I have been using WD-40 for blasting out the crude in firearms for 30 plus years, but then I use a synthetic gun oil for lubrication. Never had an issue with this method so far.
It's a water displacing substance...NOT a lubricant...I've seen it used after a cold blue job...which is what it's used for.. displacing the water carrier if the bluing salts...the salts are hydrophilic...meaning they attract water which causes oxidation...i.e. rust...the WD 40 does what it dies best.. displaces those salts
I've never lost a firearm to a boating accident. Never will. If they take them, it'll be by boarding w/o permission. "Ten thousand rounds for defense, not one round surrendered. ..."
Wow! That explains why the cylinder of my revolver was always getting gummed-up. There was no evidence of residue, but there I was, constantly wiping the rod and applying a new coat of WD-40. In my defence, that was 25 years ago. Thanks for unraveling one of my childhood's mysteries.
I like to use bacon grease. It's practically free and it helps save money in these ammunition scarce times. After a few rounds the exquisite odor of bacon comes wafting from the firearm to tickle my olfactory nerves. I soon become too hungry to shoot anymore and find myself rushing to the nearest diner to devour a B.L.T., maybe a short stack with extra bacon, sometimes the craving can not be satiated as quickly as I like and I find myself eating raw bacon in the parking lot of the grocery store while I wait for the other strips of heaven to fry on the engine block. Some say I have "issues" and some are wrong.
I used bacon grease once and after a few plinking rounds down range the odor attracted every coyote in the county and I had to leave cause I was out of ammo.
I've never realized how much I love Caleb's reasoned and blunt approach until this video. And Steve's laugh is just as complementary to these segments as his expertise. You guys make an excellent team!
@@MrLex87bro the “lubricant” part of WD40 is the gimmick Have you read the bottle? It says “hinges, gears, rollers, chain” and garbage… maybe a bike chain lube that’s it. And it’s only a good “lube” because it dirt doesn’t stick to it…
When I purchased some old military surplus guns in the 90’s, I used WD-40 sprayed onto old denim material to remove rust spots that I found hidden by the stocks. The rust was removed quickly with the non-abrasive material. After the rust was removed, as well as other hidden debris (sand or dirt) I then rubbed gun oils over the entire gun to ensure that everything was properly lubricated.
pahunter3 That is how I use it. As a cleaner to scrub crud out with a toothbrush but after that I oil it and wipe it down. I don't use it as a long term lubricant but instead as a cleaner. I do not use it or any type of lube when a gun is loaded. Lube when the gun is unloaded and drip dry and wipe down. Any lubricant will kill primers regardless of the brand. Many gun cleaner/lubricants like CLP and brake free are harsh on the finish and stocks of guns. Solvents are even harsher. Solvents loosen and dissolve metals like lead and copper. I don't want to put solvents on parts and surfaces where it may damage them. I have seen some solvents dissolve plastic and other furniture. The only place I put a solvent is in the bore when I scrub a bore rifling clean with a copper brush. After I get a bore clean then I oil it and then wipe it out dry. A solvent that is less harsh is better than one that is more harsh however it may take a stronger solvent to get a bore clean or a lot more scrubbing work with a less harsh solvent. Some bores never come totally clean. Good old 3 in 1 household oil is my favorite lube for everything. I like a little bit of gun grease on wear areas also.
The 90s was the "2nd Golden Age" of surplus (C&R) collecting...I got my C&R licence and got a number if former Soviet and Soviet bloc firearms as well as free and neutral countries surplus...It was a happy time for us collectors
Thank you Caleb! As a retired maintenance technician for a class 8 truck manufacturer I totally agree. I have seen more equipment ruined by people who think that is a lubricant. Throttle cables will go from slow moving to frozen to the point that you have to replace
For years, I've used WD-40 as a cleaning solvent for firearm barrels and revolver chambers. Then I follow up by wiping the barrels and chambers clean and giving them a thin application of Microil on a patch. I also use Microil on moving parts. Having tried Rand CLP, I learned to my dismay that it sets up in long-term storage, and can virtually freeze the cylinder of a revolver in place if it was used to lube the base pin.
Still one of my favorite channels. Steve has that distinctive voice. I say that because a few years ago he helped me with a question regarding the best "parts" to buy for cutting a new crown on a pistol barrel. Hands down absolutely the nicest customer service person I have ever dealt with. What I like about these videos is Steve and Caleb give knowledgeable and direct answers for the questions.
You know what works better and doesn't leave a hydrophilic surface? A dedicated gun cleaner. If I have to free some usty parts or remove label glue residue I use WD-40.
Indeed, WD40 is one of the best and most benign solvents to remove adhesive residue. 3M makes the best adhesive removers, but they aren't always handy.
I've used WD for cleaning... after done cleaning then lube up with a proper gun oil/lubricant.. been doing that for over 19 yrs and I've never had issues on any of my guns... just my 2 cents
I agree it's not a good long term solution but I've been on a few bird hunts with friends that their shotguns (auto & pump) started to malfunction (due to improper maintenance) and a couple shots of WD-40 out of a toolbox got them working and were able to continue shooting the rest of day.
Ya, probably because they weren't cleaned properly in the first place, highly unlikely they'll clean them now that “they're working again”. In theory I have no problem with it, but in practice, too many use it as a short cut!
@@wilfdarr Nope they sure weren't. They're usually filled un burnt powder and gunk, and even some wild grass seeds. Some bone dry. I've seen it all. You can tell they haven't been cleaned in years. It be surprising that people would gun on a high volume bird hunt with a un-maintained shotgun but its happened to often to be shocked. A couple shots of WD-40 gets them back into the action. I tell them it needs a thorough cleaning and show them what's causing the malfunctions. And right I bet they take it home and just put it away for the next year.
Your missing the point! Yes , the WD 40 will definitely free up sticky mechanisms. But too much left behind will only collect dust & debris and eventually over a long period of time ( years) will start to become sticky and semi solidify. Use it but clean out the old and apply new periodically. Engine oil will do the same if not changed out on a routine schedule. It will gum up and stick to all the parts inside the engine. I hope this helps you better understand. WD 40 is a great product for any metal mechanical moving parts.
THANK YOU... THANK YOU... THANK YOU... I normally don't respond or comment on these sites. But I saw this and was relieved with joy. I taught for many years at a Gunsmith school and have my degree in Gunsmithing. I used to know several people at Brownells, former students. We taught this very thing for years at the school. Then we had some personal changes and... well I will put it this way. I upset several of them throwing cans of the stuff in the trash. To prevent it from usage, we [the school] had even changed our lesson plans for hot salts bluing. Which were written many years prior. To eliminate the use of WD40 . It will not only gum up the firearm but it will disperse any moisture and can hold it in a variety of areas, causing the firearm to rust. All my best to good folks at Brownells. Thanks again for this and getting the word out.
I use FLUID FILM. Learned about it when I did long shoreman work.I seen a the crew mopping the deck with it out of five gallon buckets.they told me it stops the SHIP FROM RUSTING when out to see
Im here because of Ballistol. I just used it to lube up a rifle. Is it really all that good? I have a few other lubes and never really had an issue with any of them to be honest. But I wanted the best, so I'm trying Ballistol to see if it lives up to the hype. Stuff STINKS though.
I worked on office machines for over 39 years. We used WD-40 to find the squeaks, then used regular lubricant to permanently quiet the squeak. If you just used WD, you would get a call back.
Actually, I use WD40, quite regularly, to clean up plastic wadding from Shotgun barrels, and for chamber polishing. It's a great flush out, and water displacer. It is NOT a great lubricant, and shouldn't be used as such. It's also great, for safely removing adhesive, from most surfaces!
Okie dokie petroleum engineer here. The idea behind lubricants like motor oil or gun oil is to provide a super thin film which metal parts can ride on rather than riding on each other and wearing out. You also have shear thickness to consider but without getting too far into the weeds of chemistry and such, just understand that many of the penetrating lubes you can buy like wd40 or pb blaster etc do not provide that film cushion that moving metal parts require. Also you need to understand that certain oils won't play well with certain metals or a mechanism that has constituent parts made of different types of metals. The AR15 is a perfect example because you have an iron alloy based bolt sliding in an aluminum housing so you need an oil that won't interact with either metal / alloy. A lot of people do not recognize how reactive aluminum really is but considering its one of 2 main components of thermite I think you can see what i mean. Internal combustion gasoline engines are under similar stresses as seen in firearms and generally have an aluminum piston with iron rings sliding up and down in an iron bore/sleeve or In some cases riding in an aluminum bore with an extremely hard coating. Regardless of the combination the motor oil used in those engines has to be inert unreactive etc.. when exposed to those metals at high Temps, low Temps and all between. One of the main reasons for oil changes aside from it getting dirty with combustion byproducts is that with repeated heat cycles the oil will begin to acidify. Synthetic oils are much more resistant to this process but they will succumb to it eventually. The same has to be true for your guns oil, because while it doesn't have to worry about lubricating something moving at several thousand rpm for extended periods, it's still exposed to massive forces during firing. Chamber pressure on a 5.56 is what like 50 or 60 thousand psi? So use the best oil you can get your hands on, its cheap insurance to avoid failure, premature wear and if you're planning on using a weapon for self defense aka your life depending on its proper function then use the lubricant designed to optimize its functionality
@Bruce Forrest Far left socialist do and they are the real problem. Bleeding heart liberal democrats are no threat to anyone but themselves, far left radical socialists are the people taking over every institution in this country. Laugh all you want but they are winning.
