It's a water displacing substance...NOT a lubricant...I've seen it used after a cold blue job...which is what it's used for.. displacing the water carrier if the bluing salts...the salts are hydrophilic...meaning they attract water which causes oxidation...i.e. rust...the WD 40 does what it dies best.. displaces those salts
I've never lost a firearm to a boating accident. Never will. If they take them, it'll be by boarding w/o permission. "Ten thousand rounds for defense, not one round surrendered. ..."
When I purchased some old military surplus guns in the 90’s, I used WD-40 sprayed onto old denim material to remove rust spots that I found hidden by the stocks. The rust was removed quickly with the non-abrasive material. After the rust was removed, as well as other hidden debris (sand or dirt) I then rubbed gun oils over the entire gun to ensure that everything was properly lubricated.
pahunter3 That is how I use it. As a cleaner to scrub crud out with a toothbrush but after that I oil it and wipe it down. I don't use it as a long term lubricant but instead as a cleaner. I do not use it or any type of lube when a gun is loaded. Lube when the gun is unloaded and drip dry and wipe down. Any lubricant will kill primers regardless of the brand. Many gun cleaner/lubricants like CLP and brake free are harsh on the finish and stocks of guns. Solvents are even harsher. Solvents loosen and dissolve metals like lead and copper. I don't want to put solvents on parts and surfaces where it may damage them. I have seen some solvents dissolve plastic and other furniture. The only place I put a solvent is in the bore when I scrub a bore rifling clean with a copper brush. After I get a bore clean then I oil it and then wipe it out dry. A solvent that is less harsh is better than one that is more harsh however it may take a stronger solvent to get a bore clean or a lot more scrubbing work with a less harsh solvent. Some bores never come totally clean. Good old 3 in 1 household oil is my favorite lube for everything. I like a little bit of gun grease on wear areas also.
The 90s was the "2nd Golden Age" of surplus (C&R) collecting...I got my C&R licence and got a number if former Soviet and Soviet bloc firearms as well as free and neutral countries surplus...It was a happy time for us collectors
I have been using WD-40 for blasting out the crude in firearms for 30 plus years, but then I use a synthetic gun oil for lubrication. Never had an issue with this method so far.
I've never realized how much I love Caleb's reasoned and blunt approach until this video. And Steve's laugh is just as complementary to these segments as his expertise. You guys make an excellent team!
Wow! That explains why the cylinder of my revolver was always getting gummed-up. There was no evidence of residue, but there I was, constantly wiping the rod and applying a new coat of WD-40. In my defence, that was 25 years ago. Thanks for unraveling one of my childhood's mysteries.
I like to use bacon grease. It's practically free and it helps save money in these ammunition scarce times. After a few rounds the exquisite odor of bacon comes wafting from the firearm to tickle my olfactory nerves. I soon become too hungry to shoot anymore and find myself rushing to the nearest diner to devour a B.L.T., maybe a short stack with extra bacon, sometimes the craving can not be satiated as quickly as I like and I find myself eating raw bacon in the parking lot of the grocery store while I wait for the other strips of heaven to fry on the engine block. Some say I have "issues" and some are wrong.
I used bacon grease once and after a few plinking rounds down range the odor attracted every coyote in the county and I had to leave cause I was out of ammo.
Thank you Caleb! As a retired maintenance technician for a class 8 truck manufacturer I totally agree. I have seen more equipment ruined by people who think that is a lubricant. Throttle cables will go from slow moving to frozen to the point that you have to replace
Still one of my favorite channels. Steve has that distinctive voice. I say that because a few years ago he helped me with a question regarding the best "parts" to buy for cutting a new crown on a pistol barrel. Hands down absolutely the nicest customer service person I have ever dealt with. What I like about these videos is Steve and Caleb give knowledgeable and direct answers for the questions.
@Bruce Forrest Far left socialist do and they are the real problem. Bleeding heart liberal democrats are no threat to anyone but themselves, far left radical socialists are the people taking over every institution in this country. Laugh all you want but they are winning.
Some 30 years ago I asked a Remington Arms rep check my 550-1 22 S, L, & LR. He told me exactly what you guys have said. He showed me how gummed up the loading tube was, then he cleaned it thoroughly. I was amazed at how smoothly it worked after that. Great video. Much obliged.
