Gun Lube Oil Tests

[Triple_Se7en]

Thanks! You didn't originally mention/include it and now I'm glad you did.

What's your favorite slide grease? I'm currently using Tetra and it appears to be a form of light synthetic white lithium. Again, no complaints using it.

On a spur-of-the-moment recommendation, I purchased a tube of synthetic Super Lube from Harbor Freight, to try next. In squeezing it's contents, it's definitely a bit thicker. Not sure I made a good purchase there.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Thanks! You didn't originally mention/include it and now I'm glad you did.

What's your favorite slide grease? I'm currently using Tetra and it appears to be a form of light synthetic white lithium. Again, no complaints using it.

On a spur-of-the-moment recommendation, I purchased a tube of synthetic Super Lube from Harbor Freight, to try next. In squeezing it's contents, it's definitely a bit thicker. Not sure I made a good purchase there.


For what slide?

-Les Baer recommends break-free CLP, last I bought a Baer.
-Wilson of course pimps their own stuff (Ultima)
-SIG has gone from soybean oil, to Militec-1, to TW25B, to Froglube, to...? I think it's Lucas, now?
-I personally view a slide as high-pressure/wear potential, and would use something like Enos' Slide Glide, if you want a "thick" grease, or Weaponshield, if you want a thinner grease.

I use SLIP 2000 EWL on all of my weapons, regardless, except for my P226 Elite ST, which I use Enos' or WS grease on.

G96 is better than break-free CLP, in my opinion, and anything is better than Rem Oil, but so far the best I've found is Fireclean and SLIP for the AR platform. Frank Proctor is really liking Lucas Extreme Gun Oil, and says his carbine actually ran longer/better with it than with Fireclean. I tried it and thought it was pretty good, but Fireclean made cleaning a bit easier than it did. Weaponshield CLP got gummy/"carbony" fast, and was about average when it came to wiping the weapon clean. Fireclean was amazing...until it gummed up. So, SLIP 2000 EWL it is, for my application.

The reason my M4 is lubed with LPX in the other thread with the 1500+ round-count pix is because that was the best I had at the time. I was on a trip to S. LA to train, and I stopped by my Dads house and checked out his M4 that I'd bought him a year ago. It had FIREClean on it, and it was literally glued shut. I got the FC off my rifle then and there, as well, and LPX was what I could find in the store locally. Currently running SLIP 2000 EWL though, as I said.

I compared the Weaponshield and SLIP, and the difference was profound. Interesting to me, when I would remove the BCG and take the cotter pin out, and up-end the BCG, I had to slam it on the countertop a few times to get the FP to drop free with weaponshield. WIth SLIP 2000 EWL, I just tip the BCG upside down, and the FP falls out under nothing but gravity. The difference in cleaning the weapon is equally noted. (This is with firing around 80-100 rounds suppressed).

 

[jrod102]

Folks, I literally tried them all. Have the pic's to prove it. I've found two products I'm sticking with. 1. Breakthrough cleaner, been shooting and cleaning guns for going on forty years and not found anything better. (no I don't work for them) 2. Viking Tactics Rand CLP endorsed by Sgt Kyle Lamb SOF. Excellent oil. I've been wanting to try Weapon Shield's new cleaning product but haven't been able to find any. Give the Breakthrough and Rand a try I can't see how anyone would be disappointed with either.

Keep your powder dry....

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Never heard of Breakthrough and not a fan of solvents that are not water soluble.

Even the Breakthrough Oil only offers moisture resistance, instead of moisture-proofing.

You ended your post saying Keep Your Powder Dry. As a longtime muzzleloader guru, keeping the powder and the gun dry - along with keeping it waterproof, is mandatory..... a must.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted By: jrod102
Folks, I literally tried them all. Have the pic's to prove it. I've found two products I'm sticking with. 1. Breakthrough cleaner, been shooting and cleaning guns for going on forty years and not found anything better. (no I don't work for them) 2. Viking Tactics Rand CLP endorsed by Sgt Kyle Lamb SOF. Excellent oil. I've been wanting to try Weapon Shield's new cleaning product but haven't been able to find any. Give the Breakthrough and Rand a try I can't see how anyone would be disappointed with either.

Keep your powder dry....


My problem with the vegetable based Rand is that it gets sticky and is a mess after a while. Kyle and Jon are both good people, though.

 

[sweezy722]

For 2 weeks in 2009 I did a first test on gun oil at home. It is posted on shotgunworld with some pictures.

The control sample had no oil and is labeled with an x. The other three samples had 1. Remoil 2. Breakfree clp 3. outers gun oil. I have used all 3 and had no idea as to which one provide the most protection. All samples were treated the same with no preference as to the outcome.

