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Mythbusting - oiling your firearm

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I always accepted as fact the notion that you need to keep oil away from the firing pin channel so it would not penetrate the ammo and kill the primer. See the tests done in Box O' Truth. Great site, by the way.

 

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot39.htm

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You want to keep oil out of there but for another reason. You dont want fouling gumming up in the oil and freezing the firing pin foward. That would result in full auto and/or out of battery explosion. Firing pins dont need lubrication anyways. If you feel like you HAVE to do something, wipe the oil on and wipe it off.

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You want to keep oil out of there but for another reason. You dont want fouling gumming up in the oil and freezing the firing pin foward. That would result in full auto and/or out of battery explosion. Firing pins dont need lubrication anyways. If you feel like you HAVE to do something, wipe the oil on and wipe it off.

 

^^^

 

Oil getting cooked and solidifying leads to bad things.

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Lubrication tech is so advanced these days. There is a lube for everything now. Dry-film types for parts that tend to gum up/cook/load up with debris, and synthetic wet lubes and greases for everything else.

 

For firing pins, I coat with Eezox, let dry for a bit, then wipe off. Offers a dry film with excellent corrosion protection, and basic lubrication.

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WD-40 - I would venture to guess that this product has been more mis-used than any other I can think of. WD stands for water displacement. It is not a lubricant. In a pinch it can be used as such,but for very temporary situation. I would spray it on something to keep rust off it or to loosen a bolt. That's it.

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WD-40 - I would venture to guess that this product has been more mis-used than any other I can think of. WD stands for water displacement. It is not a lubricant. In a pinch it can be used as such,but for very temporary situation. I would spray it on something to keep rust off it or to loosen a bolt. That's it.

 

+1. Whatever lubrication and protection it does have is paltry... provided by post solvent evaporation mineral oil residual film. I use it mainly for cleaning, as the stoddard solvent carrier is very good at this.

 

For loosening bolts and protecting against corrosion there are far better products. Two that I use are Kroil for a penetrating oil (also good as a solvent as well), and Amsoil MP (Metal Protector) for anti-corrosion. The Amsoil product leaves behind a dry, clear, and durable protection film.

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I have been satisfied using Breakfree for about 20 years. If you clean and lube a gun and put it away the vehicle carrying the PTFE (teflon) may evaporate but the PTFE stays on. I bought a gallon of Breakfree 7-8 years ago and I still have some left. I've taken guns out after a year or so and they still functioned flawlessly. The only thing I grease is M1s (or M1 style actions like the M1A, Mini 14, etc). I use Mobil One grease for that and have had no issues.

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I have been satisfied using Breakfree for about 20 years. If you clean and lube a gun and put it away the vehicle carrying the PTFE (teflon) may evaporate but the PTFE stays on. I bought a gallon of Breakfree 7-8 years ago and I still have some left. I've taken guns out after a year or so and they still functioned flawlessly. The only thing I grease is M1s (or M1 style actions like the M1A, Mini 14, etc). I use Mobil One grease for that and have had no issues.

 

This is something to be mindful of. For instance this will happen with TW25B teflon grease. It is a highly praised product.. BUT when used properly. That is a very light coating, to the point that you don't see any white color. The premise is the carrier oil will evaporate a bit, leaving behind a thin layer of grease/oil with micro-nano size teflon solids for added lubricity. If you slop it on into a gunk-fest, you're laying down too much teflon, so when the carrier evaporates a bit (as designed), you'll have way too much teflon solids left behind causing a problem.

 

Magnalube is the same way, the stuf is green, but the quantity you lay down... you shouldn't see any green on your gun.

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This is something to be mindful of. For instance this will happen with TW25B teflon grease. It is a highly praised product.. BUT when used properly. That is a very light coating, to the point that you don't see any white color. The premise is the carrier oil will evaporate a bit, leaving behind a thin layer of grease/oil with micro-nano size teflon solids for added lubricity. If you slop it on into a gunk-fest, you're laying down too much teflon, so when the carrier evaporates a bit (as designed), you'll have way too much teflon solids left behind causing a problem.

 

Magnalube is the same way, the stuf is green, but the quantity you lay down... you shouldn't see any green on your gun.

 

I have tried these on my sigs and use it a lot these days. If you see the white, your using too much.

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Is Ballistol any good?

 

Ballistol is awesome! This is the best bore (gun) cleaner I have found so far and it leaves an oil film after it evaporates to help protect the metal. I still use other lubricants after cleaning with Ballistol. Try it out.

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Both corn oil and olive oil are acidic. They also tend to evaporate and leave a sticky residue. They are plant based and they both do go bad when exposed to air. I would not use either on a firearm.

 

I use hoppes gun oil on most areas and use gun grease on the rail of my pistol. After switching to the grease the slide operates smoother and if you take the slide off after a few hundred rounds the grease is still there versus oil seeming to be long gone.

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