Can I use motor oil on my firearm

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Yup, I'm bringing up the "Can I use motor oil on my firearm?" question- but not in the context you think.

Actually its pretty simple and not strictly firearms related, just figured it would fit best here. I have an extra quart of M1 20w50 motorcycle oil which will never be used, so I filled a 10cc syringe with some to use as a general purpose precision oiler- works great and drop size is directly controlled by using different sized hypodermic needles!

Anyways I figure this leads to the question. Since this seems to work so well if I ever use up the quart of oil would the formulation of the motorcycle oil or regular engine oil work better? Figure the bike oil might have more corrosion inhibitors but maybe the higher end auto motor oil would contain more PAO base stock, I dunno...
 
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Originally Posted By: buck91
You didn't read my post.


Yes I did your using motorcycle oil. Your wondering if automotive motor oil will be better.

I simply said any oil is better then no oil as in use what you have before you use nothing at all.
 
I use RP Maxfilm and Remoil. I think I'd be afraid to use motor oil on a gun.
 
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some folks would say oil is oil, some would say don't be a cheap skate.

I would agree with you that you want corrosion or rust preventative for that high dollar of a weapon you have spent your hard earned money on. So I hope that helps.

In the end much like motor oil for your car, as long as you are keeping an eye on it and changing it on a timely basis you should get a long life out of it.
 
I've been known to use a little 10w Royal Purple synthetic on semi-autos, mostly ARs in higher round count shooting. That would be a SD dog town usually.
 
Originally Posted By: John_Conrad
some folks would say oil is oil, some would say don't be a cheap skate.

I would agree with you that you want corrosion or rust preventative for that high dollar of a weapon you have spent your hard earned money on. So I hope that helps.

In the end much like motor oil for your car, as long as you are keeping an eye on it and changing it on a timely basis you should get a long life out of it.


He says nowhere what make or model of gun he has, it might well be a Hi Point.

That said, I use a combo of ATF & Mobil 1, has worked well for me for years and years. Cost?? "0"
 
M1 20W50 V-Twin oil will do very well to lube a firearm ...For corrosion protection of the finish I like Corrosion-X or Eezox.
 
Originally Posted By: buck91
Yup, I'm bringing up the "Can I use motor oil on my firearm?" question- but not in the context you think.

Actually its pretty simple and not strictly firearms related, just figured it would fit best here. I have an extra quart of M1 20w50 motorcycle oil which will never be used, so I filled a 10cc syringe with some to use as a general purpose precision oiler- works great and drop size is directly controlled by using different sized hypodermic needles!

Anyways I figure this leads to the question. Since this seems to work so well if I ever use up the quart of oil would the formulation of the motorcycle oil or regular engine oil work better? Figure the bike oil might have more corrosion inhibitors but maybe the higher end auto motor oil would contain more PAO base stock, I dunno...


As far as I understand from reading here, the real difference between motorcycle oil and auto oil is the higher amount of zinc and phosphorous allowed in the bike oil. The base oils are identical, just the viscosity is adjusted.
For firearms cleaning I have gone from Ed's Red, to using Rand CLP, to Gunk Penetrating Oil. It is thin, has a wonderful EP lubricant, and doesn't stink up the joint as well as being pretty cheap. For slides, I use an NGLI 1 1/2 EP grease.
If you have a Hi-Point, you don't need much in the way of lube. The manual calls for cleaning only every thousand rounds. Guns aren't very demanding of oil so anything will probably work just fine. If you are going to store a gun for months or more, you should probably find a preservative for that task.
 
My benelli like to be run dry. I use Eezox on the metal to protect it and rub powdered moly on the sliding parts. Keeps it cycling a 0 degrees.

Motor oil is not designed for corrosion inhibiting of surfaces open to the atmosphere, rain, etc. Don't cheap out on a good product designed for the application.
 
I used mobil 1 5w 30 once on my ruger p-90. Worked fine but seemed to creep out onto all areas of the gun. It was difficult to clean off the grips.
 
I believe that oil has significant PAO in it's base stock. If I were to guess, the M1 20W-50 V-Twin oil will probably be a more robust gun oil than 5W-20 conventional M1. And, it will remain a viable lubricant longer than thinner and less robust alternatives.

I use 5W-40 M1 TDT on my firearms with great results. Better than any "gun oil" I've tried. My 1911's work best with it.
 
I don't care for the smell of motor oil, so I wouldn't use it for that reason alone.

Also, as someone else said, it would kinda creep out of the cracks, etc, and be hard to wipe off the grips.
 
Now, if AeroKroil would make a gun lube...I'd use it in a heartbeat. Love the smell of that stuff. Smells like I imagine the assembly shop of the Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 aircraft engine in Olde England back in the 1940s would smell!
 
Actually I use a home brew blend I am testing which consists of : M1 20W 50 V-Twin synthetic oil , Dexron VI ATF and a small amount of Lucas Air Tool Oil . The first thing to note is there is no detectable motor oil or ATF smell . The 2nd thing to note is wow - this mixture is very slippery and very little is needed on friction points . My only concern is lube creep but by using very little at key lube points should combat that situation fine .
 
The last time I used motor oil on a firearm was when a Browning two shot semi-auto had a failure to cycle due to lack of lube. A couple of drops from the car’s dip stick worked. As I recall the oil was a mixture of 10W30 & straight 30 wt filtered by a Fram orange can…never did like that old 10W40.
 
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