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Old March 23, 2013, 04:23 PM   #1
FoghornLeghorn
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My Ruger Mark 1 got wet.

My wife took her CCL class today. During the shooting portion it was pouring down rain and there was no cover. She had to leave the bolt locked open in the rain, leave the gun on the table, step back while others shot, etc.

All my stuff got soaked. Leather range bag. Zippered pistol case. And the gun.

I took the gun apart. I dried everything off, then soaked the bolt mechanism, trigger assembly, magazine, etc, with WD 40.

I let the WD 40 drain off, wiped it down again, and put it back together.

Is that sufficient to prevent rust?
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Old March 23, 2013, 04:38 PM   #2
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Clean, dry, lubricate -- you're good to go. Soak in WD-40 is probably over-kill, but it can't hurt. Hair dryer gets at the moisture, heater vents.

Bags and cases are going to soak up water. Depending what you have, you can toss them in a dryer. If it's not dryer friendly, spread open on a rack w/ good ventilation. I have forced air heat in the house and spread my wet garments (Harley rider) over chairs in front of the heat vents.

Rust happens when stuff gets wet and doesn't get dried out. Warm, dry place with decent ventilation does what needs to be done.
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Old March 23, 2013, 05:05 PM   #3
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Soaking parts in WD-40, believe it or not, is actually bad for the parts unless you take the time to re-lube the parts that need lube or rust protection.

WD-40 is a solvent and only BARELY functions as a lubricant because of the fact that it DOES dry up fairly quickly. Whatever oil/grease/lube you had on the part has now been dissolved by the WD-40 and has been washed away during the soak. This means that THOSE surfaces (which may not have actually gotten wet before because there was lubricant there) are NOW open to rust if there's any moisture at all in the air. Now you're going to have to make sure they're clean and have rust protection before you put it back together.

Rain and water aren't death blows to firearms so long as you are diligent about cleaning, drying and lubing the guns. My guns are exposed to inclement weather fairly often and my cleaning process is always the same. I don't take any extra steps - just the same steps - and I don't have rusty guns.
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Old March 23, 2013, 05:18 PM   #4
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Did your Wife fare well in cw class.
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Old March 23, 2013, 06:22 PM   #5
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I have to differ with the post of Mr. Hansam
WD-40 is not a solvent. The name itself WD stands for water displacement and in the inventors chain of events he achieved his goal on the 40th try, hence the name.
It primary purpose is to displace water and prevent corrosion. Although it,s composition is proprietary,and we don't know its composition, it does serve as a light lubricant, very similar to 3 in 1 oil
I believe there is enough lube remaining for an auto loading pistol action. I clean my auto loaders with WD-40, let dry and then use a teflon dri-lube spray on the action. On the outside I use birchwood casey Barricade products which also is a rust preventative.
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Old March 23, 2013, 07:07 PM   #6
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Quote:
Did your Wife fare well in cw class.
Yes she did. Other than her trying to explain to the boss hog that her Mark 1 does not automatically lock back after the last shot, it went without a hitch. She was the first one done on the written section and scored 100 percent, and her groups at 21 feet were very tight for a novice.

Thanx for asking.

And thanx for the answers everybody. Much appreciated.
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Old March 23, 2013, 07:36 PM   #7
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WD-40 over time will gum up and become more sticky than being a lubricant.

The WD-40 probably displaced the water, but it probably also displaced any oil in it as well.

If it were me, I would have taken an old school route and taken the grips off the gun, maybe field strip let it soak in kerosene for a little bit. This applies to metal parts, not plastic. I believe the Mark 1 is a metal frame, the only plastic is the grips iirc. This will displace all the water that got into it, as well as clean any nooks and crannies that don't normally get cleaned. After the soak, blow the parts off with compressed air. When the kerosene evaporates off it leaves a light coat of oil that will protect from rust. Would oil the volt anyway and put it back together.
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Old March 23, 2013, 08:00 PM   #8
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I'd oil every thing again with something other than WD40. Otherwise, I don't think you have to worry about rust.
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Old March 23, 2013, 08:23 PM   #9
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I think i remember reading an article on wd-40 used on guns, or a gunsmith one told me that the wd-40 is a solvent that can harm the primer on ammo so make sure you don't have any excess that can drip onto the ammo.

