WD 40 was miles and miles of improvement over 3 in 1 oil... You want lots of 3 in 1, scare up some 5 weight motor oil. Much cheaper by the quart. But...
WD40 was improved upon much. BreakFree, Triflo, etc. Just about anything is as good or better these days. If you are in the hot and dry, I would lean toward the dry lubes. Nothing wrong with graphite. Then there are the moly's if you don't mind the grey all over... And the teflon in solvent with the solvent evaporating. Something I want to bet on, I want something a bit newer, better than old WD... although I use it for degreasing right along. Has its place... Luck.
Originally posted by homebrewer: Is WD-40 a good lubricant to spray on/in the bolt group of my AR-15s? I have Eezox, but WD is cheap and easy to get. Thanks...
In a word NO.
Use BreakFree CLP. Be sure and put some on the gas rings.
Also put some on the recoil spring.
DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY
Posts: 16134 | Location: Texas | Registered: 06 April 2002
Is WD-40 a good lubricant to spray on/in the bolt group of my AR-15s?
No matter the wording on the lable, WD-40 is not and was not meant to be a lubracant in any serious way. It's primary usefullness to shooters is to lift and flush off rain, etc., before actually applying a good surface protecting oil. Worst thing about it is that the carrier fluid evaporates within a couple weeks or so and the remaining solids are left as a thick goo that eventually hardens into a near varnish. NOT good for triggers, gas pistons or bolts!
Perhaps the best "gun/reel oil" available to us is straight Automatic Transmission Fluid/Dextron. An excellant light waight lube, good surface tension, very slow drying and non-gumming when it does. Or you could just buy high cost gun oils that are, perhaps, half as good. ATF is in Walmart, etc, auto oil departments for not much.
Posts: 1615 | Location: South Western North Carolina | Registered: 16 September 2005
Here's my one anecdote about WD40. I will not use it for anything that moves, BUT I have a Model 70 ADL that was prone to rusting every time I even looked at it. It didn't matter what I put on it, even BreakFree CLP. One day, knowing all of the negatives stated heretofore, I simply sprayed the OUTSIDE of the ADL with WD40 and let it sit for a month. The carrier fluid evaporated, just as planned and it had sit long enough that the "goo" had hardened into the varnish, without a trace. That particular rifle has NEVER since showed even a speck of rust and I use it in all kinds of weather. When I'm done, I just wipe it down with a clean dry cloth and all is good.
Larry
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson
Posts: 3942 | Location: Kansas USA | Registered: 04 February 2002
For what it is worth my 2 cents. I was visiting a friend of mine friend of mine who is not a gun guy. He mentioned that his dad who had died more than 10 years before had left him and his siblings some guns and asked me if I wanted to see them. Well of course! We crawled up in the attic and brought down 2 card board boxes of mostly colt pistols. They had been sitting in the attic in South Carolina untouched for more than a decade. I fully expected them to be a rusted mess. Well every gun in the box was as clean as a whistle with out a speck of rust. They were just as his Dad had placed them in the box!.. In each box was a very old can of WD-40. and some wiping rags. There was evidence of the varnish that WD-40 leaves and one of the Pythons action was gummed up. A quick spray with the WD-40 put it right back in action.
I use a lot different cleaners and lubricants, and while I don't think that WD-40 is a great lubricant it does work well for a lot of things and has for a long long time. It's cheap. It's every where and it will clean and lubricate your guns. It's biggest advantage is that it is a great cleaner. In the aerosol it is great for washing out the crud and dirt and water out of an action. The biggest drawback it has is that it is such a good penetrant that it will deactivate ammunition is you spray enough on the primers.
If you own a gun and you are not a member of the NRA and other pro 2nd amendment organizations then YOU are part of the problem.
Posts: 1234 | Location: South Texas | Registered: 12 July 2005
I've been using it ever since I can remember and have never had any problems with it. Furthermore, it is a great rust preventer. If anyone is interested, take a look at the test that was conducted by BROWNELLS:
From the offical WD 40 Site--notice when they speak of "guns' the term lubricate is absent. A firearm is not a bycycle chain LOL!!
