Best Commercially Available Liquid Gun Lubricant

I have tried a few lubricants and seen many others, but thought I would ask what others have seen. I own six handguns so I need a good lube for them. Note this is not a discusion of grease versus liquid lube. Separate thread for that. I have a poll of the most popular and highly rated liquid lubricants. I know there are a lot of home-brew solutions and those are interesting, but really trying to get a measure of the best commercially available products. I apologize if I missed a particular product, but I did research Midway and CheaperThanDirt and some gun forums for this list. I think this list reflects the most popular and most of the highest rated. I am sure there are some expensive exotic lubes used for military and competition, but not trying to rate those here.

I have used Shooter Choice FP-10, Zero Friction, Militec-1, Hoppes #9, and RemOil. I noticed lower friction with Zero Friction, FP-10 and Militec-1, but they don't last as long as I had hoped. FP-10 is good but not thick enough, Militec is great but expensive. Zero Friction is great but difficult to apply.

Thanks,
CC

I like Otis Ultra Bore and 10-8 Lube, not really sure if they work any better than anything else, but they work.

I use Kano Labs Sili-Kroil to clean my carry gun and wipe it off until it appears dry. It leaves enough of a film to lubricate and protect and won't attract dirt. When I compete it's Mil-Comm TW 25-b. It won't cook off the barrel and cause problems during high volume shooting.

Here is an interesting article (from 2003) about the military gun oil problems: Federal Lawmakers Investigating Army-issue Gun Lube Problems

wesson oil

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Originally Posted by TedDeBearFrmHell

wesson oil

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Do you prefer the Dan Wesson oil or the Smith and Wesson oil?

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Originally Posted by Packard

Do you prefer the Dan Wesson oil or the Smith and Wesson oil?

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the Salad oil..... canola seems to work the best for me

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Originally Posted by TedDeBearFrmHell

wesson oil

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Not sure whether to take this serious....but okay.
Wouldn't it go rancid too quickly? Exposure to oxygen will cause the vegetable oil to break down and become an enamel. I guess if you clean it often enough. What do you use to clean it....Dawn?

CC

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Originally Posted by cclaxton

Not sure whether to take this serious...

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Probably a safe bet that he's pulling some legs.:buttkick:

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Originally Posted by cclaxton

Not sure whether to take this serious....but okay.
Wouldn't it go rancid too quickly? Exposure to oxygen will cause the vegetable oil to break down and become an enamel. I guess if you clean it often enough. What do you use to clean it....Dawn?

CC

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the manual for my salad shooter says to just field strip it and put the parts into the dishwasher.... but i am sure there are some gurus here that have other ways....

Bahaha! He said salad shooter!!

the ted strikes again hahaha i usually just use 3 in 1 machine oil or hoppes #9 myself

I'm kinda old school. I use Hoppes #9 for cleaning, and either Rem Oil or CLP for lubrication. Have never had an issue.

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Originally Posted by Packard

Here is an interesting article (from 2003) about the military gun oil problems: Federal Lawmakers Investigating Army-issue Gun Lube Problems

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any idea what the original lubricant they were trying to use was?


as for me, its clp clp clp all day every day at work, except on the mk 19's which calls for LSA, or LSAT which is more of a grease than oil.

at home hoppes #9 or otis clp

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Originally Posted by Gunners_Mate

any idea what the original lubricant they were trying to use was? ...

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The article mentions "militec".

MILITEC-1 - The ONLY all-purpose synthetic metal conditioner and gun oil

The Cz Custom shop removes the grip covers and dunk the handgun frame in a mineral spirits bath to clean the frames and associated parts. They blow dry them off, then they apply a small amount of Synthetic CLP Gun Oil (G96).
Synthetic CLP Gun Oil.

They do not recommend grease as it tends to cause the slide to stick in colder weather and some can crystalize over a long time. (Although there may be some that work properly at those temperatures.)

UPDATE:
I recently lubed up the Cz75 with FP-10 Shooters Choice and shot it for 350 rounds. The inside of the frame is not ready for cleaning, but I can see the carbon is sticking to the inside of the frame because the oil got spread around inside the frame. However, the slide and trigger and hammer maintained their low friction operation. The oil has not evaporated after two weeks, but not much in the slide. However, it was acceptable in my view and I would give it a rating of 8 out of 10.

I bought a small tube of Shooters Choice grease to try it out. I will let everyone know how it turns out.

I am purchasing a bottle of the synthetic CLP G96 soon.

Thanks,

Oil will not evaporate. Oil is often diluted with a volitile solvent to aid in dispersal within the weapon. The solvent evaporates leaving a more viscous (thicker) layer of oil.

If you clean and lube the weapon often I see no need for grease. Grease is good for long-term use. Oil will do fine in my opinion for anything under 2 months. Since most of us clean and lube (or should) our weapons after each use, that pretty much means that grease is not required at all.

Gunslick

GunTech : Gun Cleaning Clinic: Knowing the Limits of Rust Preventatives - World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools - BROWNELLS
WD-40 Rocks for rust prevention.

What's the best gun oil? - TheFiringLine Forums

Keep those votes coming!!!

I used formula 3 from Kleen Bore, for many years. On the recomendation of another shooter, I tried Break Free and like it much better.

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Originally Posted by cclaxton

Gunslick

GunTech : Gun Cleaning Clinic: Knowing the Limits of Rust Preventatives - World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools - BROWNELLS
WD-40 Rocks for rust prevention.

What's the best gun oil? - TheFiringLine Forums

Keep those votes coming!!!

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WD-40 is named for its application (Water Displacing). The number 40 was supposedly because it was the 40th attempt that finally worked.

WD-40 comes in, displaces the oil and leaves a slight film of oil. The displaced water evaporates. It works really well.

But it was not designed to handle heat. And it is not marketed as a gun oil. For those two reasons I would stick with an oil that is designed for guns.

If you gun gets wet then sure, use the WD-40 to clean it. Then after a day or two clean it again using a gun oil.

Or go to the WD-40 website and write to them asking about the use of WD-40 for guns.

I think the main use for WD40 on guns is for storage and preservation rather than as a general lubricant.
I agree it should cleaned from the barrel and chamber during use.

CC

I just went to the WD-40 website and asked them about WD-40's suitablity for use as a hand gun oil. I will post their response once it arrives.

Packard

WD-40 responds:


Dear [Packard],

Thank you for contacting WD-40 Company concerning the use of WD-40 on guns.

WD-40 will protect the metal of shotguns and other firearms from corrosion and moisture. It also will provide a light lubrication on the moving parts. It will not harm the bluing on the metal surface of the guns. After using your gun, we recommend cleaning with a gun solvent then protecting the barrel and other metal parts with WD-40.

We recommend that you use a light spray of WD-40 on the wood of the gun and wipe off immediately after applying. WD-40 cleans the dirt and grim and leaves a polishing effect. You may want to pretest it on a small surface prior to applying to all the wood surfaces, because it may tend to darken some of the lighter wood finishes.



It will be my pleasure to send you a complimentary coupon for your next purchase.



Thank you again for contacting WD-40 Company. Please let us know if we may be of further assistance.

Best regards,
Maureen Powell
WD-40 Customer Service

Thanks for the email and WD40 response.
Looks like I was wrong...I might give it a try on my shotgun.
I am not ready to trust it with my Cz yet.

WD-40 is endorsed by many old-timers.
CC

I like weapon sheild, but I use CLP Break free very often when I don't have weapon sheild. It works pretty dang good and is way cheaper.

RCG