To start, a grinder was used on 4 pieces of metal to expose fresh shiny surfaces for oxidation. The 4 pieces of metal came from 1 stick being cut into 4 pieces. The lettering wrote on the wood was also wrote on the back of each piece to make sure nothing got switched. At no time was the test area touched by hand.

The piece labeled x received no oil. The other 3 pieces were sprayed liberally with the oil indicated. All 4 samples were then rinsed thoroughly at the water outlet to help speed up the test. The samples were placed outside and checked every few days. The x sample started showing signs of rust after 2 days. The Remoil started showing signs of rust after 5 days. The Breakfree clp started showing signs of rust after 9 days. The Outters gun oil at 14 days is now showing signs of rust. The samples were exposed to 4 days of snow and 4 days of rain. The high temperature has been 58F and the low has been around 18F.

Take the test for what it is. An American gun owner simply wanting to know which of the readily available gun oils protects the best against the elements of living in northern Tennessee.

 

[sweezy722]

2nd gun oil test from 2009.

Today is day 14 of my 2nd and final at home gun oil test. My first test last month only had 4 samples and this one has 8.

There were 2 reasons why I did the test again.
1. It was discussed about using WD-40 on guns. I had some and should have included it in my first test but did not consider it for guns.
2. I wanted to change the test procedure to more similate the way I clean and use my gun.

A picture of the samples is in the misc. pictures file listed "At Home Gun Oil Test #2 Sweezy722".

All samples came from the same rod of metal and all samples were ground down to fresh shiny metal. Last time the samples were sprayed liberally and then rinsed off for 5 seconds. This is not how I clean my gun.

This test the samples were oiled with an oiled rag with the specified oil because that is how I clean my gun. Next I took a clean cotton cloth for each sample to remove all the oil I could - similating my gun being rubbed dry by shirts, pants, gun sleeves, etc. No samples were touched by hand in the test sample. I considered touching all areas by hand but decided against it. In order to keep all samples from being contaminated I would have to wash my hands after every sample and the act of simply washing my hands with soap would alter the results I am after.

Ater being wiped dry all samples were rinsed uder running water for 5 seconds. The samples were left outside for 14 days in temperatures ranging from 18F to 72F. The samples were rained on for 3 days. I did notice the warmer temperatures speeding up the oxidation rate. Following is how long it took for me to notice the first sign of oxidation for each sample.



No oil 12 hours
Liquid Wrench 3 days
Rem Oil 3 days
3N1 Oil 4 days
CLP 5 days
Penz 10-40 6 days
Outers 10 days
WD-40 11 days

At 14 days both the WD-40 and Outers have 2 small oxidation spots. The Outers rust spots look a shade larger, however, the WD-40 spots look deeper and pitted. Both products did a good job at keeping rust at bay for my applications. My plan is to continue with the outers. As the last time, take this at home test with a grain of salt. Thanks, Sweezy722.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Interesting posts sweezy.
I may try my own test using roofing nails. I probably have 10 different oils laying around.
Birchwood-Casey Synthetic Oil
Hoppes Gun Oil
Ballistol
Slip 2000EWL
Breakfree Collector
WD-40
Rustex
Kroil
3 In One
Pennzoil Platinum

 

[EdwardC]

For corrosion testing, I found this test pretty good: http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted By: EdwardC
For corrosion testing, I found this test pretty good: http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667


I was surprised how well MPro-7 did in the Friction Test there.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Somebody must be reading my gun lube opinions at 5-6 gun boards I participate in.

My postal mail yesterday included a free sample drip bottle of Gun Butter, sent to me via Mark Turney, CEO of Gun Butter.

All I can is ..... Holy Mackerel! I believe I was just given the Mother Of All LP Gun Oils. This stuff is so amazingly slippery and so highly resistant to an open water-faucet source.

I consider Gun Butter as an upgrade to my current favorite Slip 2000EWL, a product that I solely was using as a LP, for my gun (C)leaner is a solvent, either Birchwood-Casey 2 In 1 Bore Scrubber or Ballistol.

Gun Butter (in my opinion, is more slippery and more water resistant than Slip 2000EWL. The only product missing from my tests is Weapon Shield. If anyone reading this would like to send me an half or full ounce to try,... in any kind of leak-proof sample bottle, please PM me.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Somebody must be reading my gun lube opinions at 5-6 gun boards I participate in.

My postal mail yesterday included a free sample drip bottle of Gun Butter, sent to me via Mark Turney, CEO of Gun Butter.

All I can is ..... Holy Mackerel! I believe I was just given the Mother Of All LP Gun Oils. This stuff is so amazingly slippery and so highly resistant to an open water-faucet source.

I consider Gun Butter as an upgrade to my current favorite Slip 2000EWL, a product that I solely was using as a LP, for my gun (C)leaner is a solvent, either Birchwood-Casey 2 In 1 Bore Scrubber or Ballistol.

