Recently I have been hearing a lot of people using synthetic motor oil as lubricant with good results. Are there any negatives to using motor oil? Also, does it matter what type of oil is used? As of now I clean my NiB-x bolt with Ballistol and lubricate with CLP.

Pro:  it's cheap.

Cons:

1.  Not really a very good gun lube.
2.  Poor resistance to oxidation.
3.  Poor corrosion protection.
4.  Generally toxic.

But, it is cheap and a lot of people use it.

I have found it to be a great lube...shrug...

I don't use automotive lubricants simply because there are other better, easily available gun lubricants out there; and, you don't have to be a rocket scientist (or an automotive engineer) in order to recognize that auto lubricants are NOT made to come into either frequent or regular contact with human skin.  

(Guess this is, 'Why' I always wear Nitrile gloves whenever I clean my guns; and I prefer to use cleaners like FrogLube and Ballistol.  I handle firearms far too much, and far too often to fool around with any chemicals that might be even mildly toxic.)

Thanks for the info. I suppose I will probably stick to traditional firearm lubricants.

"Great" is relative:  lubricants designed for firearms are (even) greater.

Why not spend the money on something made specifically for guns?? CLP runs like 8 bucks and froglube is like 12 bucks it doesnt take a lot of either on a gun just my .02

When I got my first gun I used CLP then started using Mobil One synthetic. The difference I've found is CLP costs you $5 for 60ml and motor oil costs you $5 for 946ml

Fuck guys motor oil is bad for you?  I guess I need to stop dipping my fingers in my quart of mobile one when applying lube to guns.

I will start wearing gloves.  Fuck fuck fuck!!!

I would say if froglube, CLP, etc., etc. offer no proven advantage (is there?) over synthetic motor oil then why pay 10x as much?

Mobile 1 .

ANY oil is infinitely better than NO oil.
.

Say it again.....  ANY OIL.


 OIL.


 just like your automobile.


 Engines need oil, every bit as necessary as  your need for oxygen.

.

Rifle  needs oil  as well.

Rifle does not care  what brand  oil you feed it.

I know of no downside to use of synthetic motor oils for lubrication of AR15 rifles and plenty of positives.

1.  Direct inpingement gas systems run very dirty and have much higher levels of carbon than piston type semi-auto systems or encountered in bolt guns.

2.  The type of carbon and the manner in which it is deposited is very similar to what happens inside direct injection engines, especially those with turbochargers.

3.  The operating environment of turbocharged direct injection engines, both gasoline and diesel, is very hostile, involving temperatures that approach 1500 degrees at the oil passageway surrounding the bearings in the turbo.  The center shaft being protected by that oil spins at over 100,000 rpm.

4.  Those engines run extremely low air to fuel ratios.  That means the combustion process is super rich.  The oil is much more prone to fuel dilution, and the residue that is left behind is very thick, dark and baked on carbon, if it is not picked up in the oil.

5.  There are detergent additives in this type of motor oil that are especially designed to keep carbon deposits from sticking, or make it harder for them to do so.

6.  The oil has to last a long time under these operating conditions, at least 3,500 to 5,000 miles.  The number of combustion and exhaust cycles in such an engine in one minute of operation is probably more than an AR15 will endure in its entire useful life.

7. The viscosity of the oils, typically 5w-30 or 5w40, is ideal to cling to the parts in our rifles without running off or becoming sticky.

8.  These oils seem to prevent or greatly reduce the tendency of nickel-boron BCGs  to stain, if you elect to run one.

9..  Even the highest grade synthetics, like Mobile 1 or my favorite (a turbodiesel variation), Shell Rotella T-6, are only about $6 per quart.  While that may be expensive for motor oil, it is very cheap compared to the various snake oils offered for our rifles, that may cost that much or more per ounce.


For these reasons, I think that these synthetic motor oils (not dino oil), especially the diesel formulations, are extremely effective at protecting our rifles.

