lube??

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boomer92266

Single-Sixer
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Jan 21, 2008
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i went to my local wal mart tonight to pick up a few things and ended up at automotive and sporting goods:), their rem oil was up to $7 a can. i went across and looked at oil and remembered about people liking mobile 1, i looked and most was$8 - $10 a quart, then i saw some on clearence, i hope this is ok cause i bought a quart of mobile 1 advanced full synthetic 15w50 for $3, the salesman said that weight didn't sell good. then i went by camping and found wd40 specialist silicone 11oz spray on sale for $2.50, was told 3 in 1 out sells it even tho its made by the same company. are these good lubes for not only my shotgun but also for my lcr handgun? thanks
 

contender

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The Mobile oil is supposed to be quite good for a lot of gun use. Just like normal brake cleaner is excellent as a gun cleaner vs. "gun scrubber."
 
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dickn52 said:
Brake cleaner usually has a lot of water in it.

Well that's interesting. My can of brake cleaner says it has: methanol, toluene, acetone, heptane and carbon dioxide. No water is listed in the contents. But what do I know, I'm not a chemist. I did though, in the past (a lot) and still do on occasion sleep at a Holiday Inn Express and have found brake cleaner is great for cleaning crud out of a gun (and I've degreased a lot of guns prior to refurbishing them). :D
 

cas6969

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There's a whole lot of theories on it and everyone has their own feelings. Mobil1 is a good lubricant at what it's designed for, being circulated via a pump through your engine. How it is for sitting in one place and staying there... I don't know. And yes I have used it as gun oil. Nor does anything say Rem Oil or any other is any better for staying in one spot. :D

Generally speaking though, I like oil as a rust preventative and grease as a lubricant. (Most of the time.)
 
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water can get into about anything that "sits around" .....condensation........many of the issues with ANY product is not the product itself, BUT the propellents used to get the product out of the can.........
use what works for YOU< and what you can afford to keep around....too many "gimmicks" out there.
 

woodsy

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cas said:
How it is for sitting in one place and staying there... I don't know.. :D

Generally speaking though, I like oil as a rust preventative and grease as a lubricant. (Most of the time.)
The strongest argument for the use of Mobil 1 in a car engine is that it clings to the metal, does not drain away, and is there for the very first revs of the engine upon starting. Also, it does not easily oxidize, unlike most petroleum-based oils. That said, I think the jury might be still out on whether Mobil 1 is good for guns. In the meantime, it's on all of my collection.
 
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cas said:
There's a whole lot of theories on it and everyone has their own feelings. Mobil1 is a good lubricant at what it's designed for, being circulated via a pump through your engine. How it is for sitting in one place and staying there... I don't know.
The Army used synthetic oil in their turbine engines in the helicopters (MIL-L-23699). It was MOBIL1. I happen to have a quart container of it that I kept in my roll-away and about a month ago I opened it and it is still the same color and consistency as when I put it in the container. . . over 24 years ago. That said I guess sitting in one spot dosen't harm it.
 

CabineHound

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woodsy said:
The strongest argument for the use of Mobil 1 in a car engine is that it clings to the metal, does not drain away, and is there for the very first revs of the engine upon starting. Also, it does not easily oxidize, unlike most petroleum-based oils.
All motor oils have a witches brew of chemicals that are necessary for use in internal combustion engines. (California has confirmed it a carcinogen :D.
For years, now I've used Mobil1 synthetic gear lube (Pure oil. No extra weird chemicals.) and I and my customers have been extremely happy. The viscosity (70w90) is misleading. It stays in place and has excellent lube properties. For heavier duties I use Valvoline gear lube 90w140. For 1911 rails, M1 and M1a bolt raceways, I use Mobil1 grease (The red stuff).
Great lubes, no dangerous extra chemicals.
 

clintsfolly

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outside lansing mi
Many years ago I worked at a LGS and we ordered a case of GunScubber. When I opened the case it was all marked with some auto parts chain name and was non clorinated brake cleaner. We sold GunSrubber for $5.95 and they sold brake cleaner for $2.29. Guess what I buy?
 

boomer92266

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Fox Mike said:
Kept in mind that WD-40 is NOT a lubricant, it is a solvent and rust dissolver.

i used regular wd-40 years ago when i first started owning guns, i no longer use it for that purpose. the stuff i bought was wd-40 silicone lube, its the same as 3 in 1 silicone lube. i have found it to be very good on my maverick 88 pump forend as its polymer and by spraying it down in there where it rides on the tube, i get a much smoother pump.
 

woodsy

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Fox Mike said:
Kept in mind that WD-40 is NOT a lubricant, it is a solvent and rust dissolver.
Quite true. Plus, the WD stands for "water displacement", particularly as it applied ('way back then) to conventional mechanical automotive distributors, which no longer appear on any modern engine. The stuff is nasty, and should disappear from the market.
 

protoolman

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MN and MT
clintsfolly said:
Many years ago I worked at a LGS and we ordered a case of GunScubber. When I opened the case it was all marked with some auto parts chain name and was non clorinated brake cleaner. We sold GunSrubber for $5.95 and they sold brake cleaner for $2.29. Guess what I buy?

Similar thing is Lucas automotive lubricants took one of their automotive products and put it in tiny bottles and labled it for use on guns and fishing reels. My auto parts store carries it. I'm betting sewing machine oil is similar too.
 

Rick Courtright

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Redlands CA USA
Hi,

We sold all kinds of gun oil/grease products in our shop years ago. I think they all shared two qualities:

a) All seem to be advertised that "This is absolutely the finest product ever concocted by man"; and

b) I strongly believe most all of them came out of the same barrel, where their mfrs' cost is about 50 cents per quart or pound, allowing a pretty good profit when sold at prices up to around $7/oz or so. I could be wrong.

Anyway, curiosity led me to try several over the years. Yawn. Today, a can of 3 in 1 oil, and a small container of Ponsness Warren STOS in one box, and a small container of Super Lube in another (couldn't find the P-W stuff in the junk on the bench one day) do a nice job for me, and have for a long time. Add that I know from experience plain ol' Vaseline from the medicine cabinet is a good rust preventive, and it wouldn't surprise me if it also does an acceptable job in a pinch where most of us find a "gun" grease is called for!

I kinda think the important thing is less WHAT you use, and more importantly THAT you use something. Your choice. That being said, let the oil and grease wars continue!

Rick C
 

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