Gun Butter (in my opinion, is more slippery and more water resistant than Slip 2000EWL. The only product missing from my tests is Weapon Shield. If anyone reading this would like to send me an half or full ounce to try,... in any kind of leak-proof sample bottle, please PM me.



Reach out to George Fennell. He will likely send you some. Via e-mail or Facebook works best, as his hearing is taking a turn for the worse.

Gun butter is a bio-based lubricant very similar to Froglube/SEAL 1/FIREClean. I expect that it will perform VERY similar to them, which is to say, you are going to love it, if you shoot a lot and have frequent cleaning intervals. However, for long-term storage, there are many complaints that a quick Google un-earthed regarding it becoming thick/sticky/sap-like. Like other bio-lubes, Gunbutter warns about mixing their product with others. Their instructions for use are almost identical to FIREClean.

It shares many of the characteristics of FC/FL/Seal1, etc.

-Very high film strength
-Very high operating temps
-Instructions to NOT mix it with other lubes, and to completely de-grease the weapon first
-Instructions to use VERY small amounts of, or wipe off excess, of the product.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

So you are saying Gun Butter may be too thick for outdoor gun activities in Michigan's winters?

You party-pooper-you.... wow dare you rain-down on my parade.

In all seriousness thou, thank you for your opinion of what-to-expect from it. It is a little thicker than the Slip 2000EWL.

In that case, I might switch gun oils in my pistols, depending on which climate-season we are entering. So both great products will get used eventually.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
So you are saying Gun Butter may be too thick for outdoor gun activities in Michigan's winters?

You party-pooper-you.... wow dare you rain-down on my parade.

In all seriousness thou, thank you for your opinion of what-to-expect from it. It is a little thicker than the Slip 2000EWL.


I have no hands-on with Gunbutter, but from what I have READ, you should be fine, just apply it as instructed. However, over time, users have complained about it doing what other bio-based lubes do, and becoming like tree-sap.

https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=268885
http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?49569-No-more-Gun-Butter-for-me

GD claims to be "synthetic", but I dunno if that means it was synthesized from bio material, or what. Regardless, it behaves like it, from what I can find.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I'll read those threads tonight..... thanks.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I've read those two threads and the first thread saw only half of the replies actually used the Butter. More than half of those liked it.

The other thread starter (DogDollar), had issues with it on knives, but never mentioned it's use on a gun. Then a couple more knife collectors said they had no issues with it. DogDollar offered no proof of gun issues with it. His opinion I take with a grain of salt.

Still wanting to try Weapon Shield next. But I can't afford to buy it online. No workie right now, so wallet remains pretty empty.

That concoction I made with gun oil, ATF....etc.... is too horrid to smell, every time I open the jar-lid. So no motor oil or ATF in my guns..... so sireee.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
I've read those two threads and the first thread saw only half of the replies actually used the Butter. More than half of those liked it.

The other thread starter (DogDollar), had issues with it on knives, but never mentioned it's use on a gun. Then a couple more knife collectors said they had no issues with it. DogDollar offered no proof of gun issues with it. His opinion I take with a grain of salt.

Still wanting to try Weapon Shield next. But I can't afford to buy it online. No workie right now, so wallet remains pretty empty.

That concoction I made with gun oil, ATF....etc.... is too horrid to smell, every time I open the jar-lid. So no motor oil or ATF in my guns..... so sireee.


Like I said, I have no hands-on with GunButter, and it took about a year of storage for me to notice the phenomenon with Fireclean, so it's possible that the Gunbutter does indeed do the same thing, but people use their gear enough not to notice it. I only noticed it with FC on a weapon that sat in the safe for a year. I would be leery of it though, as everything else in their instructions seems functionally the same as Froglube/Fireclean, etc. However, that means it also likely works really well, too.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

No plans for Gun Butter on my rifles. All of mine are gas-action and I use Ballistol in the winter with those.

I'm only Buttering and Slipping the semi-auto pistols. The weather is warming up here in Michigan. So I won't test the Butter in the cold until next November hunting season. My 9mm and Slip 2000EWL operated fine in 30 degrees last December. The gun was outside for about three hours straight before I shot it at dusk.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
No plans for Gun Butter on my rifles. All of mine are gas-action and I use Ballistol in the winter with those.

I'm only Buttering and Slipping the semi-auto pistols. The weather is warming up here in Michigan. So I won't test the Butter in the cold until next November hunting season. My 9mm and Slip 2000EWL operated fine in 30 degrees last December. The gun was outside for about three hours straight before I shot it at dusk.


Using proper application, you really should be fine with most anything down to well below 0*f. The only issues are using lubes like froglube in absurdly large quantities.