3 in 1 oil ?

[Willyp]

What do you use to oil your bolt action rifles or shot gun actions?
I seem to remember my Pap using 3 in 1 oil.

[Petrol & Powder]

3 in 1 oil was the fall back, generally when you didn't have a lot of money. I've seen guns that lasted a lifetime and then some, that were only cleaned with kerosene and oiled with 3 in 1. It was also readily available in every country store, hardware store, etc.
ATF (automatic transmission fluid) was another standby for the financially challenged. ATF has some drawbacks such as odor and it will stain clothes but it sure is cheap.
That being said, the options are a lot better these days.

You're going to get a HUGE list when it comes to oils & greases for firearms - EVERYONE has their pet firearm care product. The good news is most of them work well.

3 in 1 oil will gum up with age and probably isn't the best choice. Hoppes made a "gun oil" that was suspiciously similar to 3 in 1 oil :D that would also varnish with age. I've had people tell me that it was better than 3 in 1 oil but I've never been certain that it wasn't just 3 in 1 re-branded as Hoppes. My father cleaned his guns with Hoppes #9 and oiled them with Hoppes gun oil. I now have those guns and they're fine. My grandfather used 3 in 1 oil on small parts and just tiny dab of wheel bearing grease on big pivot points, like a hinge pin on a shotgun. Those guns outlived him and are still going.

The demand on gun lubricants is not very big and a lot of products will fill the role. A gun that is clean and oiled after use will probably be just fine and will out last a gun that is not cleaned & oiled; regardless of the product.


Like I said, everyone has their pet gun oil and mine is Clenzoil. It doesn't gum with age, works in all temps, is a good rust preventative and it has a long track record. That's hardly holy writ and I'm sure you'll get other options.

[GhostHawk]

I grew up with 3 in 1, then I discovered ATF.

Wipe on, wipe off, good for a long while. I don't mind the smell.

For removing lead ATF + a couple of squirts of Goo gone does the trick.
You will see a lot of products mentioned, few are as cost effective.

[Petrol & Powder]

194125
These 4 products will take care of about 98% of your firearms lubrication and metal protection needs.

Jacketed projectiles = Hoppes #9 to clean the bore.
Cast bullets, shotshells and general cleaning = Kroil
General lubrication and short term protection = Clenzoil
Long term storage of ferrous metal (iron, steel, etc.) = RIG

PS, I totally agree with Ghosthawk - I used ATF when I had no money. Works just fine.

[too many things]

the type F was the best . all the new stuff seems to dry

[Texas by God]

3 in 1is my favorite. Love the smell. It's sluggish in bitter cold, though. Wth our 60 degree winters it works fine.
Best, Thomas.

[Safeshot]

I like 5w-30 Synthetic Motor Oil. Little to no odor, does not dry out or gum, low cost (a quart will last a LONG time), high film strength, works well over a wide temperature range, (flows at well below "0"), no color - does not stain clothing, good lubricant.

[garym1a2]

I just use a 50/50 mix of ATF/Mobile1

[country gent]

Sperm Whale oil used to be the lubricant of choice for precisson insturments and firearms years ago. 3&1 oil other than getting gummy isn't to bad. WD 40 is one of the worst as it wicks into places then gets gummy. Marvels mystery oil, Kroil oil are both good light lubes for short term use. But do run and seep away. 5 weight oils will work fairly well also. In some instances a grease may be better. Another are the various dry lubes available

[jcwit]

Mobil 1--5w/20 or 5w/30

I use whats left in the bottle from oil changes.

So far after 50+ years of changing my own oil the inside of my engine blocks have yet to rust. Same goes for all my firearms.

BTW, I'm not financially challenged.

[alamogunr]

You don't have to be "financially challenged" to be frugal(not cheap).

[dragon813gt]

I use Ballistol for everything. Not a long term rust preventative but I routinely maintain my collection.

[Char-Gar]

Growing up, my Grandmother kept Singer Sewing Machine Oil and my Grandfather kept 3-in-1 oil. I used both for guns with nary a problem.

[Outpost75]

Mineral Oil USP from the pharmacy, colorless, odorless, tasteless, nontoxic, inexpensive.

