil. A bit more time consuming but it got the job done just fine

 

[Carlostrece]

Agreed. Remoil seems like just cheap, lightweight oil.
Bought a large can of G-96...it will probably last me 5 years.
I like Ballistol too. It works for my guns just fine.
I was trained old school at the NJSP Academy...Hoppes #9 and Hoppes gun oil. A bit more time consuming but it got the job done just fine

I use Hoppes #9 for cleaning barrel because powder deposits build up in barrel between cleanings.

In the past, for lubrication I tried Remoil (not good), Hoppes oil (reasonably good), and Teflon/PTFE spray-on dry lube (terrible). Then I tried motor oil for lubrication and it works by far best.

My blowback pistol stays cleaner and lubricated far longer using motor oil. I can shoot as much ammo as I want at the range without jamming. It can reliably cycle hundreds of rounds with no maintenance needed (other than pullinng a boresnake (with Hoppes #9 on it) through barrel every 100 or 150 rounds.

When I used Remoil, it'd start jamming after 100 rounds. Hoppes gun oil is better than Remoil, but not as good as motor oil. I also tried Teflon/PTFE spray-on dry lube and was not impressed with its performance. Also, PTFE is extremely poisonous.

 

[Shrike9]

Motor oil works to line a firearm but so does vagasil

Personally I use Slip2000 EWL

 

[Shrike9]

And then you have Chad

 

[ensoniqman]

I keep a small bottle in my cleaning kit and use the following mix in it:

1/3 bar chain oil
1/3 Marvel Mystery Oil
1/3 10w30 motor oil

Has worked great for cleaning and lube.

Some my think the bar chain oil is too tacky, but not much is there and the MM Oil breaks it down I would imagine.

 

[ChrisD46]

The more I thought about it , Mobil 1 15w50 may be useful to lube a blowback Ruger .22LR pistol as Rimfire Ammo is inherently dirty to shoot . If powder residue , carbon , debris , etc. are easier to clean and keep a firearm clean (like a .22LR) then that’s an added benefit than just being a great lube .

 

[Stumpy]

I shot a match 20 years ago and a competitor had a Sig that was malfunctioning. Knowing this was strange, I asked the shooter to make it safe. He did and I quickly looked at it and it was BONE DRY! We were shooting an active stage and neither of use had our cleaning kits. I popped the hood of my Nissan truck and pulled the dip stick out and applied some Mobil1 15w-50 to the rails barrel and lockwork. The pistol shot like a dream the rest of the match! I think we overthink stuff sometimes. Grease, thick oil, thin oil, dry lube, etc. Just keep it clean and lube with what you like. Personally, I have fallen in love with Hornady One Shot as I approach 60 and feel that time is more important. Love this stuff and Dri-Slide. Pick your fluid, grease, or dry lube and use it and have fun shooting.

 

[Carlostrece]

The more I thought about it , Mobil 1 15w50 may be useful to lube a blowback Ruger .22LR pistol as Rimfire Ammo is inherently dirty to shoot . If powder residue , carbon , debris , etc. are easier to clean and keep a firearm clean (like a .22LR) then that’s an added benefit than just being a great lube .

Yes. All blow back pistols are inherently dirty. In my case 32 ACP, 380 ACP, 9x18 Makarov. In your case 22LR. Motor oil helps keep them cleaner and well lubricated. Powder residue doesn't form deposits in slide rails, exterior of barrel because motor oil dissolves powder residue. Keeping the firearm cleaner is one of the strengths of using a detergent motor oil. Excellent lubrication is another.

Motor oil is much better than any gun oil I ever used.

The various exotic franken cocktail lubricants that some people mix up and use for gun lube probably all work well. I don't doubt it. However, I don't see a need to make an exotic cocktail lubricant when motor oil works great. Motor oil is free for guns because I already have it for my car and a gun only needs a little.

What other gun lubricant is readily available, free, and works well?

 

[Carlostrece]

Motor oil works to line a firearm but so does vagasil

Personally I use Slip2000 EWL

Re post 64. The guy in the video is theorizing and he's wrong. Motor oil is very good at preventing rust. I never had rust on my carry gun and I live in a cool rain forest in Western WA. My gun is steel, not stainless.

