Best solvent / lubricant for CCW guns

[RomanDad]

Originally Posted by gr8fatman

I use an insulin syringe to lightly apply CLP oil.

Thats a great idea.... I find that even a full DROP from the bottle is too much in some places (like trigger/connectors) and then I end up wiping most of it off....

[scr83jp]

Originally Posted by gr8fatman

I use an insulin syringe to lightly apply CLP oil.

My GS used scant amounts of Sperm Whale Oil to internally lube the handguns,rifles & shotguns he repaired and or serviced.A viet vet remembered using DriSlide on his M16 but wasn't able to locate any for his own use.I did some searches and located a source in Chandler, Arizona at UniqueTek.com - Products for Shooting, Reloading and Competitive Marksmen .I bought a bottle for myself and a friend we both used it to lube reloading presses .

[WKC]

Originally Posted by gr8fatman

I use an insulin syringe to lightly apply CLP oil.

I use these for oiling. $7 at Brownells for a set of three.
NEEDLE OILER BOTTLES at Brownells

[NikNak]

Originally Posted by sealbeach

This is just plain CRAZY TALK!!!!

Hoppe's #9 solvent/cleaner, Hoppe's #9 gun oil for handguns, plastilube for rifles which require grease or LubriPlate #130-A , now that was easy!


LUBRIPLATE 130-A MIL. SPEC. GREASE at Brownells

Scott Duff Publications & Historic Martial Arms: M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, M1903, Krag, M1911A1 (check the accoutrements section for plastilube)

Yeah, but what does Scott Duff know??? ... :-) Just kidding.

A little #9 behind the ears, once on the wrists and the real girls come runnin'

[NikNak]

Originally Posted by WKC

I use these for oiling. $7 at Brownells for a set of three.
NEEDLE OILER BOTTLES at Brownells

These work great, as do the dentist curved plastic syringes or toothpicks for grease when a little dab'l do 'ya.

[gr8fatman]

Originally Posted by Tom98915

What? no one likes Hoppes No. 9 cologne for men?

My wife loves it! She knows that when I grab it, I'm going out to the shed to clean my guns. She says it keeps me out of her hair, and out of trouble. OMG, I'm getting flashbacks of my mother.

[Quietpi]

Hoppe's #9 to clean bore and everything else. Breakfree CLP for oil on surfaces and rotating parts. Lubriplate SFL #1 grease on sliding surfaces.

SFL #1 is a food-grade, white grease. Great for CCW, because if it gets on your clothes it doesn't mess anything up. It has never gotten on my clothes -- it does not migrate.

Interesting note on the whale oil, one of the finest lubricants ever: Automatic transmission fluid is almost the same stuff. An article on gun lubricants (I can't find it right now online) rated ATF as the best gun oil.

I'm told that the civilian Breakfree doesn't have as much teflon as the stuff I used in the military. A friend applies Slick-50 to his guns as a teflon treatment -- doesn't use it as the regular lubricant, just to give the metal a teflon treatment. Not enough experience to really evaluate it, but all his firearms sure do work smoothly.

[Justaguy]

Originally Posted by Quietpi

An article on gun lubricants (I can't find it right now online) rated ATF as the best gun oil.

Here it is: Grant Cunningham - custom revolvers for sport and defense

[spc]

Love it. I have heard this before about ATF. I like the aluminum grease. Thanks Justaguy.

spc

[Quietpi]

Yup, that's it.

What he said about the SFL #0 & #1 are true. The #1 does seem a bit stiffer than what I'm accustomed to using on firearms, but it works great just the same. A single tube cost about $5.00, and is virtually a lifetime supply. I found it at a bearing supply house. It used to be King Bearings. I forget what their new name is. It was in stock.

[NikNak]

Originally Posted by Quietpi

What he said about the SFL #0 & #1 are true. The #1 does seem a bit stiffer than what I'm accustomed to using on firearms, but it works great just the same. A single tube cost about $5.00, and is virtually a lifetime supply. I found it at a bearing supply house. It used to be King Bearings. I forget what their new name is. It was in stock.