ATF also excellent as is any modern 5w-30 synthetic motor oil.

[DerekP Houston]

I grew up with 3 in 1, then I discovered ATF.

Wipe on, wipe off, good for a long while. I don't mind the smell.

For removing lead ATF + a couple of squirts of Goo gone does the trick.
You will see a lot of products mentioned, few are as cost effective.

I'm an ATF fan as well, always seems to be a bottle in the garage when I need it and don't have to dig through my closet.

[Petrol & Powder]

ATF is basically 10W oil with some fiction modifiers, dye and a few other things. Used as a gun lube you only needed a few drops. There was always a quart laying around and it was cheap. Sometimes we overthink this stuff too much.

3 in 1 had the same advantage of always being available and relatively inexpensive.

[Petrol & Powder]

You don't have to be "financially challenged" to be frugal(not cheap).

Very true but there have been times in my life when a brick of .22's cut into my gas money and I wasn't about to go buy a bottle of special "gun oil" :smile:.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I believe Three in One oil has been made by different people in different factories or countries, which may account for the varying reports we hear of it. Some light oils rub off surfaces very easily, and lubrication is quite a minor role for WD40. I like car gear oil, which comes without some of the additives in engine oils. I don't know if any of these are wrong for guns, but I am sure pure medium oil isn't.

[Chill Wills]

A little history on the product from Wikipedia

3-In-One Oil From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/3in1oil.jpg/220px-3in1oil.jpg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:3in1oil.jpg)


3-In-One lubricating oil




3-in-One Oil is a general-purpose lubricating oil (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubricating_oil) sold in small cans and squeezable containers for household (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household) and do-it-yourself (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do-it-yourself) use. It was originally formulated in 1894. Its name, given by the inventor George W. Cole of New Jersey, derives from the product's triple ability to "clean, lubricate and protect," originally for use on bicycles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle). The formula consists of pale spindle oil (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindle_oil) with a small amount of corrosion inhibitor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrosion_inhibitor) and citronella oil (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citronella_oil) (which gives the product its distinctive sharp odor). It remains a popular lubricant for bicycle chains (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycle_oil).


The product changed ownership many times throughout the 20th century and was bought by its current owners, the WD-40 Company (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40_Company), in 1995. The current marketing slogan is "The Tool Kit In A Can" with the logo of the text "3 in" inside a large numeral "1".


A few other products are now produced under the 3-in-1 brand, including a white lithium grease (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_grease), silicone (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicone) spray, and oil with added PTFE (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PTFE).

In 2000, the can was redesigned to look like the early 20th century oil can (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_can) design (hemisphere base with tapered straight spout).[1] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-In-One_Oil#cite_note-1)

An advertisement found in "The Church Standard" magazine (April 13, 1901 pg. 867) offers 3 in 1 Oil as a perfect polish for pianos. It claimed that the oil was "long lasting" and did not come off on the clothes.[2 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-In-One_Oil#cite_note-2)

[Texas by God]

Citronella? That's why the mosquitos leave my guns alone!

[Sur-shot]

I still have my Grandfather's last can of 3 In 1 with the screw on tip that looks like lead. He used it in the house for just about everything, including his guns. The ranch equipment and pump house got serious oil and grease, by the bucket full. I use Mobile 1 and compressor oil in my metal shop, in squirt cans, to keep things spinning and turning. I use G-96 on my guns when I put them up or go to the field. A couple of squirts down a shotgun barrel, let it set for two hours, a bore snake a couple of times and it takes plastic and lead right out.
Ed

[trapper9260]

My dad used 3 in 1 oil also for his guns and anything else in the house.That is how i learn to use. but now for some of the guns of my i got different oil for them. But still keep a can of 3 in 1 around.

[MaLar]

I use sewing machine oil it's lite never gums. Put a drop on then wipe the excess off leaves a lite film.
Doesn't stain your cloths and doesn't smell.

[Bazoo]

I use 3 in 1, or sewing machine oil, or remoil if I want something thinner. And I use hoppes 9 to clean generally.

[waksupi]

Ed's Red for all of my firearms.

[Uncle Grinch]

I use CRC 336 spray, Kroil, and Lubriplate.

