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Gun Cleaning/Rust Prevention

Been quite a while back but there was a test that showed ATF (automatic transmission fluid) did a real good job keeping rust away.
Any chance of moisture? Hose it down with WD 40 to drive it out, wipe off the excess then re oil with any good gun oil.
And TOO CLEAN can be a problem. Wiped down one of my rifles.
Put it back in the case. Pulled it out a while later and there was a rusty hand print where I picked up the rifle by the barrel. :eek::eek:
Steel Wool and a fresh oil down took care of that problem.
Never to much oil if applied properly. And be sure to oil the bore. A dry patch down the bore before shooting will do the job. ;)
 
For longer term storage, I use Hoppe's gun oil in the bore, and Renaissance Wax on all the other parts. OK for metal, plastic and wood. This is what museums use on their stuff.

It is available at Midway, Walmart, amazon. The 200ml size is a lifetime supply, I rub it all over, and don't wipe it off or polish it. Works great as a finish on small woodworking products as well.
renaisswax.jpg
 
xring said:
SPQR ...... Did the Romans conquer in the name of WD-40 ? Thanks for that Carb tip . I have a clogged-up Weedwhacker & will try WD-40 when the weather warms up . Had an old Marine shooting buddy who used it on his sore knees . Told him to stop , but nothing deters a Marine .
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STABIL!
 
xring said:
SPQR ...... Did the Romans conquer in the name of WD-40 ? Thanks for that Carb tip . I have a clogged-up Weedwhacker & will try WD-40 when the weather warms up . Had an old Marine shooting buddy who used it on his sore knees . Told him to stop , but nothing deters a Marine .
Click to expand...
somebody told me they might change WD 40 so it is not flammable. if so it will not work as starting fluid. another thing I have found with clogged carb is to blast it with compressed air with a small nozzle. WD 40 when sprayed into the carb will dissolve varnish also. when I was roofing and used tar WD 40 was the best way to get it off dissolved it instantly where gas would dry up after a few seconds. I know guys that spray WD on fishing lures lol
 
powderbrake said:
For longer term storage, I use Hoppe's gun oil in the bore, and Renaissance Wax on all the other parts. OK for metal, plastic and wood. This is what museums use on their stuff.

It is available at Midway, Walmart, amazon. The 200ml size is a lifetime supply, I rub it all over, and don't wipe it off or polish it. Works great as a finish on small woodworking products as well.
View attachment 1167521
Click to expand...

I love the Renaissance Wax. By the way, it makes a really good case lube, too.
 
As far as WD 40 getting gummy after time? Knowing that ahead of time makes a BIG difference. Got a BIG coffee can full of spinning reels that I hosed down with WD before I put them away. At least I know there's no moisture on them.;)
And WD 40 as a staring fluid? Lubes before it burns and isn't as hard on engines as Starting Fluid. :eek::eek::cool::cool:
 
NorCalMikie said:
Been quite a while back but there was a test that showed ATF (automatic transmission fluid) did a real good job keeping rust away.
Any chance of moisture? Hose it down with WD 40 to drive it out, wipe off the excess then re oil with any good gun oil.
And TOO CLEAN can be a problem. Wiped down one of my rifles.
Put it back in the case. Pulled it out a while later and there was a rusty hand print where I picked up the rifle by the barrel. :eek::eek:
Steel Wool and a fresh oil down took care of that problem.
Never to much oil if applied properly. And be sure to oil the bore. A dry patch down the bore before shooting will do the job. ;)
Click to expand...
Actually, I think plain ol' atf is about as good as it gets for a gun oil/lube. I read up on it years ago and it has all the right attributes. Come to think of it, I've never seen rust or anything like it on the inside of an automatic transmission! It works better than most if not all the gun specific stuff for general lubrication and short term protection. Long term, RIG grease..I mix it with CLP to thin it a bit. It lasts and lasts. I've had a tub of it for decades, several decades.
 
338 dude said:
STABIL!
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Yep Dude , I have used Stabil for many years ..... I think right after Leaded Gas disappeared . I recently inherited a few gas powered Tools which have gummed-up from years of unused storage . Also , my Tests ( remember these were over 30 years ago ) showed most Oils were pretty bad Rust inhibitors . I tried collecting every Oil , Grease, and Spray my friends and I could lay our hands on . Hoppes Oil was bad . Hoppes Grease was much better . The best Oil I found was Parker Hale ( sp? ) Rangoon Oil . But who knows how these Products have changed over the years .
 
