Homemade lube recipe: Marvel Mystery and 20/50??

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Feb 7, 2018
Messages
133
Location
Englewood, CO
Yes, the constant tension between those that mix their own (ed's red, straight motor oil, whatever) and say that people that buy gun oil are dumb, and those that buy gun oil (which has been me, though I do use ed's red). (as an aside, my favorite gun grease/lube is Brian Enos' Slide Glide)

A local custom gun maker (who makes USPSA open and limited guns (2011's, 1911's) to much satisfaction) says all he uses is 50/50 Mobil 1 and Marvel Mystery Oil. His contention is the Marvel has moly in it, and combined they make a great gun lube/CLP.

Of all the recipes out there, has anyone used this combo? If so, good, no good? To those in the know, does it sound plausible?

To be clear, this isn't some yokel mouthing off about only using a certain motor oil. This is a guy with a waiting list (at least among Colorado shooters) who is selling custom limited and open guns above $3000 (to start)
 
Last edited:
I'd use it on a bb gun. Nothing better.
I tried these mixes. Its all about cheapness and that's it.

Been in the gun business for over 40 years.
$3000 isn't that impressive to be honest. Not being insulting either.

Do the math here. Just for a stock. Add it up. lol
You supply the wood
smile.gif


http://www.thestockdr.com/prices.php
 
MMO is very similar to kerosene. And again motor oil mixes with water...does not shed it. He should let someone else lube his guns.
 
I'd use it if it was handy and I just got a "new to me" WW-II something that needed a black sewer pipe barrel scrub'd out. Then I'd shoot it and see what happens... Might lube it up afterwards too ...

This is one that I'd have to see how it actually went before serious comment?

I've been using MMO on and off for like 50 years. It has it's place. M1 is a pretty good basic cleaning oil and it certainly lubes stuff. I don't see anything wrong with the mix. Easy to remember, easy to make. Doesn't smell foul. Prolly pass the wife's sniff test for freshly rubbed down metalwork in the house ...

OTOH there are plenty of good gun oils out there, starting with Rem Oil
smile.gif


MMO is NOT kerosene. It's base is Napthentic hydrocarbons. Kerosene is Aliphatic mineral spirits ...
 
Last edited:
As BrocLuno said , i has its place. For me it had its place. It was good in the 70's , 80's as a add in for oil to prevent sludge. Lead fueled , carbed cars ( iron blocks that took forever to get hot) and oil that was much more sludge forming than todays oils.

I just don't have a need for it anymore like i did in the 80's.
 
I still use MMO as a scrubbing agent when I clean. Seems to dissolve or break crud free well. I have also used it short term as a lube on clean guns, worked just fine, but will dry out on you fairly quickly.

I have never mixed it with an oil for gun use, but have added it to crank case oil.

MMO is not kerosene, as stated.
 
Actually when I used to home brew my own gun lubes, I used to mix up 25% MMO and 75% 20w-50 motor oil. That mixture makes a pretty decent CLP type gun oil. It doesn't smell great and has almost no rust preventing qualities to it but it is a decent lubricant and is dirt cheap compared to actual gun lubes.

a mixture of 1 part (1/3rd) Odorless mineral spirits and 2 parts (2/3rds) MMO makes a fairly decent general purpose gun cleaning solvent similar to ed's red. But then again; it stinks, is toxic, flammable and you have to wipe all of it away and re-lube separately afterwards.

All this being said, I don't think any of the home brews are worth making. Especially for the small amounts of solvent and lube that are actually required for firearm maintenance once you actually know what you are doing; Just go buy proper, high quality gun care chemicals and be done with it.
 
