A good alternative for gun oil in a SHTF time

Hey ATS I was talking to a friend of my one day, and we were talking about good brands of gun oil, I ALWAYS used Hoppes or Prolix (very good stuff BTW), and He said "All I use is 90w (Weight) synthetic GEAR oil."

I was a little put off at first until I tried it, clean and well lubricates my rifle, ALSO protects. You can buy it at ANY car store AND its not expensive and it LAST, a quart can last near six to eight months with regular shooting. So I just wanted to pass this nugget of info to you guys at ATS and ask if you guys know of any other oils that would be found and used in a SHTF type of world.

Hope this helped

Originally posted by merkej23

Hey ATS I was talking to a friend of my one day, and we were talking about good brands of gun oil, I ALWAYS used Hoppes or Prolix (very good stuff BTW), and He said "All I use is 90w (Weight) synthetic GEAR oil."

I was a little put off at first until I tried it, clean and well lubricates my rifle, ALSO protects. You can buy it at ANY car store AND its not expensive and it LAST, a quart can last near six to eight months with regular shooting. So I just wanted to pass this nugget of info to you guys at ATS and ask if you guys know of any other oils that would be found and used in a SHTF type of world.

Hope this helped

I have read this on blogs, here is my problem...
Synthetic tends to penetrate, I remember huge puddles on my Dads driveway after he started using the stuff.
Anything that might penetrate, I'm keeping far far away from my primers.
But either way I have gallons of break free and that has served me well for 3 decades.
If it ain't broke, yada yada.

reply to post by g146541


I know gun oil is best my friend, I was only telling people of a good scrounge item in a SHTF type of world. I always use gun oil, but I tried this on my .22's bolt and semi, to see if it would work, like I said it works, But I still love Hoppes and Prolix

In SHTF
Pig fat, bacon grease........lard !
However the yummy smell especially after firing can reveal your position

Some out there use automatic transmission fluid as a cleaner as lube, and speak highly of it even now while the fan remains mostly excrement-free. With that said, nothing beats a good CLP designed for firearms.

reply to post by merkej23


The key there is "synthetic."

Regular oils would probably gum up after awhile and you would need some astringent to remove the buildup. The synthetic oils won't do that. I wouldn't personally use 90w though. Gun oils are usually very thin. I'm thinking a 5w20 synthetic would be closer to gun oil. I don't know though, just speculating.

For automobiles, the school of thought used to be if you have top end engine noise, use a 50w racing, or add STP to get more oil protection in the engine. I can tell you that is exactly opposite of new thought and personal experience. If you have a car tapping or making top end noise, switch to a light weight synthetic and the noise will likely subside within a few days of driving. The light synthetic cleans out all the ports and valleys that became gummed up, and you start pumping more oil to the top of the engine. Synthetic oils really are all they are cracked up to be, and even more!

Originally posted by Sek82
Some out there use automatic transmission fluid as a cleaner as lube, and speak highly of it even now while the fan remains mostly excrement-free. With that said, nothing beats a good CLP designed for firearms.

ATF has "friction modifiers." It does work great as a cleaner, but not as a lube. It will cause excessive wear very quickly. Use it to clean, but make sure to get it all out of there and add a real lubricant afterwards.

reply to post by g146541
I'm on mobile so can't really link at the moment but if you search for it, someone out there tsested the oil-on-primer theory/myth, and you might find they aren't as vulnerable as you may think. A valid concern, though.

reply to post by getreadyalready
Perhaps. After some time reading around on firearms forums in the past, I found there are people that swear by both ATF fluid and motor oil... I find it hard to believe any kind of oil could cause excessive wear (compared to a dry firearm) or is abrasive in it's nature, otherwise it would be defeating the whole purpose as a lubricant.

Another thing I read is that the detergents in motor oil/ATF can help keep carbon deposits suspended in lube during firing, preventing buildup.

As far as the friction modifiers in ATF, they are designed to decrease friction in oil, not increase it though at first I thought otherwise. Less friction is better in regards to wear, right? As much as I may think I know, I learn something new every day.

Anyhoo... If it were me I'd be hesitant to use them if I had a choice, but if it came down to it and no proper firearm lube is available, I would use either-or.

Personally, I always carry a #5 carpenters pencil. The graphite pencil is an excellent lubricant and has the advantage of not freezing in the winter. Just use the pencil liberally across the moving parts and behold it is well lubricated. As an ex-soldier in northern Canada I never left the barracks without my trusty pencil (Specialy in the winter). As a bonus it also served me well as a writting instrument. Go figure.