"This is a Public Service Announcement!" 🤣 So true..Caleb straight went off on this one. You could see it in his eyes, the amount of firearms he has restored from the misuse of WD-40. Well done as always fellas. 👏
Looks like Caleb uses too much of that Rand CLP in his hair. I have NEVER had WD-40 "gum up" anything. I will agree that WD-40 isn't a good choice to lube a firearm, but neither are those $15 2oz bottles of "gun oil". Just use engine oil and be done with it, cheap and VERY good.
@@stchman , agree. I have used many types of oils and cleaners for 47 years. I hunt in western PA and shoot at the range all summer. My firearms have been through a gauntlet of severe weather conditions. I OVER LUBE my firearms with Ballistoll, WD40, and many other types of oil. YES!!, OVER LUBE!!! I have never had a problem with any of my firearms! Where does this mysterious build up of dirt and debris and gum come from???? AND, why hasn’t this mystical substance caused a problem with my firearms???
@@albertforletta1498 just you doesnt mean everyone is having the same right? I mean the US Army wouldnt tell their soldiers not to lube up guns in certain firearms if they had all your firearm knowledge would they?
THANK YOU... THANK YOU... THANK YOU... I normally don't respond or comment on these sites. But I saw this and was relieved with joy. I taught for many years at a Gunsmith school and have my degree in Gunsmithing. I used to know several people at Brownells, former students. We taught this very thing for years at the school. Then we had some personal changes and... well I will put it this way. I upset several of them throwing cans of the stuff in the trash. To prevent it from usage, we [the school] had even changed our lesson plans for hot salts bluing. Which were written many years prior. To eliminate the use of WD40 . It will not only gum up the firearm but it will disperse any moisture and can hold it in a variety of areas, causing the firearm to rust. All my best to good folks at Brownells. Thanks again for this and getting the word out.
For years, I've used WD-40 as a cleaning solvent for firearm barrels and revolver chambers. Then I follow up by wiping the barrels and chambers clean and giving them a thin application of Microil on a patch. I also use Microil on moving parts. Having tried Rand CLP, I learned to my dismay that it sets up in long-term storage, and can virtually freeze the cylinder of a revolver in place if it was used to lube the base pin.
Ok you get a thumbs UP, pretty much the first RU-vidrs to acknowledge WD-40 has its place in cleaning a wet gun. Right after toweling off a wet gun, WD-40 is your go to for drying that gun BEFORE cleaning and lubricating. More people need to put that out there instead of this "WD-40 is BAD" and codemn everyone owning a can of it.
I use FLUID FILM. Learned about it when I did long shoreman work.I seen a the crew mopping the deck with it out of five gallon buckets.they told me it stops the SHIP FROM RUSTING when out to see
Im here because of Ballistol. I just used it to lube up a rifle. Is it really all that good? I have a few other lubes and never really had an issue with any of them to be honest. But I wanted the best, so I'm trying Ballistol to see if it lives up to the hype. Stuff STINKS though.
You know what works better and doesn't leave a hydrophilic surface? A dedicated gun cleaner. If I have to free some usty parts or remove label glue residue I use WD-40.
Indeed, WD40 is one of the best and most benign solvents to remove adhesive residue. 3M makes the best adhesive removers, but they aren't always handy.
I've used WD for cleaning... after done cleaning then lube up with a proper gun oil/lubricant.. been doing that for over 19 yrs and I've never had issues on any of my guns... just my 2 cents
I agree it's not a good long term solution but I've been on a few bird hunts with friends that their shotguns (auto & pump) started to malfunction (due to improper maintenance) and a couple shots of WD-40 out of a toolbox got them working and were able to continue shooting the rest of day.
Ya, probably because they weren't cleaned properly in the first place, highly unlikely they'll clean them now that “they're working again”. In theory I have no problem with it, but in practice, too many use it as a short cut!
