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Old September 29, 2012, 11:58 AM   #1
bbamericanb
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Whats the best gun lubricant/oil

In your opinion what is the best gun lubricant/oil for ARs.
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Old September 29, 2012, 12:19 PM   #2
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There are those that swear by certain brand lubricants/grease/oils and those like me that use what ever is handy and reasonably priced. I clean and lube liberally my AR's on a regular basis and have never had any sort of failure, glitch or unusual wear in all my years of shooting. Recently I have used
Mobil 1 since I have it on the shelf for my antique automobiles in the barn.
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Old September 29, 2012, 12:30 PM   #3
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You're going to get lots of, mostly subjective, responses with that question... anything from the ubiquitous Breakfree CLP, G96 CLP, and Ballistol and even Mobil 1... which a surprising number of people use.
If the idea of a product called Snake Oil appeals... there is one. "Snake Oil".

I use FP-10... mostly because I was given a near lifetime supply of the stuff a few years ago. It works fine, but I can't say objectively that it's "the best".

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Old September 29, 2012, 12:57 PM   #4
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Forget "best", pick a horse and ride it.

Automotive lubricants are excellent for guns, after all a car engines idle around 2,000 rpm and I don't know of any pistols that fire at that rate. Even better is ATF. Unfortunately oils migrate giving you a false sense of lubrication.

I've been using a very very thin coat of marine/white grease to minimize wear on the rails and outside of the barrel. Being white it doesn't make a mess or stain clothing. In theory the downside to using grease is that exploding particles will also stick to it. But in practical use I haven't seen any extra dirt. You can buy an 8oz tube at the local auto parts store for about $2
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Old September 29, 2012, 12:57 PM   #5
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Mobil One 10W-30. $$$ Millions of research dollars have been spend on automotive oils and as a class they are outstanding lubricants. Diesel lubricants even have more additives and I am going to try a bottle eventually. I am of the opinion that gun oils are repackaged industrial oils or plain mineral oil without additives. Not worth spending a premium for.

I also like LSA but after lubing with LSA and leaving a rifle in long term storage, the stuff migrated into the buffer tube and it was a mess to clean out. Proves the stuff lubricates.

The real bottom line is that rifles are not that severe of a lubrication envirnoment so anything that is light and works in a more severe application, like cars!, will provide all the lubrication an AR needs.

Just keep it wet.
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Old September 29, 2012, 01:41 PM   #6
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I used M-Pro 7 Gun Oil LPX. It is a synthetic oil with additives that protects against wear, humidity, and moisture, including salt water.

It's the humidity and moisture protection that got me to use it. No rust so far (he said hopefully).
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Old September 29, 2012, 02:25 PM   #7
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I use Slip 2000 because I like the smell
http://www.slip2000.com/
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Old September 29, 2012, 04:23 PM   #8
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I agree with the above posters that you can use just about any lubricant including synthetic motor oil; the main difference you'll see in terms of 'performance' is rust prevention. CLP and Eezox always perform well in corrosion tests while FP10, motor oil, and remoil tend to perform a little 'worse' (still much better than nothing! ).

The key with ARs is to keep them wet. Do a youtube check for "vagisil" and "AR" and you'll see a few that run fine with that as well
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Old September 29, 2012, 04:53 PM   #9
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"snot" works very well...equal parts clp, auto trans fluid, and 5w30 mobil 1 syn
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Old September 29, 2012, 06:45 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Slamfire:
Mobil One 10W-30. $$$ Millions of research dollars have been spend on automotive oils and as a class they are outstanding lubricants. Diesel lubricants even have more additives and I am going to try a bottle eventually. I am of the opinion that gun oils are repackaged industrial oils or plain mineral oil without additives. Not worth spending a premium for.
I agree, synthetic automotive oils are far more than adequate for the task. I've always wondered why those manufacturers don't jump in on the profit such products offer. Where else are you gonna find a market that'll buy the same product that they can take off of the automotive care shelf for 24-40 bucks per gallon for 150-450 bucks per gallon in those little "tacticool" bottles?
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Old September 29, 2012, 06:49 PM   #11
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Lots of choices will work just fine. I've been using Militec-1 for the last 4 or so years and like it a lot. I have a big bottle of it I got with a coupon, so at the rate I've been going through it I won't even be thinking about buying any kind of lubricant for another 4 or 5 years at least.