As I've posted before -I'm right fond of "Ell Snot" :

50% Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W50 Synthetic Motorcycle Oil
40% Dexron VI Synthetic ATF
10% STP Oil Treatment (small blue plastic bottle)

*Mix together and store in a good container - then a refill a needle oiler as required ... Very slick , stays where you put it and won't dry out - I use it on slides , connectors, sears , barrel lugs, etc. where ever I need a good internal lube . *For rust and corrosion protection there are much better choices (Eezox , Corrosion X , Weapon Shield , M-PRO 7 , etc. ) ... Are there safer choices than the "home brew" I listed ? Yes , technically there are - but I use such a small amount of the home brew (literally a few drops inside a weapon) which I never get on me that I don't worry about it . The store bought oils (I listed above) plus FP10 , SLIP 2000 and G96 are all fine oils which you can use with confidence .
 
Originally Posted By: ChrisD46
As I've posted before -I'm right fond of "Ell Snot" :

50% Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W50 Synthetic Motorcycle Oil
40% Dexron VI Synthetic ATF
10% STP Oil Treatment (small blue plastic bottle)

*Mix together and store in a good container - then a refill a needle oiler as required ... Very slick , stays where you put it and won't dry out - I use it on slides , connectors, sears , barrel lugs, etc. where ever I need a good internal lube .


Interesting brew.
 
Too fancy for me, I just use straight synth 10w-30 oil (Mobil 1 SM that I bought a quart of a long while ago) and change barrels (at least) every 75k or so rounds thru them...
Most handguns would need a few parts replaced after 50-100k rounds thru them; it makes sense to replace the whole gun if you are past 60k rounds and have no idea what parts to replace.
If one shoots 10-15k rounds a year then it makes sense to replace the gun every 5-6 years.
 
I’ll bet that mix works just fine. I doubt the the needs of firearms are anywhere near that of i/c engines when it comes to lubrication. Here’s my latest trick : After Every oil change just turn the bottle upside down, come back the next day and scavenge that last ounce or two from the jug. That will probably give you all the gun oil you’ll ever need. Free : I’ve noticed synthetic 20wt oil cleans the best but for cleaning & lubing any modern 20wt or 30wt SN oil would work just fine.
 
Originally Posted By: Ammofirst
I’ll bet that mix works just fine. I doubt the the needs of firearms are anywhere near that of i/c engines when it comes to lubrication. Here’s my latest trick : After Every oil change just turn the bottle upside down, come back the next day and scavenge that last ounce or two from the jug. That will probably give you all the gun oil you’ll ever need. Free : I’ve noticed synthetic 20wt oil cleans the best but for cleaning & lubing any modern 20wt or 30wt SN oil would work just fine.


Yep. This is what I do.
 
Originally Posted By: KCJeep
I still use MMO as a scrubbing agent when I clean. Seems to dissolve or break crud free well. I have also used it short term as a lube on clean guns, worked just fine, but will dry out on you fairly quickly.

I have never mixed it with an oil for gun use, but have added it to crank case oil.

MMO is not kerosene, as stated.


I´d bet it is Naphtenic pale from mineral oil. Great cleaner. Works in skin too.
 
..... because they rather spend the savings at McDonalds - or buy a couple packs of cigarettes -- or a six pack of beer.
Personally, I would never use highly toxic, stinky motor oil on my guns. The stuff I use doesn't smell - it's non-toxic and safe on the environment / landfills.
 
*Or just buy a Glock - many put 100K rounds through them and they still run fine with a spring replacement here and there ...
Originally Posted By: dubber09
Too fancy for me, I just use straight synth 10w-30 oil (Mobil 1 SM that I bought a quart of a long while ago) and change barrels (at least) every 75k or so rounds thru them...
Most handguns would need a few parts replaced after 50-100k rounds thru them; it makes sense to replace the whole gun if you are past 60k rounds and have no idea what parts to replace.
If one shoots 10-15k rounds a year then it makes sense to replace the gun every 5-6 years.
 
While I have tried the home brew I mention - I use so little gun oil in the scheme of things I will typically use a good quality gun oil rated high in various test results like SLIP2000 , Weapon Shield , FP10 , G96 , M-Pro7 and the like ...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top