@@wilfdarr Nope they sure weren't. They're usually filled un burnt powder and gunk, and even some wild grass seeds. Some bone dry. I've seen it all. You can tell they haven't been cleaned in years. It be surprising that people would gun on a high volume bird hunt with a un-maintained shotgun but its happened to often to be shocked. A couple shots of WD-40 gets them back into the action. I tell them it needs a thorough cleaning and show them what's causing the malfunctions. And right I bet they take it home and just put it away for the next year.
Your missing the point! Yes , the WD 40 will definitely free up sticky mechanisms. But too much left behind will only collect dust & debris and eventually over a long period of time ( years) will start to become sticky and semi solidify. Use it but clean out the old and apply new periodically. Engine oil will do the same if not changed out on a routine schedule. It will gum up and stick to all the parts inside the engine. I hope this helps you better understand. WD 40 is a great product for any metal mechanical moving parts.
I have 45 yr old blued guns that have zero spec of rust and work well as the day they were made, that were kept clean with WD. Just don't hose in there. All my parts are wiped with a lightly treated gun rag before re-installation. I've since used other products such as Rem Oil, CLP, Hoppes, Ballistol, and pure white mineral oil. None work hardly any differently than the other provided the guns are maintained with sufficient frequency. Keep them dry, keep the steel clean, and don't leave any amount of excess oil present regardless of type, past what it takes to prevent rust. If a gun requires oil to function, it's an inferior machine.
I bought a 308 ar15 from dpms and after firing 30 to 40 rounds through it, It jammed and I couldn't get the bolt back into battery, even using the forward assist and a screwdriver. I sprayed it down with wd40 and not only got the bolt released but was able to fire many more rounds without a single problem
I worked on office machines for over 39 years. We used WD-40 to find the squeaks, then used regular lubricant to permanently quiet the squeak. If you just used WD, you would get a call back.
In 2004, we had dust build up in our rifles in Iraq. The Army gave us dry lube, graphite spray. I used WD-40 and wiped it dry. My rifle survived that way for an entire year. I agree with you, but, I needed something that would clean and wipe dry.
I just use it for taking surface rust off old guns. I tear it down to the reciever, let it soak in a layer or two for a couple hours, then thoroughly clean it and relube.
there is a point to use it inside a revolver barrel and inside a revolvers cylinder round holders, where there is no "moving parts" to gum up. most economical powder remover.
I use WD-40 when I bought a 9X18 makarov it was covered in cosmoline. I stripped it down to the bare bones and soaked it with Kerosene and followed up with WD-40 and wipe it down with a rag , then applied rem oil to the whole surface. There was no more odor other than the rem oil. No problems.
Exactly, WD 40 corrosion, not regular, was along with frog lube and Hornandy One Shot were the 3 best corrosion resistant products tested out of dozens of well known ones. But not a godd lube at all. I've used WD-40 for 25 years on the outside of my guns and never had rust issues or gummy sticky issues as claimed.
When I get in form the Alaska bush I use WD40 to clean it out and to get into the nooks and crannies to remove mud, water and debris, but yes i use a proper lube for the actions and coat the entire weapon properly with oil.. As far as gumming. Never even heard of this issue and I got no time for gun games with a bush weapon.. Like any tool, there is a time and use for everything..
Severe overuse of WD-40 will leave a shellac like mess on everything it splatters on, as a bicycle mechanic I've seen this too many times. I swear I've given this same speech dozens of times, just with 'bicycle' replacing 'firearm'.
@@technovelo I think there is more to this story then the WD40 causing this by itself. Ive used it my entire life and never seen this mythical phenomena that others are speaking of. In fact I never heard of it until now. But I cannot say I over use it. Just what needs to be used to get Alaska off of and out of my weapons..
@@Ivarr.Bergmann.Alaska It actually requires effort, the story I usually hear runs so: "I've been spraying my chain with WD-40 for years, why has it gummed up now?" You are using it properly as a cleaning fluid, finishing with lube to prevent corrosion.
Dude same, it’s an okay solvent (cheap tho) and is good enough to clean the guns. Just put oil or some lube on that bad boy afterwards and you’re good to go. This is a typical extreme statement focused at fudds who drench their firearm with wd40 after dear season and throw it in the case until next year.
In my gun cleaning kit I have a spray can of RemOIl and two small bottles of RemOil along with two bottles of Hoppes 9. I also have several brass wire brushes, and a few wool brushes, along with a bag of cloth patches.