In my gun cleaning kit I have a spray can of RemOIl and two small bottles of RemOil along with two bottles of Hoppes 9. I also have several brass wire brushes, and a few wool brushes, along with a bag of cloth patches.
I have 45 yr old blued guns that have zero spec of rust and work well as the day they were made, that were kept clean with WD. Just don't hose in there. All my parts are wiped with a lightly treated gun rag before re-installation. I've since used other products such as Rem Oil, CLP, Hoppes, Ballistol, and pure white mineral oil. None work hardly any differently than the other provided the guns are maintained with sufficient frequency. Keep them dry, keep the steel clean, and don't leave any amount of excess oil present regardless of type, past what it takes to prevent rust. If a gun requires oil to function, it's an inferior machine.
I just use it for taking surface rust off old guns. I tear it down to the reciever, let it soak in a layer or two for a couple hours, then thoroughly clean it and relube.
there is a point to use it inside a revolver barrel and inside a revolvers cylinder round holders, where there is no "moving parts" to gum up. most economical powder remover.
Ok you get a thumbs UP, pretty much the first RUclipsrs to acknowledge WD-40 has its place in cleaning a wet gun. Right after toweling off a wet gun, WD-40 is your go to for drying that gun BEFORE cleaning and lubricating. More people need to put that out there instead of this "WD-40 is BAD" and codemn everyone owning a can of it.
When I get in form the Alaska bush I use WD40 to clean it out and to get into the nooks and crannies to remove mud, water and debris, but yes i use a proper lube for the actions and coat the entire weapon properly with oil.. As far as gumming. Never even heard of this issue and I got no time for gun games with a bush weapon.. Like any tool, there is a time and use for everything..
Severe overuse of WD-40 will leave a shellac like mess on everything it splatters on, as a bicycle mechanic I've seen this too many times. I swear I've given this same speech dozens of times, just with 'bicycle' replacing 'firearm'.
@@technovelo I think there is more to this story then the WD40 causing this by itself. Ive used it my entire life and never seen this mythical phenomena that others are speaking of. In fact I never heard of it until now. But I cannot say I over use it. Just what needs to be used to get Alaska off of and out of my weapons..
@@Bergmann.Alaska It actually requires effort, the story I usually hear runs so: "I've been spraying my chain with WD-40 for years, why has it gummed up now?" You are using it properly as a cleaning fluid, finishing with lube to prevent corrosion.
Dude same, it’s an okay solvent (cheap tho) and is good enough to clean the guns. Just put oil or some lube on that bad boy afterwards and you’re good to go. This is a typical extreme statement focused at fudds who drench their firearm with wd40 after dear season and throw it in the case until next year.
I know guys who use it to displace any latent moisture in the bore of their muzzleloaders after cleaning them... They swear it protects the bore and swabs out easy before shooting.
I shoot quite a bit of black power .45 colt, .45-70, and .50-70 and personally I find WD-40 great for cleaning up rusted guns(especially rusted up bores) but as far as cleaning after shooting black powder I think water is best. With either you need to get it dry and oil afterwards, WD-40 is harder to get off though if I do use it on a gun I usually wash it off with water afterwards.
I use WD-40 when I bought a 9X18 makarov it was covered in cosmoline. I stripped it down to the bare bones and soaked it with Kerosene and followed up with WD-40 and wipe it down with a rag , then applied rem oil to the whole surface. There was no more odor other than the rem oil. No problems.
In 2004, we had dust build up in our rifles in Iraq. The Army gave us dry lube, graphite spray. I used WD-40 and wiped it dry. My rifle survived that way for an entire year. I agree with you, but, I needed something that would clean and wipe dry.
I have used WD-40 with a soft cloth as a first step to clean surface rust from guns. I find that this will loosen and remove rust without scuffing the finish. Then I clean the surfaces with mineral spirits and coat with a film of oil. It is important to finish the process immediately to prevent the rust from flashing back. I'd never expect it to work as a lubricant. In a unrelated story on the topic of WD-40. I was shooting with a group on BLM land in Nevada. One of the shooters that day had a Ruger AR556. After the last round of a magazines, he hit the bolt release and the bolt froze mid stroke. It wouldn't retract with the charging handle and wouldn't ho home with "reasonable force" on the forward assist. He retrieved a can of WD-40 from his Razor. He sprayed the bolt carrier down through the ejection port and a minute or two later the recoil spring was able to push the bolt home. But I'm not convinced that the malfunction wasn't a product of using WD-40 to begin with.
I was not set up to hot blue and used to ship broken down guns to a bluing/plating shop. Their procedure was to coat the parts with WD-40, let sit a day, wrap in plastic and ship. In one day that WD-40 was like Elmer's Glue.
@@bayoumike544 Yeah I found that out back in the 1990s . I got a few SKS rifles and they were covered in cosmoline. The first one I worked on it for a week to clean it up and a friend said break cleaner would get it off so I tried it and it was really clean after. Don't forget to oil the gun the break cleaner will strip all oil off your gun.
I never used WD-40 as lubricant, I used it to DISPLACE WATER and as a light SOLVENT. After that, I use an oil like Hoppe’s 9. WD-40 evaporates after a while, if it’s getting “gumed up” there’s probably another component in the mix like grease. What usually gets gumed up is oil + carbon (from firing). That’s why most manufacturers advise you go go easy on the oil in your pistol slide as it can make its way into the firing pin channel and mix with gun powder residue and make it go *click*.
@@failure2flinch876 Its a mix of alchool, somesort of wax and other things. It's crappy for cleaning but its nice for preservation. It's not to be applied on match weappons trigger sistems it will freeze them up.
In the HOV lane heading towards 70. Started using WD-40 52 years ago as a grunt on my M-16. Always used it to clean the rifle, wiped it off and lubed with LSA. Still do with all my firearms. Never a malfunction, slime, or rust issue. Signed an Old Ranger!
I use it for cleaning my guns. It is a good cleaner. I then wipe it off completely as possible and then rinse my gun with a good spray gun oil. Always use a good gun oil. I prefer Lucas gun oils.
@@RobinRobertsesq your opinion. WD-40 is a solvent! Which means it can break down, remove, dissolve, & clean hundreds of things; probably more. That's a FACT.🤭
I've used it for well over 30+ years, never had and gumming up issues, stock discoloration, or build up of any kind, and my blued firearms look as good as new, minus a few scratches for use in the field hunting etc.
@@davidschaadt5929 I use gun oil as well to lubricate what needs it. But the whole gun gets wiped down thoroughly with WD, including the wood and I've never had any rust issues, or issues with discoloration including the wood. It's great stuff, it treats my knives as well, all good!
"This is a Public Service Announcement!" 🤣 So true..Caleb straight went off on this one. You could see it in his eyes, the amount of firearms he has restored from the misuse of WD-40. Well done as always fellas. 👏
Looks like Caleb uses too much of that Rand CLP in his hair. I have NEVER had WD-40 "gum up" anything. I will agree that WD-40 isn't a good choice to lube a firearm, but neither are those $15 2oz bottles of "gun oil". Just use engine oil and be done with it, cheap and VERY good.
@@stchman , agree. I have used many types of oils and cleaners for 47 years. I hunt in western PA and shoot at the range all summer. My firearms have been through a gauntlet of severe weather conditions. I OVER LUBE my firearms with Ballistoll, WD40, and many other types of oil. YES!!, OVER LUBE!!! I have never had a problem with any of my firearms! Where does this mysterious build up of dirt and debris and gum come from???? AND, why hasn’t this mystical substance caused a problem with my firearms???
@@albertforletta1498 just you doesnt mean everyone is having the same right? I mean the US Army wouldnt tell their soldiers not to lube up guns in certain firearms if they had all your firearm knowledge would they?
WD-40 (Water Displacing Formula #40) was actually developed for the outer skin on the Atlas Missile to protect it from coastal air. Several formulas were tried but #40 is what they bought.
I agree with everything you have said regarding WD-40. It is good stuff for what it is designed for. I've used it to remove light rust from blued barrels, it works well for this. Quite a few years ago a J frame S&W failed to fire 3 out of 5 times in a real shoot out during the robbery of a pawn shop. The ammo was new Super Vel. It was determined that the owner of the J frame used WD 40 on the gun and the excellent penetrating characteristics of the WD 40 allowed it to get into the primers of the ammunition thus causing them to fail. I knew the shop owner who was the victim and he told the story. I also heard it repeated by gunsmiths in the area and by the firearms examiner from the PD that investigated the robbery. There was no loss of life in the incident. One of the Super Vel rounds connected with one of the robbers seriously wounded him. All three were caught and successfully prosecuted for the crime. So there is another reason to keep WD 40 away from your guns. Keep up the good work guys.
I don't usually disagree with many on U Tube, BUT, I live in Fla an we are in a marine environment an have been using WD-40 for years, like 50. An my dad an others have used it also, for the same reasons with no ill effects. An I also keep a small can in my pack for wetting the bolt in my AR, again, no problems. But I think anything can be abused. I have used CLP an REM OIL an like them to, just depends on what I'm doing under what conditions.
