AR Lubricant: Strange Choice?

[billt]

Cutting oils used for machining are a whole different breed. About the only use for any standard oil or lubricant in the machining industry is ATF for use in cutting Aluminum. All cutting fluids we use are purpose blended soluble oils that are mixed with R.O. water. They are referred to as coolants because that is their primary goal. To keep the cutting tools from overheating. Without them tooling would fail in the matter of minutes. Especially with many of the modern high speed, CNC machining centers in use today.   Bill T.

[Walter45Auto]

I went to Northern Tool & equipment, and got a big tube of lithium grease for like $1.97. Already had an empty syringe type applicator that I refilled with the lithium grease. I don't think I've used it on my AR, but I don't see any reason why it'd cause a problem either.

[fightingquaker13]

I am relatively new to the AR. I played with M-16s as a cadet for four years, but we got a shamefully low amount of time with them as range time and ammo for cadets was priority zero. I can field strip and clean one, but lubing and maintence  is not something they spent much time on. We were just given the rifles for a day and expected to have them back clean in the morning. Now I am mostly just using rem oil, which I know won't cut it. Do I need to go with a grease or will an oil do it?
FQ13

[billt]

For an AR-15 grease isn't necessary, and will just give dirt something to stick to. Remember grease + foreign material = lapping compound. Especially sand. Use a high viscosity oil. The problem with a lot of these "gun oils", especially Rem Oil is they are very thin. When the weapon becomes hot they get even thinner and don't remain where they're supposed to. I use Mobil 1 in a 20W-50 grade in all of my AR's. It has a nice thick viscosity and seems to stay where it's put better than anything else I've tried.

I've read and heard that Slip 2000 EWL, (Extreme Weapons Lube), is supposed to be really good in the AR-15. My 2 LWRC piston AR-15's came with a small bottle of it. To be perfectly honest after trying it I found the Mobil 1 seemed to last longer. That's important because a gun isn't like a automobile engine that is pressure lubricated by a pump. I keep the bolt lug area, wet by putting several drops on the lugs, and the lug recesses every 3 or 4 magazine fulls. It makes cleanup much easier because the carbon doesn't stick to everything. This chart is useful in directing where to place lubricant on the bolt and carrier of an AR-15. "L" refers to light, "D" refers to a drop, and "G" means generously apply lubricant.   Bill T.

[MAUSERMAN]

So would mobil1 atf be better than 0w40? If so can I use it in my handguns? Thirdly what do you use for your barrels?

[Sponsor]

[billt]

So would mobil1 atf be better than 0w40? If so can I use it in my handguns? Thirdly what do you use for your barrels?

If you live in California 0W-40 isn't really necessary. I use 20W-50 because I like the thicker viscosity because it adhears to the metal better, thereby offering better protection. I use the Mobil 1 in this weight on all of my firearms, barrels and all. When I'm done cleaning my barrels, I run several dry patches through to be sure to get any and all of the solvents out, then saturate a patch with the Mobil 1 and run it through the barrel several times. I then wipe everything down, and that's pretty much it.

 If you know you will be hunting in rainy conditions, put a good, heavy coat of the Mobil 1 on all of the exposed metal parts of the gun, and it will eliminate any rusting potential. Back when I lived in Chicago in the 70's we used to hunt ducks and geese in southern Illinois. As anyone who's hunted them know, the best conditions to bag birds are, "Misty mornings and Moonless nights". I had several hunting buddies through the years who had their guns rust on them because of the rain, mist and foggy conditions. I kept mine saturated with the Mobil 1 until we got back to the motel, then wiped it down and reapplied it. I never once had any rusting issues ever.  Bill T.

[jnevis]

Take a look at MILITEC-1.  It is a liquid lub that becomes a dry impregnated lubrication.  It protects metal surfaces with a constant impregnated molecular bond of synthetic-based hydrocarbon derivatives which will not change any tolerances inside or outside of weapons. MILITEC-1 works within the molecular structure and micro-pores of metal and non-metallic surfaces of weapons.

MILITEC-1 is approved and is being used by the U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, State Department and many other state and local law enforcement and correctional agencies.

http://www.militec-1.com/

I have been playing with MiliTec in my 1911 and comparing it to Rem Oil and Hoppes Oil in the Glocks and AR and haven't seen any significant difference, but I don't shoot any of them as often as I should.  The one thing about the MiliTec is it isn't inherantly a rust preventative.  None of the stuff I've used it on HAS rusted, it just wasn't designed to do that is all.

I have to politely ask, who "taught you" this? No offense, but armorer's know squat about lubricants. They know what they themselves are "TOLD". No more, no less. They cannot prove anything they say lubrication wise with direct fact, anymore than anyone else can. 
 

Actually that is where I got the MiliTec, the Beretta factory with an implied endorsement.  Of course MiliTec pays for lunch at the end of the week and hands out bottles of the stuff and cases of it were in the classroom.  One of the guys in the class, LA Co Sheriff IIRC, uses it by 55 gallon drums in the weapons, and of all places the cars too.  Supposedly improves mileage and reduces wear if a pint is added to a tank of gas periodically.  Can't afford to try that to prove it one way or the other but would be interesting to find out.