Is it OK to use WD-40 to lube a gun? If not, why?

Question

Is it OK to use WD-40 to lube a gun? If not, why?

Answer 1

It serves best as a cleaner, but not as a lubricant.It displaces water very well.It will not last very long when used for the purpose of lubrication- Clean the gun with WD-40 -then oil it with a true lubricating oil. This is the method that I use WD-40 can be used as a penetrating oil to get something unstuck.

Answer 2

PROS:

Cheap and you probably have a can already

CONS:

Turns to gummy residue

Can damage some types of plastics and rubbers

Does not provide adequate lubrication

Does not provide long term rust or corrosion prevention

Can ruin ammo

Does not really clean powder, copper or lead residue well

So, the answer is clearly NO, do not clean/oil/lube any gun with WD-40 except as a temporary measure only.

Answer 3

Yes it can for a temporary cleaning in the field or at home

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40

but proper gun lube and cleaners are better

Answer 4

On something like a stainless steel revolver with rubber grips, I'd say yes.

On a finely crafted blue steel rifle with a carved exotic/rare wood stock, I'd say no.

BTW, WD-40 was designed originally as a water disperser to protect metal from water. It was never intended to be a lubricant.

Answer 5

In a pinch I used it. but as one mentioned it does dry to a gummy varnish where the lubes made especially for guns does not.  Some lube is better than no lube.

Answer 6

i would say it is ok i have never used it but it is a lube. I would say it is ok to use it

Answer 7

There are many much better choices than WD-40 as a firearms lubricant. CLP, Mili-Tech, Rem Oil just to name a few.

Answer 8

Don't use WD-40 on any firearm. It can jam up the works and cause the firearm to misfire. Manufactures such as Remington and others will void your warrantee if you use WD-40.

Answer 9

wd 40 is ok to use on your firearm i use it as last result get a can of break free clp its good stuff you want reget it its a good oil

Answer 10

I have not seen this issue with WD-40 addressed yet, so here it is. As a penetrating oil it works great. Back in the 70's a lot of folks thought this was #1 for guns, but the problem came up that a lot of these folks were getting a lot of misfires. I lot of Police officers were found be be 'hosing down' their revolvers with the stuff and putting them back in the holsters and into their lockers. Next time they made the trip to the range they started getting misfires.

With all these misfires they figured out the pattern. WD-40 penetrates the cartridges and killed the primers.

Since I am a handloader the problem was worse because I don't 'seal' my primers when loading.

I stopped the practice a long time ago...last time I used WD-40 was to clear out a carburetor that had gotten wet.

Answer 11

It is quite all right to use WD-40 on your gun.  However, WD-40 lacks the corrosion inhibitors that are in gun oil such as Remoil.  If you are going to use your gun right away, WD-40 will do the job but if you will be putting it away for a while, I'd use a good gun oil on it.  

WD-40 has many uses and it is a darned good product.  Its original use was as a water displacer and it excells at that job.  In fact, that is what the WD in WD-40 stands for.  As long as you realize it's limitations as a protectant due to the lack of corrosion inhibitors, it will do a fine job for you.

Answer 12

just be on the safe side and use the gun lube. that's what it's there for.

Answer 13

WD-40 was not designed for gun use.  It wears off quick, retains brass and gunpowder residue and then bunches up, and does not protect metal as well as firearm-specific lubricants.

Spend  $3 extra and buy a can of Rem-Oil with teflon.

Answer 14

If there is nothing else, sure. It was all I used for years when I was growing up and cleaning my Dad's guns. now that many of them are 40 years old or older, they look and function as well as new guns. WD-40 is a penetrate. It is believed that in will get into the inaccessible parts of a gun and over the years, set up a thin coat like a varnish. I have only seen minimal evidence of this when I detailed stripped a gun and whatever film was there, cleaned out fairly easily with regular gun cleaning agents.

As a lube, WD-40 is much lighter than gun oils and will burn off faster. Manufacturers also add things like Teflon to their oil to aid in lubrication at higher temps. If shooting a lot (especially a semi-auto), an occasional shot on the sliding parts will keep things moving right along.

Use a quality gun oil if available. But if nothing else is around, WD-40 will do the job.

Answer 15

This question comes up a lot, let me (again) try to answer it for you.

WD 40 was designed as a water displacer for use on titan missle systems. It is a water displacer, and it does work fairly well as a penetrating solution on rusted or siezed bolts etc.

It is NOT a firearm lubricant, and in fact has no lubrication qualities at all once it dries. In fact, when exposed to heat (like on a firearm) it turns gummy. Once dry IT DOES NOT LUBE OR PROTECT A FIREARM. Yes, it can cut thru some cruddy buildup, but then you need to clean the firearm completely and relube it with a proper firearms rated lube. I prefer, and highly recomend that you use Break Free CLP to clean and lubricate any firearm. I have used it since it was first introduced and swear by it, as does most police departments, sheriff's offices and the U.S. military except in the talcum powder sand conditions like Iraq, there they use a dry lubricant.

When Breakfree dries, it leaves behind a proved dry lubricant to protect your firearm.

WD 40 has some unique uses, like removing tar from a cars paint, getting moisture out of a dristributor cap etc,  but has NO PLACE on a firearm. Yes, I know a few rednecks and illiterates who insist it works just fine, but then again, they believe duct tape and bailing wire are the answers to all the worlds problems.

shoot safe