3 in 1 oil ?

[country gent]

I believe the original 3&1 oil like insterment oils of the time was a whale oil based mix. Now it may be a mineral oil base with some additives. I have an old can of starret insterment oil here I use on mics calipers and indicators that never gums or gets sticky I believe it is the old sperm whale oil base. One of the old frontier lubes was bear oil rendered from bear fat. Others were rendered from other animals taken for food or other reasons.

[35remington]

I can tell you a very well known gunsmith reacted like he was snakebit when I mentioned I lubed my 1911 with whatever was handy including 3-1. He cautioned that the "waxes" would eventually build up and make the gun inoperable.

Since wax dissolves in any number of solvents, I was not sure I understood his viewpoint.

I confess I still don't.

[Harter66]

I can tell you a very well known gunsmith reacted like he was snakebit when I mentioned I lubed my 1911 with whatever was handy including 3-1. He cautioned that the "waxes" would eventually build up and make the gun inoperable.

Since wax dissolves in any number of solvents, I was not sure I understood his viewpoint.

I confess I still don't.

Dad had me clean up a Colts 1917 that probably hadn't seen the light 30 yr . Spilled Hoppes and Singer oil was all that it ever had I'm sure .
It most certainly had desert patina , fine dust in every pore . It had an over night soak in GI CLP with the grips off and cycled then I washed the mud out of the internals . It was a bit gummy . But seriously it had been put away for 30 yr or more .

I tried a few Teflon and graphite lubes in an effort to escape the stiff cold oil in my duck guns . Talk about making a gummy mess !
Currently I stick to washing out what ever I put in it last with some more and a semi annual wash and repack on those that are idle .