oil during their lives. Careful selection of the type of lubricant, however, can make a difference in how the gun feels and possibly how much maintenance it requires over its lifetime.
Some simple mineral oils, for instance, oxidize more rapidly than those made for longer term use, leaving behind a waxy sludge that must be cleaned before the gun can be effectively re-oiled. That waxy sludge can also cause triggers to stick on return or firing pins to bind in their channels. Picking a quality oil and using it properly are the keys to keeping your gun running with a minimum of intervention.
My general rule is to use oil on rotating parts and grease on sliding parts that carry a load. There are exceptions, of course, but I’ve found that this is a pretty solid way to approach lubricant selection. I prefer to use oil on most revolver parts, but the double action sear surfaces fit into the sliding parts category and work best with a coating of light grease. Short of tearing the gun down for detailed lubrication, the parts you’ll normally be able to reach call for a decent oil.
Gun-specific products
Oils and greases suitable for firearms use are really nothing more than industrial lubricants. The additive packages that provide wear protection and prevent oxidation are all well known, and have been used in a dizzying variety of products over the years – firearms being just one of those products. There really is very little new under the sun!
All of the oils sold for use on guns work pretty well, and I’ve found – despite claims from the people selling the stuff – that there really isn’t a whole lot of advantage to one over another. Any of them will do the job if applied correctly.
The only products with which I have reservations are the CLP (cleaner-lubricant-protectant) products and the various ‘miracle’ lubricants. There’s a lot of crossover between these.
The handiest piece of cleaning gear is the ‘GI toothbrush.’ Available in nylon and brass bristles – get one of each.
What is CLP?
The CLP concept is that one product can serve multiple uses: cleaning, lubricating, and protecting against corrosion (rust), thus the ‘CLP’ moniker. They’re sold on ease of use: you only need one product to do everything.
CLP solutions are usually composed of a volatile solvent and a very light mineral oil. The solvent serves to lift the dirt and suspend it in the solution, and as the solvent evaporates the oil is left behind. (It can be argued that the original Hatcher’s bore cleaner, of which Ed’s Red is a modern version, is the original CLP product.)
The CLP products do a pretty good job of cleaning, but I’m less than enthusiastic about their abilities to lubricate – let alone protect – the workings of a gun. The amount of product left behind isn’t large, and I remain skeptical that there is enough to reduce friction as well as serve to prevent corrosion.
That isn’t to say that a CLP can’t be of use, as they generally clean pretty well. If you choose such a product, I recommend that you consider it as a cleaner only and choose the appropriate oil to actually lubricate.
A CLP product is best used by wiping away the bulk of dirty solvent solution, taking most of the dirt and grime while allowing the carrier to evaporate and leaving behind a thin coating of lubricant which serves to augment that which you apply yourself.
Can I use lubricants that aren’t for firearms?
Certainly! There’s nothing special about a lubricant ‘designed’ for firearms. As I’ve mentioned, guns in general (and revolvers in particular) don’t make great demands on their lubricants. Compared to some industrial machines, which operate with continuous high loads at high speeds and generate lots of heat, a gun really isn’t all that tough. Especially when you consider that the vast majority of time the gun is actually sitting idle, it should be pretty clear that it doesn’t take a whole lot to keep one running.
There are many industrial oils and greases with high wear resistance and good corrosion protection that are suitable for your gun. The major concern is getting the correct viscosity for the application.
Lubricants are rated using two systems: the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and the International Standards Organization (ISO.) Motor oils generally carry SAE classifications, while industrial oils are usually rated according to the ISO scale. They are not equivalent.
For those familiar with automotive oils, a 30w motor oil is roughly an ISO 100 equivalent, while a 10w oil would be about 25 on the ISO chart.
Greases are rated by the National Lubricating Grease Institute, and they issue an NLGI grade. A typical automotive bearing grease is NLGI #2 and has the consistency of peanut butter. A grease rated as NLGI #0 is just barely solid at room temperature, like mustard, while a #00 is semi-fluid – think very finely ground applesauce.
For general gun use, I’ve found an oil in the ISO 30 to ISO 50 range works pretty well. Look for an oil with anti-oxidation and anti-corrosion additives, which address the two major issues with gun oils: they prevent rust and they’re able to sit for long periods of time without thickening or turning waxy.
If you’re looking for a good gun grease, I recommend an NLGI #0 thickness. This is perfect for gun use, being thick enough to stay where it’s put and thin enough to allow closely fitted parts to operate in both cold and heat. I also recommend that you buy only aluminum-based greases for their resistance to oxidation. Lithium greases are far more common and very cheap, but they oxidize and solidify very rapidly. Aluminum greases are more stable over a longer period of time.
One of the benefits of buying industrial lubricants is that you can choose one that delivers some very particular characteristics. A few years ago I was contacted by a firearms instructor from the police department of a large west coast city. He needed a recommendation for a general-purpose gun oil and was having trouble meeting a specific criteria. They were having trouble finding an oil that had good lubricating properties, good anti-corrosion protection, and was considered non-toxic. All of the gun oils they had submitted to their purchasing department were rejected due to perceived toxicity issues.
After a bit of research I was able to come up with a solution. The Lubriplate company makes an oil (Type FMO-AW) that was originally designed for high speed food machinery. It has good anti-wear properties (those machines have lots of sliding parts which operate at high speed) and excellent corrosion inhibitors (food is wet and often acidic.) Most importantly, because those machines are in contact with the food that you and I consume the oil has to have very low toxicity. FMO-AW is even Kosher!
The icing on the cake for this agency was that it’s available in a wide range of viscosities so they could precisely match the oil to their environment. Even the purchasing agents were happy, because the stuff is available in five-gallon pails – easy to reorder and making the cost per use ridiculously low.
Miracle oils
Remember what I said about snake oil? There are many products that are sold to the shooting public on the basis of ‘secret’ formulas and ‘revolutionary’ ingredients. Many of them are hyped with vague references to Special Forces and other elite units (“in use with Navy Seals!”), implying that they alone are responsible for success on the battlefield.
Don’t buy it. And don’t buy those products. All oils, gun oils included, are made from well known and understood ingredients. A lone inventor, working in his garage, isn’t going to come up with a new compound not already known to lubrication engineers (who are called tribologists.)
Oils are generally crafted from a petroleum base, or a synthetic petroleum base, that has been augmented by any number of additives. Additives give the oil its ability to reduce corrosion, resist high temperatures, lessen wear at high pressures, aid in pouring, reduce oxidation, keep dirt in suspension, and many other things.
When a lubrication scientist wants to formulate a new oil, he or she looks at the job that needs to be done, picks the correct base stock, and adds in the appropriate