Applied Industrial Technologies - AIT Is the company that bought King Bearings. www.applied.com

FYI - #1 & #0 are grades of "tackyness and viscocity" that are industry standards ... known as the NLGI standards that rate grease from runny to very thick(waxy substance) ... NLGI grade 00, Grade 0, Grade 1, 2 or 3

Each grease has a "base material compound" .... There are aluminum complex, Lithium Complex, Parafinic, Synthetic, Semi-Synthetic and Petroleum based lubricants(greases & oils). The base compound does nothing for lubrication of metal, it is the additives in the grease or oil that provide the barrier material for metal protection and anti corrosion. The base compound is just the carrier agent for the true lubricants. There are many tests of greases & lubricants to see what metal protection they offer ... most notable is the "4 ball wear-scar test."

I have had some issues with NLGI grade 1 and 2 being too tacky on my 22lr & 45ACP slides. So in conclusion .... the grade of the grease actually tells nothing about it's lubrication, or metal protection characteristics, just how long it takes to be squeezed through a specific and equal orifice.

But in reality, most standard industrial lubricants offer more than enough protection for the needs of us in the consumer gun industry. I suggest you use something .... anything that keeps your gun functioning properly and doesn't get too dirty, or "carbon up" when fired a lot.

[X-ffdo]

I use Q tips.
I have heard of ATF before. Thought it was a "peoples" gun oil for a back woods field conditions type situation. Nice to know that it is actually good!

[NikNak]

Originally Posted by X-ffdo

I use Q tips.

I use Q tips too, but I hate the stringyness of the fibers when using grease, so I use toothpicks for grease, Q-tips for oil and the above mentioned "dentist" curved plastic syrenge.

[Quietpi]

Originally Posted by NikNak

Applied Industrial Technologies - AIT Is the company that bought King Bearings. Applied.com Industrial Supply, Industrial Bearings, Material Handling, Power Transmission, Fluid Power Products | Applied Industrial Technologies | Applied.com | Applied.com

FYI - #1 & #0 are grades of "tackyness and viscocity" that are industry standards ... known as the NLGI standards that rate grease from runny to very thick(waxy substance) ... NLGI grade 00, Grade 0, Grade 1, 2 or 3

Each grease has a "base material compound" .... There are aluminum complex, Lithium Complex, Parafinic, Synthetic, Semi-Synthetic and Petroleum based lubricants(greases & oils). The base compound does nothing for lubrication of metal, it is the additives in the grease or oil that provide the barrier material for metal protection and anti corrosion. The base compound is just the carrier agent for the true lubricants. There are many tests of greases & lubricants to see what metal protection they offer ... most notable is the "4 ball wear-scar test."

I have had some issues with NLGI grade 1 and 2 being too tacky on my 22lr & 45ACP slides. So in conclusion .... the grade of the grease actually tells nothing about it's lubrication, or metal protection characteristics, just how long it takes to be squeezed through a specific and equal orifice.

But in reality, most standard industrial lubricants offer more than enough protection for the needs of us in the consumer gun industry. I suggest you use something .... anything that keeps your gun functioning properly and doesn't get too dirty, or "carbon up" when fired a lot.

Correct on all, Nik Nak. When I got the stuff I debated re: the SFL #1 or SFO#0. The smallest quantity of SFL#0 was indeed a 35 lb bucket, which went for somewhere around $150. I went with #1, and am happy with it. Maybe some day I'll get some SFO#0, since the minor loss in effectiveness below 0° is hardly a factor, even though our dog is half husky. OTOH I have a lifetime supply of #1, even after supplying three or four other shooters. After all, just a little dab 'll do ya.

SFL #1 seems not to attract dirt & lint at all. To be fair, very little is exposed so that it could attract anything in the first place.

Re: carbon build-up -- given its white color, carbon would be easy to detect. I haven't noticed any. However, being an ex-armorer, I've never really given it a chance to collect any.

[OCRancher]

Originally Posted by G30 Steve

That went out with Disco and Old Spice.

WHAAAATTTT?!?!? I have to stop using Old Spicce now?!? What's Tony Stewart gonna say?

Back on topic. CLP most uses, but I have been also using M-Pro 7 stuff on heavy buildups. Tefliplate too for getting down into the fine workings of triggers, etc.