rayo Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 I am coming to the end of my Napier gun cleaning spray and was wondering as it seems to smell like good old WD40 would i be ok to use that to clean the barrels of my shotguns ? Anybody use WD40 or will only a recognised gun cleaner do Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 (edited) I have, for many years, used good old WD40. I use it for cleaning the barrels of my shotguns, wiping the barrels with it soaked on a cloth. I also use it when I strip down my rifles and clean the trigger mechanism. I squirt it into the trigger, let the excess run off and then leave it to dry. It evaporates and leaves a very thin film of oil on the metal parts. Used sensibly, it's brilliant. Cheers Steve Edited December 19, 2008 by steve_b_wales Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seisobs Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 I use WD 40 and kitchen roll to clean my barrels every time, cheper than gun oil although when I have cleaned and dried the barrels I run a wool mop with little bit of good quality gun oil through them. I then lightly wipe the outside of the barrels with gun oil. Hope this helps. Jake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utectok Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 (edited) I've done some research on this as I hve just stripped my gun and reasembled it. Aparently for the internal parts wd40 is to light an oil and evaporates as the gun heats up. Fine if you want to reapply often but I don't think it's any good for the internals. As for the barrels etc I'm sure it's fine but it will evaporate quicker than gun oil. I have used it on my exposed metal and it's fine. Edited December 19, 2008 by utectok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webber Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 My little world would grind to a halt without good old WD40. webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 WD40 proberbly the best cleaning agent around for most things ,particulary guns . Dont rely on it as a lubricant for guns as it is to light . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drut Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 My little world would grind to a halt without good old WD40. webber You & me both. I use it on patches/boresnake for shotgun & rifles,like to spray on cloth then let evaporate for a few minutes & wipe metalwork + the other umpteen uses(even removes tar spots on car). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayo Posted December 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 Looks like its the old WD40 for me then Thanks Guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 The solvent in WD40 can, over time, affect the old types of solder use on English SbS which can cause problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libs Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 All we have is the 2L trade bottles of WD at my clay ground, everything gets scrubed with that, then a little squirt of rangoon oil on the nice/old guns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinxy72 Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 (edited) use as a cleaner then use an oil for protection .... if u want a better altrnative to wd40 then go for gt85 ... same as but better ( better protection qualitys ) years ago i raced mountain bikes for a works team and this was the cleaner / lube of choice as better and cheaper Edited December 19, 2008 by jinxy72 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labrador Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 i dont know if this is right, but i was told by a gunsmith not to use it as it is waterbased and can over time do more harm than good (may have opened a can of worms, sorry ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Scholl Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 I use WD40 all the time and it works just as well as anything else in getting the gunk out/off of my guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 even works when sprayed on fishing bait. makes a nice oil slick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webber Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 The solvent in WD40 can, over time, affect the old types of solder use on English SbS which can cause problems. i dont know if this is right, but i was told by a gunsmith not to use it as it is water based and can over time do more harm than good (may have opened a can of worms, sorry ) I'm quite sure that this is a myth that has been put around by some members of the gun trade for several years. I've never seen it substantiated. Soft solder is an alloy of lead and tin. Hard solder = Brazing, which is basically brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Some brass alloys can be affected by a process known as dezincification, whereby the zinc under certain conditions can be disolved by water, leaving behind the copper matrix. For this to happen on a gun it would need to be stored in water. Not something that we tend to do. Silver solder is a lower temperature brazing alloy, where varying the% silver adjusts the melting temperature of the alloy. Many years ago I was involved with a precision live steam model engineering business. All of the copper boilers that we made were silver soldered. I for one, would be most interested to learn as to what the "solvent" is in WD40, and the process by which it does the alleged damage to guns. webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labrador Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 like i say, i dont know much about it but i wanted to see if anyone did. clearly many of you have been using wd40 for years and it is not causing any probs lab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 3in1 spray oil for cleaning and lubing my guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browning GTS Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 Another thing with using WD40 is because it evaporates off it does not soak into the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anser2 Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 I am not sure how true this is , but I have been warned not to use WD40 when cleaning my semi auto. It is suposed to dissolve the lube oils in the internal moving parts of the gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webber Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 I've contacted WD40, and shall advise their reply in due course. webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 I've used WD40 for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubix Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 WD stands for 'Water Dispersant'. It's for keeping water away and preventing rust. There are better things for cleaning, anti seize, and lubrication. Nowt wrong with 3 in 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 If you click here and scroll down to 'hunting'-it clearly says: Removes gunk from surface of guns • Lubricates pump-action guns • Displaces moisture from guns after cleaning • Anti-rust agent and lubricant for gun magazines • Lubricates dart guns • Removes camouflage tape from guns • Removes powder residue and metal fouling from gun barrels • Protects bore and exterior of gun barrel from corrosion So thats a resounding YES then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webber Posted December 20, 2008 Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 Several years ago I succumbed to the allure of a can of Legia. The only difference that I have noticed, excepting the price is the smell of the product. I now only use the Legia if I am selling or part exchanging a gun. Anyone in the know will recognise the smell, and think that the gun has been well maintained, which all my guns are, but not at any expense regardless. webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Townie Posted December 22, 2008 Report Share Posted December 22, 2008 I spoke to GMK about using it for my Beretta and they said no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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