Don't get me wrong, that is not %100 for sure correct, but better safe than sorry.
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Old March 23, 2013, 08:58 PM   #10
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I think you did good, at least for the time being. I would have followed up on the WD 40 with a good oil, probably just lubing the appropriate areas, and wiping the gun down in oil. This is due to what others have said about WD40, which I have found to be true myself. I use Kroil, but many people love break free, and then there is also ballistol. I stopped using rem-oil, although it never did me wrong either.

A quick side story about WD 40.
My grandfather (paternal) and my dad apparently both believed in using WD 40 on their guns, for everything - rust protectant, lube, cleaning, etc. One day my Uncle (my dad's brother) asked my grandfather to borrow his 1953 K-22 (which I now have). After getting the ok, my uncle grabbed the K-22 and some ammo, and went up to the woods (they lived in the country). He placed his target, loaded up the gun, and CLICK! Nothing happened. No matter he thought, as you do get misfires with 22s. Trigger pull, and CLICK! again. Now that seemed strange. Then pull-pull-pull- click, click click. My uncle realized something was wrong, and brought the gun back. I don't remember what he sprayed inside the gun, perhaps a gun cleaning solvent such as hoppes, and sure enough, a ton of gunk and crap drained out of the revolver because they hung the gun upside down after spraying the insides with solvent, that my uncle said was the result of my grandfather constantly spraying the gun inside and out with WD-40 - which meant the gun then attracted more dirt and debris, and this gunk slowed the action enough to where the gun could not set off any rounds. After the gunk drained out, and the gun was properly lubed, with some type of oil, the gun worked fine, and it still works great today. I have WD40, but I would use it moreso as a protectant BEFORE taking my guns out in some kind of weather, if I even thought that much ahead. For everything else, I use Kroil (I use solvents for cleaning).
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Old March 23, 2013, 09:22 PM   #11
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Shoot the internals full of Breakfree CLP, let it sit for awhile, then blow out the excess with air. Use the Breakfree to clean the bore and barrel also.
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Old March 23, 2013, 09:47 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucas McCain
It primary purpose is to displace water and prevent corrosion. Although it,s composition is proprietary,and we don't know its composition, it does serve as a light lubricant, very similar to 3 in 1 oil
WD-40 is not a lubricant, and it is not at all similar to 3-In-1 oil. WD-40 is basically kerosene, with a bit of paraffin mixed in.

Want proof? Many years ago I had a new car rustproofed. The applicator gave me a tiny bottle of solvent to clean up when it dripped out of the door vent holes onto the rocker panels. I asked him what to use if that little bottle wasn't enough. He said, "Oh, bug and tar remover will work, but WD-40 is better. Takes it right off."

3-In1 oil is oil, not mineral spirits.
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Old March 23, 2013, 10:12 PM   #13
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As I understand it, WD-40 is primarily a mineral oil. WD-40, of course, is more than just mineral oil, but it is arguably NOT marketed as or intended to be a primary firearm lubricant -- and people who use it that way are using it to do something the company does not recommend or advertise.

Mineral oil is a byproduct when petroleum is distilled/refined to make gasoline. It is basically a residue, and has a waxy nature that is a paraffin. Wikipedia says, "some people may refer to mineral oil as melted wax, because the substance obtained when melting paraffin wax is basically the same as mineral oil." As WD-40 says in it's advertising: it's still there when you can't see it, and it fills cracks and crevices.

