10W30 motor oil as gun lube?
- Thread starter Disco Bob
- Start date
It holds up surprisingly well while its circulating through an oil cooler, but when the owner forgets to allow the turbo and engine to idle down for a few minutes after use which in turn cokes the oil (Burns) and renders it properties useless.
Firearms don't have oil coolers.
If you run your gun hot enough to burn the oil right off there isn't a lube out there that can help...
You know what I saw being used pretty much exclusively during my many machine gun adventures in the US? WD-40... I think lube choice is less important than some seem to think. Just having some, of any kind, is usually good enough.
I remember a water pump running out of 10-30 oil and we needed it to run asap. We saw some used french fry oil in a container that a buddy was keeping to make bear bait.
It ran for a week with it no problem until we could get the proper oil. Never hurt the motor from what we found as it ran for years later.
It ran for a week with it no problem until we could get the proper oil. Never hurt the motor from what we found as it ran for years later.
You do like that cut and paste don't you?
I work oil rigs and drive semi... that's what I do. Drive for farmers and ranchers who are famous for not doing proper maintenance quite often.
The oils have gotten so much better since the 70's and 80's that the oil changes get pushed out about 4 or 5 fold from what they were.
The old gun oils are likely gone...replaced by improved one's.
The short version IMO is motor oil is totally up to the task.
Which is what we are squabbling about...correct?
As to whether or not it will work?
billbmcleod
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Back very close to Bruce County
I had an Enfield misfire on me years ago @-30 deg F. The second shot hit the primer hard enough and the moose went down. I don't know what lube was in the bolt/firing pin but it could have been applied in WW 1. The problem was the moisture mixed in with the lube. Cleaned and dried it and all was well. I am not sure what kind of oil was put on it but a lesson learned.
Full synthetic 0W-20 motor oil is overkill for the minimal lubrication requirements of most firearms, with excellent rust inhibiting properties, "creep-ability", and no tendency to oxidize and get gummy. A light touch with a lithium grease for those areas of dissimilar materials that would tend to gall such as slides on frames and your firearm will last longer than you do and be in better shape too.
infideleggwelder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
When things need to be lubed, they need to be lubed, the machine guns were not ours- Mulroney`s at the time. The flavour of lube does not really matter. The guns were at least 50 years old when i got trained on them. They had parts wear out, they broke, but thats what the gun-plumbers are for. The machining tolerances in those old guns was not tight, and pretty much everything was made of the same metal, not like the C6 or C9. And those tolerances on those arn`t that tight either. Never saw galling from normal use. Damage like galling meant something was broken or put together wrong, or something was in there that wasn`t supposed to be, like gravel.
Our job was to get rounds down range and a lot of them.
I will use atf or motor oil on semi-autos, clp if i have it, dry graphite when it`s really cold. That does not happen too often, don`t care for the cold so much. It does not really matter. Even 3-in-1. They get cleaned, lightly oiled and put away after use. Part of the ritual.
When I get out to the range with one of Justin’s guns, he makes sure we have CLP......
Our job was to get rounds down range and a lot of them.
I will use atf or motor oil on semi-autos, clp if i have it, dry graphite when it`s really cold. That does not happen too often, don`t care for the cold so much. It does not really matter. Even 3-in-1. They get cleaned, lightly oiled and put away after use. Part of the ritual.
When I get out to the range with one of Justin’s guns, he makes sure we have CLP......
I agree, but the worst thing is to much lube.
I use what I use, because I'm not limited to a couple of firearms and when I put some of them away, only getting back to them a few years later, I want that lube to still be functional, without having to do a complete strip on the firearm.
If you're using a firearm regularly, about the only areas that need lube are those that have heavy wear points, such a sear tips and bolt lugs. Just about everything else, runs better dry.
canadaman30
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Far from the City
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
Ive never understood the fascination with using motor oil for guns.
Are people really that cheap that a can of G96 is out of reach?
Are people really that cheap that a can of G96 is out of reach?
We ran Wright 9 cylinder radials on the Tracker Aircraft, and they had oil dilution systems built in for cold weather starting. Cylinders were about 200 cubic inches each, so a little bit of friction to overcome. The system pumped gas from the tank into the crank case.
Greasy ugly old pigs, the running joke was that you checked the fuel, and tanked off the engine oil after every flight, as much of it ended up slung everywhere.
Turbos get hot, and you can bugger them faster than usual, if you make it a habit to run the engine hard, and not let things cool down a bit before shutting down.
The 'Accepted' Turbo mantra is somewhat dated. I've seen Big diesel engines ( Detroit Diesel V12 series 2000 under full load 1100 HP beasts) running Mud Hogs stall out dead repeatedly... go down and start them up. Guys would light smokes off of the turbocharger... they are way better than the Old one's were. Same with the 'Trucker Dan' who thinks they have to idle a truck at 1200 RPM. The improved oil's and turbo technology have made that an Old timer Legend.
The same with Coking Motor oil... Old Timer stuff IMO.
Still seems a tad thrifty to put it on gun's.
I used to use it in my IPSC competing days.
A heavy training session involved 500-600 through my 2011.
Most gun lubes would cook off and dry halfway.
Since I had discovered Mobil-1 synthetic 5W30, a decent amount (as in not overlubed) would keep the gun wet for the entire session.
Was incredibly dirty afterwards.
But did the job quite well, shot a certain 2011 in the 70,000 round count and remained tight until the day I sold it doing this.
A heavy training session involved 500-600 through my 2011.
Most gun lubes would cook off and dry halfway.
Since I had discovered Mobil-1 synthetic 5W30, a decent amount (as in not overlubed) would keep the gun wet for the entire session.
Was incredibly dirty afterwards.
But did the job quite well, shot a certain 2011 in the 70,000 round count and remained tight until the day I sold it doing this.
