Products to clean guns.

[jcsdx]

 Can I use WD 40 for lubricating firearms?
Thanks

[Ron M.]

You can, but you shouldn't. Use proper lubricants made for firearms. As the old saying goes, if it slides grease it, if it turns oil it. Lots of shooters use left over Mobile1 or other synthetic oils to lube their guns, it does a good job. I prefer Shooters choice Gun Grease on the slide rails and FP10 to lube everything else. Is it they best choices? Not necessarily, but work well for me.

[DWARREN]

Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) is also a good lube. To clean I use a lite oil and it does well.
Copper removal cleaners should not be use on plated firearms, it can remove the plating.

[ZanderMan]

Can I use WD 40 for lubricating firearms?
Thanks

I hesitated to respond to this, but WD-40 is not much good for anything except maybe to loosen up rusted bolts (if that).  It evaporates and does not leave behind any lubricating properties.  For penetrating spray on rusted parts, I now use PB Blaster.  For protecting parts, Fluid Film.  But none of these should be used on pistols.

Use a gun cleaner/lubricant like CLP, but even a common lubricant like Mobil 1 is waaay better than WD-40.

[radagast]

     The great thing about WD-40 is the nice blue color of the can prevents me from using it on my guns by mistake ! Cooking oil might be a better choice, but there's a multitude of good cleaners and lubricants to choose from.
     A regular maintenance schedule is probably more important than which products are used. 

[double-d]

I hesitated to respond to this, but WD-40 is not much good for anything except maybe to loosen up rusted bolts (if that).

Product works great for displacing water!

I don't use the stuff on firearms.

[Claymore504]

Like all others said. Don't us WD40. Use product made for firearms cleaning and lubricating.

[ZanderMan]

I hesitated to respond to this, but WD-40 is not much good for anything except maybe to loosen up rusted bolts (if that).

Product works great for displacing water!

I don't use the stuff on firearms.

Apparently. But then I don’t know when water displacement using the 40th formula is needed.

[Winkel]

I use WD-40 on my CZs.  BUT, I use it to clean them.  I'll remove the slide assembly, hose out the fire control group and then blow it out in the garage with my air compressor.  Then I lube with a mixture of Mobil 1 and Teflon lube in the can. 
I mix the oil and Teflon lube in small eye drop bottles, and use it on all of my guns. 

I also have a small cup I keep with some marine grease, cut with some Mobil 1, I whip it up until it's nice and thin and use it on the slide rails with a small paint brush. 
The cup is from a protein container or gatorade container, it's the scoop that comes in the powder can.  I always save them.  Drives my wife crazy.....

[bang bang]

Can I use WD 40 for lubricating firearms?
Thanks

some thoughts....

 > if all you have is the WD40, then go for it.

 > but i would look for something a bit better at least for lubrication properties.

 > something else you may want to keep in mind. Some lubricants/clearers may not be so friendly to guns and their finishes.  Also, not that many new finishes may not like some chemicals.  So if you are going to use maybe whats "handy" in the garage or under the kitchen sink, the take off the grips or remove the slide (make sure the gun is unloaded) and dab some under the grips or under/inside the slide.   If the chemical eats away any of the finish, then it wont be so obvious as if you put it on the frame/slide on the outside.

 > also, if you have plastic grips on your gun or any plastic parts, note that some solvents and oils may attack the plastic.

[rudals1281]

No to WD40. Yes to Mobil 1 Engine Oil.

[JD Miller]

I heard WD40 was good for poison oak relief. Spray it on you arm or legs  ..... thats about it

Kroil is good for cleaning old firearms and bore cleaning.

For lube I use auto type syn oils and or light grease

I dont by any expensive snake oil "latest greatest gun oils" super, nitro, extreme, fantastic, breakthrough, tactical, special op, navyseal super lubes

For rifle and hand gun barrels I use  hoppes, sweets for copper, jb bore paste, kroil , Marvel Mystery oil

[Old-Duckman]

Sorta like asking what motor oil or filter is the best on a car or truck forum. You're gonna get a million different opinions and everyone thinks there choice is the way you should go.

That said, I agree that WD-40 is not a very good lubricant. Personally I use combination of various greases and oils depending on the firearm I am working on.

I watched an old Sargent on YouTube once who basically said to leave your guns dry (it was more like wipe on a thin layer of oil and wipe off the excess). His theory was that any excess lube would just make an abrasive slurry once the by-products of shooting mixed with the oil. 

I can see his point but I don't totally agree with it. One must use some common sense regarding where to lube and with what product. The manufacturer will have their suggestion in the documentation that comes with your firearm. Contacting the company (if they are still in existence) regarding what products to use on the guns they produce should also get you an answer. Some simply say something like, "use a good quality gun oil" where others SIG & JRC (Just Right Carbines) come to mind, will suggest specific products and sometimes even include a sample (SIG used to include a tube of grease). You surely can't go wrong with a manufacturer's suggestion.

[CCWLearner]

I wouldn't use WD-40 on my guns.  About the only thing I use it for is to spray out rusty old outdoor pad locks occasionally.

I use a combination of different products to clean and lube my guns.  The primary thing I use on my polymer pistols is Ballistol for overall cleaning.  I also soak the barrels in a small jar of Hoppes #9 bore cleaner for an hour or more, because it makes pretty quick work of the carbon deposits, then I go over the barrel with more Ballistol afterward.

For lube, I have other products and methods... when I detail strip my pistols, I normally de-grease all of the steel parts from within the frame and slide using alcohol and/or acetone, then coat them with Dupont Dry Teflon lube, either completely or at least at their friction points.  Then I put Super Lube grease, which is an odorless synthetic food grade lube that also contain PTFE (teflon) on those same parts or friction points.  I also use that grease on my slide rails whenever I clean my guns.  I don't use any of that PTFE-based stuff on the barrel though.  I run patch cloths on a jag through the inside until clean and dry of Ballistol, then coat the outside of the barrel with a thin layer of Hoppes oil.

In between major detail strip operations like that, if I'm headed to the range or whatever, I may put a drop or two of Hoppes oil on the various contact points. 

Aside from the particular cleaners or lubes I use, I found that having a proper cleaning rod, with properly sized bronze bore brushes and brass jag, make a huge difference in how clean I can get the barrel of a pistol or rifle.  Using a plastic bore brush and just wiping the inside of the barrel with slotted patch cloths leaves a lot of stuff behind.

[Steve Shannon]

More than 40 years ago I had a friend who “lubed” his pistol often with WD-40. He went with me to the range one day and his pistol had numerous misfires (light strikes), failures to feed, and very sluggish ejection.  The action was absolutely gummy. It was because he applied WD-40 frequently and it would evaporate leaving a “protective film”. He’d spray it with WD-40 again which would seem to free it up, at least temporarily.  That “film” built up until it prevented the pistol from operating.

Clean using a solvent to remove all old lube then re-lubricate using a good gun oil and/or grease as recommended by the manufacturer.  Typically you use a light oil for sliding surfaces and grease for high pressure contact points such as the sear and where a slide strikes a hammer.
WD-40 is a terrific product for some things and I have a gallon can of it in my shop at all times, but I don’t use it as a gun lube.


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