It was also known to deaden primers. I have a retired state police firearms examiner friend that told me it was common practice for many officers to spray their gun down with wd-40 after a shift and the spray being a penetrating oil would over time work it's way around the cartridge primer. He told me that the issue presented itself during qualifying shoots many times. Guys would attemp to fire their guns and get clicks instead of bangs...
We used WD-40 on our revolvers for a short time when I worked for the Washington State Patrol. Very quickly we started having mis-fires on the shooting range. It was eventually discovered that the WD-40 penetrating oil was seeping around the primers and making the cartridges “dead”.
That will be true with any oil. That is exactly why you need to wipe off excess oil. An air compressor and a blow gun works great too to remove excess oil , even from the smallest nooks & crevices. You want to leave behind just a super thin film of lubricant.
@@peterv1318 , I know what they are talking about. Marketing gun oils and other gun products. They don’t like competition. Competition hurts their wallets. I’ve been using WD-40 for decades, and I have never had a problem with any of my firearms.
@@peterv1318 , lol. That’s because it absolutely gums up NOTHING!!!!! I’ve been over lubing all my firearms with WD-40 and other oils for many decades. I have never seen this mysterious build up of dirt and debris. Also, I have never seen this mysterious gum that people seem to be talking about. Also, I have never had a problem with any of my firearms because of over lubing, and I’m telling you that I always over lube.
@@stevenrichards3699 Frog Lube (spray) is the worst I’ve come across. Others I can’t name since they were applied some time prior by customers who didn’t remember. My preferred oil is G96 or Hoppes.
I can understand more complex firearms. But for my Rossi 12ga that I always carry in my truck for fucking around or shooting skunks, lets just say it doesn't exactly get the TLC that any of my other guns get, it's had a rough life. But I soak the hell out of it in WD40 all the time, never gotten the "waxy" residue or had it gum up on me. Many years and it's still just pop in a shell, kill your shoulder, eject, repeat.
I still use WD-40, but as solvent for the carbon on the parts of the firearm, afterwards i wipe it off till the part is clean and lubricate them with Ballistol.
@@ReckerFidelWOLF I don't mind using WD-40 as a solvent only, so far it hadn't gave me any issues.I had seen several people using it as a solvent after field exercises and live fire not to mention other weird stuff, like break cleaners. WD-40 doesn't seem to be the worst thing out there.
I used wd40 by the barrel in parts manufacturing mainly it's a solvent but not a rust proofer not for long term storage. often had to remove clean old stocked parts to make reusable again ie(gummy &rerusted) within months for me and weapon storage longer term I used a soft grease called rig
this is a question I've had ever since I started using and maintaining firearms; I gave up the search for the ultimate cleaner/lubricant and just defaulted to classic Hoppe's out of frustration.
Use a tiny amount at the wear points. A small stiff paintbrush works well for not putting too much on, all you need is a thin film. Lithium grease is fine, aluminum, or marine grease is also really good.
I've used grease for AKs and bolt actions, oil for everything else. Grease works good if your gun is getting really hot too, but it gets too thick in the winter.
For the first 10 years I owned guns, I used WD-40 as both a solvent and lubricant for my guns. I never had any problems during that time. Then I started hearing everybody tell me how bad it was for the guns and I quit and switched to cleaners and lubricants meant for guns. I figured why risk it when my guns cost me several hundred dollars each? But I still remember having zero problems those first 10 years. Make of that what you will.
Exactly, WD 40 corrosion, not regular, was along with frog lube and Hornandy One Shot were the 3 best corrosion resistant products tested out of dozens of well known ones. But not a godd lube at all. I've used WD-40 for 25 years on the outside of my guns and never had rust issues or gummy sticky issues as claimed.
I don’t use WD-40 on my firearms but, any “lubricant” will gum up over time including your CLP. Proper cleaning will prevent this no matter what you use.
BAM! You guys nailed this one. MY story: Years ago, about 1980 to be exact, I used WD-40 on all my guns. One day I went pheasant hunting in Garfield, WA, in a light snow. I had wiped my shotgun down with a fresh coat of WD-40 the evening before. Before I was halfway through the hunt, rust was showing up all over my Win 1200 barrel. I threw that can of WD-40 away after that and have never used it for anything again. It has its purpose, and that purpose is a very narrow window and does not include firearms.
After you cleaned your gun with WD-40 you should use a lubricant that has some corrosion protection properties like RemOil or Balistol. Nothing on the can of WD-40 about lubrication or preventing rust so why would you think it would be good for that?
@@barrygrant2907 WD-40 in my experience is good for cleaning up rusty guns. I have a M1868 Springfield in .50-70 that is over 150 years old and had a load of rust in the barrel(.50-70 is a black powder cartridge, so shooting without properly cleaning it up after will cause this). WD-40 and a wire brush got almost all of it off, and the pitting under the rust turned out not to be that bad. Of course if you do this you need to wash it all of and oil afterwards, as WD-40 can cause corrosion if left on the surface of the metal. As far as general cleaning I use water and oil after for black powder and break free and oil after with smokeless powder.
Another product to keep at arm's length is Simple Green and its sibling, Simple Purple. I use the latter in my part's washer because it's good at flushing out gunk. But afterwards, make sure you dry and coat the parts with a suitable oil or preservative. And never leave metal or wood parts near the soak tank unless you enjoy removing rust and repairing wood warping. Ask me how I know.
Rem Oil for the outside. Great stuff. Waay back I used WD-40 but discovered the gum up issue and stopped. Internal lube now depends on the weapon, CLP, Frog, Rem Oil or LSA [If I can find it.]
WD40 is a lubricant, as well stated on their website and from universal user experience. Good on you for using it, and not falling for the trap of overpaying for cheap Mexican and Chinese oils labeled as “gun lubricants” and sold in fancy bottles to loose-walleted suckers.
For the past 40 years I've been using my wife's sewing machine oil for the moving parts of my handguns and a light coating of Hoppes gun oil on the outside surfaces for rust prevention. Works for me.
Whenever I hear that raging guitar intro I know I'm in for something good. two questions for Steve or Caleb: -sometimes if I have nothing to do maybe once every 3 months I'll clean my guns with CLP, even if they've been put away clean. I've seen opinions that this actually harms your firearm, which makes no sense to me, especially with the salt air we have here in Florida. Any logic to this? -because CLP seems to be so universally praised I use that if I don't have heavy fouling in which case I'll start with Hoppes. After a few months after a CLP application I see that the residue is slightly greenish and slightly thicker. Is this okay?
That is copper particles in the "teflon/CLP" coating , -ie.- the greenish hue might be coming from if you use a copper/brass cleaning brush , and the CLP is pulling off the copper residue left overtime, and then the copper oxidizes(turns green)- shouldn't hurt anything. Copper residue also comes off of brass casings being fired/cycled, and turns green over time, even if you don't use a brass cleaning brush, that may be where it comes from, and the CLP pulls it off the gun. That, or you have mold/pollen +humidity growing a little green "stuff" on the teflon coating(Florida afterall) LOL- not a problem either. CLP/Telfon to me seems a slight yellow, and with age, in different light, can look a little "green", again I suspect that is from copper particles/residue oxidizing
Is it good if you shot corrosive ammo with your AK then use the water to neutralize it then should you use WD-40 if you don’t have air available to blow out the water?
I've used WD-40 to free up an old gun that had rusted to the point you couldn't get the hammer back. After I got everything freed up and apart, I used a degreaser to clean everything and then a proper lubricant putting it back together. I use it to have free up rusted bolts on other things as well. But you have to be careful concerning WD-40 use on anything that might be exposed to a cold winters day. It will freeze up. Learned that one the hard way.
At my old job we had a piece of machinery on a roller bearing base so it could be rotated in and out of position. The base had 3 grease zerts on it for lubricating the bearings. One day it wouldn't turn into position, so when the mechanic started tearing it apart he found that there was not a single smear of grease inside it at all. After having to replace the entire base(it was not fixable) the company did an investigation and found that an employee was spraying PB Blaster into the base every day for a week because he didn't want to look for the grease gun and he thought it was spray lube. The moral of the story is "know what you are using and know what it does." PB Blaster will eat through a styrofoam coffee cup, because that's what it is supposed to do. WD-40 also does what it's supposed to do too and lubrication is not it.
I happily agree that WD-40 is by no means a lubricant, but it works just fine as a basic rust remover and oil. Perhaps it isn’t good long term, but from my experience, if you’re cleaning your guns every time you get back from the range (like with black powder), or even every 5-6 times you get back, WD-40 works like a charm. It’s a matter of using it for its intended purpose, protecting and removing rust. Use it for that, and you won’t have any issues.
I’ve used it to give a quick cleaning after shooting corrosive primers. Pour a hot kettle of water down the bore and through the guts and then blast the WD40 into the whole mess and rush off to dinner or what-have-you. Better the WD40 mess, (and it’s definitely a mess) then rust or primer corrosion because you just kept putting off a proper cleaning. Doing a proper cleaning especially if you have to tear down small parts is kinda time consuming. Then you have to hook up the air compressor and run some lines so you can blast the parts dry, or wait for a sunny day in the middle of a Pacific NE winter so you can clean and dry your gun.... screw that, I don’t time my shooting to include a couple hours of tear down and cleaning as well as another couple hours of air drying or low temperature oven drying.