I have used WD-40 with a soft cloth as a first step to clean surface rust from guns. I find that this will loosen and remove rust without scuffing the finish. Then I clean the surfaces with mineral spirits and coat with a film of oil. It is important to finish the process immediately to prevent the rust from flashing back. I'd never expect it to work as a lubricant. In a unrelated story on the topic of WD-40. I was shooting with a group on BLM land in Nevada. One of the shooters that day had a Ruger AR556. After the last round of a magazines, he hit the bolt release and the bolt froze mid stroke. It wouldn't retract with the charging handle and wouldn't ho home with "reasonable force" on the forward assist. He retrieved a can of WD-40 from his Razor. He sprayed the bolt carrier down through the ejection port and a minute or two later the recoil spring was able to push the bolt home. But I'm not convinced that the malfunction wasn't a product of using WD-40 to begin with.
Okie dokie petroleum engineer here. The idea behind lubricants like motor oil or gun oil is to provide a super thin film which metal parts can ride on rather than riding on each other and wearing out. You also have shear thickness to consider but without getting too far into the weeds of chemistry and such, just understand that many of the penetrating lubes you can buy like wd40 or pb blaster etc do not provide that film cushion that moving metal parts require. Also you need to understand that certain oils won't play well with certain metals or a mechanism that has constituent parts made of different types of metals. The AR15 is a perfect example because you have an iron alloy based bolt sliding in an aluminum housing so you need an oil that won't interact with either metal / alloy. A lot of people do not recognize how reactive aluminum really is but considering its one of 2 main components of thermite I think you can see what i mean. Internal combustion gasoline engines are under similar stresses as seen in firearms and generally have an aluminum piston with iron rings sliding up and down in an iron bore/sleeve or In some cases riding in an aluminum bore with an extremely hard coating. Regardless of the combination the motor oil used in those engines has to be inert unreactive etc.. when exposed to those metals at high Temps, low Temps and all between. One of the main reasons for oil changes aside from it getting dirty with combustion byproducts is that with repeated heat cycles the oil will begin to acidify. Synthetic oils are much more resistant to this process but they will succumb to it eventually. The same has to be true for your guns oil, because while it doesn't have to worry about lubricating something moving at several thousand rpm for extended periods, it's still exposed to massive forces during firing. Chamber pressure on a 5.56 is what like 50 or 60 thousand psi? So use the best oil you can get your hands on, its cheap insurance to avoid failure, premature wear and if you're planning on using a weapon for self defense aka your life depending on its proper function then use the lubricant designed to optimize its functionality
@@bayoumike544 Yeah I found that out back in the 1990s . I got a few SKS rifles and they were covered in cosmoline. The first one I worked on it for a week to clean it up and a friend said break cleaner would get it off so I tried it and it was really clean after. Don't forget to oil the gun the break cleaner will strip all oil off your gun.
I know guys who use it to displace any latent moisture in the bore of their muzzleloaders after cleaning them... They swear it protects the bore and swabs out easy before shooting.
I shoot quite a bit of black power .45 colt, .45-70, and .50-70 and personally I find WD-40 great for cleaning up rusted guns(especially rusted up bores) but as far as cleaning after shooting black powder I think water is best. With either you need to get it dry and oil afterwards, WD-40 is harder to get off though if I do use it on a gun I usually wash it off with water afterwards.
We used WD-40 on our revolvers for a short time when I worked for the Washington State Patrol. Very quickly we started having mis-fires on the shooting range. It was eventually discovered that the WD-40 penetrating oil was seeping around the primers and making the cartridges “dead”.
That will be true with any oil. That is exactly why you need to wipe off excess oil. An air compressor and a blow gun works great too to remove excess oil , even from the smallest nooks & crevices. You want to leave behind just a super thin film of lubricant.
@@peterv1318 , I know what they are talking about. Marketing gun oils and other gun products. They don’t like competition. Competition hurts their wallets. I’ve been using WD-40 for decades, and I have never had a problem with any of my firearms.
