Catastrophes with WD 40?

[Skychief]

Have any of you personally had a catastrophic result from using WD 40 for a bore protectant?

It's easy to find advice to not use it for protection, but, have you personally harmed/ruined a gun/bore by using it.

Thanks and best regards, Skychief.

 

[hanshi]

No, never, and I used it for years in the bores decades ago. I still use WD40 a lot in the cleaning process but don't rely on it any longer (as a protectant) since so many better ones are out.

 

[Artificer]

The problems I have seen from using WD-40 (and I have seen a LOT of them over the years in both modern and muzzle loading guns) were not so much that it failed as a protectorate against rust, but rather from people using TOO MUCH of it.

When that happens, it does two things (1) It seems to suck up every bit of dust, dirt, and other things from the air and environment around it (one time including a 12 inch piece of straw that was "glued" in the bore) and (2) it coagulates/hardens to a glue like consistency and that makes it difficult to remove.

This does not seem to happen when one uses moderate amounts to rid the bore of water after cleaning, though.

Gus

 

[mooman76]

I used it also for allot of years with no problems. I switched but am thinking of going back.

 

[Maven]

I once saw a bit of "varnish" after having left it in the bore of one of my rifles for a very long time. No catastrophic failures or damage of any kind though. In fact, I used it yesterday after cleaning the bore of my .56cal T/C Renegade smoothbore. However, this AM, I ran a patch soaked with ATF down bore to minimize the odds of rust here in the humid Hudson Valley. Btw, a mixture of Marvel Mystery Oil and WD-40 works well as a bore preservative too, as does the previously mentioned ATF.

 

[wayne terry]

Have used it for 45 years, no problems at all but i do not use it for a long time storage protectant, seems to me if your going to use water to clean up your weapon after shooting you would like to have a good lube that displaces water hence WD water displacer #40

 

[BrownBear]

Pretty catastrophic results when used up here around saltwater. D them up in the morning and spend the day in a boat, and they'll be spotting rust by bedtime.

With so much salt in the air, folks have similar results in stored bores too. You just about have to wipe then out and re-D them monthly if you hope to prevent it.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Have any of you personally had a catastrophic result from using WD 40 for a bore protectant?

It's easy to find advice to not use it for protection, but, have you personally harmed/ruined a gun/bore by using it.

Thanks and best regards, Skychief.

YES!....But, WD-40 was only part of the problem.
Poor cleaning and poor storage were also factors.

WD-40 is a "run of the mill" protectant at best. However, if you do a spectacular job cleaning and storing your rifle, That is all you need to have excellent results.
The worse you are at cleaning and storing your rifle....The better the protectant you should have.
Temperature, humidity, ocean breeze, altitude, etc...All play an important role....The more you have to protect your rifle from, the better the protectant you need.

For me WD-40 works fine for a couple of weeks to a month.....after that the risk increased drastically.

 

[Skychief]

So, outside of BrownBear and his salty environment, nobody has really had a problem occur from using WD- 40 as a preservative. Correct?

Why then, do so many discount it as an effective preservative???

I have used nothing but the stuff on an unmentionable revolver that I have owned and used for decades. Hard use. Thousands of rounds shot, hunting, carrying and running a trapline with it.

I've left it sit at times for months on end, even a couple of year-plus stints.

All this in humid Southern Indiana.

Not a speck of rust ANYWHERE.

That gun and its treatment begged the question of you all.

Thanks and best regards, Skychief

 

[AZbpBurner]

The purpose of WD-40 is to displace moisture. It was not made to be used as a lubricant or anti-rust protectant. Barricade IS a protectant that is intended to deter rust.

Use the proper material for the job and you won't have unforseen problems with rust or corrosion.

 

[coloradoclyde]

So, outside of BrownBear and his salty environment, nobody has really had a problem occur from using WD- 40 as a preservative. Correct?

NO!...

Re-read my post....
Your question is very open ended....
I have had many failures with WD-40 on many items....But, to test it fairly you need a standardized test.....
Lots of tests have been done on wd-40 and it usually comes in towards the bottom.

Taking a quick straw poll of a few people = poor research.

 

[bender20]

I don't understand these threads. The question makes no sense to me. The answer is sure it can work in a pinch but why when you have so many other options out there. What are you trying to gain. If it's cheaper it's only negligible and for a couple bucks why take the risk. It's your gun do what you want I won't judge but please do explain why.