In restoring my fathers Browning A5 circa 1966. The stock and fore grip were saturated with WD 40. I placed the wood in a steel cabinet heated to 120 degrees for 21 days checking daily. I baked out more than a third cup of oil. Dad thought that WD40 was the cure all and hosed down every firearm, fishing reel or anything else mechanical. I was able to restore the A5 but used Ballistol to clean out the gunk from the mechanisms before a sonic bath. I carry a can when waterfowl hunting for as you said, if a shotgun goes swimming I can put it back in service quickly. Great PSA!
Growing up, WD-40 was always on my Uncle's range table for cleaning purposes. It wasn't used for lube, but more for stubborn fowling. That being said, 10w30 synthetic oil was used for lubrication.
Yep! Used to use it as an after run oil in my competition airplane motors...tore one down after a year of use to find the ball bearings in the motor with rust all over them...stopped using it then and there for ANY of my engines and forearms lubrication!
The oldies over here in Australia swear it's good for fixing arthiritis if you spray it on joints & rub it in. They also used to swear on kerosene baths in old age homes to cure skin ailments & lice. Some people don't get wiser as they get older it would seem to me.
I was going to recommend to use as hemorrhoid treatment as well, but you beat me to it. I have found it to be great for those intimate moments as well!
I use WD to clean my guns after the range. Being careful where to apply, it’s cheap and works well to dissolve fouling and to float debris away with a nylon brush. I follow up with brake parts cleaner to remove that which was loosened/liquified again being careful where to apply the cleaner. I follow up with Rem Oil or equivalent. No longer do I use Break Free CLP as it gums up over time.
3-in-1 oil, which was once very popular, also hardens over time. Once purchased a Savage auto that had been in dresser drawer since the 1930s, totally frozen with hardened 3-in-1.
I used W D years ago , until the day I went shooting and found out that the oil had penetrated the primers in my Smith 38 , and it did not go boom . Then I read that police across the country had discovered that. It seems to be hard on bluing also.
And, you will never have a problem with WD40. I clean with it, then I over lube(yes,over lube) with Ballistol, or any oil that is on sale the day I’m shopping. I have many firearms and have fired tens of thousands of rounds during my 62 years. I have never had an oil,or cleaning solution, problem.
I remember in high school civics class our teacher was a WWII veteran. He told us WD- 40 stood for "war department formula no. 40" and it was originally made of whale oil. They developed it to use on rifles when the soldiers were shipped over seas on boats to remove rust and salt water from the rifles.
3 in 1 was the goto oil for a long time and does work. Then Break-Free came out . Break-Free CLP does have a couple things better going for it. It is a better cleaner and you can't beat the "teflon" in it for a lube or a rust-shield coating . Yes , 3 in 1 is good and cheaper , but you ought to try some Break-Free , on a dirty gun cleaning and lubing it , just as a test. (shake it up first ;). It might surprise you. I only changed from 3 in 1 to Break-Free because I joined the Army and used it alot.That was 30+ years ago
Motor oil is even cheaper and works fine. It's got detergents in it that attacks carbon. I mainly clean with soap and water and just put some motor oil on it.
I did an emergency rust and dust bunny removal with WD-40 followed with 3 in 1 sewing machine oil for a revolver that was stored under a bed for years on a towel. There wasn't anything else at my grandmothers house and I figured kill the rust and dust before the pitting gets dangerous. I did avoid the polymerization with the 3 in 1 oil so it would be protected until I could come back with some Hoppe's no 9 to clean it properly later.
Remember when Hank Hill used a bottle of WD-40, to get the cap off of a different bottle of WD-40?
“I sell propane, and propane accessories.”
A great moment in television history
Legend
legendary
Classic moment in King of the Hill
I have been using WD-40 for blasting out the crude in firearms for 30 plus years, but then I use a synthetic gun oil for lubrication. Never had an issue with this method so far.
Same
@@humpy936
Same again
me too
Still do
Same
So we need WD-40 when we recover our guns we lost in a boating accident? Good to hear. Thanks.
It's a water displacing substance...NOT a lubricant...I've seen it used after a cold blue job...which is what it's used for.. displacing the water carrier if the bluing salts...the salts are hydrophilic...meaning they attract water which causes oxidation...i.e. rust...the WD 40 does what it dies best.. displaces those salts
I've already secured my gallon of WD-40 for recovery from my tragic boating accident. About 3.5 years from now.
2021 WD-40 ,stock is about to blow up,
I've never lost a firearm to a boating accident.
Never will.
If they take them, it'll be by boarding w/o permission.
"Ten thousand rounds for defense, not one round surrendered. ..."
No one has ever been able to recover their guns lost in a boating accident. So sad.
Wow! That explains why the cylinder of my revolver was always getting gummed-up. There was no evidence of residue, but there I was, constantly wiping the rod and applying a new coat of WD-40. In my defence, that was 25 years ago.
Thanks for unraveling one of my childhood's mysteries.
I like to use bacon grease. It's practically free and it helps save money in these ammunition scarce times. After a few rounds the exquisite odor of bacon comes wafting from the firearm to tickle my olfactory nerves. I soon become too hungry to shoot anymore and find myself rushing to the nearest diner to devour a B.L.T., maybe a short stack with extra bacon, sometimes the craving can not be satiated as quickly as I like and I find myself eating raw bacon in the parking lot of the grocery store while I wait for the other strips of heaven to fry on the engine block. Some say I have "issues" and some are wrong.
I'm retarded and got mad reading this before realizing it's a joke
@@Arcticroberto9376, sorry about the confusion. I hope it got you to smile a little bit.
I used bacon grease once and after a few plinking rounds down range the odor attracted every coyote in the county and I had to leave cause I was out of ammo.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
LOL, I Know a guy who mixes bacon grease with bee's wax to lube his bullets for Black powder shooting. He swears by it😂😂😂😂
I've never realized how much I love Caleb's reasoned and blunt approach until this video. And Steve's laugh is just as complementary to these segments as his expertise. You guys make an excellent team!
That dude's impeccable hair engenders trust.
Maybe he’s using WD40 on it😉
@@sxsboy2253 if the man won't use it on his guns, no way in hell he's putting it on his head. CLP for sure.
@@mormonbear4050 80W-90 works for me.
His hair cut/style makes me wonder why he walks around like that. Very weird.
He got it from his grandpa Andy Taylor from Mayberry.
I'm just here looking for the "I'VE BEEN USING WD-40 ON MY GUNS FOR 77 YEARS, AND I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY BECUASE I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!" comment.
Do what works...if wd-40 has been working then keep using it...most these other gun oils and cleaners just marketing gimmicks
@@MrLex87bro the “lubricant” part of WD40 is the gimmick
Have you read the bottle? It says “hinges, gears, rollers, chain” and garbage… maybe a bike chain lube that’s it. And it’s only a good “lube” because it dirt doesn’t stick to it…
@@xostler Most of lubricants out there is the same sh!t just different colors
When I purchased some old military surplus guns in the 90’s, I used WD-40 sprayed onto old denim material to remove rust spots that I found hidden by the stocks. The rust was removed quickly with the non-abrasive material. After the rust was removed, as well as other hidden debris (sand or dirt) I then rubbed gun oils over the entire gun to ensure that everything was properly lubricated.
pahunter3 That is how I use it. As a cleaner to scrub crud out with a toothbrush but after that I oil it and wipe it down. I don't use it as a long term lubricant but instead as a cleaner. I do not use it or any type of lube when a gun is loaded. Lube when the gun is unloaded and drip dry and wipe down. Any lubricant will kill primers regardless of the brand. Many gun cleaner/lubricants like CLP and brake free are harsh on the finish and stocks of guns. Solvents are even harsher. Solvents loosen and dissolve metals like lead and copper. I don't want to put solvents on parts and surfaces where it may damage them. I have seen some solvents dissolve plastic and other furniture. The only place I put a solvent is in the bore when I scrub a bore rifling clean with a copper brush. After I get a bore clean then I oil it and then wipe it out dry. A solvent that is less harsh is better than one that is more harsh however it may take a stronger solvent to get a bore clean or a lot more scrubbing work with a less harsh solvent. Some bores never come totally clean. Good old 3 in 1 household oil is my favorite lube for everything. I like a little bit of gun grease on wear areas also.
The 90s was the "2nd Golden Age" of surplus (C&R) collecting...I got my C&R licence and got a number if former Soviet and Soviet bloc firearms as well as free and neutral countries surplus...It was a happy time for us collectors
@@rbm6184 For those bores that “never come clean” or for carbon rings etc, CLR baby!
Denim actually is abrasive though probably comparable to a 1500 grit sandpaper or so. You can strop knives with denim quite efficiently.
It's real good for that.
Thank you Caleb! As a retired maintenance technician for a class 8 truck manufacturer I totally agree. I have seen more equipment ruined by people who think that is a lubricant. Throttle cables will go from slow moving to frozen to the point that you have to replace
There are so many other good things to use other that
frog lub does the clumping thing and almost feels like wax.
@@willford9205 I never used it but a guy said it gummed up his guns
For years, I've used WD-40 as a cleaning solvent for firearm barrels and revolver chambers. Then I follow up by wiping the barrels and chambers clean and giving them a thin application of Microil on a patch. I also use Microil on moving parts. Having tried Rand CLP, I learned to my dismay that it sets up in long-term storage, and can virtually freeze the cylinder of a revolver in place if it was used to lube the base pin.
Same here !
