Two cycle motor oil for barrel protection

[Eric Krewson]

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.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

been using it inside and out for years. no problems

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Is that really, really old 30W oil or does the container say this at all - 'TC-W3' or similar? That is the rating/certification name for 2-strokes oils for outboard engines, where "TC" means 2-cycle, "W" means water cooled and "3" designates the 3rd and latest generation of outboard 2-cycle oils. These oils are formulated to reduce emissions ans combustion by-products. Now dino oil itself never really breaks down, since it's a million years old already, but for engine use, Users are cautioned that some of the additives can break down and they have a shelf life for efficacy (as in ... does it still work or protect?).

The certification requirements include various bench tests for fluidity, miscibility, rust prevention, compatibility, etc., as well as 100-hour engine tests to evaluate the prevention of ring sticking and carbon buildup on pistons and other engine parts, so it 'could' work for you. But if pre TC-Wx rated oil, beware that those cans got to be 40-50 years old or more ... so while being old oil ... will it work? Likely yes, although I think that there are much better other choices. Still, it is an oil ... and paid for.

 

[doubleset]

But would any of those additives (whether they break down or not) have any effect on the rust prevention capabilities? I'm thinking (though I haven't investigated it) that the additives are addressed to properties the oil exhibits under stress in engines.

I guess if you really want to use it and are really worried about some harm it might cause, you could get some pieces of iron and steel and just test it on those over some months?

 

[tenngun]

I THINK that clean is what’s important, and oil secondary. Black powder leaves salts in your bore. And they attract moisture and cause rust. Get them out and a film over forms a barrier between the barrel and the oxygen in the air.
A check of the post and you find people that love and hate every oil.
I don’t like petroleum, it doesn’t clean, but does it protect better or worse then my animal fats, at vegetable fats. Honestly I can’t say.
I know I can’t tell mink oil from lard, but I continue to buy the mink oil. Cant give you a reason
Barrisol or WD40 is the best stuff or the devils own invention, right
Clean your gun well first rule

 

[flntlokr]

No need to experiment with antique oil with questionable additives. Buy a can of G96 and use it. A can lasts a long time; a year or more in my case. It does a fine job.

 

[hanshi]

G96 is really good as is Barricade; they spoiled me.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

10W-30 works for me.

 

[doubleset]

G96 is really good as is Barricade; they spoiled me.

So how do you apply it? I'm reluctant to spray oil down the barrel. Do you use the aerosol? The liquid G96? Spray onto a patch and apply?

Also ... Any reason you feel these are better then, say, Montana Extreme or other alternative gun oils?

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Any reason you feel these are better then, say, Montana Extreme or other alternative gun oils?

Barricade by Birchwood Casey is not an oil per se, as much as it is a 'protectant'. I like to think of it to be like a liquid wax. It drives out moisture from metal pores and deposits a transparent coating, which seals the surface with a protective film.

That protective film was tested by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and withstands 500-hours in the ASTM humidity test and 96-hours in the ASTM salt spray test.

Works for me! Note, I myself use the liquid version, not the aerosol, and just apply it with thin patches. Oil 1st (I do use Ballistol or CLP), and then the Barricade.

 

[doubleset]

Oil 1st (I do use Ballistol or CLP), and then the Barricade.

Why use both? I mean, I can understand using oil as a lubricant and Barricade as a protectant. But -- for something like a barrell, once it's cleaned -- why add the oil and then the protectant rather than just the protectant? Isn't the oil superfluous in that case? Also, isn't it possible for the lubricant and the protectant to "interfere" in some way with one another? Just a thought and curious about why both.

 

[Ames]

I just use the Barricade. I'm happy with the results.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Why use both? Just a thought and curious about why both.

I dunnoh … it’s just what I do & it works for me. Oiled one day, stand it on the muzzle overnight, then Barricade the next day or day after … done.

Wish I had a better answer, LOL!

 

[josie wales]

Yes it is free but why? You can buy a can of FLUID FILM at Walmart for around $9.00 and not worry about your guns rusting.

 

[nkbj]

Two cycle oil is wunnerful.
I use what I have.

 

[doubleset]

I do to -- in my 2-cycle engines.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I switched to Barricade about 5 years ago, it seemed to work just fine, then we had a month of almost every day rain. My gun safe is out in the garage, when I did my normal every other month or so patch down the bore just to check routine every one of my guns had rust in the bore, some more than others.

It took me all day to clean them up, first scotch bright, then JB bore paste and then JB bore shine followed by a patch coated in RIG gun grease.

They all looked like this when I got done, a before picture was downright scary.

Here is my el-cheapo oil, I use it for a variety of things where you need a drop of oil, trailer couplers, stuck hinges and such, one can(cardboard) will probably last me for years.

 

[doubleset]

I wonder how many people have seen this. The results are quite interesting, and I just offer it for your perusal -- without comment on conclusions or methodology. Still very interesting. And a lot of room for disagreement and argument, I'm sure ...

Comprehensive Corrosion Test: 46 Products Compared

 

[doubleset]

My gun safe is out in the garage, when I did my normal every other month or so patch down the bore just to check routine every one of my guns had rust in the bore, some more than others.

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. ...

 

[SmeagolClaus]

Maybe do some tests?

I did my own tests a few years back. Cleaned up some scrap steel and wiped down 2 of each piece with a different oil, leaving two plain as a control. Sprayed half with plain water and and the othet half with salt water, left out for a week.

Can't find my notes but it was interesting.

Suprisingly coconut oil came out well. Dedicated gun oils varied, but both synthetic and regular motor oils fared the worst...next to the untreated pieces of course.