Some foreign gun manufacturers store and ship pistols with motor oil slathered in and on them to prevent rust. I don't recall if it was a new Euro (CZ) gun or new South American (Bersa) gun that came bathed in motor oil, but one I bought did.

One of motor oil's many jobs is to protect steel parts in engines from rust. It does a good job.

Also, lets not forget that I learned about using motor oil for gun lube from a South American gun expert who specialized in Bersa pistols. He lived in a warm tropical rain forest climate in Brazil. He carried a Bersa lubricated with motor oil.

People who live in rain forests know how to prevent rust. I wouldn't be recommending motor oil if it didn't prevent rust. The gun expert in Brazil wouldn't have used and recommended motor oil if it didn't prevent rust. According to him, motor oil is the common goto for gun lube all over South America. Most of South America is wet.

I do agree with one thing the guy in the video said. He said you don't want to wipedown the exterior of the gun with motor oil. Obviously. I wouldn't want motor oil (nor gun oil, nor cocktail oil, nor grease) on the exterior of my gun because that would be a nasty mess and slippery.

The only thing I'd wipe on exterior of gun before storage is a silicone impregnated gun wiping cloth that's made for wiping down exterior. That prevents rust on exterior while in storage. However, it's important to wipe off (remove) the silicone from grip and controls before using or carrying. You don't want to try to draw or shoot a slippery gun.

 

[Carlostrece]

And then you have Chad

Chad's video is good and the lube he makes would work well.

However, I think the reason he feels the need to mix in grease to thicken the motor oil is that he's using too thin a viscosity motor oil.

If he used 15w50 or 20w50 motor oil, or even Xw60, then he'd have no need to thicken it with grease. Which is why I use 15w50 for guns. It's good right out of the bottle without needing to mix in grease.

I did have to buy 1 quart of 15w50 to use for gun oil (because my car uses 5w30), but 1 quart of 15w50 was far more than a lifetime supply for my guns. The cost of 1 quart of Mobil 1 15w50 was about same as a tiny bottle of gun oil.

Chad is saving money on motor oil by using what his car uses, but he's spending money on grease and time to mix it, and more cleanup. If he bought a thicker viscosity motor oil, then he wouldn't have to fool around mixing in grease.

That said, I'm sure some people use 5w30 in guns with good results. I prefer 15w50 or 20w50. The South American guy who introduced me to using motor oil for gun lube used 10w40 (probably because it's what his car used).

 

[JWC86]

I think we overthink stuff sometimes. Grease, thick oil, thin oil, dry lube, etc. Just keep it clean and lube with what you like.

100%

This is true when it comes to the oil we choose to use in our vehicles but its even more true with our firearms, most over think gun lubes. I've been guiltily of this myself.

 

[SShooterZ]

I have a quart of Napa 30W on my gun bench right now. Does wonders and will last a lifetime. I've tried a bunch and keep coming back to the motor oil.

 

[JavierH19]

I have a quart of Napa 30W on my gun bench right now. Does wonders and will last a lifetime. I've tried a bunch and keep coming back to the motor oil.

Detergent or non detergent? And I agree on using motor oil for guns. This whole thing about them attracting dust or powder much faster seems like a farce to me. I've used hoppes and it's the same.

 

[Carlostrece]

Detergent or non detergent? And I agree on using motor oil for guns. This whole thing about them attracting dust or powder much faster seems like a farce to me. I've used hoppes and it's the same.

All oils attract dust. Grease even moreso. However, whose gun is in the dust or dirt that much? Only dry lubes don't attract dust, but dry lubes don't lubricate as well IME.

Detergent motor oil dissolves powder residue. It also lubricates well.

Hopefully the fellow using 30 grade oil is using detergent 30 grade oil because detergent helps prevent powder residue buildup.

Non detergent oil would lubricate, but powder would buildup, which would require more frequent cleaning.

 

[Shrike9]

Re post 64. The guy in the video is theorizing and he's wrong. Motor oil is very good at preventing rust. I never had rust on my carry gun and I live in a cool rain forest in Western WA. My gun is steel, not stainless.