[Texas by God]

I've used the latest and greatest but usually grab the 3 in 1. Whenever I return a gun I have cieaned or repaired it gets a wipedown with it on a cotton rag. Really shines up the wood.

[roysha]

My first memories of 3in1 are from my Grandmothers treadle sewing machine. To this day, the smell of 3in1 sends me back to the late 40s-early-50s when I would help her sew strips of rags together to be either crocheted or taken to a place in Longmont to be woven into rugs. I still have a crocheted one she made that I use as a "place mat" on a walnut coffee table I had made for her in HS woodshop.

Speaking of 3in1 varnishing, somewhere in the records I got from the old gunsmith in Loveland MANY years ago is a "recipe" for a stock finish. It was primarily an oil finish for repair purposes but could be used to completely finish a stock. If I remember correctly, it was equal parts of 3in1 and ether, which acted as a dryer. It actually worked quite well as a touch up finish but took too long for a whole stock, a bit slower than boiled linseed oil even. It blended in very nicely with most any type of oil finish since, I suspect, the ether softened the base finish and sort of mixed it all together.

I remember making up a batch in the early 60s when a person could go to the local drug store and buy ether. I imagine now, one would have the SWAT folks on you if you went to try to buy ether.

[winchester 71]

I have glass bottles marked 3-1 oil from the 1800's

[Chill Wills]

If I remember correctly, it was equal parts of 3in1 and ether, which acted as a dryer. It actually worked quite well as a touch up finish but took too long for a whole stock, a bit slower than boiled linseed oil even. It blended in very nicely with most any type of oil finish since, I suspect, the ether softened the base finish and sort of mixed it all together.

I remember making up a batch in the early 60s when a person could go to the local drug store and buy ether. I imagine now, one would have the SWAT folks on you if you went to try to buy ether.

Maybe it took so long because you would keep falling asleep.
:p SORRY :groner:

[tdoyka]

i remember a time when you had 3 in 1 and hoppe's nitro solvent. its all we had, we didn't know the things we know about copper.

when i first got my 30-40 krag, from grandpap, i though that he had used varnish instead of gun oil. the gun was put inside his closet about 25+/- years ago and it didn't see the light of day until it came to me.

i swear to God, that the bore hadn't been cleaned since 1903(year it was made). it was like shoot, clean (3 in 1 oil), shoot , clean, shoot, clean....for about 100 and some years. and boy was the 3 in 1 gummy and dried up. i've taken the bore to steel(5 or 6 days, 8+ hours a day), the bolt and the trigger was cleaned. i believe that it was rem oil to wipe down everything. i use rem oil only about once a year, i use ballistol every week or two, i shoot it alot:-).i have a redfield peep sight and i decided to take off my rear sight. i've tried pb blaster to take off the screws. but they stayed on. a squirt or two of kroil(took about 3 days) will take any screws off.

[Speedo66]

I remember making up a batch in the early 60s when a person could go to the local drug store and buy ether. I imagine now, one would have the SWAT folks on you if you went to try to buy ether.

Isn't automotive starter fluid ether?

I think just about every American household had a can of 3 in 1 oil in the utility drawer.

[Ron in PA]

1957605w30

[NoAngel]

Walmart was redtagging some Mobile 1 synthetic a few years ago. I picked up a couple quarts of 0W-20 for less than $5 a quart. It will last me the rest of my life. I does not dry out and it is thin enough to creep into every little spot.

[rosewood]

As a kid, I used 3-1 oil for bicycle chains. Used petroleum jelly for wheel bearings. Didn't have any grease, but mom had the petroleum jelly and it always seemed to work well. Seems like my Grandpa used 3-1 for his guns.

I use rem-oil mostly on my guns, never had any issues. Use it for cleaning and lubing. If real dirty, I use Hoppes#9, then lube with rem-oil. I do keep 3-1 around, and on occasion may use it for various projects.

Rosewood

[izzyjoe]

My grandad used 3n1 on his guns, but he was a big fan of wd40, and duck tape for everything else!

[EDG]

60 years ago my grandparents used 3 in 1 oil on everything in the house from fans to sewing machines and they all gummed up.
Almost any normal gun oil is better.