I come from an automotive engine remanufacturing and machine shop background.  I am dumbfounded at the suggestion above that synthetic motor oils so formulated are prone to oxydation or do not provide corrosion protection on steel or aluminum materials used in our rifles.  We don't see these issues in engines, not on the cylinder walls, not on the pistions or other lubricated parts, not on bearing surfaces.  And I don't see it rifles.  Nor do I find any support for the notion that synthetic oils, including the additives, are toxic or hazardous.  I have the MSDS for T-6, and can discuss it at length, if anyone wants to read it and ask questions.  Google and download it.  Read it first to save us some time.  I'l give you one hint:  The toxicity is low even for human ingestion.  I'm not suggesting that anyone swallow it, but it won't hurt you if you do.

I do use Breakfree CLP or some clean up purposes (not lube), but frankly, prefer simple mineral spirits for that.

There are a lot of companies making a killing on selling gun specific snake oil at outrageous prices and profit.  None of these are better than high grade synthetic motor oil for lubrication purposes in an AR rifle, and most are decidedly worse.  Any that perform at close to the same level are probably almost entirely synthetic oil similar composition and viscosity as Mobil 1 or Rotella T-6.

I refuse to buy into the hype of those high priced gun oils.

I use Fireclean and it works like magic. A $15 bottle lasts a long time, so I've never felt the need to use anything else.

Mobile 1 synthetic oil, mixed with synthetic ATF until it turns red. That formula will exceed just about anything for everything.

It is recommended by quite a few high end rifle builders and lots of professional shooters.

Look up Ed's Red for instance. This is just a newer version of that where Ed's used standard oils and one other component.

If you use a REAL PAO synthetic oil, it is hard to beat.  I use German Castrol 0w30 on my guns

Engine oils have to work with much higher temps and also have additive packages to resist corrosion from condensate - ie water - along with a lot of gas residue from the rings as they are not a 100% seal.

So, yes, they do have a lot of oxidation protection, do resist corrosion, and what petroleum product isn't toxic to some degree?

A gun oil? Most slather it on to store it - not use it.

There are tests out there showing which one does what over a year long exposure to rain, snow, etc and gun oils are not all that. One of the better ones overall was Dexron transmission fluid. If you are shooting an AR, it's been shown even a feminine anti itch product works - as credited by a carbine class instructor who now pushes his own special gun oil

At $40 a quart, there's a lot of money out there and as they say, there's a buyer born every minute.

http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=3&f=7&t=502758

There are plenty of tests on the internet, the reality is that there are fanboys who never question the ad copy, and then, there are the informed few.

Go do your own test, it won't be hard to see and it's not an expensive one to do. Salt water is a good accelerator and exactly what coastal shooters and maritime LEOs deal with on a daily basis. Frankly, buying any gun with untreated steel parts means it's going to rust, the effort is in slowing it down.

When you can quote me the chemical dissimilarities and how they apply, I will start believing these incredibly expensive "boutique" gun oils work better than any synthetic motor oil.  I am NOT a chemical engineer, but I have seen molecular comparisons to some gun oils with motor oil.  They are not that different.  And any synthetic motor oil will work wonderful on your weapons, unless you have something UBER special that is not your run of the mill fire arm.  Multiple thousands of rounds down range in a Texas climate over the years have confirmed this.  If you live in a special climate, arctic or something else, you may need some variance, like an ultra thin synthetic.  If you live in a salt air area, there are better protectants, but then again are you leaving your weapons unprotected and out?  But as far as lubricant, it works incredibly well.  

 

You're probably better off if you stick with motor oils of the older specifications.  What are we on now, SJ or something?

It may not make a damn bit of difference, but newer oils are thinner and built for all-roller engines, for the most part.  Old engines in some instances are getting torn up by the new oils without adding modifiers.  Since guns are more like a non-roller engine, if you have some older-spec stuff, it might give a slight advantage.  Or stuff high in moly or whatever.

In the end, though, it's probably not going to make enough difference to matter.  Newer oils probably have better detergents, due to longer drains, which is also a benefit.

ETA: I don't think motor oils have the corrosion protection in them that some gun oils offer.  They do have additives that will resist moisture and oxidation, but that's mostly to protect the function of the oil (AFAIK) instead of the engine itself.  Engines that a short-tripped a lot tend to have a lot of condensation in them.