@@peterv1318 , lol. That’s because it absolutely gums up NOTHING!!!!! I’ve been over lubing all my firearms with WD-40 and other oils for many decades. I have never seen this mysterious build up of dirt and debris. Also, I have never seen this mysterious gum that people seem to be talking about. Also, I have never had a problem with any of my firearms because of over lubing, and I’m telling you that I always over lube.
@@failure2flinch876 Its a mix of alchool, somesort of wax and other things. It's crappy for cleaning but its nice for preservation. It's not to be applied on match weappons trigger sistems it will freeze them up.
I was not set up to hot blue and used to ship broken down guns to a bluing/plating shop. Their procedure was to coat the parts with WD-40, let sit a day, wrap in plastic and ship. In one day that WD-40 was like Elmer's Glue.
I agree with everything you have said regarding WD-40. It is good stuff for what it is designed for. I've used it to remove light rust from blued barrels, it works well for this. Quite a few years ago a J frame S&W failed to fire 3 out of 5 times in a real shoot out during the robbery of a pawn shop. The ammo was new Super Vel. It was determined that the owner of the J frame used WD 40 on the gun and the excellent penetrating characteristics of the WD 40 allowed it to get into the primers of the ammunition thus causing them to fail. I knew the shop owner who was the victim and he told the story. I also heard it repeated by gunsmiths in the area and by the firearms examiner from the PD that investigated the robbery. There was no loss of life in the incident. One of the Super Vel rounds connected with one of the robbers seriously wounded him. All three were caught and successfully prosecuted for the crime. So there is another reason to keep WD 40 away from your guns. Keep up the good work guys.
this is a question I've had ever since I started using and maintaining firearms; I gave up the search for the ultimate cleaner/lubricant and just defaulted to classic Hoppe's out of frustration.
Use a tiny amount at the wear points. A small stiff paintbrush works well for not putting too much on, all you need is a thin film. Lithium grease is fine, aluminum, or marine grease is also really good.
I've used grease for AKs and bolt actions, oil for everything else. Grease works good if your gun is getting really hot too, but it gets too thick in the winter.
I do not disagree. I applaud you for bring this up because there's so many people there miss informed about WD-40. I really appreciate this video. Now I got something to show people when I try to make my point lol. Y'all have a good day
Actually, I use WD40, quite regularly, to clean up plastic wadding from Shotgun barrels, and for chamber polishing. It's a great flush out, and water displacer. It is NOT a great lubricant, and shouldn't be used as such. It's also great, for safely removing adhesive, from most surfaces!
Hi guys, a fan from the Netherlands here. I’ve got a possible Smythbusting/lore for a short video. People at my range keep telling me to stop using the slide stop lever on my glock 19 to drop the slide (on an empty mag). According to them it will wear out the notch on the slide to the point it will no longer function. In my opinion this is not true, the engineers at Glock have probably thought about this and made the stop lever out of a softer steel (than the slide). Anyways thanks for the vids, I am thoroughly enjoying the content!
I never used WD-40 as lubricant, I used it to DISPLACE WATER and as a light SOLVENT. After that, I use an oil like Hoppe’s 9. WD-40 evaporates after a while, if it’s getting “gumed up” there’s probably another component in the mix like wax.
BAM! You guys nailed this one. MY story: Years ago, about 1980 to be exact, I used WD-40 on all my guns. One day I went pheasant hunting in Garfield, WA, in a light snow. I had wiped my shotgun down with a fresh coat of WD-40 the evening before. Before I was halfway through the hunt, rust was showing up all over my Win 1200 barrel. I threw that can of WD-40 away after that and have never used it for anything again. It has its purpose, and that purpose is a very narrow window and does not include firearms.
After you cleaned your gun with WD-40 you should use a lubricant that has some corrosion protection properties like RemOil or Balistol. Nothing on the can of WD-40 about lubrication or preventing rust so why would you think it would be good for that?
@@barrygrant2907 WD-40 in my experience is good for cleaning up rusty guns. I have a M1868 Springfield in .50-70 that is over 150 years old and had a load of rust in the barrel(.50-70 is a black powder cartridge, so shooting without properly cleaning it up after will cause this). WD-40 and a wire brush got almost all of it off, and the pitting under the rust turned out not to be that bad. Of course if you do this you need to wash it all of and oil afterwards, as WD-40 can cause corrosion if left on the surface of the metal. As far as general cleaning I use water and oil after for black powder and break free and oil after with smokeless powder.
