If you do like to use the traditional oily rag as a wipe down for a gun there is a form of refined oil you can use. Living as we do in a Maritime climate with an over abundance of rain, after walking for hours in the rain and ending up with a totally wet gun a wipe over with an oily cloth for the guns journey home is no bad thing.
The oil I am referring to is "Liquid Paraffin BP" now I can see you all rushing for your keyboards because of the word Paraffin ignoring the BP which stands for "British Pharmacopeia". This is the Oil and yes it is a Mineral oil that is safe to use on wood, well it is used on babies in copious quantities and it is the base oil sold under many brand names as "baby oil with added perfume" also Vaseline is derived from the same base. My own version has a few drops of Citronella oil added for myself and the gun the use of Citronella Oil is a traditional way to keep the Brit mosquitoes away if you rub it on hands and face.
One thing I did forget to mention that Citronella is the very recognisable smell of three in one light oil.