[woodbutcher]

:-) I use a product called Turbine oil made by Norvey,Inc out of Santa Ana Ca.Have used it for many years,and seems to work very well.It has no detergents and is paraffin base.Have used it anywhere that 3in1 would be used,Heat resistant,so I use it on small portable heaters that I heat the bathroom in the winter before taking a bath.Sure works wonders.Got one of the little bathroom heaters that someone was throwing out because the fan kept getting stuck.Used this oil on it and it has been going well for about 6 years now.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[Jack Stanley]

I haven't used three in one for many years . CLP does get a lot of use around here , but now that I know Mobil 1 and ATF type F are good I may replace the CLP when gone .

Jack

[Juan Jose]

My dad used Outer's Gun Oil, Nitro Solvent, and Gun Slick grease on his gun.
I use the same on mine.

[ulav8r]

I like Breakfree CLP. 3in1 worked great on my bb guns 58 years ago.

While at CST one of my instructors told us that WD40 got a bad rap about gumming up. According to him(Jack Belk) the problem was that WD40 mixed with other oils caused gumming. You needed to completely remove any other oils before leaving WD40 on a gun.

[dragon813gt]

Leave WD40 out by itself. Over time it dries into a brown hard varnish. It has nothing to do w/ other oils. It has everything to do w/ the chemical makeup of WD40.

[CIC]

"Hey! It's all ball bearings nowadays. Now you prepare that Fetzer valve with some 3-in-1 oil and some gauze pads. And I'm gonna need 'bout ten quarts of anti-freeze, preferably Prestone. No, no make that Quaker State."

Every thing I know about 3 in 1 I learned from Fletch.

[Tom W.]

When I was a tyke I used 3 in 1 and Hoppes #9 on my .22 I got for Christmas in the 60's. I oiled the daylights out of it. Then we moved from Pennsylvania to Camp Lejeune and the coastal air wasn't too friendly, but still no rust. In the late 60's we moved to upstate NY and I obtained a double barrel shotgun. Same drill. Over time I noticed that the oil was softening the stock of the shotgun, turning it black. I refinished the stock and coated it with Tru-oil. Never used 3-in-1 again.

[Electric Apple Juice]

3-in-1 is actually a penetrant, versus a lubricant. Clean with Hoppes No. 9 (I have some ORIGINAL with all that dangerous stuff in it, but it smells better!), then use "Breakfree" or military "CLP" - astounding stuff, a little bit goes a long way (Hey, it "fixed" the M-16s we had). Oh, and I agree with "Petrol & Powder" - KROIL is the stuff that breaks things up if you can't get it to go (It's a penetrant that's terrific for getting rusted brake drums off '49 Chevy trucks!). A great cleaner mix is Acetone & ATF - used by lots of bench-rest types.

[Buckshot]

.............I'm simple and the different types of stuff are probably amazing (especially if they do what they say they will). I use Hoppe's #9 to clean barrels after cast, and Hoppe's #9 and Sweet's 7.62 after jacketed. For semi auto anything I use Lubri-Plate on sliding surfaces. For bore protection all my wool mops carry Vactra #2 Way oil. Exterior steel protection is via Silicone sprayed cotton cloth.

I make my own cleaning patches from Cotton Diaper Flannel. I stack 4 sq yards and cut them into strips, then into squares with a saddle makers knife edge leather shears. Good quality Fiskars style scissors also work. The Silicon wiping rags are 8" square Diaper Flannel sprayed with silicon spray, then rolled up and stored in plastic sandwich bags. You can make several years worth out of a sq yard :-)

.............Buckshot

[W.R.Buchanan]

Buckshot: great idea on the cleaning patches and silicone cloths.

All of the machines in my shop run on Amsoil 20-50 "Racing Oil." This stuff is the absolute best thing there is for compressor pumps as the oil migrates thru the pump and into the tank where it coats the inside walls and prevents or completely stops rusting thru of the tank. All of my compressors have had it since the beginning and none have one iota of rusty water coming out when drained. For you guys who live in humid places like FL or down south or on either coast this is the hottest tip I can give you.

This stuff also doubles as Spindle and Way oil on the mills and lathes, but it also works really well for guns. The stuff is kind of sticky and stays on the job really well, and that's why I use it on my Mills and Lathes. For Bolt, Lever or Pump guns it's the hot tip.

