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Old March 24, 2013, 02:56 PM   #26
KMAX
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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.
How can duct tape be wrong?
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Old March 24, 2013, 03:17 PM   #27
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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.
You know when you mentioned this about locks i was told by a locksmith to use it liberally in an older model gm that wouldn't move. Surely enough i doused it inside and the key turned and never failed again. He said that we often deposit the buildup from our dirty keys in the tumbler every time we start the car and the WD-40 breaks the gunk down and walla!
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Old March 24, 2013, 03:52 PM   #28
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I'm not going to go into the pro,s and con,s of WD-40. But I will address the subject of lubricants drying out,turning to varnish and gumming up mechanisms. This happens to all petroleum products, even fuels. But for this gumming up to happen, on its own takes a fair amount of time. Add dust and dirt, foreign material, and powder residue it speeds up the process but it will still be well over a year or two.
I then ask the question as to "'how often do you clean your guns? Not just the barrel or a wipe down. How often do you strip the gun down and really clean it?
Its a pro-active preventive maintenance schedule, instead of a re-active maintenance necessity because its gummed up. If you feel that your life depends on the reliable functioning of this gun, then you would be wise to set up a periodic maintenance schedule on it before it has time to gum up.
You change oil on your cars for the same reasons, only difference is the car has a drain plug, although sounds like a couple guns probably need one. I've never seen a gun with so much oil that the cartridges were ruined. " there"s your sign", not enough attention given to the gun.
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Old March 24, 2013, 07:12 PM   #29
CurlyQ.Howard
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Decades ago I had used WD-40 on my Remington 870 and all seemed fine. Then I went hunting in zero degree weather, and my 870 was frozen up. After than experience I have never again used WD-40 for any gun related purpose.
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Old March 24, 2013, 08:30 PM   #30
Bill DeShivs
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Thanks, Dan! I get tired of telling people about WD 40. I have used it for 40 years in the gun. knife, engraving, jewelry, music, and steam & refrigeration businesses.
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Old March 24, 2013, 09:41 PM   #31
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I love WD-40. My grandpa would spray it on his feet and ankles periodically to loosen them up. He swore it worked! That aside, it will do well to clean metal up, but it is not a rust inhibitor and will do nothing to prevent corrosion. Many a garage engine builder has discovered that the WD-40 he sprayed and wiped his cylinder bores down with to keep them clean did preserve them as he though ti would when he returned some time later and found rust scaling up. WD-40 is a very SHORT TERM solution. It displaces water, and guess what, that water very likely ends up somewhere else on the firearm.
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Old March 24, 2013, 10:00 PM   #32
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that water very likely ends up somewhere else on the firearm.
Understood. I did my best to blow out the water (with the WD 40) from the mechanisms I couldn't get into to wipe dry. My objective was to displace the water to a location I could reach with a rag.

Next I soaked all the mechanisms/moving parts with Rem Oil. I let it sit and run out. I wiped it down again.

Then I soaked all moving parts with Hoppes #9 Lubricating oil. I let that soak for 8 hours or so, wiped it down, and reassembled the gun. I'll store it in that condition until my next range trip. Then I'll wipe the gun dry before I shoot it with the exception of the bolt.
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Old March 24, 2013, 10:25 PM   #33
Bill DeShivs
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Certainly WD 40 will prevent corrosion!
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Old March 25, 2013, 09:09 AM   #34
Walt Sherrill
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After reading Dan's posts and all the links, I'm no longer a disbeliever in WD-40. I may not use it much on my guns, as I have other stuff I think works better -- and I don't use a LOT of anything, a small bottle of various CLP-like products can last a long time -- but I'll be less concerned about warning people away from WD-40.
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Old March 25, 2013, 09:17 AM   #35
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I always spray down my Savage 110 with WD40 after being out in the rain or snow with it after wiping it down with a towel. WD40 is a very good water disbursing agent.

Lubricating it is a different matter entirely - there are better things out there than WD40. However, a quick spray of WD40 in an AR to keep it running between magazines isn't going to hurt anything either.
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