ATF for lube?

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Any good for a gun oil?

 

[Snake45]

Never used it myself, but I have read the posts of many people who have on this and other forums. To a man they've had good results with it and I can't recall reading anything negative. Some blend it with some other stuff to make a concoction called "Fred's Red" or something of the sort. I wouldn't hesitate to try it if the situation presented itself.

 

[TDF]

I alway's heard it called Ed's Red, but there may have been a Fred involved.

http://home.comcast.net/~dsmjd/tux/dsmj ... ds_red.htm

TDF

 

[Snake45]

I think you're right about it being Ed, not Fred. I did remember that it rhymed. :wink:

 

[Axehandle]

Got the "Red Oil" recipe from a NGMTU gunsmith and master class shooter a good 30 years ago... It explicitly called out type F transmission fluid... Seems like 20 Wt nondetergent motor oil, STP, and Hoppe's #9... It made a LOT! Still have a quart on the shelf...

 

[Yosemite Sam]

IMO, Ed's Red is more of a cleaner and solvent than a lube. If you follow the recipe it's got kerosene and acetone in it; Those are going to break up the lubrication properties of the ATF component. I do use the stuff, but as a cleaner, and it's a pretty good one.

I've read some articles that say ATF by itself is an excellent lube and protectant, and is thick enough not to flow off the surface. Better than straight motor oil, in any case. (Don't ask me why, I'm not a chemist, but it has to do with the strength of long chain molecules.)

Despite that, when I want to lube "on the cheap" I use Mobil-1 motor oil. 15w-50. It has no scent and is virtually inert; ATF stinks to high heaven. Since I sometimes clean my guns at the kitchen table I'd rather not my house smell like a transmission shop.

I've also found that Mobil-1 grease is quite good, and quite cheap compared to $7 for a 1-oz tube of most "gun lubes".

There are several well written papers out there on the subject. A couple written by industry people who point out that there is nothing special about "gun" lube, and that good lubricants are good lubricants. Some have properties that will aid long term storage or protection, but really there's not a lot of sense in spending huge amounts of money on boutique cleaning aids.

Then again I've got a cabinet full of cleaners and lubes that I've just "had to try"... My latest favorite is Ballistol.

-- Sam

ETA: And if you want the ultimate in silly, you can buy pre-made Ed's Red from Brownells. Yep, you too can buy a product whose whole point was to be a homebrew remedy... ($8/4oz retail. I think you can make 2 gallons of ER for $8...)

 

[revhigh]

I'll stick with Mobil 1 ... a PROVEN lubricant.

REV

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I have used ATF as an after-run oil in model airplane engines. It keeps then well lubed and they won't seize-up after years in storage. I imagine it would work the same for a gun, but I have not tried it. I will stick with Rem Oil in the spray can. I can get small amounts into small openings with the little spray tube.

...Jimbo

 

[AzRebel]

I've used all kinds of different lubes over the years.

Common type "gun lubes", ATF, motor oil, tube type grease, wheel bearing grease, tractor hydraulic fluid, and so forth.

The slickest is, IMO, tractor hydraulic fluid. It stinks worse'n ATF. My brother dropped a leatherman in accidently one day, and I'm not sure if he ever got it to stay closed right after that.

These days, for quality lube on my guns, I just use straight run ATF. Seems to do the job well enough so that my guns run smoothly, and that's all I need. I apply it with a Q-tip, and that seems to work pretty well.

Daryl

 

[don44]

A very interesting topic.

 

[Pal Val]

I keep one thing in mind when cleaning and lubricating my hunting guns - smell. Anything with a strong chemical odor will alert game of my presence way too early.

Also, some pretoleum-based products attack the fibers in wood. That's why I use oil sparingly, and store my rifles muzzle-down.

 

[AzRebel]

I keep one thing in mind when cleaning and lubricating my hunting guns - smell. Anything with a strong chemical odor will alert game of my presence way too early.

I used to worry a lot about scent. The trouble is, no matter how much I try to eliminate it, if a deer or coyote gets downwind, they still smell me and they're gone.

So I pay more attention to which way it's blowing, use it to my advantage, and don't worry about it too much.

I actually can't smell the ATF on my guns within a day or two after applying it. Seems to go away pretty fast.

Daryl

 

[CanonLyles]

The only 2 problems I could see coming from using ATF on guns are removing blue finish and staining polymer/synthethic frames and stocks. I'm doubting, especially since nobody mentioned it, that it takes the blue off. But, what about poly frames?

 

[WESHOOT2]

I have a hazy memory (fantasy?) of a Ruger revolver owners manual recommending Breakfree CLP.

 

[HAWKEYE#28]

Marvel Mystery Oil.............Works in gas and works in the crankcase. I have seen an engine run for hours, crankcase drained, no plug. Engine had been treated with MMO. I have used it for years.Cars and guns...........Of course, it is hard on skin. Most lubes are, regardless of what the print sez. If a lube will clean and permeate metal surfaces, it will screw with your epidermis and dermis, I guarantee it.........Buy some rubber gloves and stop letting this material soak into your body...............This is some of the best advise you will ever receive. 8)

 

[Yosemite Sam]

The only 2 problems I could see coming from using ATF on guns are removing blue finish and staining polymer/synthethic frames and stocks. I'm doubting, especially since nobody mentioned it, that it takes the blue off. But, what about poly frames?

Not a problem that I've experienced.

Now acetone and poly frames may not get along so well together, and not all gun polymers are the same. Be wary of using Ed's Red on a plastic gun.

-- Sam

 

[ra]

Seems that I read some where that Kroil had a lot of ingrediants in common with ATF, I don't know if this is true or not.

ra

 

[56-210]

Interesting read...


http://grantcunningham.com/lubricants101.html

 

[CraigC]

No. Why? Gun oil is cheap and plentiful and it was formulated for guns. With anything else there are far too many unknowns. I don't particularly want the red dyed ATF anywhere near any of my "white" grips, of which there are many.

Tests have shown that Mobile 1 provides very, very minimal protection against corrosion.

 

[WESHOOT2]

I've been pretty impressed with BreakFree CLP at -20F, or 92F.
I've been pretty impressed with Tetragun Grease under those conditions, too.

I can afford them :roll: