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Pistol Lube

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Dan Catlin

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I generally melt some home made bullet lube in a pan- in the oven on its' lowest setting- then soak all revolver parts (unassembled) in it. Then I reassemble the firearm. This seems to protect as well as lubricate the gun very well ... most of the time. But it's winter now, and on even moderately cold days the lube stiffens the action so that it can cause malfunctions.

I am thinking about stealing the wife's cooking oil and using that after the next cleaning. But before I risk my health doing that, I thought I'd ask what ya'll do this time of year. Anyone know how to thin down a paraffin and Crisco based lube so it will adhere well but not gum up the works?
 
A little gun oil in the moving parts and lubriplate on the ratchet and cylinder pin or Arbor...they are grease grooves, after all. Same thing I do with all my "modern" firearms....
 
I generally melt some home made bullet lube in a pan- in the oven on its' lowest setting- then soak all revolver parts (unassembled) in it. Then I reassemble the firearm.
Wow, way too much work for me. I use any good grade gun oil on moving parts. If you are inclined to have thicker oil on the exterior or bore, good old motor oil works for me.
Flintlocklar :grin:
 
I’ve never read or heard of anyone doing this. Is there a reason to go to that much effort? I just apply Ballistol and call it a day and haven’t ever had an issue even with long term storage.
 
I always avoid petroleum based oils on cylinder and bore due to fouling. And since those are 2 of the largest parts I just soak everything except the grips, then wipe the excess from the outside while still warm. Any residual "mess" is kind of insignificant after you've loaded up a few times. Cooking oil wouldn't be any different in that respect, and I doubt the 19th century shooters had a ready supply of motor oil, fouling issues notwithstanding. I've of course considered standard gun oils for everything other than cylinder and bore, but was looking for something a little more traditional.
 
On a recommendation I'm trying out cramming the inner workings full of synthetic grease. Time will tell.
 
I never used Ballistol. Any issues with tarring or deposits if the gun is fired without first cleaning the bore?
 
Actually, since I use the warm lube for everything from protecting the gun in storage to lubricating it in use, to soaking my felt wads to coating my long guns to filling tins and my tallow hole for lube in the field ... it's really no trouble at all- the exception being seasonal, as noted. Especially as if you want to mix up your own lube instead of buying it you have to heat it up to mix it up; well, why not just soak the works at the same time? And once you get the routine down the pan goes in the oven and is ready by the time all the parts are scrubbed good in soapy water. It's really no problem at all.
 
I see you live in WA. You may have a lot of humidity and more rust worries than someone living in the southwest.
The answer is checking and cleaning on a more frequent basis. I'd stay away from the wax. Use some gun grease on the arbor for the cylinder and gun oil on the rest. Finger prints can cause rust, I make sure to wipe the gun prior to storing.
After each shooting session I strip down all the parts, scrub, dry, oil and re-assemble. I have 2 screwdrivers I ground down to EXACTLY fit the bolt slots so as to not mar them.
I moved from Colorado to Florida- big jump in gun maintenance.
 
rodwha said:
I just apply Ballistol and call it a day and haven’t ever had an issue even with long term storage.
Me too.

AlonC said:
I never used Ballistol. Any issues with tarring or deposits if the gun is fired without first cleaning the bore?
Well BP revolvers all have issues with arbor and front chamber area fouling don't they?
But one place where Ballistol shines is on the internal workings of revolvers.
 
crockett said:
I see you live in WA. You may have a lot of humidity and more rust worries than someone living in the southwest.

The area I live in here is actually considered desert. But some years can be very wet (like the last couple). The biggest difference in Texas and New Mexico where I grew up and here is the longer winters and shorter days this time of year.

I do tend to leave my guns if I'm not using them. Fortunately I use them quite a bit! But I always leave them ready for long storage just in case.

I have a set of gunsmith screwdrivers I use on all my firearms. And I break them all down as far as I can to clean and lube, regardless the gun.

Yeah, I can see how that would be a big change! If I lived in Florida I might be tempted to just immerse the gun in my home-mixed lube, let the thing harden into a brick and store in a cool, dry place (if you can find one there)! :shake:
 
I just use a bit of gun oil, and a moly grease on the arbour once in a while. Bore has a light coat of regular oil or olive oil.
Apart from olive oil, don't use cooking oils! They go sticky and get glued on. Tried it once so I know.

If I soaked anything in bullet lube up here, it'd turn like candle wax and stay that way till spring! (Been -25 to -35C for a while, but warmed up to -17 today)
Even back home in UK, we just cleaned locks with a drop of gin, and lightly re-oiled them. all the guns got the same and never rusted.
 
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