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August 27, 2014
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Fwiw “WD-40” is an abbreviation of the term “Water Displacement, 40th formula”
“If you can’t convince them, confuse them”
President Harry S. Truman
December 9, 2002
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Correct Ted,
That was disclosed in the video, but it’s a good reminder. Like a few have said, the WD-40, can be used for different things as many have mentioned, but not for some of our guns, as some others like to do. But because of that water displacement factor that is claimed, we use it for various non important projects to do just that. 
Tony
November 19, 2006
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Great Thread – thanks for starting it Tony!
November 7, 2015
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steve004 said
Great Thread – thanks for starting it Tony!
Agreed. I know almost all gasoline for a given area comes from the same terminal, the only difference is the additives. If most gun oils are based on mineral oil I have to wonder what benefits we can expect to derive from the additives and which ones are marketing tools. It’s quite possible the mineral oil is a carrier for the additives that do what we expect a good gun oil to do. I’m not a chemical engineer but I drove by a Holiday Inn Express this week.
Mike
March 31, 2009
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TXGunNut said
steve004 said
Great Thread – thanks for starting it Tony!
Agreed. I know almost all gasoline for a given area comes from the same terminal, the only difference is the additives. If most gun oils are based on mineral oil I have to wonder what benefits we can expect to derive from the additives and which ones are marketing tools. It’s quite possible the mineral oil is a carrier for the additives that do what we expect a good gun oil to do. I’m not a chemical engineer but I drove by a Holiday Inn Express this week.
Mike
A lot of truth to that. My family and I worked in the oil/gas business. There is a lot of trading between the companies. My Dad would get 5 gal cans of gas from different companies and run it through the lab at Chevron/Standard Oil where he worked. After analysis it was supposed to get poured into a sump. Many cans somehow got to our house. He would tell me I could have half if I poured the other half into his truck. I would check the lab results and the higher octane with the least amount of bottom settlement and water went into my car. “BS” and W. White gas worked real well in our camping equipment.
June 4, 2017
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It seems like every gun show I go to at least one guy or his guns stink. Is that Ballistal or bad hygiene? T/R
December 9, 2002
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TXGunNut said
steve004 said
Great Thread – thanks for starting it Tony!
Agreed. I know almost all gasoline for a given area comes from the same terminal, the only difference is the additives. If most gun oils are based on mineral oil I have to wonder what benefits we can expect to derive from the additives and which ones are marketing tools. It’s quite possible the mineral oil is a carrier for the additives that do what we expect a good gun oil to do. I’m not a chemical engineer but I drove by a Holiday Inn Express this week.
Mike
You’re Welcome Steve,
As I’m just trying to add in as many positive ways that I can think of, as you do, and many others here, also do!
You cracked me up Mike as I read the end of you’re post! Good One! 
Tony
September 22, 2011
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Well, someone, somewhere likes and uses WD-40 as it’s stock performance, although rocky over the last few years, long term has been fairly good:
April 15, 2005
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TR said
It seems like every gun show I go to at least one guy or his guns stink. Is that Ballistal or bad hygiene? T/R
Cold blue also stinks to high heaven.
Of all the different gun cleaning and preserving products and the many different odors that emit, my favorite smell is the old original Hoppe’s #9. It brings back many fond memories of being a young fellow in my grandfather’s gun room.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
September 19, 2014
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Robin (my wife) used to shoot skeet with me. She, too, liked Hoppe’s no. 9. We semi seriously joked of her using it for cologne! BTW, it has a preservative and barrels can be left with it in them and not rust. It will evaporate in time so do not rely on it for lengthy preservation. Do NOT do such with most other solvent/bore cleaners as they will etch bare metal for some. Tim
June 4, 2017
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A friend of mine gave me some Hoppe’s no. 9 deodorizers to hang in my gun room. They worked well in the pickup, smelled a lot better than the dog. T/R
November 7, 2015
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Joke that went around in my PPC shooting days was that novice shooters wore Hoppe’s #9 for cologne and the hardcore guys snorted carbide dust.
Mike
November 7, 2015
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I’ve never used Breakfree for cleaning but when I get through cleaning I’ll run a patch soaked with it down the bore. Sometimes I run a dry patch down the bore before a range trip and have noticed the CLP loosened some fouling my cleaning efforts missed. I seldom try to remove all the fouling but this proves it works on the stubborn stuff.
Mike
July 8, 2012
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What do you guys think about Clenzoil Field and Range. I use it sometimes on both wood and metal of my guns.
April 30, 2023
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tionesta1 said
What do you guys think about Clenzoil Field and Range. I use it sometimes on both wood and metal of my guns.
I think ProjectFarm on YouTube tested that one and it did well IIRC. Never used it personally.
December 9, 2002
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Jeremy P said
tionesta1 said
What do you guys think about Clenzoil Field and Range. I use it sometimes on both wood and metal of my guns.
