Are all penetrating oils/CLPs the same?

[39flathead]

I use weaponshield on my carry guns and to lube the AR's and other semis.
Ballistol gets used on my collection.

Ballistol will not hurt wood like other oils can.
The Ballistol formula has been around for almost 100 years.
I use it on my work boots and belts also.
I have a pair of uninsulated work boots that got stiff over the winter, I rubbed in some Ballistol and within a day they softened right back up.

Many people complain about the smell but I find it's strong, not really bad smelling.
Using it inside the house will stink up the joint but it's just that it's a strong odor, not really that it stinks imo.
Keep in mind that I almost puke when smelling gear oil, Ballistol isn't even close to being as foul as gear oil.


No matter what the weirdos say, WD40 is not gun oil, it's Water Dispersement formula number 40.

The only thing I use WD40 for that gun related is to displace water at the range and after flushing a bore of corrosive salts and then it gets a real cleaning and real oil.

[ungawa]

Not all the same. I have never been a fan of anything that is supposed to do the job of a lubricant and a cleaner in one product. You compromise the performance of product by expecting it to do multiple things. So I use a cleaner to clean/remove and a lubricant to lubricate. Use several difference kinds of cleaners and different lubes too. (different weights mostly) I'm not the military so I don't need to keep it simple and have one product that does several things in a mediocre fashion due to logistics and trying not to overload the brain of the grunt.

Me either. Break Free gums up IMO. I use Hoppes 9 to clean (when I bother) and their oil. Back to basics. You guys enjoy your Barfitol or whatever, I am done experimenting.

[Sandcut]

OK.

So we've established that WD40 and Break Free gum up. Why? When it gets cold? Due to drying out and leaving a sludge? Why?

For those that like Ballistol, Weapon Shield, etc., why do you like it? Support your opinion on why you like it. So far I only know that Ballistol stinks.

[philadelphia patriot]

I like Weapon Shield CLP and Weapon Shield Solvent because they do a great job cleaning my gun, and it's non-toxic. The fact the company is based out of PA also makes me happy.

[39flathead]

OK.

So we've established that WD40 and Break Free gum up. Why? When it gets cold? Due to drying out and leaving a sludge? Why?

For those that like Ballistol, Weapon Shield, etc., why do you like it? Support your opinion on why you like it. So far I only know that Ballistol stinks.

I used to use Breakfree when I shot USPSA and I never had it gum up.
I shot matches in the winter, never had a problem with it so I really don't know how it gummed up on others, maybe because they globbed it on?
The stuff doesn't need to be dripping off to work, a light thin coating of CLP is all that's required.
Any oil will gum up if it's out in too heavy and it then collects crud.

Ballistol?
I have guns I've stored for 20+ years that get Ballistol and haven't found a rust spot yet.
That's good enough of a qualifier for me.

But also add in that water does not stop it from being a lubricant and it gets even better.
The stuff has been around since WWI.
You can use it on leather, it will not harm wood like conventional oils can, it won't ruin some plastics like some oil can.
It works to clean milsurp guns without being harsh like other cleaners can.

You can cut it with water for cleaning bores, especially black powder.
The stuff just works.
As for the smell, I'd say it's like a strong black jellybean.

Weaponshield I use on carry guns because it's a more modern product and I regularly wipe down my cart guns.
Same with using it on an AR, I tried it after getting a free sample a few years back and it works just fine, so I just kept on using it.

[39flathead]

If you want a good cheap alternative to gun oils buy a quart of Mobil One motor oil in something like 0W20.

[Qtrborecrazy]

OK.

So we've established that WD40 and Break Free gum up. Why? When it gets cold? Due to drying out and leaving a sludge? Why?

For those that like Ballistol, Weapon Shield, etc., why do you like it? Support your opinion on why you like it. So far I only know that Ballistol stinks.

Try WD 40 Specialist.

[Gripsafety]

Not all the same. I have never been a fan of anything that is supposed to do the job of a lubricant and a cleaner in one product. You compromise the performance of product by expecting it to do multiple things. So I use a cleaner to clean/remove and a lubricant to lubricate. Use several difference kinds of cleaners and different lubes too. (different weights mostly) I'm not the military so I don't need to keep it simple and have one product that does several things in a mediocre fashion due to logistics and trying not to overload the brain of the grunt.

^^^^^^ This. I enjoy cleaning my guns. Lubes and cleaners are not one size fits all. Most of my guns have at least 2 different lube products in them.

[Tim Ault]

Penetrating fluid ,lubrication and or rust preventative are all three different animals yes there are some products that can work for all three but not gonna be the best at any of them . Penetrating liquids , best Ive found is acetone and tranny fluid mixed . , for a lube depending on what it is a good synthetic motor oil or bearing grease work as well as anything . For long term rust prevention I just use gear lube . Like I said none of those do well at all three issues but it's what I use and I normally have all three around the house anyways .

[HKusp 45]

I use frog lube ... used correctly it lubes prevents rust and makes follow up cleaning a breeze. I can wipe off lot of the crap without much in the name of needing any heavy solvents. From my experience most things work the only thing that changes is the level of gunk it may accumulate and or the frequency of maintenance. If not applied correctly frog lube will gum the hell up and good. (you need to use a little heat from like a hairdryer and wipe off the excess.) It's a slightly arduous process initially but once it's done your good for a very long time.