Two cycle motor oil for barrel protection

[tenngun]

Yeah, I think anywhere in the SE, if you don't have your guns in an environment that's air conditioned, and you're not using a dehumidifier, or at least have desiccant in the safe (or whatever), you're going to be facing constant threat. My garage/shop has a lot of air flow in it (which is good for some reasons), and only a window AC that I use in the summer when I work there. It requires constant vigilance to keep rust off the saw tables, drill press, etc. Covering them with the perforated tool covers helps, but as my wife says "What's made the South livable and brought it into the 20th century is air conditioning." My gun safe is in a niche in our "rec room," and I don't have any firearms outside the AC. Even then, you can get condensation inside barrels. Eternal vigilance, etc. ...

I do a clean and check on my guns about once a month. Having been shot or not.

 

[doubleset]

Dedicated gun oils varied, but both synthetic and regular motor oils fared the worst...next to the untreated pieces of course.

I think that's not really surprising. The primary goal of motor oils is lubrication -- and in fact lubrication in the context of an oil reservoir and/or pump that keeps reapplying the oil to the target surfaces. So it doesn't have to "adhere" to them statically as you probably want a protectant to.

As a sort of comparison, there are two situations in the world of brass musical instruments where you want some sort of lubrication. In terms of valves, you want a very high degree of lubrication and are willing to sacrifice retention of the lubricant on the surface. So valve oils typically are of very low viscosity. Part of the reason for this is that they can't take up much "space" on the surface because piston valves clearance is on the order of thousandths of an inch. On the other hand, tuning slides don't need that sort of lubrication, but only enough to ensure you can move them when you need to. So they have high viscosity, and in fact you often use quite thick substances like anhydrous lanolin or silicone gel. These "stick" much better to the surface. Classically (using traditional "dino" valve oils), you oil your valves every time you play and often during playing sessions. The synthetic oils don't require this, but still require reapplication on fairly frequent intervals (at most days). But for the tuning slides, you typically go months before you even consider cleaning and reapplying those "lubricants". So motor oils are like valve oils -- and in fact a lot of the old timers often make their own valve oils by mixing motor oil with kerosene or lamp oil. They provide good lubrication, but require frequent reapplication.

 

[doubleset]

I do a clean and check on my guns about once a month. Having been shot or not.

I used to do that to the ones in the safe, but discovered there was NEVER a problem. So I do it on much longer intervals now -- and still don't find problems. The BP guns don't live in the safe, and I do check them regularly. And I'm still trying to figure out what the best approach to a protectant is for them. The outer surfaces never seem to be a problem, but I'm a bit leery about the bores.

 

[SPQR70AD]

I found this product called lube guard universal lube 61016. 100% synthetic very good reviews for preventing rust and also breaking rusted nuts which to me makes it a good cleaner. I figured it would be real good for BP being not made from liquid dinosaur

 

[BozoMiller]

I use Mobil 1, 20/50

 

[William Lincoln]

See what 45D thinks. He does lubing/protecting for a living. For me
for long term film strength I use 40W non-detergent aircraft oil.
For external parts barrels etc. AS for revolvers internals.
45D got me onto Mobil 1 synthetic grease for internals and,
so far everything stays like brand new. Saves a lot of work cleaning.

 

[Mogadishu Meanderer]

Clean your guns well, clean your guns well, dry them well, dry them well and then lube them with…whatever! If serious rust is a long term storage concern due to environmental factors, nothing beats cosmoline. The Army did all the testing for us already.

 

[morehops52]

For 50 years I've used regular gun oil in the sporting goods dept. Lucas, Marvel, Outers etc. Never had a problem except REM oil. I live in W. PA which is very humid in summer months.. When I store them for longer periods they all get RIG grease. No problems.

 

[hapEcat]

I've been using Boeshield T-9 for ~1yr, with good results.
Goes on wet, then dries to a wax like film. Can spray it on, or wipe it on.

 

[SPQR70AD]

I use Oil of Olay. works great

 

[Archer 756]

All motor oil has wax as a base no wax on my guns $$$

 

[user 34300]

If I lived in a very humid location or by the ocean I'd use the best proven antirust stuff I could get.

Where I live, dry and comfortable 95% of the time it is not critical. I tend to use my shop oil which is ATF with a dollop of Lanolin melted in. IF I am putting one away for the foreseeable future I use real cosmoline in the bore. I attach a tag warning there is grease in the barrel.

 

[smoothshooter]

Years ago I was at a yard sale and found a dozen or so small cans of old unopened shell 30W 2 cycle motor oil at a giveaway price. I bought it because I had a 2 cycle lawn mower but I realized when I got home that this stuff was to be mixed at much higher rate than my 50 to 1 equipment so it has been on the shelf ever since.

I have been using 30W motor oil in my guns as a bore protector for longer term storage, being cheap I hate to throw this stuff away and have considered using it in my barrels as well.

I didn't know what additives they put in 2 cycle motor oil, perhaps some of them would be not compatible for M/L barrels.

With vast knowledge base here I am sure some one would know if it would be a good thing or a bad thing to use this oil as a rust preventive in barrels.

I commend you on your proper use of the “ preventive “, and not “ preventative “, of which the former is the more proper word.
Kinda’ like “ body fluids “ and “ bodily fluids “. Don’t know why people feel the need to add the extra syllable.

 

[nhmoose]

ML's are not my only interest. But for my ML's I use RIG for protection from match to match or year to year.

For my others I use Mobile 1 5x whatever. Lube and protection again Shoot to shoot and year to year also the most shot in the last 40 years was also corrosive as black powder.

I did not use it with BP as I liked keeping any modern oil away from it so not as to make the hard to get rid of fouling.

I still used MAP for cleaning with all of them then a more modern fouling remover for the metal fouling that no BP arm gets.