I think ProjectFarm on YouTube tested that one and it did well IIRC. Never used it personally.
tionesta1 said
What do you guys think about Clenzoil Field and Range. I use it sometimes on both wood and metal of my guns.
Al,
I still have some and I use it occasionally on a gun I feel needs it a little. I actually like it, for it’s intent!
Jeremy,
I have seen that awhile back, and agree, they liked it, for it’s purpose. If I remember correctly, it’s a petroleum based distillate, and mixed with a synthetic oil. I actually like the smell of it.
Tony
April 3, 2018
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Keep in mind that Kroil and especially Kroil and acetone are penetrant oil/mixtures. As penetration agents, they are excellent.
I use rare British Rangoon oil and Youngs 303, along with Tetra oil and grease. The last two leave a thin film of tough oil and Teflon.These last are only for wear areas in rifles. They also really protect barrel bores. Mineral oil in pure form works, but it must be pure with no additives like sodium chloride-salt. The old GI bore cleaner contained a bit of h20 water, as water dissolved the residue left by mercuric and other types of corrosive primers. Very prevalent in military and civilian priming compounds up to the 1920s and later used in WW II. There is also Stock Slick-by Totally Dependable Products in PA. Good stuff but hard to find for stock finishes and oil rubbed stocks in Winchesters.
Will do further study on this “Hunters Vault” source as to good oils. Smokeless rifles: Mineral oil and Isopropyl alcohol=first clean, then oil. Black powder needs Ballistol to dissolve BP residue;clean, oil and protect.
(As to the below post options following this post: FIRST, do no harm.)
May 23, 2009
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Not a oil per say, but I had a old gunsmith tell me long ago not to buy “Gun Parts Cleaner” and go for the cheaper option “Brake Parts Cleaner”. The same chemicals just rebranding it “Gun Parts” and you pay more money for the same product. But you don’t want to get it on any wood.
There was a couple that used to shoot SASS using black powder only. I forget what product they used to clean black powder fowling, but whatever it was worked great. The only catch was that it would stripe bluing off. All of their pistols and rifle were nickel plated was their solution to that problem.
Sincerely,
Maverick
WACA #8783 - Checkout my Reloading Tool Survey!
https://winchestercollector.org/forum/winchester-research-surveys/winchester-reloading-tool-survey/
January 20, 2023
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450 Fuller said
Keep in mind that Kroil and especially Kroil and acetone are penetrant oil/mixtures. As penetration agents, they are excellent.
I use rare British Rangoon oil and Youngs 303, along with Tetra oil and grease. The last two leave a thin film of tough oil and Teflon.These last are only for wear areas in rifles. They also really protect barrel bores. Mineral oil in pure form works, but it must be pure with no additives like sodium chloride-salt. The old GI bore cleaner contained a bit of h20 water, as water dissolved the residue left by mercuric and other types of corrosive primers. Very prevalent in military and civilian priming compounds up to the 1920s and later used in WW II. There is also Stock Slick-by Totally Dependable Products in PA. Good stuff but hard to find for stock finishes and oil rubbed stocks in Winchesters.
Will do further study on this “Hunters Vault” source as to good oils. Smokeless rifles: Mineral oil and Isopropyl alcohol=first clean, then oil. Black powder needs Ballistol to dissolve BP residue;clean, oil and protect.
(As to the below post options following this post: FIRST, do no harm.)
Ridge, That explains the Ballistol.promo language about “acid residue.”
Is Ballistol just a solvent for BP residue or does it also have a high enough pH to neutralize acidic compounds? I ask because I wonder if it is also effective against acidic priming residue?
Bill
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
April 3, 2018
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Bill:
My Ballistol label actually mentions that it is “mildly alkaline and neutralizes acids, while it dissolves traces of copper, lead,brass, zinc, tombar and black powder residues.”
Further digging into the Hunter’s Vault, I found a short riflesmith’s section that mentioned an older gunsmith who used mineral oil and pure as pharmacy isopropyl alcohol, which are the main ingredients in Ballistol. BUT, there are some mild acids in Ballistol also, like oleic acid that help dissolve BP residue. I am curious as to the popular use of ammonia in many bore cleaners, which is alkaline if not strongly alkaline which neutralizes acids. Also cleans metal fouling if left in the bore and swabbed out.
Young’s recommends an “aqueous solution” to neutralize salts and priming residue in the bore: it is made of 1 part 303 oil to 3 parts water. It is the same as the old muzzle loader’s formula for black powder “moose milk” derived by mixing oil and water to a milky consistency. This alcohol and mineral oil either separately or in a careful mixture may just have real value. So possibly would be mineral oil, alcohol and a trace of ammonia. The idea being to fashion a reliable and economic gun cleaner-bore cleaning preservative short of a chemistry set “accident”.
Ridge
(We combat veterans want to survive long enough to enjoy more Memorial Days) Caveat Cleaning