WD-40 was originally developed to be a very light lubricant and -- most importantly -- to prevent corrosion (on missile fuel tanks.) It does displace water, which is probably part of it's rust-resisting nature. If you go to the WD-40 site, you won't see any mention of firearms applications. You get the impression, reading their materials, that it's primary purpose in life is to prevent corrosion.

When used in a weapon as a lubricant, it can build up and become gummy or sticky, but that doesn't mean it WILL build up, etc. Some folks swear by it, others swear at it. It's great for squeaky hinges for car and house doors, and for a quick lube of lawnmower wheels.

Go to the WD-40 site and read. It's interesting: http://wd40.com/faqs/#a91
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Old March 23, 2013, 10:19 PM   #14
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WD40 is fine for cleaning up a wet firearm but after you spray it down good with the WD40 you should wipe it dry and then lube it with some good gun oil.
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Old March 23, 2013, 10:19 PM   #15
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I LOVE the conspiracy theories here on TFL against WD-40.

You guys who say it gums up the works need to go out and dance by the light of the moon in the crop circles a little more. LOL

Great stuff. Keep my Cessna 185 seaplane corrosion free for decades.
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Old March 23, 2013, 10:31 PM   #16
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Quote:
reat stuff. Keep my Cessna 185 seaplane corrosion free for decades.
I don't doubt its ability to inhibit rust, great stuff.

Does anyone here use wd-40 rather than oil or a dry lube?

I shoot a lot of rounds and buildup happens quick if you use the wrong lube you can cause problems. But if wd-40 works well I'm open to hear it.

And does it cause problems with the primers on ammo?

There are things you can get by with on a revolver or shotgun you can't on a semi-auto.
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Old March 23, 2013, 10:45 PM   #17
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There are two things in this world I abhor, WD-40 and duct tape. Both have their place, but both are more often than not, the wrong tool for the job.

But about WD40... It is not a lubricant!!!!! It acts more as a solvent/cleaner in most instances.

I have worked in the maintenance field for over 20 years and in that time, I have seen it misused and abused in about every way possible. I have seen it cause more problems than it solves. It does have its uses, one of which IS NOT LUBRICATION. Whatever you want to lubricate with it, don't. There are better options.

What it does do well is:

SHORT term rust protection (days)
Cleans up sticky messes
Bug and tar remover
Displacing water from pneumatic systems

I work in injection molding, the stuff is awesome for cleaning up the dye used in Liquid Silicon Molding.

Now, a gun related story.

Years ago I bought a Phoenix Arms HP22A from a co-worker.
He carried it in a leg holster and frequently lubed it with WD40 since it got lots of moisture.

When I got the gun, he included the mag full of CCI Stingers.
So when I go to fire the gun, first round sounded kind of puny.
I check, nothing in the barrel but you could tell the round was weak.
So I try again, same thing.
The WD40 had soaked into the rounds and they would still fire, but were so weak they were basically falling out of the barrel.
Put fresh rounds in and everything functioned fine...err, as well as could be expected considering the POS Phoenix Arms pistol...but that is another story.

Anyway, in the case of the OP's question, WD40 would serve well to displace the moisture from your Mark I. I would then wipe it clean or blow it all out with an air nozzle then use a good gun oil like Break Free.
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Old March 23, 2013, 10:52 PM   #18
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We hate WD-40 in the world of antique clocks and fine mechanisms. The stuff will also destroy your ultrasonic cleaning solution after one use. You can use naptha to rinse the WD-40 off components prior to placing them in you ultrasonic with your cleaning solution.

To each his or own, but I would not use it on one of my firearms.
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Old March 24, 2013, 12:07 AM   #19
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Quote:
I LOVE the conspiracy theories here on TFL against WD-40.