Just stick with Hoppes no.9 bore cleaner and CLP (or some other GUN OIL) and you'll be fine.
Other than for black powder guns.
@@hazcat640 Well for black powder you just need soap and water to clean and some gun oil for the moving parts.
This is the correct answer.
@@jd9119 Being lazy I just take the grips off my pistol and dump it in the sonic cleaner with water and Dawn :)
Clenzoil lock stock and barrel
Still one of my favorite channels. Steve has that distinctive voice. I say that because a few years ago he helped me with a question regarding the best "parts" to buy for cutting a new crown on a pistol barrel. Hands down absolutely the nicest customer service person I have ever dealt with.
What I like about these videos is Steve and Caleb give knowledgeable and direct answers for the questions.
WD is a solvent. It works great to CLEAN the gun. Then follow up with an oil.
You know what works better and doesn't leave a hydrophilic surface? A dedicated gun cleaner.
If I have to free some usty parts or remove label glue residue I use WD-40.
@@onpsxmember .....
I didn't know it was good for removing glues. I'll need to try that next time. wonder how it does with butyl products.
That is true. WD 40 is great for cleaning. People don't realize that it displaces water. Metal has a bad habit of producing condensation
Indeed, WD40 is one of the best and most benign solvents to remove adhesive residue.
3M makes the best adhesive removers, but they aren't always handy.
It's not even a good solvent.
I've used WD for cleaning... after done cleaning then lube up with a proper gun oil/lubricant.. been doing that for over 19 yrs and I've never had issues on any of my guns... just my 2 cents
Me too ! Clean with WD40, blow off with an air hose, and lube with synthetic auto oil.
I agree it's not a good long term solution but I've been on a few bird hunts with friends that their shotguns (auto & pump) started to malfunction (due to improper maintenance) and a couple shots of WD-40 out of a toolbox got them working and were able to continue shooting the rest of day.
...."were able to continue shooting the rest of the day" and then the wd-40 gummed up over time and resulted in more malfunctions down the road
@@onenikkione maybe but they didn't have to sit out the rest of day on the tailgate.
Ya, probably because they weren't cleaned properly in the first place, highly unlikely they'll clean them now that “they're working again”.
In theory I have no problem with it, but in practice, too many use it as a short cut!
@@wilfdarr Nope they sure weren't. They're usually filled un burnt powder and gunk, and even some wild grass seeds. Some bone dry. I've seen it all. You can tell they haven't been cleaned in years. It be surprising that people would gun on a high volume bird hunt with a un-maintained shotgun but its happened to often to be shocked. A couple shots of WD-40 gets them back into the action. I tell them it needs a thorough cleaning and show them what's causing the malfunctions. And right I bet they take it home and just put it away for the next year.
Your missing the point! Yes , the WD 40 will definitely free up sticky mechanisms. But too much left behind will only collect dust & debris and eventually over a long period of time ( years) will start to become sticky and semi solidify. Use it but clean out the old and apply new periodically. Engine oil will do the same if not changed out on a routine schedule. It will gum up and stick to all the parts inside the engine. I hope this helps you better understand. WD 40 is a great product for any metal mechanical moving parts.
THANK YOU... THANK YOU... THANK YOU... I normally don't respond or comment on these sites. But I saw this and was relieved with joy. I taught for many years at a Gunsmith school and have my degree in Gunsmithing. I used to know several people at Brownells, former students. We taught this very thing for years at the school. Then we had some personal changes and... well I will put it this way. I upset several of them throwing cans of the stuff in the trash. To prevent it from usage, we [the school] had even changed our lesson plans for hot salts bluing. Which were written many years prior. To eliminate the use of WD40 . It will not only gum up the firearm but it will disperse any moisture and can hold it in a variety of areas, causing the firearm to rust.
All my best to good folks at Brownells. Thanks again for this and getting the word out.
I use WD-40 to clean tools, I use CLP or RemOil to lubricate my firearms
z50//// I've never used WD-40 on any Fire Arm!!!!!
Me too. Even the military use CLP
I use Slip 2000 EWL or Froglube Extreme 🐸 on my guns, knives 🔪. A simple non toxic CLP will be fine. Prevent rust, lube parts. ✅
If I had to pick up a single product all in one for guns, I'd say Ballistol.
WD40 is at the very bottom of my list.
I use FLUID FILM. Learned about it when I did long shoreman work.I seen a the crew mopping the deck with it out of five gallon buckets.they told me it stops the SHIP FROM RUSTING when out to see
Im here because of Ballistol. I just used it to lube up a rifle. Is it really all that good? I have a few other lubes and never really had an issue with any of them to be honest. But I wanted the best, so I'm trying Ballistol to see if it lives up to the hype. Stuff STINKS though.
If you want your gun to stink real bad, use Ballistol. Ballistol is nothing but mineral oil and that stuff is cheap. Just use engine oil.
@@stchman spoken like someone who doesnt know what ballistol is i guess.
During Vietnam the U.S. ARMY posted that soldiers were forbidden to use WD40 on Firearms and Ammo. The penetrating action of WD40 messed up the ammo.
They gave us wd40 in our SP packages out in the bush for cleaning our weapons. they were little bitty cans of the stuff.. this was in 1970
@@sanleonster The only "lube" authorized by the Army for firearms since before Vietnam has been and still is LSA or CLP.
@@U.S._Army_Retired that’s funny it was handed out like toothpaste when I was there!
When I was on active duty; 1989 to 1993. Breakfree CLP was all the rage. Arms rooms had gallons of it. I prefer Ballistol 🇩🇪 or Slip 2000 EWL in 2021.
@DL Lambert......1984-89. USMC and BreakFree CLP. I still have a couple small bottles in the house
Here's one for you...when I was in Vietnam (USMC) the cleaning supplies I was issued for my M-16 was a small spray can of WD-40 and a tooth brush.
There were many mistakes made in Vietnam with the M-16, no one can argue that.
I worked on office machines for over 39 years. We used WD-40 to find the squeaks, then used regular lubricant to permanently quiet the squeak. If you just used WD, you would get a call back.
Actually, I use WD40, quite regularly, to clean up plastic wadding from Shotgun barrels, and for chamber polishing. It's a great flush out, and water displacer. It is NOT a great lubricant, and shouldn't be used as such. It's also great, for safely removing adhesive, from most surfaces!
Good hand cleaner too.
Okie dokie petroleum engineer here. The idea behind lubricants like motor oil or gun oil is to provide a super thin film which metal parts can ride on rather than riding on each other and wearing out. You also have shear thickness to consider but without getting too far into the weeds of chemistry and such, just understand that many of the penetrating lubes you can buy like wd40 or pb blaster etc do not provide that film cushion that moving metal parts require. Also you need to understand that certain oils won't play well with certain metals or a mechanism that has constituent parts made of different types of metals. The AR15 is a perfect example because you have an iron alloy based bolt sliding in an aluminum housing so you need an oil that won't interact with either metal / alloy. A lot of people do not recognize how reactive aluminum really is but considering its one of 2 main components of thermite I think you can see what i mean. Internal combustion gasoline engines are under similar stresses as seen in firearms and generally have an aluminum piston with iron rings sliding up and down in an iron bore/sleeve or In some cases riding in an aluminum bore with an extremely hard coating. Regardless of the combination the motor oil used in those engines has to be inert unreactive etc.. when exposed to those metals at high Temps, low Temps and all between. One of the main reasons for oil changes aside from it getting dirty with combustion byproducts is that with repeated heat cycles the oil will begin to acidify. Synthetic oils are much more resistant to this process but they will succumb to it eventually. The same has to be true for your guns oil, because while it doesn't have to worry about lubricating something moving at several thousand rpm for extended periods, it's still exposed to massive forces during firing. Chamber pressure on a 5.56 is what like 50 or 60 thousand psi? So use the best oil you can get your hands on, its cheap insurance to avoid failure, premature wear and if you're planning on using a weapon for self defense aka your life depending on its proper function then use the lubricant designed to optimize its functionality
WD-40, the recommended lubricant for our enemy's firearms.
@Bruce Forrest lol
@Bruce Forrest Far left socialist do and they are the real problem. Bleeding heart liberal democrats are no threat to anyone but themselves, far left radical socialists are the people taking over every institution in this country. Laugh all you want but they are winning.
@@boomerisadog3899 glad someone is actually making distinctions.
@Bruce Forrest They actually do because it's ok if THEY have guns just not us that disagree with them lol
SEND MORE TO CHINA...
In my gun cleaning kit I have a spray can of RemOIl and two small bottles of RemOil along with two bottles of Hoppes 9. I also have several brass wire brushes, and a few wool brushes, along with a bag of cloth patches.
those are the brands I use.
There is nothing you can say that will dissuade the world's WD-40 maniacs!
i use it on toast!
Got that right hoss
Id rather use the cheapest motor oil than wd40
Ak doesn't care about wd40
I have a couple gallons of WD-40, but I keep it far away from my firearms.
I don't use WD40 for lubrication, but it does seem to work well as a cleaning solvent.
Me also ! I clean with it, wipe it all off, and then follow up with good gun oil.
I have 45 yr old blued guns that have zero spec of rust and work well as the day they were made, that were kept clean with WD. Just don't hose in there. All my parts are wiped with a lightly treated gun rag before re-installation.
