Frog Lube Question
- Thread starter stefofthenorth
- Start date
I actually use Militec-1 on all my guns, but that's because I got a bunch given to me. Honestly a good motor oil is all you need. This crap about "doing the treatment" is just that, crap. Doesn't anyone remember the Slick 50 fiasco years ago? Snake oil people. Just how much money do you think has been spent on actually determining the correct chemical compound for a lube for guns, compared to say, the amount of time and money spent on lubricants for engines and machinery? And do you really think the companies that make "gun" oil aren't just repackaging something used elsewhere? I'd trust an oil that was used to lubricate machines at my work long before I'd buy into the latest gun lube craze.
Using it on a regular base in 30-40 firearms with nothing else than good results is proof enough for me that it is a top shelve product... At one point why we put so much emphasys on that lube stuff, i find it funny, like we would argue which mayonnaise is better in a tomato sandwich, any good mayo wont ruin the sandwich... Just saying... JP.
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Not the super ultimate greatest perfect be-all end-all...but it's what I use because it's probably 95% as good as the ideal and it's cheap and readily available and a litre lasts me a couple of years and I still have half a litre.
If I ever buy something else it'll be air tool oil, which is probably about as good as it gets for oil. I think you could make a technical argument that a high-pressure grease is better but it's more effort to remove and replace it, and regular applications of oil are going to be fine for all but the most extreme conditions.
I'm curious to give fireclean a go just because the lubricity seems to be good and the solvency seems higher than anything I use - which is to say that the carbon doesn't accrue to the parts. So it might make cleaning a little easier. In exchange you probably give up a tiny bit of lubricity but as long as you're using half-decent stuff that's probably not a huge concern.
This is why people use it:
You have a guy here who says "it works great". What testing is being done? What instrumentation is being used to track the wear on the parts? None. The test is "does the gun still work, and can I physically see galled steel with my naked eye? No? Okay, must be great."
A gun that stops running is like a car that stops running. A gun that stops running between regular lubrication cycles because the lube is so utterly ####ed is like a car that doesn't make it between oil changes because the engine is completely gummed up with crud.
If that's your standard for lube, that is such an outrageously low expectation that you might as well run a 50/50 mix of diesel fuel and ATF in your cars instead of oil. You could probably make it 5000 kilometers before the engine would stall out instead of run, and you might not be able to physically see any damage. And if you don't drive much - say just a few hours a week, and you own a bunch of different cars - you'll never know that your decision to use diesel and ATF is stupid, because you hardly use the engine.
Rob is right: gun lube companies aren't making new lubes. They don't own refineries and so on. They're buying stuff, repackaging it, and selling it to gun people.
Froglube is an olefin paste wax. It's not like we don't know what the properties of olefin are; it's mediocre lube but I don't care if people want to use it because it's non-toxic and they don't shoot enough to really need anything better. That's totally fine. The only time I ever comment is if I notice people talking it up and recommending it, because people who recommend it as a superior lube don't have a clue what they're talking about. They're basically people who ran their cars gently on diesel and ATF, didn't notice anything going wrong, and concluded that diesel and ATF is super-oil.
I don't even really care if people do that...I only really comment if it looks like they might be convincing others to go do it, because I don't want a bunch of car owners with engines that go 80,000km, and have wear like they've gone 800,000.
In this thread, someone asked if it was a problem and I said probably not, because most people don't really shoot much. And that's about where I'll stop. If you don't use the guns hard, and you change it often, you probably aren't causing a serious problem. But again, just don't get it into your head that you know something about lube just because your car can make it to the end of an oil change without stalling every five minutes.
And finally, W_P is only being nice because he remembered about the pictures I have from Vegas. He is contractually obligated to say those things.
You're making mountains out of molehills. For the average guy who plinks occasionally at the range and cleans their guns religiously, using frog-lube, or any lube for that matter, is a non-issue. Most gun owners on here are recreational users that don't use their guns in extreme environments (ie dusty or cold), nor do they put added stress on their firearms through full-auto fire or dumping large amounts of ammo through them. Use whatever floats your boat. G96, FL, FC, wheel-bearing grease, Swiss automatenfett grease, motor oil, etc. Just use enough and use it properly. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.
Most?
That's what I just said.
I'm a recreational shooter, and yeah, like to clean my guns as much as I like to shoot them. I use froglube paste and liquid. Never had an issue and it really does make a difference on my stainless 686 in making it easier to remove the carbon (especially from the 38 spl rounds).
If I relied on my guns for my life, or if I'm going to be at the outdoor range a lot in winter, I would strip/clean/polish all of the moving parts and apply a cancer-filled petroleum product without question. Actually if I wasn't going to clean my gun regularly I would do the same. So for a lot of contact with the product, I prefer FL even over the fireclean (actually a lot more).
I know I'm repeating the last post, but it really is a matter of usage and application. For most shooters, FL is a great product. I don't think anyone would be able to convince me not to use it (and it is surprising how many debates like this come up in a google search). Peace fellow shooters!! Cheers
If I relied on my guns for my life, or if I'm going to be at the outdoor range a lot in winter, I would strip/clean/polish all of the moving parts and apply a cancer-filled petroleum product without question. Actually if I wasn't going to clean my gun regularly I would do the same. So for a lot of contact with the product, I prefer FL even over the fireclean (actually a lot more).
I know I'm repeating the last post, but it really is a matter of usage and application. For most shooters, FL is a great product. I don't think anyone would be able to convince me not to use it (and it is surprising how many debates like this come up in a google search). Peace fellow shooters!! Cheers
- Location
- Fort St John B.C.
i have a gallon of breakfree clp.... has never failed me. i have done courses where you run 500 rounds a day over multiple days with no issues, no cleaning.... just re lube at lunch ans end of day. frankly i never clean my guns unless they are for sale. over cleaning has broken more guns then under lubing.
I never bothered with the BS Militec thing about activating it with heat blah blah, I just put it on the wear surfaces of my guns and run em. For those that know me, I shoot ####loads, more than most of the people on this board added up, (and yes I have witnesses for that). Prior to using Militec I used whatever oil came with my guns, and if my little range bottle is empty I snag some off oil off another shooter. The key for me is running my guns wet, when I can. My Sako, my Colt, my Glock, my CZ's, my Beretta etc all are run wet, and yes I mean my Sako TRG22 (not the chamber obviously). That said my CZ was friggin dry as #### at the Nationals in Manitoba with all the dust and sand, and it still ran fine. Got back to the hotel, wiped it down, all the carbon came with the dirt and relubed it.
I use wheel bearing grease - high temp and (importantly, since I live on the wet coast) waterproof (designed for boat trailer wheel bearings it says on the label), and I clean it off with G96 - no issues, high round count minimal wear. Costs about six bucks for a tube that'll last years. Not edible, doesn't smell good, does work.
Clobbersauras
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Waaay out west.
^^ I only use G96 for cleaning and lubrication. I used to clean my guns religiously after every range session. That was until I REALLY started shooting, then cleaning became way less important. I know my AR can go 1000 rounds without cleaning using G96, and in dusty, cold, or wet. I know my Glock can do 2000 rounds without cleaning under the same conditions
Now I just clean them when they get stinky (you should smell my Beretta right now - it reeks) and start leaving too much grime on my clothes.
Now I just clean them when they get stinky (you should smell my Beretta right now - it reeks) and start leaving too much grime on my clothes.