WD-40 (Water Displacing Formula #40) was actually developed for the outer skin on the Atlas Missile to protect it from coastal air. Several formulas were tried but #40 is what they bought.
Yep! Used to use it as an after run oil in my competition airplane motors...tore one down after a year of use to find the ball bearings in the motor with rust all over them...stopped using it then and there for ANY of my engines and forearms lubrication!
In the HOV lane heading towards 70. Started using WD-40 52 years ago as a grunt on my M-16. Always used it to clean the rifle, wiped it off and lubed with LSA. Still do with all my firearms. Never a malfunction, slime, or rust issue. Signed an Old Ranger!
I use it for cleaning my guns. It is a good cleaner. I then wipe it off completely as possible and then rinse my gun with a good spray gun oil. Always use a good gun oil. I prefer Lucas gun oils.
@@RobinRobertsesq your opinion. WD-40 is a solvent! Which means it can break down, remove, dissolve, & clean hundreds of things; probably more. That's a FACT.🤭
I remember in high school civics class our teacher was a WWII veteran. He told us WD- 40 stood for "war department formula no. 40" and it was originally made of whale oil. They developed it to use on rifles when the soldiers were shipped over seas on boats to remove rust and salt water from the rifles.
For the first 10 years I owned guns, I used WD-40 as both a solvent and lubricant for my guns. I never had any problems during that time. Then I started hearing everybody tell me how bad it was for the guns and I quit and switched to cleaners and lubricants meant for guns. I figured why risk it when my guns cost me several hundred dollars each? But I still remember having zero problems those first 10 years. Make of that what you will.
I’ve been using WD40 on my firearms for close to 50 years with no problems. I have never noticed any gumming of the actions. I wipe them with a clean cloth lightly sprayed with WD40 before I store them and have never had a problem with rust. I also use lubes like G96 on pistol slides, bores and any wear points.
I use it to clean AK mags that I get. Mostly dirty and that sticky oil stuff on them. WD-40 takes it off cleans them nice wipe it down. I haven’t ever had sticky stuff from WD-40
Most people have no idea what the WD stands for. I’ve sold pallets of WD-40 over the years and I would be willing to bet the large percentage of it is used in the wrong application. Gunsmiths love it. It brings them lots of work
Is this a WD-40 loyalist? That's not an argument, also should mention that it's not just the guys here at Brownells saying this. Othias has said that on a video of his on his channel. DO NOT USE IT on guns.
And, you will never have a problem with WD40. I clean with it, then I over lube(yes,over lube) with Ballistol, or any oil that is on sale the day I’m shopping. I have many firearms and have fired tens of thousands of rounds during my 62 years. I have never had an oil,or cleaning solution, problem.
WD40 is a lubricant, as well stated on their website and from universal user experience. Good on you for using it, and not falling for the trap of overpaying for cheap Mexican and Chinese oils labeled as “gun lubricants” and sold in fancy bottles to loose-walleted suckers.
I use WD to clean my guns after the range. Being careful where to apply, it’s cheap and works well to dissolve fouling and to float debris away with a nylon brush. I follow up with brake parts cleaner to remove that which was loosened/liquified again being careful where to apply the cleaner. I follow up with Rem Oil or equivalent. No longer do I use Break Free CLP as it gums up over time.
It was also known to deaden primers. I have a retired state police firearms examiner friend that told me it was common practice for many officers to spray their gun down with wd-40 after a shift and the spray being a penetrating oil would over time work it's way around the cartridge primer. He told me that the issue presented itself during qualifying shoots many times. Guys would attemp to fire their guns and get clicks instead of bangs...
@@stevenrichards3699 Frog Lube (spray) is the worst I’ve come across. Others I can’t name since they were applied some time prior by customers who didn’t remember. My preferred oil is G96 or Hoppes.
