Lets pop open this can of worms! OIL!

Ok, we have many of the best gunsmiths and shooters in the whole USA on our forum and I'm sure many of us  would love some of their insight on this topic, So here goes  what is the BEST oil " that can be commercially bought" for our 1911 Target guns and why you feel it is,  also what works best for Stainless steel if you feel its different from Carbon steel guns?

I vote mil-comm tw25b for no reason other than I think it's good.

I will say, before you use it you need to roll around the tube and massage it... it tends to seperate and you get only the juice. Think mustard or ketchup that hasn't been shaken.

Pretty much anything.  Remoil, Birchwood Casey.  Oil or grease makes no difference.  I'd avoid the moly or graphite products because they're messy and not needed.  In actual fact you can get just as good or better products at your local auto supply or industrial supply store for less money.  The spray gun cleaners aren't any better than spray brake cleaner for half the price.  Same with oils.  I generally use LPS 2 which is a corrosion inhibiting spray oil and is used on aircraft and industrial uses. I avoid WD-40.

Shooters Choice Synthetic grease in a syringe #G10CC for the slide and for oil, Rem Oil.

Just my .02 cents

Clarence

+1 for mil comm products

Wobbley wrote: I avoid WD-40.

I use WD-40  by the gallons..

Jerry Keefer wrote:

Wobbley wrote: I avoid WD-40.

I use WD-40  by the gallons..

That just opened a can of worms

C.Perkins wrote:

Jerry Keefer wrote:

Wobbley wrote: I avoid WD-40.

I use WD-40  by the gallons..

That just opened a can of worms

..

Jerry Keefer wrote:

Wobbley wrote: I avoid WD-40.

I use WD-40  by the gallons..

Troublemaker! A real blast from the past of the old Bullseye-L! Seriously though, one time I was squadded next to a fellow who kept spraying his guns with WD-40 during the whole match. It was pretty distracting having to inhale the overspray.

The problem with WD-40 is that after the stuff dries it forms a goo that  attracts dust and is hard to remove.  It also isn't a very good lubricant it is way too light to be a good lube.  

The best water displacing oil that also lubricates is MIL-PRF-32033 or VV-L-800.  They actually had enough oil after the solvents and propellants went away to be useful.

WD 40 has its uses, BUT  its by NO means "the best oil" for our gun oil  discussion so lets move on past it.

Not a gunsmith or one of the best shooters... But my oil choices are CLP, hoppes, and dillon snake oil. I've also been known to use tetraglide grease, 5w40, lubbriplate by the quart, LSA,  Kroil, and ballistol.


In the winter I use the lightest oil I can get which is snake oil. I go heavier in the summer.

Most cleaners and lubes work good, I have a cabinet full, but have favorites. One lube that was absolutely horrible, was some stuff called "Milltech". It was hyped on the net around 12 years ago, and I bought it.

It was for the AR15, and I quickly had problems, but thought it was a gun problem. After each match, the bolt was covered in charcoal. I took it to the marine armorer at Perry to look at. He tore it down, and said the gun was fine, but asked what lube I was using on the bolt. I told him Milltech, he never heard of it, he suggested I use something else. I still thought it was good lube, but there was something amiss in the rifle.

Later I the week still having the problem, I took it to Holliger, it was a top WOP upper, and asked him to look at it. He tore in down, and gave the same response at the marine armorer. I said Milltech was supposed to be the best. He told me to quit using it, and go to Breakfree  for lube. I went down commercial row and bought some. The next match I came back to clean it, pulled it apart, and surprised that there was no charcoal bolt, and it was clean as a whistle.

My thought was maybe this stuff couldn't take the heat of the gas system. I took up pistol shooting and figured it would be good for that. That was a mistake, parts were gumming up. My Ruger quit locking back on empty, I couldn't find the problem, then took off the grips and saw the lock back mechanism was a chunk of gum. Into the garbage went the rest of Miltech. No more problems.

Cleaning this gum was a good test of cleaners, all had touble breaking it down. My favorite has been Butches, but went through the cabinet as a test. The best ended up being Eds Red, a homebrew. I started using that again, and made up his oil, and it never gums.

Someone is probably going to post and say Miltech is all they use with no problem. And, if if works for you.....

I like Mobil Jet 254. It's made for equipment that's faster than the bullets I shoot and rated for colder and hotter temps than I care to shoot in. It also has a zoomy logo.




One of my recip engine instructors used to tell us knuckleheads that the reason there was an oil filter bypass valve on piston and turbine engines was that dirty oil was better than no oil. (His version was more colorful and definitely not PC)

Lubriplate SFL0 for grease ( think TW25b)

Mobilgrease 28 aviation grease ( 1 weight) for hotter weather( great anti seize)

for oil I use some old racing oil from my crazy days.. ALI Progear 21 type 6..
not something I'd buy for any other reason, but still had a 5 gallon jug of it.. we ran this in race engines at over 11,000 RPM and never had an issue.... very slick and < 0 weight

I clean with Break Free which also lubricates, and now use Rem Oil for in between shooting, especially since I don't clean real often. I like Lubri-plate for greasing.

WD-40 is great for unsticking things and for removing moisture, (think rain on your gun at Perry) but it is not a good lubricant vs using an oil of almost any kind.

OK
I'll own up...
I keep several spray bottles of WD-40 setting around to spray the lathes and milling machine as a cleaner.. It is viscous
enough to work as a cleaning solvent. Paper towels wipe up the small chips, dust and grime.. I am a fanatic about keeping the machine ways clean and lubed...it isn't too bad on guns either, as a cleaner.. Hose the internals and blow out with compressed air and apply a lubricating oil, for a quickie clean and lube.. I buy TW25b in the jar containers.. I like it on high pressure contact areas such as the muzzle and lower lugs. Practically anything is better than nothing.  I use a cutting / tapping oil, called Tap Magic Gold, that is about of the best light weight oil I have ever seen.. It's great for a 22 in cold weather..It's thin, but it leaves a very durable film. I also use quite a bit of Kroil.. expensive but great stuff..  Simple Green is also my go to cleaner.. I use several gallons a month..and more when I am bluing.. It's great in the hot water wash tank.. The surface grinder generates a lot of dust from wheel dressing and grinding.. I spray Simple Green to dampen the dust  and wipe clean with paper towels..

I like the CLP black can at Walmart. But I had a problem getting the spray cans to last. They'd lose pressure and the cleaner/lube would be runny and not spay out in a foam like it should. Rem oil is okay but a little thin for my liking. Probably good for cold temps. I'm really liking the hoppe's elite oil and solvent I've been trying lately. But hoppe's need a better design of bottle for the oil. If it's left on its side it can run out some and make a mess. I keep mine in a plastic bag.

Interesting discussion.  The locals here are saying Mobil 1.

0-20 Mobil one is fine and a qt lasts forever

I am currently using Fire Clean and like it despite the fact that some believe it to be nothing more than cooking oil.  On the hammer hooks I use TW25b.

I am currently using Fire Clean and like it despite the fact that some believe it to be nothing more than cooking oil.  On the hammer hooks I use TW25b.

I've mixed my own for more years than I can remember.  Similar to Ed's Red.  I use Marvel Mystery Oil, Break Free CLP, Hoppe's #9, and a little bit of STP when I can find it.  Don't know if it is better or worse than any of these others.  It always worked for me so I didn't change......