I've since used other products such as Rem Oil, CLP, Hoppes, Ballistol, and pure white mineral oil. None work hardly any differently than the other provided the guns are maintained with sufficient frequency.
Keep them dry, keep the steel clean, and don't leave any amount of excess oil present regardless of type, past what it takes to prevent rust. If a gun requires oil to function, it's an inferior machine.
I just use it for taking surface rust off old guns. I tear it down to the reciever, let it soak in a layer or two for a couple hours, then thoroughly clean it and relube.
there is a point to use it inside a revolver barrel and inside a revolvers cylinder round holders, where there is no "moving parts" to gum up. most economical powder remover.
Thank you !!!!! Thank you!!!! I have been preaching this for as long as I can remember!!!! You guys rock!
Ok you get a thumbs UP, pretty much the first RUclipsrs to acknowledge WD-40 has its place in cleaning a wet gun. Right after toweling off a wet gun, WD-40 is your go to for drying that gun BEFORE cleaning and lubricating. More people need to put that out there instead of this "WD-40 is BAD" and codemn everyone owning a can of it.
When I get in form the Alaska bush I use WD40 to clean it out and to get into the nooks and crannies to remove mud, water and debris, but yes i use a proper lube for the actions and coat the entire weapon properly with oil.. As far as gumming. Never even heard of this issue and I got no time for gun games with a bush weapon.. Like any tool, there is a time and use for everything..
I use it for cleaning only and use Remington gun oil for lubrication.
Severe overuse of WD-40 will leave a shellac like mess on everything it splatters on, as a bicycle mechanic I've seen this too many times. I swear I've given this same speech dozens of times, just with 'bicycle' replacing 'firearm'.
@@technovelo I think there is more to this story then the WD40 causing this by itself. Ive used it my entire life and never seen this mythical phenomena that others are speaking of. In fact I never heard of it until now. But I cannot say I over use it. Just what needs to be used to get Alaska off of and out of my weapons..
@@Bergmann.Alaska It actually requires effort, the story I usually hear runs so: "I've been spraying my chain with WD-40 for years, why has it gummed up now?"
You are using it properly as a cleaning fluid, finishing with lube to prevent corrosion.
Dude same, it’s an okay solvent (cheap tho) and is good enough to clean the guns. Just put oil or some lube on that bad boy afterwards and you’re good to go. This is a typical extreme statement focused at fudds who drench their firearm with wd40 after dear season and throw it in the case until next year.
I would like to hear your thoughts on Ballistol as a protective treatment for the outside of guns .
I know guys who use it to displace any latent moisture in the bore of their muzzleloaders after cleaning them... They swear it protects the bore and swabs out easy before shooting.
Any quality gun oil will protect just as well.
Better off using a small butane torch to dry the barrel, let it cool and apply gun oil.
I shoot quite a bit of black power .45 colt, .45-70, and .50-70 and personally I find WD-40 great for cleaning up rusted guns(especially rusted up bores) but as far as cleaning after shooting black powder I think water is best. With either you need to get it dry and oil afterwards, WD-40 is harder to get off though if I do use it on a gun I usually wash it off with water afterwards.
I use WD-40 when I bought a 9X18 makarov it was covered in cosmoline. I stripped it down to the bare bones and soaked it with Kerosene and followed up with WD-40 and wipe it down with a rag , then applied rem oil to the whole surface. There was no more odor other than the rem oil. No problems.
BUT BUT BUT... 🤣 I'm sure yall stirred up the hornets nest with this 1
:))))))))
💯 lol
In 2004, we had dust build up in our rifles in Iraq. The Army gave us dry lube, graphite spray. I used WD-40 and wiped it dry. My rifle survived that way for an entire year. I agree with you, but, I needed something that would clean and wipe dry.
I have used WD-40 with a soft cloth as a first step to clean surface rust from guns. I find that this will loosen and remove rust without scuffing the finish. Then I clean the surfaces with mineral spirits and coat with a film of oil. It is important to finish the process immediately to prevent the rust from flashing back. I'd never expect it to work as a lubricant.
In a unrelated story on the topic of WD-40. I was shooting with a group on BLM land in Nevada. One of the shooters that day had a Ruger AR556. After the last round of a magazines, he hit the bolt release and the bolt froze mid stroke. It wouldn't retract with the charging handle and wouldn't ho home with "reasonable force" on the forward assist. He retrieved a can of WD-40 from his Razor. He sprayed the bolt carrier down through the ejection port and a minute or two later the recoil spring was able to push the bolt home. But I'm not convinced that the malfunction wasn't a product of using WD-40 to begin with.
REM OIL is one of the best lubricants for firearms in my opinion. It contains Teflon, I have been using it for over a decade, with zero problems.
Damn the part in Caleb’s hair is so sharp it’s dangerous.
Proper mans' haircut, sideburns optional. ;)
Caleb's secret is using WD-40 to displace the hair that gives it a sharp clean part.
I was not set up to hot blue and used to ship broken down guns to a bluing/plating shop. Their procedure was to coat the parts with WD-40, let sit a day, wrap in plastic and ship. In one day that WD-40 was like Elmer's Glue.
I use it to remove cosmoline and gunk from bolts and metal parts.
Brake cleaner works better.
@@benjimenfranklin7650 Carb cleaner or Intake cleaner does wonders on cosmoline.
@@bayoumike544
Yeah I found that out back in the 1990s . I got a few SKS rifles and they were covered in cosmoline. The first one I worked on it for a week to clean it up and a friend said break cleaner would get it off so I tried it and it was really clean after. Don't forget to oil the gun the break cleaner will strip all oil off your gun.
@@benjimenfranklin7650 That it will. Used alot of brake cleaner in 30 years of auto repair.
I never used WD-40 as lubricant, I used it to DISPLACE WATER and as a light SOLVENT.
After that, I use an oil like Hoppe’s 9.
WD-40 evaporates after a while, if it’s getting “gumed up” there’s probably another component in the mix like grease.
What usually gets gumed up is oil + carbon (from firing). That’s why most manufacturers advise you go go easy on the oil in your pistol slide as it can make its way into the firing pin channel and mix with gun powder residue and make it go *click*.
That’s what I was thinking. I haven’t ever had WD-40 gum up.
Next video: "Don't use duct tape on your gun."
But how else am I gonna mount my scope
@@Arcticroberto9376 Baling wire?
@@Arcticroberto9376 Binder's twine. Approved by Scouting around the world.
Over the line
But that's all that's keeping my Mosin together.
I have had CLP gum up a revolver so tight you couldn’t get the cyclinder release latch to move at all.
I did that too on a S&W model 10.
I personally use Ballistol, have been for 10 years.
same here
Isnt Ballistol just expensive mineral oil?
@@failure2flinch876 Its a mix of alchool, somesort of wax and other things. It's crappy for cleaning but its nice for preservation. It's not to be applied on match weappons trigger sistems it will freeze them up.
Smells like a bucket of assholes...but then again maybe you're into that sort of thing ..
Ballistol smells like ass lol
In the HOV lane heading towards 70. Started using WD-40 52 years ago as a grunt on my M-16. Always used it to clean the rifle, wiped it off and lubed with LSA. Still do with all my firearms. Never a malfunction, slime, or rust issue. Signed an Old Ranger!
I use it for cleaning my guns. It is a good cleaner. I then wipe it off completely as possible and then rinse my gun with a good spray gun oil. Always use a good gun oil. I prefer Lucas gun oils.
Its not a good cleaning product at all.
Thats what ive done for 30years. Spray, scrub, clean, oil. Never seen it hurt wood or finishes.
@@RobinRobertsesq but it’s cheap and not a bad cleaning product
@@assfacetheclown29 it is a bad cleaning product. If you want cheap, use Ed's Red do it yourself formula.
@@RobinRobertsesq your opinion. WD-40 is a solvent! Which means it can break down, remove, dissolve, & clean hundreds of things; probably more. That's a FACT.🤭
You guys are the best, always explaining stuff clear and to the point, great job
Caleb's discomfort at the mere presence of the can is amusing.
I've used it for well over 30+ years, never had and gumming up issues, stock discoloration, or build up of any kind, and my blued firearms look as good as new, minus a few scratches for use in the field hunting etc.
I agree ,and then i use a little gun oil for a lubricant .
I used WD ,back when none of those products were available .No regrets .
@@davidschaadt5929 I use gun oil as well to lubricate what needs it. But the whole gun gets wiped down thoroughly with WD, including the wood and I've never had any rust issues, or issues with discoloration including the wood. It's great stuff, it treats my knives as well, all good!
@@RandoCalrisiann I totally agree .
I don't know how some guys complain about it so much .
"This is a Public Service Announcement!" 🤣 So true..Caleb straight went off on this one. You could see it in his eyes, the amount of firearms he has restored from the misuse of WD-40.
Well done as always fellas. 👏
But more WD-40 use would mean more business for gunsmiths!
He was pissed.😯💪
Looks like Caleb uses too much of that Rand CLP in his hair. I have NEVER had WD-40 "gum up" anything. I will agree that WD-40 isn't a good choice to lube a firearm, but neither are those $15 2oz bottles of "gun oil". Just use engine oil and be done with it, cheap and VERY good.
