The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Have a 'semi' unlimited supply of the current army gun oil which from days of old we always cleaned our SLR, SMG, SA80 rifles with.

Is it suitable / advisable to use it for cleaning or maintainance of a modern full bore rifle ?

Just wondering as the MOD is famous for not neccessarily buying the best products

Si

Simple answer - no!

But there will be 100s of opinions.......

I choose to follow ole' Hickok45 and use Ballistol...on everything!

Then I go bowling and smoke some pot.

ATF, cheap, and easily available in quantity.

Most firearm lubricants you are paying for a label and a very small bottle.

Like Arc I use Ballistol normally, but sometimes I'll just grab the nearest bottle... that could be CLP, Youngs, MOD oil, even 3in1...!! I even have a bottle of BSA oil that came with one of my first airguns 40-50 years ago...!!

Any of those will do to lube moving parts... but for preservation in long term storage, Ballistol..

I'd use the army stuff if its free. Failing that I'll be buying Mobil 1 when my current little tin of Parker Hale stuff runs out. I used Ed's Red for cleaning shotguns which mean I don't need oil as well.

I use Ballistol, their Robla-Solo bore cleaner works wonders on copper and the corrosive salts from Berdan primers and it got decades of copper fouling out of both my Mosins, and good old ATF.

Another vote for Ballistol here, too.

As Dromia has said, ATF is another excellent lube, too.

The gun pimp

Can I just ask why not ??

Probably go the ballistol route tbh. Good recommendations from you guys and at 'about' a tenner a tin don't think I'll beat that anywhere.

To add to this then. Pull-thru or brushes/rods ??

For either, makes /types as ever, any advice gladly taken.

TIA,

Si

Whats ATF. ?
Whats CLP. ?