I believe some people who are not satisfied with WD-40 performance don't read the can. It says right on the label "Shake before using". You no shaking the can, it's not working right. WD stands for "Water Displacer", and that is where the product really shines. It's an OK lubricant, but for guns Break Free is the lube and cleaner of choice for me. Here you can find more information on WD-40 for gun rust prevention
 
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Being fortunate to live where the humidity is 20%, I don't use anything on my guns other than the residual left on a couple of rags that I wipe them down with. Mostly Ballistol and Breakfree. When hunting in the snow or rain, I wax the outside with Johnson's paste wax. The old mixture of beeswax, turpentine and boiled linseed oil works pretty well, too. I have a batch of that I made up to polish Garand stocks with, but it works on metal too.
 
Hornady one shot cleaner/lube and WD specialist dry spray ptfe. Hornady inside bore/actions NOT triggers,after my cleaning routine. The WD outside metal surfaces, mostly on shotguns to protect from hand prints.
 
Honestly my grandfather hosed his guns down with wd-40 for decades with no rusting... Now I have them , I am 53 and they're still pretty much rust free and working great... Now I use slip2000 ewl on everything but recently I started wiping down everything with baracade on a towel I leave stored in a small Mason jar.... We shoot skeet in the rain sometimes and it was what the guys have been using so I thought I would give it a try... Like it so far...

Normally once every 6 months or so I pull out the guns that are stored in gun socks and sit down and go through them... Re lube the inside and out and put them back in the socks.. Being stored in a safe with dehumidifiers in the house were the A/C runs pretty much all year helps alot... No matter what you wipe your guns down with , just wipe them down occasionally and you will be fine... The baracade on the towel trick can be carried with you and is great out hunting or just a fast wipe down... Plus no waste since it's reusable...
 
Joe R said:
The need for cleaning, lubricating and protecting metal has been around since rust was discovered. There is a lot of marketing and hype out there.

My father-in-law was a Chemical Engineer from MIT and worked all his 42 years as a lubricant specialist for Exxon and at one time supervised all of Exxon's lubricant research. About 30 years ago I asked him him the same question and he gave me a small can of 3-1 oil. I said: "That's what my grandmother uses for her sewing machine!" and he said "And it still works, doesn't it?" I get mine at Walmart, HD or other fine stores for around $3.

Joe

View attachment 1193187

P.S. Don't you just love the "New " label?
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Just an FYI on 3 in 1 oil... Definitely if it works for you use it... Here's what happened to me once and why I stopped using it... We got cought up in a forest fire and I came back in and rescued my guns , ammo and pets... Since we knew our was was going to be destroyed we took the stuff to my grandmother's house 4 hours away...

While there all I could find was 3 in 1 oil so I lubed up and wiped down the guns and put them back in their gun cases , knowing it may be a year till I get my house back and bring them home.. After a year I went to get my guns... The 3 in 1 oil varnished and the actions on some automatics were glued shut and the bolts on the bolt actions were stained with it , it left varnish stains bad , luckily only on the metal... It took some time to get it removed and freed up again... I had hell getting a woods master 30.06 unlocked , it was glued shut... Now these were extream times and having to spend a bunch of time removing the varnish and freeing up things sucked but it was of course better than letting them burn up... They did not rust though....
 
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I read a test where they tested a LOT of different oils and rust preventatives. The test involved squares of steel, left out in the elements for various periods of time, treated with various anti rust products.

Here is the TEST, read the results...it is shocking to say the least:

http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667

The hands down winner was two products:

Hornady One shot:
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1014743837?pid=270323

and Frog lube as second

All The other product was way down the list on how well they performed.

I live in the very HUMID South at this time.

Being a doubting Thomas, on my next Midway order, I bought a can of the Hornady One shot. I have a Rossi Single barrel shot gun, and sprayed the gun down, put it in my hay barn that is open in the front and one side. 30 days later, no rust. 60 days later, no rust. 6 months later, no rust. I brought the gun back in the house, ordered 5 cans of the Hornady One shot.

I would add, that all of the products mentioned above were tested, with the exception of the wax, hard to believe how poorly they performed.
 
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