Some foreign gun manufacturers store and ship pistols with motor oil slathered in and on them to prevent rust. I don't recall if it was a new Euro (CZ) gun or new South American (Bersa) gun that came bathed in motor oil, but one I bought did.

One of motor oil's many jobs is to protect steel parts in engines from rust. It does a good job.

Also, lets not forget that I learned about using motor oil for gun lube from a South American gun expert who specialized in Bersa pistols. He lived in a warm tropical rain forest climate in Brazil. He carried a Bersa lubricated with motor oil.

People who live in rain forests know how to prevent rust. I wouldn't be recommending motor oil if it didn't prevent rust. The gun expert in Brazil wouldn't have used and recommended motor oil if it didn't prevent rust. According to him, motor oil is the common goto for gun lube all over South America. Most of South America is wet.

I do agree with one thing the guy in the video said. He said you don't want to wipedown the exterior of the gun with motor oil. Obviously. I wouldn't want motor oil (nor gun oil, nor cocktail oil, nor grease) on the exterior of my gun because that would be a nasty mess and slippery.

The only thing I'd wipe on exterior of gun before storage is a silicone impregnated gun wiping cloth that's made for wiping down exterior. That prevents rust on exterior while in storage. However, it's important to wipe off (remove) the silicone from grip and controls before using or carrying. You don't want to try to draw or shoot a slippery gun.

Cool story

I’ve been in Honduras, Panama, Philippines and other tropical rainforests and guns rusted with motor oil, rust was a problem with CLP and other oils, anybody who tells you guns don’t rust if you use XYZ is lying they all rust

In the jungle if you do not leave a thin coat of protective oil on the outside of your weapon, it will rust before you finish taking a

If you do it properly it’s not slippery

Bersa pistols are one step below HiPoint, pure junk…

 

[Shrike9]

Chad's video is good and the lube he makes would work well.

However, I think the reason he feels the need to mix in grease to thicken the motor oil is that he's using too thin a viscosity motor oil.

If he used 15w50 or 20w50 motor oil, or even Xw60, then he'd have no need to thicken it with grease. Which is why I use 15w50 for guns. It's good right out of the bottle without needing to mix in grease.

I did have to buy 1 quart of 15w50 to use for gun oil (because my car uses 5w30), but 1 quart of 15w50 was far more than a lifetime supply for my guns. The cost of 1 quart of Mobil 1 15w50 was about same as a tiny bottle of gun oil.

Chad is saving money on motor oil by using what his car uses, but he's spending money on grease and time to mix it, and more cleanup. If he bought a thicker viscosity motor oil, then he wouldn't have to fool around mixing in grease.

That said, I'm sure some people use 5w30 in guns with good results. I prefer 15w50 or 20w50. The South American guy who introduced me to using motor oil for gun lube used 10w40 (probably because it's what his car used).

Chad is a subject matter expert, he has forgotten more about guns and oil than you have ever known

 

[Shrike9]

All oils attract dust. Grease even moreso. However, whose gun is in the dust or dirt that much? Only dry lubes don't attract dust, but dry lubes don't lubricate as well IME.

Detergent motor oil dissolves powder residue. It also lubricates well.

Hopefully the fellow using 30 grade oil is using detergent 30 grade oil because detergent helps prevent powder residue buildup.

Non detergent oil would lubricate, but powder would buildup, which would require more frequent cleaning.

Grease sucks in the desert, dry lube sucks in the desert, oil and keeping it wet and protected as best as possible from sand/dusy works the best

Guess you are nowhere near a hot dry aird region that is so much of the south west, Texas to California & up to Wyoming and west

 

[Carlostrece]

Grease sucks in the desert, dry lube sucks in the desert, oil and keeping it wet and protected as best as possible from sand/dusy works the best

Guess you are nowhere near a hot dry aird region that is so much of the south west, Texas to California & up to Wyoming and west

I said I live in a rain forest climate. My guns have not rusted.

 

[Carlostrece]

Chad is a subject matter expert, he has forgotten more about guns and oil than you have ever known

I said I think his homeade cocktail lubricant would probably work well. I didn't doubt the effectiveness of his homebrew lubricant. I merely said that a thicker grade of motor oil works well without needing to add grease.