@@stchman , agree. I have used many types of oils and cleaners for 47 years. I hunt in western PA and shoot at the range all summer. My firearms have been through a gauntlet of severe weather conditions. I OVER LUBE my firearms with Ballistoll, WD40, and many other types of oil. YES!!, OVER LUBE!!! I have never had a problem with any of my firearms! Where does this mysterious build up of dirt and debris and gum come from???? AND, why hasn’t this mystical substance caused a problem with my firearms???
@@albertforletta1498 just you doesnt mean everyone is having the same right? I mean the US Army wouldnt tell their soldiers not to lube up guns in certain firearms if they had all your firearm knowledge would they?
Love Caleb's look of disgust staring at the WD-40, during the opening.
Thank you. Been telling people that for months now. I saw my dad spraying one of his guns with it and I told him not to, but he didn't believe me.
WD-40 (Water Displacing Formula #40) was actually developed for the outer skin on the Atlas Missile to protect it from coastal air. Several formulas were tried but #40 is what they bought.
Used so that ice would not stick to the skin of the missile when it was being fueled in the silo prior to launch
I thought it didn't get the contract, so they sold it commercially since it worked well.
@@sinisterthoughts2896 My dad told me this. He worked on Atlas at Vandenberg AFB.
I agree with everything you have said regarding WD-40. It is good stuff for what it is designed for. I've used it to remove light rust from blued barrels, it works well for this. Quite a few years ago a J frame S&W failed to fire 3 out of 5 times in a real shoot out during the robbery of a pawn shop. The ammo was new Super Vel. It was determined that the owner of the J frame used WD 40 on the gun and the excellent penetrating characteristics of the WD 40 allowed it to get into the primers of the ammunition thus causing them to fail. I knew the shop owner who was the victim and he told the story. I also heard it repeated by gunsmiths in the area and by the firearms examiner from the PD that investigated the robbery. There was no loss of life in the incident. One of the Super Vel rounds connected with one of the robbers seriously wounded him. All three were caught and successfully prosecuted for the crime. So there is another reason to keep WD 40 away from your guns. Keep up the good work guys.
I don't usually disagree with many on U Tube, BUT, I live in Fla an we are in a marine environment an have been using WD-40 for years, like 50. An my dad an others have used it also, for the same reasons with no ill effects. An I also keep a small can in my pack for wetting the bolt in my AR, again, no problems. But I think anything can be abused. I have used CLP an REM OIL an like them to, just depends on what I'm doing under what conditions.
WD-40 kills Primers with alarming speed!
Great comment, I was coming to write the same thing! True story! WD-40, and most other penetrating oils will ruin primers.
There was a shootout where an officer's gun did not fire due to wd-40 getting into the primer.
I didn't know that
@@ETHRON1 I’ve had a few instances where I needed to make bad primers inert and WD-40 is exactly what I used.
The Illinois State Police had many failures when they tried using WD40 on their guns. S&W M59 if I remember right. This was years ago.
It was also known to deaden primers. I have a retired state police firearms examiner friend that told me it was common practice for many officers to spray their gun down with wd-40 after a shift and the spray being a penetrating oil would over time work it's way around the cartridge primer. He told me that the issue presented itself during qualifying shoots many times. Guys would attemp to fire their guns and get clicks instead of bangs...
We used WD-40 on our revolvers for a short time when I worked for the Washington State Patrol. Very quickly we started having mis-fires on the shooting range. It was eventually discovered that the WD-40 penetrating oil was seeping around the primers and making the cartridges “dead”.
That will be true with any oil. That is exactly why you need to wipe off excess oil. An air compressor and a blow gun works great too to remove excess oil , even from the smallest nooks & crevices. You want to leave behind just a super thin film of lubricant.
@robert frederick - I also never had it get sticky ether. I don’t know what they are talking about.
@@peterv1318 , I know what they are talking about. Marketing gun oils and other gun products. They don’t like competition. Competition hurts their wallets. I’ve been using WD-40 for decades, and I have never had a problem with any of my firearms.
@@albertforletta1498 - I don’t understand what they are talking about it gums up
@@peterv1318 , lol. That’s because it absolutely gums up NOTHING!!!!! I’ve been over lubing all my firearms with WD-40 and other oils for many decades. I have never seen this mysterious build up of dirt and debris. Also, I have never seen this mysterious gum that people seem to be talking about. Also, I have never had a problem with any of my firearms because of over lubing, and I’m telling you that I always over lube.
As a gunsmith I’ve run across a few gun “lubricants” that also gum up over time...
Please name some, I don't use them.
@@stevenrichards3699 Frog Lube (spray) is the worst I’ve come across. Others I can’t name since they were applied some time prior by customers who didn’t remember. My preferred oil is G96 or Hoppes.
@@victorbrown3032 thanks
I'm sure there are some that use it in there coffee, they love it so much. But not in my firearm. Tanks Gentleman.
I can understand more complex firearms. But for my Rossi 12ga that I always carry in my truck for fucking around or shooting skunks, lets just say it doesn't exactly get the TLC that any of my other guns get, it's had a rough life. But I soak the hell out of it in WD40 all the time, never gotten the "waxy" residue or had it gum up on me. Many years and it's still just pop in a shell, kill your shoulder, eject, repeat.
I found out real quick when I used WD-40 on my dads old Mossberg. It ruined the wood finish.
I use it just to protect the outside of my firearms during storage. It's worked for decades.
Some people don’t listen and are stuck in their ways.
I have used Ballistol Multi-Purpose Oil for decades. It's been around since early 1900's. It works on guns, wood, leather too.
I still use WD-40, but as solvent for the carbon on the parts of the firearm, afterwards i wipe it off till the part is clean and lubricate them with Ballistol.
Ballistol. Use ballistol. It does this and lubricates too.
@@ReckerFidelWOLF I don't mind using WD-40 as a solvent only, so far it hadn't gave me any issues.I had seen several people using it as a solvent after field exercises and live fire not to mention other weird stuff, like break cleaners. WD-40 doesn't seem to be the worst thing out there.
@@Swiss.Alpinism Like a wet dog fur.
I used wd40 by the barrel in parts manufacturing mainly it's a solvent but not a rust proofer not for long term storage. often had to remove clean old stocked parts to make reusable again ie(gummy &rerusted) within months for me and weapon storage longer term I used a soft grease called rig
Caleb, great hair as always. Can you go over gun grease. When to use it, when not to use it.
Maybe that's what he uses in his hair
this is a question I've had ever since I started using and maintaining firearms; I gave up the search for the ultimate cleaner/lubricant and just defaulted to classic Hoppe's out of frustration.
Mainly for long term storage or high volume parts; think trigger sear surfaces or bolt raceways.
Use a tiny amount at the wear points. A small stiff paintbrush works well for not putting too much on, all you need is a thin film. Lithium grease is fine, aluminum, or marine grease is also really good.
I've used grease for AKs and bolt actions, oil for everything else. Grease works good if your gun is getting really hot too, but it gets too thick in the winter.
For the first 10 years I owned guns, I used WD-40 as both a solvent and lubricant for my guns. I never had any problems during that time. Then I started hearing everybody tell me how bad it was for the guns and I quit and switched to cleaners and lubricants meant for guns. I figured why risk it when my guns cost me several hundred dollars each? But I still remember having zero problems those first 10 years. Make of that what you will.
I've used it for decades as a rust preventative ,and I like it .
Exactly, WD 40 corrosion, not regular, was along with frog lube and Hornandy One Shot were the 3 best corrosion resistant products tested out of dozens of well known ones. But not a godd lube at all. I've used WD-40 for 25 years on the outside of my guns and never had rust issues or gummy sticky issues as claimed.
I don’t use WD-40 on my firearms but, any “lubricant” will gum up over time including your CLP. Proper cleaning will prevent this no matter what you use.
BAM! You guys nailed this one.
MY story: Years ago, about 1980 to be exact, I used WD-40 on all my guns. One day I went pheasant hunting in Garfield, WA, in a light snow. I had wiped my shotgun down with a fresh coat of WD-40 the evening before. Before I was halfway through the hunt, rust was showing up all over my Win 1200 barrel.
I threw that can of WD-40 away after that and have never used it for anything again. It has its purpose, and that purpose is a very narrow window and does not include firearms.
After you cleaned your gun with WD-40 you should use a lubricant that has some corrosion protection properties like RemOil or Balistol. Nothing on the can of WD-40 about lubrication or preventing rust so why would you think it would be good for that?
@@FrankLadd Because like many others owner do, the little gun emblem on the can makes one think it's good for guns when it's not.
"Nothing on the can about lubrication or preventing rust "?
When was the last time you read the label on a can of WD-40 ?
@@barrygrant2907 WD-40 in my experience is good for cleaning up rusty guns. I have a M1868 Springfield in .50-70 that is over 150 years old and had a load of rust in the barrel(.50-70 is a black powder cartridge, so shooting without properly cleaning it up after will cause this). WD-40 and a wire brush got almost all of it off, and the pitting under the rust turned out not to be that bad. Of course if you do this you need to wash it all of and oil afterwards, as WD-40 can cause corrosion if left on the surface of the metal. As far as general cleaning I use water and oil after for black powder and break free and oil after with smokeless powder.
Another product to keep at arm's length is Simple Green and its sibling, Simple Purple. I use the latter in my part's washer because it's good at flushing out gunk. But afterwards, make sure you dry and coat the parts with a suitable oil or preservative. And never leave metal or wood parts near the soak tank unless you enjoy removing rust and repairing wood warping. Ask me how I know.