My experience is that this is not correct, and the major reason why I usually advise against using auto oil by choice.

Every time I've tried it, on every firearm, I found it to be very runny and sling off badly.  Which if you think about it, is exactly how it's supposed to work in an auto engine... it's supposed to NOT stick, it's supposed to flow under all conditions, to keep flowing, to return to the oil pan and get pumped back out again.  By contrast to such a sealed/closed system, a firearm is open and lubricant that flows away doesn't do any good, and ends up somewhere it doesn't belong (like on your face and shooting glasses).

All of this ^^^^

Like using CLP in my car.

I currently have 0w-20? mobil 1.  I have not found it slinging off.  I recently went to a 2 day class (4-6hrs per), was not fast paced, but we did fire about 500 or so rounds over the 2 days.  It rained the 2nd day.  I had cleaned and lubed my bolt prior to the first day.  I did not clean or lube until the end of 2nd day after class.  I had zero of any kind of issues.  Was it the equipment?  Was it the lube? Was it the environment?  A combination of all in my opinion, but my point is my bolt stayed well lubed on day 2 all day.  It was not an intense class but none the less I had zero issues of any kind with my rifle.  Mobil 1 or just about any quality synthetic works fairly well.  I have used samples of a couple others(expensive gun lubes) in the past.  None stood out any better that what I am using.  

 




What I have not tested is one lube on a week in afghanistan, with near constant use.  How many of us in this thread need that?  I suspect mobil 1 would fair about as well as the others.  






 

I've never had an issue with Mobil 1 and it works well with all of my ARs.

FPNI

I jumped on the Mobil 1 wagon a few years ago.  Motor oil makes a mess in the long run if you don't like to clean your gun very often.  

I maybe clean my AR a couple times a year which is usually a few thousand rounds.  I like SLip 2000 EWL because it stays wet and doesn't turn into an oxidized, sticky, sludgy mess like motor oil does.  It also has no odor and doesn't stain clothing.

If I was gonna use something super cheap, it would be ATF.  Much better for a gun lube than motor oil, synthetic or not.

A FEW YEARS BACK I ATTENDED A S&W  ARMORERS COURSE FOR PISTOLS AND AR15'S.  THE INSTRUCTOR HAD RECOMMENDED USING A SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL FOR LUBRICANT; INDIRECTLY IMPLYING THAT "GUN" LUBRICANTS WERE OVERPRICED AN OVER RATED.  I'VE BEEN USING SYNTHETIC MOBILE OIL EVER SINCE ON ALL MY FIREARMS WITH NO NOTICABLE DIFFERENCE, EXCEPT IN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT ON GUN OIL.

I have seen a couple of these type photos.  And they are a decent representation of all things being equal.  But there are other factors.  What was the steel used, what were samples exposed to?  How long was the test between applications?  One of the tests like this I saw, showed WD-40 to be the best rust inhibitor out there.  I am sure not going to use it as lube in my AR though.  So while these tests do tell a story, they are not an end all as to what lube you should use in your AR.  I do enjoy looking at them and reading how they were performed.  

 

And like a previous poster, the instructor in one of my armorer's classes said straight up, but in private because he had a business relationship with one of the more expensive "gun" lubes, synthetic motor oil works about as good as anything for most people.  

Oh for F---s sake...... Seriously doing this again.

Here is my .02 if you want to spend the money on "GUN" oil then do it.  I will spend my $6 for a quart of mobil 1 and use it for a few years than buy another when I run out.  It has worked great for the many years I have used it and I will most likely never change because "GUN" oils is a gimmick.  Lube is lube and I have used peanut oil before to lube my rifle and it worked great.

So what vicosity do you all use on your guns then and is this only on ar's or you pistols too? I haven't found anything quite like froglube yet

Tag

Txl

Using motor oil (or anything similar) as a gun lube is a really bad idea if you're in a dusty or sandy environment--the dust/dirt will stick to it like a magnet, as will powder residue and carbon fouling. There's any number of moly or Teflon lubricants that create a dry, non-stick film when applied, and which do not attract dirt or fouling.

