After reading your post I did a little digging and it looks like Mineral oil would make a pretty good solvent and still leave a light film of lubricant. I would personally use it to clean and then lube with something a bit heavier.
From Wikipedia: Mineral oil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cleaning
Mineral oil can be used to clean heavier oil stains by diluting and liquefying the other oils, rendering the oils more accessible to detergents. Likewise, it can be employed to "de-gum," to remove adhesive residue left by price tags or adhesive tape. It can be used as a cleaner and solvent for inks in fine art printmaking as well as in oil painting, though turpentine is more often used.
Mineral oil is also used in some guitar string cleaners, since it can help mobilize dirt and oil without contributing to the oxidization of the metal strings.
Mineral oil can leave a residue, which is undesirable in some applications.
Another advantage is the fact that it is non-toxic. So you don't have to feel bad if you find that you have to shove your gun in a perps mouth.:laugh:
I have been involved in guns and the shooting sports since I received my first .22 at age 11 in 1963, 47 years ago. 38 of those years were spent in the rust belt, in and around Chicago, Illinois. The remainder have been in the milder climate of Arizona.
All I have ever used to lubricate my firearms is Mobil 1 Motor Oil, ATF, (Automatic Transmission Fluid), and for very high pressure friction points like bolt lugs on bolt action rifles and hinge pins on O/U shotguns I will use a small amount of STP. I have never had a a gun rust or fail because of a lubrication issue in over 45 years.
Gun oils and greases are overpriced "snake oils" in fancy packaging, nothing more. Know what a Castrol Rep told me your getting when you spend $8.00 for a bottle of "Castrol / Hoppes Synthetic Gun Oil"? Castrol Syntec Motor Oil with an emulsifier added to it. You can buy it all day for around $4.50 @ quart, or pay $8.00 for 4 ounces of it in a fancy brushed Aluminum pump bottle. Same with a lot of these "Gun Greases".
Go into any auto parts store and you can buy a large tube of Moly Grease that will last the average shooter a lifetime for a couple of bucks. It's as good, or better than these miracle gun greases they sell for over $10.00 for a 1/4 ounce! An even better product is the Mobil 1 Synthetic Grease. It comes in a 1 pound tub for around $6.00. If you like the fancy hypo type applicator, you can get one at Walgreens, or most any other drug store for around .25 to .50 cents, and it's refillable too boot.
Mobil 1 can be tailored to your climate just as you would if you used it in your car. If you shoot or hunt in very frigid climate it comes in a 0W-20 grade that won't stiffen up in cold weather. Here in Arizona we don't get much cold weather, but in the Summer it can get blistering hot so I use the 10W-40 or the 20W-50 grade. It has a nice viscosity that won't run off metal and dry up in a few days like some of these water thin gun oils like "Rem-Oil" will. Mobil 1 Synthetic Gear Lube has an even higher viscosity that works well on guns that tend to be run at higher temperatures like AR-15's and AK-47's. It comes in a 75W-140 Grade. ATF is a very clean non gumming lubricant that works well for lubricating semi autos and fast moving parts like slides and even trigger mechanisms. I'm not a believer of these so called "dry lubes". 47 years of shooting has taught me one very simple fact. If I can see oil on my firearms, I know I won't be seeing any rust.
All 3 of these products can be purchased at any auto parts store for around $20.00, and will last the average shooter for years, if not a lifetime. I won't overpay for these gun lubes that do nothing better except make you poorer. Bill T.
All the lubrication and rust prevention products your weapons will ever require.
Hello, im brand new to this forum. As I see you've got 47 yrs in guns, ur now in az, which is where I will be at the end of may. And youmcome from chicago, as do I. Heres my question. I have 22 competition guns, .45 ccw, .22 pocket guns, and everyone I talk to, read on the web, they use this oil maker for cleaning, this maker for lubing, this maker for this and that. I see you like Mobil. Whats best for cleaning? Lubing? And other? Im an idiot, so please me exact.. thanks..
Bob,
Taking care of a gun isn't as complicated as many would make it seem. If you're going to be moving to Arizona, rust will not be anywhere as much as a concern as in the Midwest and areas like Chicago that have a high relative humidity. A good motor oil like Mobil 1 will suffice for most all of your gun lubrication and rust preventing needs. For cleaning, a good solvent like Hoppe's #9 cuts through carbon and fouling. If you have a copper fouling problem Bore Tech Eliminator Removes copper fouling easier and faster than any product I've ever used. It even has rust inhibitors in it. It is available from Midway.
Any good automotive grease will perform well where you need something that will adhere to metal with a little more authority that oil. Most all of the ones I have listed perform very well. One tube will last you for years. Good luck, and I'm sure you will enjoy the freedom of gun ownership a lot more here in Arizona. Illinois has become quite the gun owners enemy in recent years.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?