re: Gun oil

Use anything reasonable but I use synthetic motor oil or grease. In one minute a piston in your car will cycle more than your rifle ever will.

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In one minute a piston in your car will cycle more than your rifle ever will.

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Yeah, but your car's piston is being fed oil by a pressurized lubrication system and is riding on a film of oil such that it isn't making physical contact with the cylinder wall. Not the case with gun parts which are very much in contact with each other and benefit from the EP additives in proper gun oils.

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Why I listed Lubriplate... high lubricity with additives to aide in that, and also with additives to resist oxidation (rust).

It's no big secret that some brands are now getting into the gun oil business, and selling something they already made before at a higher price per volume, because of the "firearm" label. Lubriplate and Lucas certainly are, Lubriplate didn't even bother to rename it (other than to package it in smaller containers and put the "for firearms" sticker on it).

A gun is a piece of machinery, there's nothing mystical about properly maintaining it.
You need the right viscosity (too thick and it can gum up, too thin and it will run off). Needs to operate in the correct temperature ranges. Good to have lubricity additives that bind to metal substrates, so that things move with less friction, and prevent galling. Good to have anti-oxidant/anti-corrosive additives to protect from rust. Certainly doesn't hurt to be non-toxic, since we all tend to handle (fondle, even) our guns.

I put more trust in the R&D department of a big company servicing industrial machines (or automobiles, or other motors), than I do in 99% of "gun oil" companies. Simply put, there's a lot more money riding on your investment, and there's an enormous amount more capital flowing into the company. The trick is to find something that fits the specs you need.

I have no complaints about the stuff I use. I've got a bunch of firearms, some I haven't shot in a decade or more. I pulled one out of the box and looked it over- the action is still super slick, nothing has run off the rails or bushings. Nothing feels or looks dry. No hint of rust on the bluing; that thin film I rubbed on with a rag is still exactly where it was when I did it.

As for shooting- I notice I usually just field strip, wipe off, and wipe some back on. I keep a syringe full, a drop or two on the rails (or the bolt, etc). Once I've cleaned up and lubed a gun good, it's simple enough to keep it clean after a day at the range.

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I put more trust in the R&D department of a big company servicing industrial machines (or automobiles, or other motors), than I do in 99% of "gun oil" companies. Simply put, there's a lot more money riding on your investment, and there's an enormous amount more capital flowing into the company. The trick is to find something that fits the specs you need.

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Which is why I use mil-spec CLP. ARDEC has done vastly more research and testing of it and many other oils than any big oil company, under extreme environments with hundreds of thousands of rounds in unaltered rifles as well as those outfitted with extremely sensitive sensors to characterize how lubricants and surface treatments affect cyclic rates and behavior as they foul with firing residue.

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We're on the same page, y'know

Lubriplate made the grease used on Garands in WW2. They now have a line directly marketed for guns
LINK

If you scroll down, you will see they list the oil I suggested- FMO 350 AW; and if you click that link, they sell it in a 12 oz aerosol spray bottle for $34.95.

I bought a gallon of the stuff, same oil, for under $60 awhile back (over a decade ago).

Doing a little google search, I found it for $69
LINK

Now, that place probably charges a fair bit for shipping, maybe $20 or so. But that still gets you a gallon for around $90, that you can put into oilers and spray bottles, etc, and last you forever.

edit to add- I did my research on this stuff awhile back. The FMO 350 AW is the "gun oil" they sell in the 1.5 oz tubes, if you check the MSDS sheets on it. It's formulation was for industrial compressors and machinery, including the food industry. That's why it's 'food grade'. The ISO rating is 68, which is comparable to 20 weight motor oil (ISO 100 is 30). You want the slightly less viscous stuff, you'll notice marketed gun oil is thinner than standard motor oil.
The high anticorrosion additives and lubricity/antiwear additives, intended for that industry, just so happen to overlay PERFECTLY with a firearm's requirements.

Ballistol

All of the most popular by real enthusiasts have all been listed in this thread already.

Safe bets are:

Rem oil
Froglube
slip 2000
CLP

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Ballistol

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Isn't this what the ProHo guy recommends? Says it stinks.

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Not a pleasant scent but not horrible. I only used that stuff for a old 8mm Mauser I had when shooting corrosive surplus through it. Wasn't good for much else either as a residue solvent or a lubricant.

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Same, I primarily use it after corrosive ammo (tokarev), although I still use it some at times.

The smell is somewhat subjective- it's pungent and distinctive. If you say it smells like sour gymshirt left in a locker, it does.
If you say it smells like anise or black licorice, it does also , and that makes it tolerable

I'll use it as moosemilk at times in an ultrasonic cleaner. The pulsations do a good job getting the gunk off, and I don't worry about things flash-rusting.

My grandfather and dad always used 3-in-one oil.

I will probably die using the same.

Froglube is junk, especially in colder weather.