A 50/50 mix of Smooth-Kote moly lube and DuPont ChainSaver teflon lube applied with an artist paintbrush is an exceptional dry film lubricant. Cleanup mostly consists of wiping parts with a dry cloth. The only exception is inside the BCG on DI guns. After wiping the fouling off, touch up the coating as needed. You only need enough to turn the metal gray; a very thin coating is fine.

Ed's Red Bore Cleaner

1 part Dexron II, IIe or III ATF, GM Spec. D-20265 or later.

1 part Kerosene - deodorized, K1

1 part Aliphatic Mineral Spirits, Fed. Spec. TT-T-2981F, CAS
#64741-49-9, or may substitute "Stoddard Solvent", CAS #8052-41-3, or
equivalent, (aka "Varsol")

1 part Acetone, CAS #67-64-1.

(Optional up to 1 lb. of Lanolin, Anhydrous, USP per gallon, OK to
substitute Lanolin, Modified, Topical Lubricant, from the drug store)

                 MIXING INSTRUCTIONS FOR "ER" BORE CLEANER:

Mix outdoors, in good ventilation. Use a clean 1 gallon metal,
chemical-resistant, heavy gage PET or PVC plastic container. NFPA
approved plastic gasoline storage containers are also OK. Do NOT use
HDPE, which is permeable, because the acetone will eventually evaporate.
The acetone in ER will also attack HDPE, causing the container to
collapse, making a heck of a mess!

Add the ATF first. Use the empty container to measure the other
components, so that it is thoroughly rinsed. If you incorporate the
lanolin into the mixture, melt this carefully in a double boiler, taking
precautions against fire. Pour the melted lanolin it into a larger
container, rinsing the lanolin container with the bore cleaner mix, and
stirring until it is all dissolved.

I recommend diverting a small quantity, up to 4 ozs. per quart of the
50-50 ATF/kerosene mix for optional use as an "ER-compatible" gun oil.
This can be done without impairing the effectiveness of the remaining
mix.




If you don't want to use it as a cleaner, like me , since I use a separate cleaner, and am looking for lube and corrosion protection, just use the oil and the ATF fluid. I use Mobil 1 15/50, and Synthetic Dextron / Mercron.

+1 for Mobil 1....never any issues

I've used both motor oil and spit as lube before.
Just never on "firearms" before.







 

Be careful with that stuff! You might shoot someone who has a peanut allergy, and lord knows how that one would hold up in court!!

Meh, I've been using a 60/40 mix of Mobil 1 Synthetic 15w-50/Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF for a little over a year now.  Bought a quart of each, mixed it up, and with what I have on hand now, I probably won't have to purchase lube again for another 20 years.  

Switched to it after I had some Frog Lube, that apparently was improperly applied, gunk up my FCG and a bunch of other shit after that particular rifle sat in the safe for around 6 months.

I've had zero problems so far with lubricity, corrosion, or anything else.  Seems to work for me.

I apply Mobil one from one of those small trace squirt bottles for shampoo from Walmart with a q tip to all the rails on my semi auto handguns everything else gets clp and I only use what's left in the last quart during an oil change no extra money spent.

I've used mobile 1 quite a bit. One of my favorite lubes

Rotella T 10w40. Shit is great.

$17 for a gallon at slave mart, and it will last me several years.

It doesn't "run" (slip2k drips far worse), it doesn't attract sand like a magnet (I live in the desert and slip 2k/hoppes etc don't attract sand either), and the gun had never run so smoothly.

It suspends carbon, so come cleaning time, I can literally wipe the bolt with a paper towel, blast with trichloralethylene And a light brushing, and I'm done.

Oh, and it's in my truck all the time any way so I don't have to have a special bottle.

It's the way to go guys. You're wasting your money on firearm oils. You're wasting your mental bandwidth trying to fight the fact that auto oils are just as good if not in many cases preferable. Especially Rotella or other diesel Oils.

And dear Christ---who is worried about getting oil on their hands? Have you ever changed the oil in your vehicle?

Motor oil is 100% designed to be a solvent to carry away these particles you are concerned about.  Dry lubes have their own set of issues.  If it gets you by go for it.  Not a single issue with the thousands, I would say 10s of thousands of rounds I have down range using mobil 1.  Are there better lubes, there may be, but how much better/cost ratio.  If your lube works for you great.  But there is nothing remotely bad idea about using mobil 1 in most of the applications were are talking about here.  You have read too much misinformation.  

