I ran out of Hoppie’s Oil (which is CIRCA $10 for about the same maybe a bit less volume)… Why do I use Hoppe’s Oil? I honestly have no good reason, other than this is what I started with. I have a couple other ‘gun oil’ bottles, that were thrown in as freebies, one in range bag, the other with hunting gear, but for every day use, I ran out… I do like lubricating. So, couple of weeks ago I saw this little guy at Bunnings:
I thought, oh hello… $2.98. I grabbed a bottle. Seems good. It feels a little less viscous than Hoppe’s, however I don’t think it makes any difference. Tried it on some parts - feels alright. Then I did some research and there’s a lot of really good reviews about it. I think I am onto something.
N.B.
Lannox seems like the way to go for external wiping (as a rust inhibitor). As far as I know, it does not penetrate wood, oil does.
Alright, upon more reading, seems like I am not onto anything new lol. Guess I am just not that old, but this seemed to be the go for gun lubrication back in the day when @Oldbloke helped @no1mk3 (or was it the other way around, I don’t know who’s older) design the 30-06 cartridge.
Certainly not for use anywhere near wood, like I said, has very very low viscosity and will absorb. However, on metal parts applied sparingly, I still think this is a winner.
How does the Air Tool oil stack up? Speaking with a guy at the Rifle club today and he uses Neats Foot oil for resizing lube. Not a bad idea not sure how well it works but it is an oil that is not going to harm any part of the gun. In fact its good for Leather, Wood and steel.
I have been trying Silicon oil on the advise of a gunsmith I had also read it was an oil used in the finishing of Gun Stocks. anyway the gunsmith only recommended it non load bearing parts. such as the surface of the bolt not the lugs. it does work great for a while and it doesnt pick up dirt like a lot of other oils. But it doesnt seem to last very long. On the can it says it is good for rust prevention so I tried it on some dies. Not a winner it seems to disappear at first i thought it was leaving a layer but then i saw a little bit of rust. Its no good on that front.
The Lanox I am finding is the winner for dies and rust prevention. Thin enough not to be a messy problem sticky enough to stay and do the job.
For actual baring surfaces I used Hoppes, then Lannox, now 3-in-1. I use so little of it, that I don;t see the issue. I do however use Lannox religiously as a rust inhibitor.
For case lubing, I had (I still have) a pad and RCBS lube, that came with my original press. Few drops on the pad, rub it in and roll cases on it. Works very well. However, lately I’ve been doing my usual brass processing run (I let it accumulate and then spend a couple of evenings getting 100% done) - large batches of brass. I wasn’t about to roll hundreds of cases, 5 at a time. So, I thought, let’s see if Lanox does the job. It did. All went in a plastic bag. Literally 1 or 2 very short small squirts of Lannox into the bag on top of the cases. Tied the bag and gave everything a good whirl. Perfect! Absolutely perfect!
I know some people recommend mixing it with some spirit or whatever, but I didn’t see the need. Squirt, seal, whirl and done. I tend to clean after processing, so lubed up cases don’t bother me, they get cleaned at the end anyway.
I do however use graphite for dipping case necks (i.e. coating the expander ball) in it, run that through a die and do that to two or three cases. Then I stop (graphite) and re-do the procedure when I feel the expander ball needs re-coating.
Don’t know, all seems like a load of shit to me lately. Graphite, lifetime supply is like $6. Can of Lannox which I do seem to use a lot - $12, cheap machine oil - $3. Feels like all the gun care things are ten times more expensive and are literally rebranded machine maintenance solutions from 100’s of years ago (which they are) which I mentioned above.
I do use Hoppes solvent on good guns however, that seems to be the winner. Ed’s Red kerosine cocktail lol on everything else.
I started using 3-in1 some years ago when Singer Sewing Machine Oil (the very best for all uses, gun, fishing reel etc and apparently all right for sewing machines) became scarce. It is a bit lighter than Singers but works fine. Now I use bulk buy Mineral Oil (think Baby Oil without the smelly stuff). Air tool oil is a bit heavier than I like but is good for long term storage ie: more than 12 months. Neatsfoot oil is engineering soluble oil, also called emulsion when water is added and it goes white. Buy from engineering suppliers for low cost or beg some from your nearest machine shop. I still have about 4 litres as I use it for drilling in a squirt bottle. You don’t have to pay big bucks for branded “gun oil”, I learnt this when I was an apprentice fitter and an exclusive user of Youngs 303 for cleaning my rifles when one of the tradesmen told me the 44 gallon drum of emulsion I was standing next to was exactly the same stuff at 1/20th the price! Cheers
White Lithium chain lube, same for the Harley, Norton and Triumph. The big secret is to clean it all off after every shoot, as it quickly becomes a grinding paste.