You guys who say it gums up the works need to go out and dance by the light of the moon in the crop circles a little more. LOL

Great stuff. Keep my Cessna 185 seaplane corrosion free for decades.
I never said it could easily happen, but it only makes sense given its scope of properties. Chiefly, it is used often as a lubricant, when other lubricants such as Kroil are way better choices. You see paranoia mixed with lack of facts, but for the price difference between WD40 and the price of a good oil, there is no point to say "hey guys, it really doesn't gum up the works" when its a cheap solution to begin with. As if to say that any of our guns are not worth buying a quality lubricant for, when its common sense. If you want to save 79 cents (IE the price difference between WD40 and a quality oil is insignificant) to protect your $500 gun, if that's your way of prioritizing, then have fun, and good luck - you will probably need some.
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Old March 24, 2013, 10:53 AM   #20
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WD-40 is fine to clean with. Excellent to displace water (that's what its for), and WILL work as a light lubricant, temporarily. For longer term use, Oil is better.

One thing you should NOT DO is use WD-40, or any other "penetrating" solvent or oil on ammunition. Do not lube the gun with a loaded mag in place, or rounds in the cylinder. DO NOT use so much that it may creep into those places after you are done. IT will get into the ammo, and possibly render it inert.
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Old March 24, 2013, 12:26 PM   #21
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I know that some have had problems with WD-40 penetrating primers and .22 ammo, but suspect the problem may have had more to do with poorly made ammo than with WD-40 itself. (In other words, the same rounds immersed in water may have performed in a similar manner.)

I've actually TRIED to disable some rounds with WD-40, immersing the ammo in enough WD-40 to cover the round in a small aluminum cup -- and left it there for a week or two. In that case, which was some old 9mm rounds and some .22, it had no effect. (That's not to say it won't affect other rounds.) I should have tried penetrating oil, too, but didn't think of that possibility until I was typing this response.

I suspect WD-40 CAN be harmful to ammo -- but it may have more to do with ammo quality control (and a round's inability to keep moisture out) than with WD-40, itself.

I suspect, but have no proof, that a passing, modest exposure to WD-40 will have little or no effect on most ammo. But I'll just keep WD-40 away from my guns and ammo, unless I have a compelling reason to do otherwise.
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Old March 24, 2013, 01:36 PM   #22
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OK this really just surprised me.....turns out WD-40 claims it is great for guns! http://wd40.com/news/in-the-news/wd-...or-gun-owners/ Never saw that coming, thanks Google....lol.
Now i am not necessarily on board with WD-40, but they are sticking their neck out, with all the people willing to sue anyone with money maybe there is something to their claim!
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Old March 24, 2013, 01:38 PM   #23
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Spray some Rem-Oil on it for goodness sake. Put a minimal amount of grease on the bolt.....MINIMAL - spread it with your finger. You're good to go after that. Grease what slides, oil the rest. Don't want to comment on WD-40, I think that's been taken care of. Maybe.
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Old March 24, 2013, 01:57 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wreck-n-Crew
..turns out WD-40 claims it is great for guns!
News for me, too, and I thought I had searched their website pretty thoroughly. Thanks for the link. I'll keep my eyes open more widely, in the future.

As you say, if they're willing to put their reputation on the line, they must feel pretty safe...
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Old March 24, 2013, 02:41 PM   #25
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I'll reprise a short article I put together some time back, re: WD-40... I don't expect to change many folks minds, but here's what I found on the issue:

I have an acquaintance--okay, it's a family member--who is, shall we say, hell on his guns. Over time, either his brother or I have had to spend time cleaning up and/or fixing guns that he has abused in one way or another, often just leaving them to sit around and rust... sometimes horribly... rust up in a crying shame sort of way I'm sayin'...

Recently I saw a can of WD-40 sitting in the window sill of this fellow's home, not six feet from an old shotgun that was leaning against a pie safe. The shotgun was bubbling out here and there with surface rust, and a good coating of dust had settled on it. The poor gun looked like it hadn't seen a drop of oil in years.