Ballistol , if you can find it.
Rem Oil for the outside. Great stuff. Waay back I used WD-40 but discovered the gum up issue and stopped. Internal lube now depends on the weapon, CLP, Frog, Rem Oil or LSA [If I can find it.]
I’ve used wd40 for 65+ years on all my firearms without ever having any gummy issues…go figure.
I use it to clean metal mags. I haven’t ever had it gum up. Inside and outside of the mags.
WD40 is a lubricant, as well stated on their website and from universal user experience. Good on you for using it, and not falling for the trap of overpaying for cheap Mexican and Chinese oils labeled as “gun lubricants” and sold in fancy bottles to loose-walleted suckers.
WD-40 became commercially available 60 years ago. Just sayin'
Dad? Is that you? Lol
@@georgeclark7208 actually 68 years ago l / September 23 first sold
What about Mobil Special 20W-50? I use it in my M&P2.0 Compact for regular surface maintenance, also use Outers in critical parts.
I used to use Singer sewing machine oil. Now I use Rem oil. Sometimes I use 3 in 1 if I run out.
For the past 40 years I've been using my wife's sewing machine oil for the moving parts of my handguns and a light coating of Hoppes gun oil on the outside surfaces for rust prevention. Works for me.
Whenever I hear that raging guitar intro I know I'm in for something good.
two questions for Steve or Caleb:
-sometimes if I have nothing to do maybe once every 3 months I'll clean my guns with CLP, even if they've been put away clean. I've seen opinions that this actually harms your firearm, which makes no sense to me, especially with the salt air we have here in Florida. Any logic to this?
-because CLP seems to be so universally praised I use that if I don't have heavy fouling in which case I'll start with Hoppes. After a few months after a CLP application I see that the residue is slightly greenish and slightly thicker. Is this okay?
That is copper particles in the "teflon/CLP" coating , -ie.- the greenish hue might be coming from if you use a copper/brass cleaning brush , and the CLP is pulling off the copper residue left overtime, and then the copper oxidizes(turns green)- shouldn't hurt anything. Copper residue also comes off of brass casings being fired/cycled, and turns green over time, even if you don't use a brass cleaning brush, that may be where it comes from, and the CLP pulls it off the gun.
That, or you have mold/pollen +humidity growing a little green "stuff" on the teflon coating(Florida afterall) LOL- not a problem either.
CLP/Telfon to me seems a slight yellow, and with age, in different light, can look a little "green", again I suspect that is from copper particles/residue oxidizing
@@chrisperrien7055 Thanks Chris for the complete answer. Makes sense. Have a good weekend.
Is it good if you shot corrosive ammo with your AK then use the water to neutralize it then should you use WD-40 if you don’t have air available to blow out the water?
I've used WD-40 to free up an old gun that had rusted to the point you couldn't get the hammer back. After I got everything freed up and apart, I used a degreaser to clean everything and then a proper lubricant putting it back together. I use it to have free up rusted bolts on other things as well. But you have to be careful concerning WD-40 use on anything that might be exposed to a cold winters day. It will freeze up. Learned that one the hard way.
At my old job we had a piece of machinery on a roller bearing base so it could be rotated in and out of position. The base had 3 grease zerts on it for lubricating the bearings. One day it wouldn't turn into position, so when the mechanic started tearing it apart he found that there was not a single smear of grease inside it at all.
After having to replace the entire base(it was not fixable) the company did an investigation and found that an employee was spraying PB Blaster into the base every day for a week because he didn't want to look for the grease gun and he thought it was spray lube.
The moral of the story is "know what you are using and know what it does."
PB Blaster will eat through a styrofoam coffee cup, because that's what it is supposed to do. WD-40 also does what it's supposed to do too and lubrication is not it.
I happily agree that WD-40 is by no means a lubricant, but it works just fine as a basic rust remover and oil. Perhaps it isn’t good long term, but from my experience, if you’re cleaning your guns every time you get back from the range (like with black powder), or even every 5-6 times you get back, WD-40 works like a charm.
It’s a matter of using it for its intended purpose, protecting and removing rust. Use it for that, and you won’t have any issues.
I’ve used it to give a quick cleaning after shooting corrosive primers. Pour a hot kettle of water down the bore and through the guts and then blast the WD40 into the whole mess and rush off to dinner or what-have-you. Better the WD40 mess, (and it’s definitely a mess) then rust or primer corrosion because you just kept putting off a proper cleaning.
Doing a proper cleaning especially if you have to tear down small parts is kinda time consuming. Then you have to hook up the air compressor and run some lines so you can blast the parts dry, or wait for a sunny day in the middle of a Pacific NE winter so you can clean and dry your gun.... screw that, I don’t time my shooting to include a couple hours of tear down and cleaning as well as another couple hours of air drying or low temperature oven drying.
Good for using on rifle bolts for storage in a rag. Keeps bolts from getting surface rust.
My dad loved WD-40. I like it a lot, but I'd never use it on a gun, except possibly as noted in the video. Give me CLP or give me death.
In restoring my fathers Browning A5 circa 1966. The stock and fore grip were saturated with WD 40. I placed the wood in a steel cabinet heated to 120 degrees for 21 days checking daily. I baked out more than a third cup of oil. Dad thought that WD40 was the cure all and hosed down every firearm, fishing reel or anything else mechanical. I was able to restore the A5 but used Ballistol to clean out the gunk from the mechanisms before a sonic bath. I carry a can when waterfowl hunting for as you said, if a shotgun goes swimming I can put it back in service quickly.
Great PSA!
Growing up, WD-40 was always on my Uncle's range table for cleaning purposes. It wasn't used for lube, but more for stubborn fowling. That being said, 10w30 synthetic oil was used for lubrication.
"fouling" ... ;) sorry, I'm a Grammar Nazi. I'm in treatment
For a lube, USArmy Quartermaster uses Dri-slide - Molybdenum Disulfide it was the answer for M16 & M14 problems !!!
Yep! Used to use it as an after run oil in my competition airplane motors...tore one down after a year of use to find the ball bearings in the motor with rust all over them...stopped using it then and there for ANY of my engines and forearms lubrication!
I heard it works great for dry eyes. A couple squirts and no more itchy irritation, also good for hemorrhoids.
Don’t forget to spray some up the nose for a decongestant. And it makes a great deodorant too.
The oldies over here in Australia swear it's good for fixing arthiritis if you spray it on joints & rub it in. They also used to swear on kerosene baths in old age homes to cure skin ailments & lice. Some people don't get wiser as they get older it would seem to me.
I was going to recommend to use as hemorrhoid treatment as well, but you beat me to it. I have found it to be great for those intimate moments as well!
I thought Vicks Vapor rub was good for hemorrhoids and WD-40 was for Swamp Ass for the water (sweat) displacement
@@dustyfarmer So you guys use it down under. 🤠
I use WD to clean my guns after the range. Being careful where to apply, it’s cheap and works well to dissolve fouling and to float debris away with a nylon brush. I follow up with brake parts cleaner to remove that which was loosened/liquified again being careful where to apply the cleaner. I follow up with Rem Oil or equivalent. No longer do I use Break Free CLP as it gums up over time.
3-in-1 oil, which was once very popular, also hardens over time. Once purchased a Savage auto that had been in dresser drawer since the 1930s, totally frozen with hardened 3-in-1.
I used W D years ago , until the day I went shooting and found out that the oil had penetrated the primers in my Smith 38 , and it did not go boom . Then I read that police across the country had discovered that. It seems to be hard on bluing also.
I've been using WD-40 in my guns for decades and never had a problem with it.
how often do you shoot and clean?
And, you will never have a problem with WD40. I clean with it, then I over lube(yes,over lube) with Ballistol, or any oil that is on sale the day I’m shopping. I have many firearms and have fired tens of thousands of rounds during my 62 years. I have never had an oil,or cleaning solution, problem.
Well you are not smart.
I remember in high school civics class our teacher was a WWII veteran. He told us WD- 40 stood for "war department formula no. 40" and it was originally made of whale oil. They developed it to use on rifles when the soldiers were shipped over seas on boats to remove rust and salt water from the rifles.
Water Displacement #40......
I’ve been using 3n1 oil on my firearms for over 50 years. It’s 1/5 the price of “gun” oils and works great.
3 in 1 was the goto oil for a long time and does work. Then Break-Free came out . Break-Free CLP does have a couple things better going for it. It is a better cleaner and you can't beat the "teflon" in it for a lube or a rust-shield coating . Yes , 3 in 1 is good and cheaper , but you ought to try some Break-Free , on a dirty gun cleaning and lubing it , just as a test. (shake it up first ;). It might surprise you. I only changed from 3 in 1 to Break-Free because I joined the Army and used it alot.That was 30+ years ago
Motor oil is even cheaper and works fine. It's got detergents in it that attacks carbon. I mainly clean with soap and water and just put some motor oil on it.
I alternate between 3 in 1 , some type of CLP/CLENZOIL , and a thin weight motor oil.
I did an emergency rust and dust bunny removal with WD-40 followed with 3 in 1 sewing machine oil for a revolver that was stored under a bed for years on a towel. There wasn't anything else at my grandmothers house and I figured kill the rust and dust before the pitting gets dangerous. I did avoid the polymerization with the 3 in 1 oil so it would be protected until I could come back with some Hoppe's no 9 to clean it properly later.