A compilation of corrosion preventive tests...

[JohnKSa]

One of the most thought-provoking results I noted from looking at all these tests is that the results are, at least in some respects, surprisingly inconsistent.

While some products seem to do well at least fairly consistently in nearly all the tests, others seem to perform dramatically differently from one test to another.

No matter your favorite, you can probably find at least one test where it doesn't do well. That's part of why I put this post together. In my opinion, the best way to get a good feel for what works and what doesn't is to look for consistent trends across the tests, as opposed to picking a few tests and basing your conclusions only on them.

I've tried to give some brief summaries, but it's important to understand that the tests are not all conducted using the same techniques, nor do they all test the same products. So please don't assume that my summaries tell the whole story.

I don't want to take too much away from the links themselves by oversummarizing, but I know some people want to cut to the chase. For them, I will note that EEZOX, Corrosion X, Boeshield T9 and Breakfree CLP all seem to do well with pretty good consistency.

Before listing the tests, the final point I need to make is that these tests do not evaluate the lubrication properties of the products, in fact, not all of the products listed are even marketed as lubricants.

Tests are separated from each other by a line of asterisks like the one below.

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Indented text is quoted from the links.

Non-indented text is my commentary.


Test results begin below:
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This test checks for lubricating properties and corrosion preventive properties. An excellent test, well thought-out and one that tests a large number of products.

WD-40 Specialist came in first for best corrosion preventive with Hornady One Shot and Frog Lube taking 2nd and third. Unfortunately the overall results of the corrosion test weren't presented in such a way as to allow ranking all of the products. Only the top performers were called out along with a few comments about some of the others. Interestingly enough, Eezox did not perform well at all which is surprising given its performance in other tests referenced in this thread.

Hornady One Shot took top honors in the lubricating tests, with Frog Lube taking second and Rand CLP coming in third. BreakFree CLP came in 6th out of the nearly 50 products tested.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=546316

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This tester applied the products and then wiped them off to duplicate the way products would actually be used in practice.

He ranked Breakfree CLP as #1 with RemOil as #2.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537...tc-+%28Long%29

For "long term storage", obviously a thick layer of something (about anything, cosmoline, whatever) will protect well, but the trick here is for guns you really use & handle, you want protection without goop or a thick film.

I found that none of the "supposedly miracle rust proofers" like Sheath or Ballistol worked that well actually in a thin or "wiped off a bit" manner, (doing multiple water spray and salt water spray tests), but the top of the list of products that did perform well was Break-Free CLP (Clean Lube Protect) followed by Rem-Oil (again, when wiped down and not just left on thick).

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This tester only compared 3 products and ranked them in the following order, Breakfree CLP #1, Ballistol, Militec.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...stol-Breakfree

Overall Breakfree really came out as a far superior general protectant to ballistol and Militec, which was particularly dismal.

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The following link actually contains 3 separate tests. The first found Corrosion X and EEZOX best with Breakfree CLP in third place.

The second test, with a different mix of products found Breakfree CLP to be the best of that mix, which, by the way, also included a commonly recommended motor oil that fared very poorly.

The third test, a long term exposure test found EEZOX and Breakfree CLP to be the best in that order.
http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

Test 1: Use Eezox or Corrosion-X to coat your firearms. Eezox has the advantage that it goes on wet, but protects dry. Corrosion-X works nearly as well, is easy to apply, and is widely available. BreakFree works very well but starts to fade after repeated extreme exposure. However, we still like BreakFree because it penetrates into recesses better than almost anything else, and it is a very effective lubricant, not just a rust preventitive.

Test 2: In Test B all but the Break-Free developed a lot of rust. I really thought that Break-Free would be a marginal performer, and personally thought that strike hold and Slip 2000 would be the best, but I was wrong.

Test 3: Here is another photo of a test performed in 2004 by Jeff Johnson. As you can see, Eezox and BreakFree CLP performed the best, among the items tested.

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This test involved 13 products tested in two different ways.

The first test ranked the top finishers as Breakfree CLP, Breakfree LP, EEZOX and Sheath, in that order.

The second test (repeated exposure) listed EEZOX and Breakfree CLP as Best and Breakfree LP as Excellent.
http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

After noting my finding on the second test, I decided to see how long it would take to get Eezox and Break Free CLP treated metal to start to rust. I continued to mist the nails twice a day with the salt solution. Amazingly, after one full week, the Eezox nail was still bright and shiny, while the CLP started to show a mere trace of rust freckling. Clearly, Eezox was the winner of my tests, followed closely by CLP.

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This 33 product test found EEZOX best with Tri-Flow, PL-10 and Corrosion X as the next 3 in line in no particular order. Breakfree CLP was (by my eyeball--definitely a subjective analysis) in a 3 way tie for 7th place with FP10, Boeshield and Weaponshield Oil.
http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=103924&page=5

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This test found Shooters Choice Rust Prevent and Boeshield T9 tied for first place with nothing else finishing even close.

http://www.accuratereloading.com/rustest.html

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You'll have to evaluate this one yourself, there's no attempt made to rank the products or even to present the results in a way that lends itself to easily putting them in order. Boeshield T9, Cosmoline, RIG and WD-40 all performed well.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=1..._Preventatives

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This test is oriented towards black-powder use and tested some natural products, including beeswax. The top performers were EEZOX, Ballistol and a product called Lehigh Valley Lube (now apparently Shenandoah Valley Lube.)

The tester made the observation that corrosion preventers work best when the surface is carefully cleaned first.

http://www.ctmuzzleloaders.com/ctml_...orrosion2.html

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It's hard to evaluate this one due to the photography and limited commentary by the tester, but I included it anyway.

http://www.survivalistboards.com/sho...d.php?t=265015

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The main takeaway from this test is that if you plan to leave your guns outside for 2 weeks, the results won't be pretty regardless of the product you use for protection.

http://www.americanhunter.org/blogs/...entatives-work

Renaissance wax appears to be the winner with Break Free and Miltec tied for second place.

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And a video test for those getting bored with reading...

Interestingly enough, the motor oil did pretty well in this test, with Breakfree CLP the clear winner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwlLc...layer_embedded

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This test is interesting because it includes ATF as well as motor oil. The tester also tests some blended products he apparently made himself using ALOX as an ingredient. Those blends worked very well. The results are unusual in that EEZOX did not test well--surprising the tester. A product called Brownells Polar Active #2, did better than any of the other products--bested only by the ALOX blends.

http://www.bpcr.net/site_docs-result...sion_tests.htm