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Which oil to use for barrel cleaning?

Patrick said:
I think the OP(jirushi) was asking what was suitable for cleaning the barrel of air gun and WD40 will be okay for that although i agree with you that if a rifle is going to stored away then something more permanent should or will need to used but if the gun is in regular use and not kept/stored in damp or humid conditions then WD40 for cleaning is okay.
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Yes, I'll allow him to use it for cleaning but it's no better than lighter fuel or petrol, I'll use it for convenience when machining ally but , personally keep it far away from my guns.
 
Patrick said:
With all due respect Sendero but is that video which primarily relating to fire arms relevant to what the OP was asking i.e what can i use to clean the barrel of my air rifle? They even said in the video that its good for loosening/dissolving muck but no good as a long time lubricant which if its used solely to clean the barrel then it won't be.
If you clean a barrel as you're obviously aware if you pass cleaning patches through until the come out clean then there will be little trace of the WD40 left anyway, that is what i've found. I've never experienced any problems when using WD40 to simply clean a barrel.
As for soldiers during the Vietnam war well the weapon the most GIs were issued with was the Colt M16 and from what i've been led to believe that didn't need WD40 to cause it to misfunction as i believe it had an unenviable reputation for jamming without any assistance from WD40.
As with other products i think problems tend to occur when they're misused or overused either in the amount or frequency with which they're used or in some cases both.
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Fair doos Sydney, but on a personal level i would never allow WD40 to come into contact with any of my guns, i have seen it damage beautiful walnut stocks, and it will gum up any metal to metal moving parts it comes into contact with, and such is the nature of its ingredients, it sometimes gets into places unintentionally.
The bottom line is that it is not a lubricant, so why take any chances.
 
MrBloggs said:
The last thing to use is wd40. It'll offer no protection and can promote corrosion.
It's a water displacer, Mostly white spirit and lanolin as an emulsifier, ok for cleaning if you're desperate but you want it gone for storage so use a thin oil, even 3 in one,sparingly on a last pass.
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I get your concerns, and I don't use WD40 on my guns - but for cleaning a barrel, a light non lubrication oil of mostly white spirit and emulsifier sound just about right ;) Your using it as a no rusting cleaning agent and then completely wiping it free from the barrel Shrug tt
 
terry1001 said:
It's worth thinking about what you are trying to do. The bore is likely to have a coating of lead which you want to remove, it's not going to be soluble so solvents won't really help but a penetrating fluid may get between the surface of the bore and the deposits. Of course you could scrub it out with a bronze brush but that can be hard work, best not to let it get bad!
WD40 works quite well because it does have good penetrating properties and you can use it to flush away any debris/dirt and as long as you run dry patches through after cleaning there won't be any oil left to cause problems. If you're curious it's worth visiting the WD40 website where you can get facts about the product, it's something with loads of weird stories circulating on the internet, some are quite funny.
I used to go wildfowling on the local salt marshes and my gun was likely to get splashed with mud and salt water especially if the dog decided to shake itself. My routine was to spray the gun down with plenty of WD40, wipe it and then spray again before wrapping it and putting in a slip. This kept all my guns rust free over many years shooting in bad weather. It's also very good for cleaning fingerprints off stainless steel kitchen appliances.
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Thank you for the good info and nice anecdote!
 
2506sendero said:
Please do not use WD40 on any part of your airguns or firearms, it hit the shelves around the same time as The Beatles did, and times have changed, like the music 🎶 😉
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I only use it to get rid of sticky residue from tape or stickers on scope bodies etc, it's good for that & nowt else imho. if i'm not going t use a gun for a while I'll put a drop of 3 in 1 oil in a fag filter & shoot it through first to protect the bore from rust sometimes after cleaning but i usually don't clean barrels unless the accuracy goes off.
 
2506sendero said:
Fair doos Sydney, but on a personal level i would never allow WD40 to come into contact with any of my guns, i have seen it damage beautiful walnut stocks, and it will gum up any metal to metal moving parts it comes into contact with, and such is the nature of its ingredients, it sometimes gets into places unintentionally.
The bottom line is that it is not a lubricant, so why take any chances.
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It's bugger for gumming up contacts on motorcycle switch gear too, i use servisol for that after my electrician older brother warned me about it years ago.
 
WD40 has been tested to death in regard to O Rings , left in WD40 for weeks + and no deterioration. Motorcycle chains are all sealed with O rings of all types for years and although WD40 is not a good lasting lubricant or indeed protector of bare metal it is a very effective cleaner , and Water Displacer. I’ve used it for years as such with no ill effects to O rings . However once used to clean barrels/chains/ metals it’s dried off with Napier rifle clean etc and suitable metal protection or lube ( not in barrel’s) used. Do your research , lots of info online. On saying that I guess a AirGun specific oil,cleaner gives that warm fuzzy right feeling, I guess. 🙂
 
Thank you very much. When my Napier can is finished, I shall be using WD40 in my barrels.
 
No heat in an airgun barrel so the lead doesn't get imbedded like in a cartridge firearm.

I use napier as I have it for shotguns.
 
Cleaning a barrel?? Didn’t know we had to 🤷‍♂️!

Joking aside very rarely if ever clean my barrels, well only brand new ones.
 
I always start with brake cleaner to remove the oils and gunk then finish with a dash of napiers. Never had an issue
 
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