What about using WD-40 on my sports equipment? WD-40 is safe and effective to use on all types of sporting goods. Use WD-40 on your bike to clean, degrease and lubricate your chain, derailleur, gears, cogs, and moving parts. It will help remove stickers. Use WD-40 to clean and protect your gun. It will prevent corrosion and it won't damage bluing. Spray it on dirt bikes to protect parts and prevent mud from sticking. Use it on watercraft to protect metal surfaces from corrosion and to drive out moisture. WD-40 is also great for cleaning golf clubs and preventing rust on hockey skate blades.
homebrewer, no, it is not sticky. If you leave it long enough, it totally dries hard. But, like I said, or should have, I do NOT use it as a lubricant. It sucks for that purpose.
Larry
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson
Posts: 3942 | Location: Kansas USA | Registered: 04 February 2002
If your idea of gun cleaning is to hose your firearm down with WD-40, it will cause problems usually the safety or the trigger- it does leave a reside that will gum up fine fitted parts, that said it is excellant as a penetrant and a cleaner but it is not for lubrication use a good oil or grease for that keep the WD40 on the outside
I've always found break free to be the best for just about any task where oil is needed. WD 40 is good for cleaning stainless steel refrig. and appliances. Then wipe off w dry rag. Works much better than the stainless cleaners you buy in Lowes etc.
Posts: 250 | Location: Alabama | Registered: 07 December 2007
I've been using WD-40 on my firearms for 35 years and I am satisfied. I've used it on bolt-actions, slide actions, automatics, and revolvers and have no complaints. My guns are rust free and operate well, including my duck hunting shotguns that get weathered alot.
Some of newer products may work better, but I haven't found a need for anything else.
I'm kinda like Duckboat. I've used WD-40 for too long not to know it works. I don't use it for long time storage but then, my rifles are never in long time storage and I have better stuff in the shop. But when I'm in camp, you can bet there's a can of WD-40 around there somewhere.
Although WD-40 is cheap andcheerful, there are better water displacement sprays for general firearm use. I like the one by Napier because it doesn't leave a gummy residue when it dries.
I have a stainless (yeah, right ) steel Howa that would rust if someone in the house turned the shower on..I tried a variety of oils, and so far Napier products have given me the best results...
WD-40 was designed as a water displacing cleaner for the aircraft industry. It isn`t much more then the old mechanical tuner cleaners we used to spray on radio and TV tuners. It`s purpose is not to lube or fight rust but to dry and clean. CLP Breakfree, FP-10, etc are worlds ahead of it as a lube/protectant. Good old Marvel mystery oil, 3 in 1 or motoer oil would be better choices. IMO
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Posts: 2535 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 20 January 2001
Since you are in a dryer climate (meaning dustier as well), you should "season " your AR with a health coating of CLP and let it stand for a few days, wipe dry, repeat a few times. The solvents will dry off and leave behing a layer of teflon that will provide much needed lube in your climate.
Clean with CLP (yes, all metal parts including the bore) and leave a light coat-meaning (by US Army TM defintion) one drop of CLP on a 556 sized cleaning patch, pinch between your finger a few times to spread and wipe.
CLP does a wonderful job if used exclusively.
I served an aggregate of 3 years, 9 months in South west asia and most of it in unimproved conditions, (plus deployments to NTC, Dugway, Yuma etc). M16s SAWs, M240s, M9s shotguns and crew served weapons all worked (of course, they need daily cleaning, or even more frequently, as dust pervades everything).
CLP works if used as designed.
ARs etc run just fine w/o clp or any other lube dripping out of them-no matter what the naysayers sayl! The tefon residual coating makes carbon removal much easier, just do not spray with brake/carbon cleaner-you'll undo everything!
You are there when your parts feel slick, but wiping a clean patch on it comes away clean and dry...
WD-40 gums up over time and is very attractive to grit. Apply a coat of Rem Oil and spray off excess oil leaving a thin film on your bolt. The AR action does not work well with junk in tight spaces so save the WD40 for car/garage parts.
Posts: 108 | Location: Panhandle of Texas | Registered: 20 July 2009
I use WD 40 to dry out a wet gun. Spray it on wipe off all of it you can get off. clean the bore with either Hoppes or CR10. then lightly coat with a thin film of Eezox to protect. I use a little white grease or Amsoil 5W-30 synthetic for lube. DW
Posts: 1016 | Location: Happy Valley, Utah | Registered: 13 October 2006
) steel Howa that would rust if someone in the house turned the shower on..I tried a variety of oils, and so far Napier products have given me the best results...
