doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Advice on a lubricant?

I think all good quality oils will do the job fine. The main thing is to remember that nothing will be worth a damn in 20 yrs or maybe even much less. Besides, it'll be full of powder residue and dirt if you've done your part. Probably a good idea to pull 'em down to their guts, clean and lube, every 10,000 rounds or 10 yrs, whichever comes first.

"Turbine oil"...I don't think I've seen that on my hardware store's shelf. I'll make a point to look.

I just googled turbine oil and it turns out Aircraft Spruce has it by the quart for 12 bucks.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/shell500.php

But that's 45 miles from me. I can stop by the airport across the street (TOA) and buy a quart for probably a couple bucks more.

Doug,
Can you relate some experiences/charateristics with this stuff?

I've used everything from sewing machine oil to WD-40, Rem-Oil, Tri-Flow, Breakfree, and even Mobil 1 motor oil in a pinch. All seemed to work well.

Chuck:

I have used turbine oil for many years.......the AeroShell 500 Jet turbine oil, like you found at Aircraft Spruce (used to be in Fullerton)...is excellent oil and is made to run in turbine engines operating at 40,000 rpm +........it is a "very light" oil made to spray onto the rotating group bearings of PW's, Garrett's, GE's, Allison, RR's and the like..........it is the purest oil you can buy......

It is the "cleanest", smoothest, slickest oil you can buy and that I have ever used...I use it for all my "oiling needs", i.e. small parts for trucks and cars or stationary engines, fishing equipment, boats, airplane maintenance and so on.............

It withstands aircraft speeds if used on control surface hinge pins without collecting excessive dirt particles, unlike all other oils.....

There is a very slight 'evaporative' quality to this oil....a small portion of the chemicals will evaporate or slip off, leaving the most perfectly oiled part you have ever seen........

Turbine oil is the ONLY oil I use to oil down barrels after re-blueing and some chemical property (not sure which property) in this oil really sets the blue......after most of the excess has been taken off......

It is not harmful to wood.....

Overall a fabulous oil for most applications......I've used it since I was a young first officer many, many years ago.........I've never used another oil that even comes close.........

I wipe down my guns with lightly oiled shotgun cotton patches as I put them back in the safe after use and cleaning.....

Norvey's is good too and I like the little oilers....the AeroShell Turbine oil 500 from the airport is probably better quality, although Norvey's just packages the same stuff in smaller quantities, both are very good in comparison to 'other' oils..........

Try it Chuck, I think you will be impressed........

Will do. Thanks Doug.

Turbine oil, sounds interesting, will investigate it, thanks. Up to now, after I clean parts (I use an ultrasonic cleaner) I have soaked them in fresh ATF. Highly refined, maybe not as much as turbine oil, inexpensive, but does smell a bit.

Pretty low shear quality on modern ATF. Lock-up torque converters took the need for that out of ATF, and the quality is lower, as a result. Very high detergent, not really needed in a gun application.
Not my first choice, but, likely better than what was available when the guns were new.
Chuck is likely on the right track. My Dad put 150,000 on a 1951 flathead Ford, using straight mineral oil of whatever quality was available back in the day-but, he changed it at 1500 mile increments.
I'm going to boldly guess if you are on this site and reading this, you are in your gun often enough it really doesn't matter what you use. Fresh lube will keep 'em running longer than it will keep us running.
Anyone here ever worn out a gun?


Best,
Ted

Yeah, ATF pretty much has a primary function of being a hydraulic fluid, with a side job of lubing rotating components with relatively low side forces compared to recip engines. Impulses from the piston power cycles create pretty high specific pressures on rod and main bearings. Modern synthetic motor oils are pretty magic.

Alrighty then, ATF back in the car!

Thanks,

Well, dang me, Chuck! I just bought a gallon of Mobil 1, on your recommendation. Oh, maybe it was just a quart. I have some more neat little bottles for gun oil now. The more I have, the more likely I can find one. The eye drops they gave me to use after my cataract repair are very nice little containers.

Jim,
I'm still a fan of M1. It's a high purity synthetic with great qualities that are well documented. I don't think there's any reason M1 could be said to be inadequate in any way.