 

[coloradoclyde]

:thumbsup:

 

[S.Kenton]

I've used it for years.. And others have stated, as long as you clean your bore well wd-40 does the job very well. However at the advice of another forum member, I'm currently giving FLUID FILM a try with EXCELLENT results.....

 

[Skychief]

The question has nothing to do with cost.

It has more to do with "working in a pinch". If it works "in a pinch", I'm asking if it works or fails as a regular routine.

I've been known to use it to displace water in my bores. To use it as a bore preservative would mean one less thing to mess with.

To this point, I've been reluctant to try it for long periods due to its poor reputation, deserved or not. Hence my asking the collective wisdom here.

I've got a couple lengths barrels around here somewhere from builds. I may put some fouling in their bores, clean as usual, then leave them with a thin coat of WD 40 and get back with some results here.

My wonder is, since its worked so well on the above mentioned revolver, why on Earth wouldn't it work as well for a muzzleloader? :idunno:

That's why I'm asking.

Best regards, Skychief

 

[coloradoclyde]

Last October I posted this......

Over the past month I have been shooting two guns on and off almost every day. So I decided to change my cleaning products a bit.
Normally this time of year I clean using a MAP solution. I am happy to report that replacing the peroxide with plain ol' water still makes an effective cleaning solution for real bp.

Wait! that's not all......
Some of you know how much I hate WD-40......well, That's all I've been using for the last month, and not one speck of rust.
And the kicker is.....both guns have been stored outside under a tin roof sitting on gravel.[/quote]

The weather for October was very dry.....About a week after I posted that the rains came and I ended up eating those words.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I've got a couple lengths barrels around here somewhere from builds. I may put some fouling in their bores, clean as usual, then leave them with a thin coat of WD 40 and get back with some results here.


Best regards, Skychief

Before you go to all that trouble you might want to use the search function and search wd40, there have been enough discussions about it to fill a dump truck.....twice!
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/dosearch.php?p/6/

 

[Artificer]

In the high humidity of the Spring and Fall Shoots I attended in Friendship, IN during the early to late 70's, and with the "bright" barrel and lock on my Brown Bess Carbine - I did not even try using WD-40 as a preservative against rust. as others with bright barrels and locks had such bad luck with rusting there from the use of that product.

Some folks here in very humid VA suggested wiping down a Brown Bess with WD-40 after an event to keep them from rusting. Didn't work at all.

May be significantly different with blued/browned gun parts, though.

Gus

 

[bob308]

I have been shooting muzzle loaders with real b-p for over 30 years. all I have ever used to clean with is hot water dry them then a good rub down with wd-40 inside and out. I just took my .50 cal gpr barrel that has not been fired in 15 years and no rust and all it ever had was wd-40.

 

[Onojutta]

Preventing rust is no magic science. Rust is simply the oxidation of iron in the metal. For rust to happen we really only need to introduce one ingredient: oxygen (the iron is a given in steel).

Water is just an electrolyte that facilitates the bonding of oxygen atoms with iron atoms.

The way any rust preventative works, such as paint, or oil, is by creating a coating that protects the steel from oxygen and electrolytes (like water). So anything you put on your metal, including WD40, will prevent rust if it is sufficient to prevent the steel from exposure. Water by itself is a very weak electrolyte and not very efficient at causing rust. I have seen unprotected steel hold up very well under water where it is not exposed to atmospheric gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide, which facilitate the corrosion action. That's why we really don't have to worry about our gun barrels rusting while they are full of water during the cleaning process, but after they are emptied and exposed to the atmosphere.

All I know about WD40 is that is was created to displace water, not to be a lubricant. I don't know how long it lasts before it breaks down or evaporates away, leaving the metal unprotected.

Since there is always moisture present in the atmosphere, displacing or drying the ambient water from cleaning is only half the battle.

Some guys like Ballistol because it emulsifies (mixes) with water rather than displaces it. The theory then is that as the water evaporates, it leaves behind the Ballistol which serves as the protective coating. I can't speak for how long that film lasts, but I have much more confidence in a stable oil film that protects the steel from exposure than I do a product that was only ever intended to displace water. But if WD40 does leave behind a film or coating that covers the steel on a long term basis, I don't see why it wouldn't be just as effective.

I use simple food grade vegetable oil to protect my hunting knives from rust, and that seems to work very well, and that contains no magic additives or ingredients.