I've used WD-40 to free up an old gun that had rusted to the point you couldn't get the hammer back. After I got everything freed up and apart, I used a degreaser to clean everything and then a proper lubricant putting it back together. I use it to have free up rusted bolts on other things as well. But you have to be careful concerning WD-40 use on anything that might be exposed to a cold winters day. It will freeze up. Learned that one the hard way.
For the past 40 years I've been using my wife's sewing machine oil for the moving parts of my handguns and a light coating of Hoppes gun oil on the outside surfaces for rust prevention. Works for me.
Growing up, WD-40 was always on my Uncle's range table for cleaning purposes. It wasn't used for lube, but more for stubborn fowling. That being said, 10w30 synthetic oil was used for lubrication.
I use WD-40 after duck hunting in water that is waist-chest deep with waders. The easiest way to clean my shotgun from clay silt and mud is to wash it out with a power washer, blow dry it, then spray WD-40 all on the outside of the shotgun to prevent rust. I wait for about 30 minutes and use compressed air to get as much of it out. Afterwards I detail strip the gun, clean and lube as I normally would with gun solvents and lube.
3-in-1 oil, which was once very popular, also hardens over time. Once purchased a Savage auto that had been in dresser drawer since the 1930s, totally frozen with hardened 3-in-1.
I still use WD-40, but as solvent for the carbon on the parts of the firearm, afterwards i wipe it off till the part is clean and lubricate them with Ballistol.
@@ReckerFidelWOLF I don't mind using WD-40 as a solvent only, so far it hadn't gave me any issues.I had seen several people using it as a solvent after field exercises and live fire not to mention other weird stuff, like break cleaners. WD-40 doesn't seem to be the worst thing out there.
I hosed down my 1100 after a wet duck hunt in western Oregon with wd40 as a precaution. Drove an hour home unloaded the gear and decoys only to find my shotgun and soft case was gone. We lived on a walk path and someone snatched my gun and ran while we were unloading. They tossed it in someone’s back yard. It spent 6months in the rain and weather in a soft case before it was recovered by the police. The stock swelled. Rust spots on the receiver and barrel were it had solid contact with the soft gun case. But it functioned without a hiccup and has not seen a smith since and is still in use. Glad I hosed it down with wd40 after it got drenched.
WD-40 is good at rust prevention. Never seen this gummed up effect they talk about. It' may not be good for lubricating a gun, but it is really good at rust prevention Somehow I suspect Brownells doesn't sell it.
when caleb said: "it's not a lubricant," i said the same words out loud when he said them. i had to rewind and listen again to make sure cuz i didn't hear him, lol!
As a kid back in the 60s, that's all we used to clean our guns. My grandfather was a heavy machinery mechanic and his company bought WD-40. I guess it was in 5 gallon drums. Anyway we had lots of WD-40. And we cleaned our guns on a regular basis. I was shooting practically every day. So I was always cleaning my gun it was a .22lr. Now as we all know that's a dirty cartridge. What may have factored in here was I didn't just spray the crap on the gun. But I wiped it down afterwards. So I suspect that prevented the waxy buildup, but again wow! I still to this day use WD-40 and I've never had any problems. Never gummed up anything, but again it's likely simply because I was wiping off the previous application as I go. To me that's just part of cleaning my guns.
I happily agree that WD-40 is by no means a lubricant, but it works just fine as a basic rust remover and oil. Perhaps it isn’t good long term, but from my experience, if you’re cleaning your guns every time you get back from the range (like with black powder), or even every 5-6 times you get back, WD-40 works like a charm. It’s a matter of using it for its intended purpose, protecting and removing rust. Use it for that, and you won’t have any issues.
I’ve used it to give a quick cleaning after shooting corrosive primers. Pour a hot kettle of water down the bore and through the guts and then blast the WD40 into the whole mess and rush off to dinner or what-have-you. Better the WD40 mess, (and it’s definitely a mess) then rust or primer corrosion because you just kept putting off a proper cleaning. Doing a proper cleaning especially if you have to tear down small parts is kinda time consuming. Then you have to hook up the air compressor and run some lines so you can blast the parts dry, or wait for a sunny day in the middle of a Pacific NE winter so you can clean and dry your gun.... screw that, I don’t time my shooting to include a couple hours of tear down and cleaning as well as another couple hours of air drying or low temperature oven drying.
