gun oil v. olive oil

[Mike Boettcher]

I've always cleaned my rifles with warm water in a bucket with a bit of dawn dish washing soap, dried it good and then gave it a coat of Ballistol.

Recently I heard of a guy who uses olive oil instead of gun oil or ballistol.

Was wondering if olive oil would give the barrel the protection it needs?

Any thoughts?

 

[FishDFly]

3 in 1.

 

[Katahdin]

Mineral oil,,,??

 

[Alden]

Concoctions with "sweet oil" are documented from back in the day, however, I don't believe just olive oil would have been prevalent or used solely if other products were available. Today, of course, there are much better petroleum (based) products.

 

[Mike Boettcher]

Concoctions with "sweet oil" are documented from back in the day, however, I don't believe just olive oil would have been prevalent or used solely if other products were available. Today, of course, there are much better petroleum (based) products.

I have used petroleum based products, now using Ballistol, I've been told it is petro based and also that it's not. Also heard it good to keep petro based products away from BP firearms...why would someone say that? Have lots of friends who use Rem oil.

 

[mooman76]

Petro based are fine for lubing the parts but if you use it say for the patches, it eventually will build up and be hard to remove. Also non petro based lubes depending on what they are help keep the fouling soft.

 

[sidelock]

RIGHT ----- RIGHT -----RIGHT. I don't understand why 3 in 1 does not get through to people. All I have ever used for over 40 years. BUT----BUT--do NOT USE IT to lube patches. Use to rust proof only and clean well with new patches before loading. My guns have no rust, some dating back to 1898.

 

[Zonie]

...

Was wondering if olive oil would give the barrel the protection it needs?

Any thoughts?

I haven't tried Olive oil as a protection from rust in my rifles but here's a little story that might have some bearing on it.

Cooking various kinds of food is a hobby of mine so I have several different sized wok's.
They are made from low carbon steel similar to the steel used for muzzleloading gun barrels.

After washing and drying these, I coat them with a light coating of Olive oil to give them some rust protection with an eatable oil.

When I am ready to use one (or more) of these woks, I wipe the Olive oil off of them using a paper towel.

Although they look fine, if they have sit unused for over a week, they ALWAYS coat the paper towels with a light coating of oil and red rust.

Bare in mind, I live in the desert area where the humidity is usually below 20 percent. The humidity rarely exceeds 50 percent in my house.

Based on this, I say, use a rust protector that works like Barricade which I use in my guns bores.

It NEVER has failed to protect my guns.
Even if they have sit for months there is never the slightest sign of rust on a clean patch that has been run down the bore. :thumbsup:

 

[Arrowhead]

For patches I use olive oil, crisco, bore butter, or just spit. Of the four I prefer olive oil or crisco. However, when it comes to combating rust I use plain ol' Johnson's paste wax. I have never found any type of oil that comes anywhere close to it. May not be traditional but I'm interested in results. I have a TC Hawken I built from a kit not long after the kits hit the market. It has no rust what so ever thanks to the paste wax.

I use it on all my firearms because it just works.

 

[Alden]

This isn't rocket science. Guns are protected by petroleum based products, i.e. USP Grade Mineral Oil I use on metal these days (Bees Wax/Mineral Oil/Carnauba Wax mix on the wood), then one swabs the bore as well as wipes the pan and frizzen and lubes their shots with non-petroleum based product, i.e. Olive Oil I use.

Whale Oil was used in olden times too and the appropriate transmission oil is cheap and supposedly effectively man-made whale oil with some anti-rust reagent thrown in. I do not like it myself but someone here can elaborate on that if they like as it could be argued it is period-correct.

I wrote something on this many years ago now and it was stolen and published on the internet by someone -- it included a period recipe from I THINK a British officer for a gun protectorant. It's gotta be around...

 

[AZbpBurner]

Ballistol is essentially mineral oil, and so is baby oil. Neither has any particularly great anti-rust properties. 3 in 1 is largely mineral oil, but has some old-timey magic stuff in it that works OK to delay rust.

Olive oil will oxidize over time, as will all seed and nut oils and the resulting gummy varnish may deter rust, but will need other solvents to clean it up.

Just cut to the chase and use Barricade. It's made to be anti rust and is more effective than anything else I've used, except for maybe RIG grease.

Keep your olive oil for salads and cooking.

 

[hanshi]

I agree. Barricade is my product of choice but I also have 2 or 3 cans of 3 in 1 Oil on my bench. I've used 3 in 1 ever since I got my first .22 and it still has uses on my guns. Just because one has read that X was used in the old days on guns does not mean it is the best or even that it's especially good. Oil X was used because it was pretty much all that was available at that time.

 

[stronics]

I second the paste wax. I coat all my woodworking tools with it once a year and never any rust in a damp basement. It also makes the best release agent for glass bedding.
David

 

[nhmoose]

Olive oil tastes better.

 

[Tom Compton]

She has REALLY skinny legs though.
Popeye

 

[Alden]

AAAHuuUUH GUhGuhGuhGuh!
http://www.hark.com/clips/mjysnfhwgw-popeyes-laugh

 

[Billnpatti]

Olive oil can be a good patch lube but it has absolutely no corrosion inhibitors in it which would give you the rust protection that you want. Stick to good gun oil for proper protection from rust. Grandpappy may have used such products as bear grease or bear oil to protect his rifle but that was because that was all he had. Today, we have modern gun oils that are designed specifically to lube and protect our guns. It is far better in providing rust protection than bear grease, bear oil, Whale oil, etc. or any of the many other materials used back in "the day".

 

[Captjoel]

I use paste wax on my rifles' outsides, but never thought about using it down bore. Was wondering if you have to use alcohol to remove the wax before loading and shooting? It does seem to make a lot of sense to me. I have also wondered about the long term effects regarding the usage of all of the "organic" fats and oils. Animal and vegetable products will go rancid and pewtrify over time. This surely cannot be good for the metal parts it is surrounding. I have always used RIG grease for long term bore protection. I find these discussions to be very informative for future use if only certain items are available when hard times come.

 

[Billnpatti]

I use wax on my stocks and often use it on the outside of my rifle barrels. It is excellent for that use but I don't recommend it inside your bore. Inside my bore, I use a good gun oil. Before shooting, I wipe out my bore with a patch wet with alcohol followed by a dry patch. My bores remain pristine so this is what I recommend.

 

[EC121]

I use G96 on my bores and furniture after cleaning. It is not cheap but it works. It doesn't seem to affect the finish on the wood. If used just for oiling, a spray can lasts quite a while.