PS: Also, you can get pencils anywhere they don't draw attention when you buy them and they are lighter to carry and a whole lot cheaper than gun oil.

I tried some prolong engine treatment (like Slick 50) because it is supposed to prevent engine wear.

I applied with a Q-tip and man could you tell a difference in friction. The slide on my Sig P226 was noticeably smoother.

You can also use dry graphite. I had to use it in Montana when Elk hunting in -60 weather because my rifles were freezing up. The oil would freeze and the bolt wouldn't open. Also the dry Graphite does not attract / hold dust like the liquid lubricates do.

Not sure what type of firearms we're talking about here,but your average hunting rifle requires very little in the way of lubrication. I believe people tend to overlubricate, resulting in gumming up actions and collecting dust and dirt.

For pistols or semi-auto's,a little more lube is required but I've found a dab of synthetic grease works better than most oils. It tends to stay where you put it instead of running all over.Also,a tube of top quality automotive sythetic grease will cost under $10 and last for years,so a very economical option.

One product that I am very fond of is G96.It is an aerosol product that both cleans and protects.It is safe on wood and plastic,and it forms a bond with metal that is very durable.Also,it smells great! It does very well in cold weather,which is a consideration here in northern Canada.I've hunted intemps down to -35C and had no freezing or sticking concerns.It also works well on stainless steel fireams,which reqire more lube due to galling issue's. I have about a dozen firearms,and one full size can of G96 will last me for years.

There is a couple newer products on the market, in particular one called Dyna Bore-Coat. It is a permanent,ceramic based finish that greatly reduces bore fouling as well as corrosion. They also have a product for coating the exterior metal of the gun. It's been out for some years now and by all accounts it works as advertised.Something to consider of long term protection is something your worried about.

In a truly bad situation you will use whatever you can get your hands on. Over the years, I've used a few drops from the engine dipstick to keep things moving on a variety of machines. So, be creative or hope that your shooting an AK 47. In that case just lube it with some sand

Originally posted by Neocrusader
In SHTF
Pig fat, bacon grease........lard !
However the yummy smell especially after firing can reveal your position

I second that motion. Deer fat would also work well even though it is a leaner animal. Or sheep or anything else. Most of the AKs we confiscated were lubed with animal fat. I actually lube my AK with pork fat from time to time if I am going to do a lot of shooting.

reply to post by getreadyalready

I wouldn't personally use 90w though. Gun oils are usually very thin.

Yeah I got all confused squinty faced thinking about using something that heavy. I'm just going to round up teenagers and rub my guns on their faces.

Originally posted by Domo1
reply to post by getreadyalready

 

I wouldn't personally use 90w though. Gun oils are usually very thin.

Yeah I got all confused squinty faced thinking about using something that heavy. I'm just going to round up teenagers and rub my guns on their faces.

90W is great for machine guns that get really hot but I think it might pick up too much gunk in other situations.

ATF is 90% mineral oil, other 10% is additive package,its good for cleaning, and as a cutting fluid when drilling and tapping holes,100 years ago and longer folks used olive oil to clean and lube their guns, some muzzle loader folks still use it.DO NOT USE WD-40 AS A LUBE OR RUST PREVENTER!!!!!!!!!!!! it is neather, you could ,in dire staights use it as a cleaner, but there is too much risk as it might penetrate and deactivate primer.any "lube" or such that advertises itself as a "penetrating" liquid should be avoided,that why they make gun oil ,so it wont kill primers.Brake cleaner will leave your gun squeaky clean, if you need it tottaly devoid of old or unknown lube,Carbarator cleaner will leave a thin film of lube so it lubes the throttle shafts and such,dont know ofhand what knid of lube it is.my can that i am looking at says it has acetone, tolulene ,and methanol.FYI the best rust penetrator is a homemade 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone, works just as good as Kroil and way cheaper.

reply to post by merkej23


They are training dogs to sniff out gun oil and find your stash, however finely ground glass in gun oil and then brushed around base boards is a quick deterant as the dogs nose will bleed and he will never go looking for gun oil again.

reply to post by dreamstalker


But the poor dog I can't do that to ANY pooch.

But I think you misunderstood the post, its to find OTHER household items that can double as gun oil in case there is no more ANYWHERE total social crash, no walmart or gun shops to be had. Any ideas? NON harmful to dogs

reply to post by merkej23


I love dogs too, however it is a minor irritation.but will stop the canine units in their tracks as the dogs will not ever go near the smell of gun oil again.