What if... what if... he had on occasion taken all of 10 seconds to grab the WD-40 and spray down the gun? And spray a 2 second blast down the bore? Good idea? The naysayers like to put down WD-40, which we can talk about in a moment, but in the case of the horribly abused guns I've seen in the aforementioned guy's custody, these would have drunken up WD-40 like drought stricken land drinking rain...

The truth is that the overwhelming majority of gun owners never purchase any sort of gun care products. Many of these folks never even think to clean their guns. If they'd at least use some of the household oils they have on hand, it would sure be better than nothing... Wesson oil is better than nothing I'd say.

I perused the 'net a bit for info--real info, not hearsay--regarding WD-40's usefulness on firearms.

"They" say it gums up, turns to varnish after a while supposedly. I found the following piece regarding that, which is an interesting read--> http://www.brunswicklocksmith.com/lo...cts-and-myths/

That link is from a locksmith who states emphatically that WD-40 does not gum up, whereas he says 3 in 1 oil does. He says he's used WD-40 on locks for over 30 years with no problems. And if it won't gum up lock tumblers, it's a real safe bet that it won't gum up gun lock-work, as is commonly alleged.

I'm thinkin' that some of these internet myths about cheaper, more easily obtainable oils (like WD-40) have been started by the makers of more esoteric gun oils, and parroted by folks who really haven't experienced problems with any of these common oils themselves--they just repeat what they've heard. The internet has a way of perpetuating lies...

Another thing commonly reported is that WD-40 will attract dirt and cause problems that way... but so does virtually EVERY petroleum based product out there--regardless of marketing claims. In fact, if you want to be sure you don't attract and hold dirt with your lubricant, silicone is the better option--but it doesn't lube well at all, and it's not a rust preventative. So the "attracting dirt" rap on WD-40 is undeserved, and also likely spun by the marketing department of some company that gets 15 dollars a 12 ounce can for their "wonder lube."

My uncle, a clock and watch repairman for most of his 93 years (before he died), kept about a dozen to 18 clocks running, hanging on his living room wall. I asked him what kind of lubricant he used on those clocks, and he told me WD-40--no kidding, common old WD-40. I told him that I had heard it would gum up and attract dirt, et al. He said he had never experienced that, and the running clocks didn't seem to be complaining... (by the way DO NOT oil your watch with WD-40... I know a guy who did that once and it didn't go so well for him). :mrgreen:

Okay... confessions...

I've used WD-40 for years. I've used it to clean my Glocks, as well as other handguns, and I never think twice about rubbing down the guns in my gun cabinet with it.

But it evaporates, they say... Yes it will, but so does any other oil you're likely to find useful for coating your firearms. Unless you want to smear cosmoline on your guns, you are going to have to resign yourself to routinely, once every two to four weeks or so, wiping down your guns again. It's just what any responsible gun owner will do.

I do use other oils and products to clean the bores with, of course. But I really don't think that WD-40 is as far from useful as many would have you believe.

Certainly the overwhelming majority of us just cannot bring ourselves to even think of putting WD-40 on our guns... and so, we don't. We pay the big bucks for for the go fast stuff, and that's fine--to each his own. Besides, putting WD-40 on your guns would just seem so... pedestrian... it would be almost as bad as going deer hunting with a (gasp)... a 30-06. And we can't be havin' any of that boring old relic stuff pollutin' up all our preconceived notions about what works and doesn't, now can we?

Additional links regarding WD-40, for any interested... you might be surprised to learn it's not as bad as "they" say...

The first link is a Brownell's test that will amaze a lot of folks...

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=1...-Preventatives

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu46.htm

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_37...tm.htm#3929984 (read Piper Chuck's posts)

http://www.wd40company.com/news/in-t...or-gun-owners/ (I know it's WD-40's own site, but there it is, FWIW)

The cases for and against using WD-40 seem to divide along the lines of those who have used it for years with no problems of any kind, and those who parrot marketing hype from the makers of the high dollar gun lubricants. Is it really that simple? It sure does seem to be...


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