I use Ballistol to wipe the outsides of guns down before putting them away in the racks between uses, but not as a working lubricant.
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Old September 30, 2012, 07:21 PM   #12
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I like miltec, if you apply it right it lasts forever and it doesn't collect dust and carbon, makes cleaning a little easier.

Edit: forever being a thousand rounds or so. Sorry for the exaggeration
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Old October 3, 2012, 11:07 PM   #13
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Old October 3, 2012, 11:36 PM   #14
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I have used rem-oil for years as just a basic lubricant. I have some gunslick grease I use for certain things and I also use mobil-1 synthetic oil for oiling and lubricating purposes. I try and keep it simple and so far I havent had any issues. Everything works as advertised.
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Old October 4, 2012, 10:15 AM   #15
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I've been very pleased with FrogLube grease. It's very slick and stays where you put it.

For example, you can lube the BCG, rails etc. put your AR in the safe and it'll still be ready to go 2 months later. When I used CLP it would run off and the innards of my AR's would be dry.

http://www.froglube.com/roothome.htm

If Seals use it and Marcus Luttrell recommends it, that's a pretty good endorsement IMO.
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Old October 4, 2012, 11:46 AM   #16
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Lubriplate what slides, CLP what rotates.
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Old October 4, 2012, 12:38 PM   #17
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Bacon grease, hands down, is the best.

You have all the fun of shooting with that enticing bacon aroma!!

Just kidding.

My favorite is TW25 for the bolt group.
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Old October 4, 2012, 01:26 PM   #18
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Best grease...?

You might consider auto engine assembly grease. It is used when an engine is rebuilt to lubricate the bearings, valve guides, etc when the engine is reassembled and first started. As such, it MUST hold up to mechanical pressure during the critical seconds (minute?) before the engine oil system floods the bearing journals etal. with the engine oil.
And, it's relatively inexpensive.
Or, you could just use Shooter's Choice!
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Old October 4, 2012, 02:29 PM   #19
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I use Mobile 1 synthetic grease for the bolt, and any 10w30 in place of a CLP. I know other High Power shooters who do the same thing because it is cheaper and you don't get grease blown back in your face like you can with a "wet" BCG.

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Old October 4, 2012, 02:51 PM   #20
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Quote:
I've always wondered why those manufacturers don't jump in on the profit such products offer.
That's one of my big wonderments too. I went through both the Beretta and Sig Sauer LE Armorers courses with the actual factory reps. Neither one cared one way or the other which lube product was used, but both were quite vocal about using products designed and made for firearms and not products made for the automotive/marine industry. Neither one though very highly of any of the greases either.
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Old October 4, 2012, 03:43 PM   #21
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I seriously use Dexron vi on most of the heavy working components of my pistols and rifles. Such as on rails and trigger mechanisms. My thought process (from being a transmission tech) is synthetic trans oil takes heat and pressure that no gun will ever experience and doesn't break down easily, it's blended with detergents for cleaning out the dozens of little passages inside the valve body, and it's not hygroscopic like other lubricants... To me its a win situation. The issue... it really smells like complete crap when it gets hot.

My .02 take it or leave it.
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Old October 4, 2012, 05:59 PM   #22
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A good coat of CLP works fine in just about any environment, and prevents rust.

Live in a dry climate where the damp air won't rust your weapon?
TW-25 B!
It's a cream/grease graphite lubricant, so it won't drip no matter how hot it gets. Clean all of the CLP off your rifle with some Hoppe's 9 and put this on all the moving parts. I stole a whole box of it when i came home from iraq the first time. It is phenomenal lubricant. (cons: does not prevent rust on non working parts)
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Old October 4, 2012, 06:39 PM   #23
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Quote:
I stole a whole box of it when i came home from iraq the first time.
For the CID agents reading this: what he means is they were throwing it away to comply with an environmental inspection and he took some out of the dumpster after final formation
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Old October 5, 2012, 06:15 AM   #24
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The manuals for both of my ARs (RRA & DPMS) both recommend using CLP type lubes. They make no mention of any other type of lubes like oils grease etc. SO for this Break Free is my fav - and Rem oil
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Old October 5, 2012, 06:52 AM   #25
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Quote:
Bacon grease, hands down, is the best.

You have all the fun of shooting with that enticing bacon aroma!!

Bacon grease isn't quite as good as whale oil but it is much more available.
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