Randy

[trapper9260]

For cleaning patch I use worn out t-shirts cotton type. It dose the job.

[edwin41]

I just use a 50/50 mix of ATF/Mobile1

same here , hasnt failed me yet !

[needausername]

Start looking at the MSDS sheets for various products. Take the CAS # from it and look it up. Before long, the term "snake oil" will enter your mind.

I use 3 in 1 oil regularly. I've also seen firearms that are varnished from it. Simple fact is if you put any product on something and leave it in a closet for 45 years and I bet you'll need to clean it. Just the nature of the beast. 3 in 1 oil is fine for regular use. If you plan on storing something, clean it real good and rub it down with some wax.

I use Hoppes #9 solvent, 3 in 1 oil and white lithium grease on everything and with regular maintenance they work just fine. Things that are stored have a wipe down with Johnsons Paste Wax.

You don't need to pay $17 for 1oz of Super Slick Butterfly Fart Odin Squirt to keep things in good working order. 3-in-1 oil has worked for generations.

[Harter66]

My grandmother loved to sew . As a result I've never been in a house without Singer oil .......well until recently . I've been through 2 dozen fancy pants wonder lubes , I shot a lots of duck in 10° . There are things that shouldn't gum up that balled up in gobs . I've washed the bluing of one shotgun with WD 40 as a wet day wipe down . After all of that fooling around with all sorts of slickum' WD-40 is the stuff I wash the tule sludge out of the actions with and Hoppes oil was on sale so I bought a qt to go with 2 qt of #9 . I have some GI CLP but it's saved for the bath and soak train wrecks that wander in .

Pretty much Hoppes #9 and oil for now with Kroil when I have it ......the stuff keeps wandering away .

[Texas by God]

My new (150yr old) Peabody is getting brake cleaner, engine degreaser, and 3in1 in that order. My 1967 T Bolt's stock came alive with a 3in1 wipe down with a cotton rag.

[Texas by God]

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[Walkingwolf]

I use the most expensive oil on the market that I can brag about on the internet.

OK to be fair I don't use any oil at all, I clean my guns with soap, and water. I then do a voodoo dance around the gun like a chicken holding a chicken foot in each hand.

Be aware that the dance does not work to protect the gun unless you do it in front of friends, and family.

[Texas by God]

WalkingWolf- youtube it so we get it right!
Best, Thomas.

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[Tom W.]

I have one that I clean with Ivory soap and extremely hot water. Even so, after the dance I still have to spray it with RemOil......

[Grmps]

Mineral Oil USP from the pharmacy, colorless, odorless, tasteless, nontoxic, inexpensive.

ATF also excellent as is any modern 5w-30 synthetic motor oil.

+1 on mineral oil. wipe on -- wipe off. Most of us put to much oil on our firearms

“Machinist Workshop Magazine” did a test on penetrating oils.
the torque required to loosen them.
Nothing: 516 lbs
WD-40: 238 lbs;
PB Blaster: 214 lbs;
Liquid Wrench: 127 lbs,
Kano Kroil: 106 lbs
(ATF)/Acetone mix (50/50): 50 lbs.

[Smoke4320]

Dad's favorite oil. Other than engines if it needed oil it was 3 in 1

[bedbugbilly]

I've used 3 in 1 for over 50 years on my guns and always have a can of it on the bench. I've tried others along the way - I kind of like Rem Oil in the spray can as well. Might sound strange, but I also use Pure Virgin Olive Oil as a lubricant at times and have a can of that on the bench as well - clock makers have been using that for decades and decades for oiling clocks and fine movements. I often use that to oil my Uberti '51 Navy - and while some may raise an eyebrow it works very well both on the internals and for wiping the revolver down - but then you have to remember that once I shoot it with BP, it gets a thorough cleaning and re-oiling so it's not like the olive oil or any other lubricant I might use has a chance to gum up, etc. from sitting over a long period of time.

Everybody has their favorites - in the 60s one of mine was "Dri-Slide" (sp?).

[Love Life]

I use breakfree clp and buy it by the gallon.


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[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 .