 

Your home brew may work, but you need to realize the wear ramifications of using a MOLY base lube up against aluminum parts.  MOLY is extremely abrasive your aluminum upper.  It is great as a compression grease between steel and aluminum.  It is terrible on aluminum when the objects articulate.  But if it works for you continue to use, I will not tell you that you are wrong.  But I will warn others about using Molybdenum based lubes on articulating aluminum parts.  

CL fucking P.

Motor oil is fine in my opinion, just not the best option.

Been using CLP for a good long while, its never let me down as a cleaner or lubricant, and ive never found even a speck of rust on exposed ferrous parts on any of my guns.

CL fucking P.

(Just not froglube CLP, that shit sucks ass)

CLP works and is easy to reapply.  But there is the problem, you gotta reapply.  CLP does not have the same lubricity as synthetic oil.  But it does work pretty good and it is easy to reapply by spraying.  Not in any way saying it doesn't work.   Is CLP a better option cause you can just spray more in?  Maybe.  Is motor oil a better option because you just don't have to reapply nearly as often, maybe.  CLP is definitely proven as a pretty good lube.  Cost efficiency is pretty good.  You can get more bang for your buck with with a bottle of generic synthetic motor oil.  It does seem to be harder to reapply...should you need to.  

 

And I agree Frog lube is not for me.  

Here is a response I posted on the Maintenance & Cleaning Forum awhile back....


The problem (and reality) is how much money do you think that is spent on GUN OIL research? Think about, I seriously doubt it is even .0001% of what is spent on Motor Oil research.

Exxon-Mobil spends MILLIONS on oil research and testing.

Joe Bob's miracle gun oil probably has all of $10.00 spent on research.

EDIT - Exxon-Mobil spent 10,799,000,000 on Research & Development between 2001-2013

Over 10 BILLION DOLLARS!

Considering how hot internal combustion engines get, the effect of raw fuel diluting the oil, and the production of carbon in engines I think it makes for a good gun oil.

And I wouldn't say no to that necessarily.  But CLP is a compromise of 3 different things that all work pretty well.  I would not use motor oil as a final cleaning solvent.  But it works extremely well for long periods of time as a lubricant on your BCG.  No doubt you would pick up some detergent properties with the inclusion of ATF.  To each their own.  Some people have no problem buying the most expensive gun oil available, some people stick with tried and true CLP, I have seen and belive Mobil 1 works very very well for long periods of time(lots of rounds) with reapplication.  It is most definitely not a cure all.  It is pretty good stuff.  



 


EDIT:  In a 4 hour class tomorrow that requires us to have 500 rounds (taking 900).  I'll report back on my mobil 1 and cleanup on my phosphate bcg. (Will be the same as all the other times)


 

The vast majority of gun oils are nothing but synthetic oil with additives that differ a small amount from company to company. That's all they are. The base oil is the same, and most needed additives are already there anyway. They will add something of a corrosion resistance additive, and perhaps a couple of things, but other than that, it's mostly the same thing.

Adding synthetic Dextron / Mercron until the blend is red gives you about 99.99% of what any gun oil gives you in corrosion protection, plus generally a slicker lube that lasts longer.

Hard to see in this photo, but it's clear in person. 500 rounds since cleaning, and carried for 3 months, on a 1911. Gun has a few thousand on it. There is still Mobile on it. Where it isn't thick, there is a film.

I will say I've switched to using Wilson Combat grease for the barrel / bushing area since. I think it does a better job in that area. Everywhere else, it's Mobile 1 / ATF.

Are people really bitching about the price of gun oil?  

Load of shit, motor oil designed to:

1 lubricate,
2 trap and carry oxidation away and deposit into the oil filter,
3 prevent corrosion.
4 not anymore toxic then breakfree clp or hops.

No!  Is that what you extrapolated from this discussion?

 

Same deal. Quaker State Ultimate Durability Full Synthetic.
So toxic I'm down to three fingers on my left hand.