WD-40 in the bore

Most shooters will tell you that WD40 won't work as a rust preventative, but it is better than a lot of others that are thought to be good. I don't think I'd use it for long term though when there are much better choices. Eezox is the best that I've ever used and it has worked for years in some muzzleloader barrels that I rarely touch. It dries to a protective coating and doesn't attract dust.

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

http://www.eezox.com/

Tim
 
I've been using WD-40 for as long as it's been made in all my firearms and have never, even once, had a firearm rust and most of my adult life has been spent in soggy Florida often living within a stone's throw of salt water.

The stories of WD-40 being bad for firearms were started by outdoors writers trying to help promote advertizer's gun oils.

WD-40 is an excellent rust preservative but I use "standard" gun oils in my actions and other moving parts because WD-40 only has fair lubricity.

Stories of it rusting guns are just old wives tales that get retold so many times that people accept them as fact and like sheep go around saying baaaad, baaaad, baaaaaaaaad. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

$bob$
 
Been using WD-40 for years. Spray a liitle on and wipe down with a cloth. Do this every time I finish using a firearm. Never any rust. Use other products for lube.
 
The Wilson guys (Wilson Combat, 45 autos) use it by the 50 gallon drum full. There was a pump spray bottle of WD-40 sitting in the background on a bench in a photo of Wilson's custom shop in a magazine article I read a couple years ago.

WD-40 works fine. I agree with IDhunter--it's not the best for lubing something, but it does Displace Water (that what WD stands for, "water displacing") and it doesn't run off of surfaces very easily.

It will attract dust. But so will many other gun lubes on the market. All oils tend to attract dust. If dust bothers you, use some Johnson's Paste Wax to seal the metal against moisture...

I've used WD-40 for a long time on my guns, and just like the guys above, I haven't had any rusting or "gumming" up.

Dan
 
That's the beauty of Eezox, when applied properly, it dries to form a protective coating in 2 hours that does not attract dust as do normal protectants. WD40 will eventually evaporate and provide no protection. An extended test like the Gunzone test was done by a friend, only his test was done over a much longer period. The WD40 treated nails did rust after a couple weeks left outside, unprotected from moisture here in Washington on the wet side. The Eezox treated nails never did rust even after 6 months!! After he showed me the results if his test 13yrs ago, I was sold on Eezox and have been using it ever since.

http://www.eezox.com/faqs.html

Tim
 
I agree totally with wrongtarget.

Even though WD-40 is a good "short term" light lubricant and corrosion protector, it evaporates and can leave you with no protection at all over extended periods of time.

This is how it has recieved its "it will cause rust" reputation. Its not that the WD-40 causes rust, it just isn't a good long term solution for corrosion in bores or on surface metal. There are much better options like wrongtarget mentioned.

Just MHO. - BCB
 
I don't use wd-40 on any of my firearms at all. WD-40 is a "penetrating oil" and one quality it has is freeing up rusted and siezed bolts/nuts. It does this by mildly breaking down (corroding) the rust. Any type of penetrating oil is a mild corrosive..wd-40, movitt, liquid wrench etc. That's how the rust (oxidized metal) is broken down.

WD-40 (any penetrating oil) used long term in a bore will cause microscopic pitting that will decrease barrel life. Makes the barrel harder to clean and provides pocket holes for fouling to gather.

I found all this out when i was in the canadian forces. We used to use wd-40 all the time. But in 1986-87 force mobile command came out with a global order not to use wd-40 on any weapons. They did some reasearch (i wish i kept that test report) and found wd-40 caused microscopic pitting. They were so serious about this order, they backed it up with a "distruction of DND property charge" for anyone caught using it. The report found breakfree to be the best for cleaning weapons. So we switched to that.
 
I don't have much use for WD 40 or CLP. They are a compromise trying to do different things, and as a result do none of them well.

There are much better: cleaners, lubricants, and protectants. Blending them all together just doesn't work real well.

Jack
 
I guess the question I have in mind is what type of easily available lubricant/anti-rust I can use in a pinch. EEZOX sounds like a great product, but it is not easily available at the local hardware stores.
 
With so many products i have found to work better than WD-40 ...lets just say I'm not a believer. I like Eezox too..........WD-40 works really good for removing bumper and window stickers I have found nothing else it does well.
 
In a pinch, the oil from your dirty hair will do. Seriously, that's an old technique of military snipers who get stranded away from supply...

So WD-40 will work.

Will it preserve your guns for eons? Of course it won't.

If you want to put guns away without maintenance for long periods of time, pack 'em in Cosmoline. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

You should bring your guns out at least twice a year (more often in harsh climates) to check them over and wipe them down with oil. I use Johnson's Paste Wax on the rifles and handguns I keep put away. This is an "old school" trick, but it works. My father in law has some Stanley wood planes which are worth more than some of my guns. He preserves them with Johnson's and they've always done well. The wax won't run off like oil will; it will stay put and seal out moisture.

Use a thick consistency grease in the bore, but don't glob it in there just in case some doofus decides to fire the weapon without checking the bore first.

One more thing. In some of the "rusty nail" tests I've looked at, good old motor oil tends to beat pretty much every gun lube on the market. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Dan
 
I experimentally used Mobil 1 synthetic to wipe down the internal parts of my CAR-15. So far it works just as good as any specific gun oil I've used in the past. I now use Mobil 1 in my lawnmower and gas edger. It seems to work much better than the 30 weight I had used before.
 
I think I can help you with this. I am in the chemical business.
WD-40 has less quality's today because of company price holding structure than it once did. It's a "o.k." light lubricant rust preventative. "WD" stands for water displacement, however todays wd-40 will not displace water at all. Spray it into a foam cup of water and it will just sit on top. Any good one will "displace" the water and eat out the bottom of the cup.
Few of my garage accounts use wd-40 these day's.

Most gun oils will do what you want but, lack solvents for powder disolve.

For a good penetrant,h2o displacement,lube,bore cleaner all around product G-96 is better. Any of Zep's penetrants/lubes would be better yet. PB Blaster is fair. These would all make a fine all around bore cleaner / rust preventative other than deep copper removal.
 
WD 40 stands for, as I understand it, Water Displacement Formula Number 40. It was developed for use on the skin of ICBM's which, I suspect, got a lot more care than most rifles. It was designed to dry up and leave a very, very light coating...which worked well in a climate controlled environment.

WD 40 will sometimes penetrate around the primer pocket causing duds...which is why you don't see knowledgeable law enforcement agencies using it....there was a alert put out on it some 25 or 30 years ago so that may have been forgotten by many or unseen by youngsters...in fact I would stay away from anything that has penetrating oils in it for the reason that you may experience misfires.

That having been said...I've used WD40 (everyone used to use 3 in 1 oil when I was a kid) in a pinch...especially when cleaning a dirty weapon for someone else and needed to remove a little rust. It was interesting what SSTRocks said above about it causing pitting...I've never used it in a barrel though.

I use Remoil or a bottled product from any of the gun cleaner manufacturers and find that I have a generous coat of oil in place when I come back... I'd use that as a guide; i.e., if you put on a coat of oil and it's still there when you come back it's protecting you....you may need to wipe down your weapon before using it..but that's OK with me and thats my MO for cleaning.

Never heard of the Johnson Wax thing before (except while using it on hardwood floors)...but I'm going to try it on my wife's Tomcat and BDA 380...she never cleans any of her firearms...guess that's one of the reasons I'm here!
 


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