Fluid Film

[CraigP]

I've been told not to use WD40 as a lube agent when cleaning my .22, but
wondered if Fluid Film is acceptable.

[Bill DeShivs]

I don't know about Liquid Film, but WD 40 is fine if used properly. There are better lubricants and rust protectants. Someone will post shortly that WD 40 is bad, rusts metal, gunks up, or makes your testes shrivel up. They are simply wrong.
Why not use a product specifically marketed for guns, like Hoppe's #9 solvent?

[Scorch]

WD 40 is fine if used properly.

"Properly" in the case of WD-40 means not on guns. Not that it's bad, or rusts your guns, etc, it just doesn't stick around very long. It is mainly volatiles, and they will evaporate if left in open air and your gun wil have very little rust protection on it. Plus, since it dissolves water (WD means water displacer) it is in turn dissolved by water, so your guns will rust if exposed to moisture. If you want to use a spray lube, BreakFree comes in a non-aerosol spray bottle. Or Hoppes Elite Gold, or RemOil, or . . .

[Tom2]

OK I am stupid, what is "fluid film"? WD 40 is something that you use in a jam. It won't hurt anything. But like they said, there are products that will protect a gun better. If you were out in the boonies and it was all you had, it would be feasable to use but even though it is just a .22, why not do it a little better and the gun should last a real long time. Like longer than the owner if cared for properly.

[fourdogs]

Someone will post shortly that WD 40 is bad, rusts metal, gunks up, or makes your testes shrivel up. They are simply wrong.

WD40 isn't bad.....but not as harmless as most believe. Let's see if I can remember correctly. WD 40 was invented in the 50's to degrease nuclear warhead parts. Over the years it was marketed as a light lubricant, and it quickly caught on.

WD40 will degrease your firearm. It will put down a very thin layer of temporary protection, but not the right kind IMO.

What's worse than putting WD40 on a firearm ? Putting it on a bicycle chain.

[Harry Bonar]

Sir;
Not to be short but just get some Hoppes gun oil - it still works.
I have my own mix that works great but it must be mixed on the first day of a full moon while a calf bawls for its mother.
Harry B.

[fourdogs]

I have my own mix that works great but it must be mixed on the first day of a full moon while a calf bawls for its mother.

Harry.....you're one sick puppy

[Slopemeno]

IIRC WD-40 was used to wipe down missiles, and if memory serves it was Convair during the Atlas program. It originally kerosene and a volatile propellant, and recently changed to kerosene and C02 propellant.

It's not the best lube, but it'll serve in a pinch. Being kerosene, it's a little hydroscopic, so it'll attract *some* moisture. I've said it before, but I've used it before a pistol match when I couldn't find the Breakfree, and the world didn't break.

[wncchester]

"I've been told not to use WD40 as a lube agent"

I often get amused at the hype and slander over WD-40. Actually, it's great for what it's made for, just as other oils have special purposes so does it. Use it "right" and you won't go wrong, including on guns. Use it "wrong' and you may well regret it.

WD-40 is primarily a "water displaceing" oil. It's a modest lube and rust protector because it has a low film strength AND it drys fairly quickly to leave a gummy film. That's a lousy thing to oil sensitive trigger units with!

It is great to spray WD onto an gun that has been rained on, it will float the water up so it can be wiped off and any residual water can evaorate without danger of rust IF we follow up with dissembly and a good cleaning after the hunt.

"Gun" oils are NOT made. we are far too small a market for that. There is nothing magic in the expensive oils mixed and relabeled for gun use. Our oils are mixed from a variety of common oils. In fact, some popular gun oils have some of the same faults as WD-40! WD is is not kerosene but that's a component in it, just as it is in some other gun oils, so?

I stopped buying gun oils maybe thirty years ago, only use Automatic Transmission Fluid now. It's really good stuff for our purposes. ATF is cheap, has good film strength and leaves virtually NO residue when it finally dries. And ALL liquids, including gun oils, do evaprorate eventually.

[smiljko]

He,he , I went to Salzburg hunting fair last year, and saw something that really shocked me. The guy at Sauer stand literally drowned rifles in WD40. He had a huge canister and sprayed every single rifle with it until it was dripping-stock and all . I know it won't hurt metal,but to drown maybe 30-40 very fine and expensive stocks with that stuff is just :barf:

[zippy13]

We've had Fluid Film around the house for several years. My wife mail ordered 2 cans from a magazine ad. When sprayed, it foams up and runs, and stinks. I use it on garden tools and as a penetrating agent for rusty bolts -- it's nasty but does the job. It never occurred to me to use the stuff on firearms, yuck, I think I'll pass.

[VaFisher]

You had plenty of answers on WD40 and fluid film.
Now if you want the best for cleaning and lubing your fine gun's try EEZOX Best going at the moment and dry to touch afterward. It performed best on the saltwater test, better then any of the leading brands on the market. It comes in bulk, small and or spray. PM sent.

[hockeysew]

Want to clean up a real mess? Just clean a shotgun that the owner has only used WD-40 for over 20 years on. Dries up almost into a plastic goo.


Tetra products.
Oil for rotating assembley and the grease for shear/sliding loads.
End of your lubrication issues.

[Bill DeShivs]

See? I told you!

[Slopemeno]

I took a while, but you were right....

[10-96]

Believe it or not, the best rust barrier I've found is down at Wal-Mart in the "I can't poop section" Plain old Mineral Oil- if it's good enough for my poop pipes- then it ought to be good enough for my firearms. For cleaning, it's Kroil or Breakfree when I don't have any Kroil.