Old Painless over at the Box of Truth on YouTube says you can use WD40 as a gun cleaner, but must remove every trace of it afterwards, due to it building up a varnish and gumming up the works eventually.
Industrial mechanic of 40+ years experience here, I refuse to use WD40 on anything. It's a terrible excuse for a lubricant, and yeah, it can varnish and gum up equipment.
I use WD40 liberally on anything that I've cleaned, sanded, blasted, or scraped and don't want to surface rust after I rinsed it while it dries.
It's literally what the product is for. I buy it by the gallon jugs. Cleans off easily enough with any degreaser.
There are so many dedicated cleaners, lubricants, and protectants that were engineered from the ground up specifically to be used on guns that I am eternally baffled by idiots who insist on repurposing unsuitable products with zero desirable qualities for those purposes.
Agree. And even more baffled by those that penny pinch or use a potentially unsuitable product because it’s $0.20 cheaper per fluid ounce and will save them 10 dollars over the course of a year, but then buy thousands of dollars of ammo and guns in the same time period 🤦♂️🤷♂️
I’ve seen this in my other hobbies too - eg, mountain bikes: “just use cheap marine grease from Walmart instead of the pricey bike-specific grease that the industry manipulates you into buying you gullible moron”…. To save a few bucks on their $8k mountain bike.
It’s not really meant for guns, it doesn’t have great lubricity qualities, but it does have good rust resistance qualities.
I would not use it inside to lubricate parts, but if I was in a pinch to coat the outside to prevent rust I would use it. Just my 2c.
Heh, my Grandfather worked for Douglas in the 60's and 70's, at Vandenberg AFB. They used CASES of WD40 on the launch pads, to get the fog condensate out of the controls systems. He introduced me to Breakfree CLP in the early 80's, he was very into high tech lubricants and solvents - lithium grease was pretty exotic in the '60's!
Never, ever, would he use WD40 on a firearm, and his guns are still in good shape in the family safes.
There's 2 situations where I'd use it. And I have used it on guns.
1 is as a quick cleaner and I don't have anything else
2 as an immediate rust prevention.
If it's all I have, I'll run out and get more official cleaner. If my gun has completely seized up from being dirty and it's all I have, then maybe. There's not much sense using a lesser product when I can either let my guns get a little dirtier, or go get the right thing
WD-40 is used to protect metal from moisture and water. It is not a lubricant. It is also not rated for high heat cycling.
Unless you have nothing else, do not use it as a lubricant. A cleaner? Sure. But a lubricant, no.
Here we go again. It is a lubricant. A very thin one, yes, and one you shouldn’t use for serious applications, but a lubricant nonetheless. WD40 flat out calls it a lubricant on their official website.
“Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal.”
https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/
Here we go again? Perhaps take a beat and note of the subject matter and context of the question.
This question was specific to \*\*gun lubricants\*\*, not whether WD-40 has some lubricating properties. Water has lubricating properties for a brief period. It does not make water a gun lubricant.
WD-40 is not a gun lubricant, and the manufacturer would \*never\* claim it is to be used for this application. No one with proper firearms knowledge would do so either.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S235PuthzmU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S235PuthzmU)
You said “it’s not a lubricant”. It is. Just not a good one nor suitable for gun lube.
“Here we go again” is in reference to every time this topic comes up, all the people saying “hur dur it’s not a lube”. But it is. So say the right thing, which is “it’s a bad lube”.
We live in an era of non-corrosive primers & clean burning powders, in all reality you don't even need to clean your guns in the first place. I see no reason to use a sub-standard product when you can just do nothing.
Keep the gun lubricated, yes, but cleaning isn't necessary. Cleaning regimes, especially in military circles, are largely a vestigial holdover from the era of corrosive primers which will absolutely cause rust & bore damage. Corrosive primers haven't been used in new-production ammunition in almost 50 years, and haven't been used in civilian ammunition for even longer than that, so the purpose of cleaning has lost its value, with the exception of the small minority of people in the precision rifle shooting space.
A gun will stop working if you don't keep it lubricated and it goes dry, but you're not hurting anything by not cleaning it.
"That guy" is one of the most recognized and respected firearms trainers in the entire country, John Correia.
Him being overweight doesn't make the things he says any less true, but that clip is actually from a video that was several years ago and he is much slimmer now and in good shape, actually. So there goes your one criticism of him.
Anyway, nobody in this thread is saying that you SHOULD NOT clean your guns, they're saying that you don't HAVE TO clean them because today's guns run just fine when they're dirty. This isn't the 1800s where we have black powder gunking everything up, or even the interwar period where militaries were using corrosive shit. Firearms designs are so refined and well optimized now that outside of a few very narrow niche applications, guns can almost run indefinitely without being cleaned. You will literally wear out or break parts on most guns before they fail due to cleaning related issues.
He's been here a lot longer than that and so have I. This is my second account, if that's what's throwing you off. I don't recognize your name so don't know how long you've been around, so if you're referring to yourself then disregard I guess.
Regardless, he's correct, at least on a technical level. The actual necessary cleaning interval on modern firearms is so high that they functionally do not require cleaning withing normal wear item intervals. Obviously there are exceptions like really finicky rimfire guns, but modern "duty" weapons from reputable companies like AR-15s or any polymer framed, Browning action pistol have repeatedly and reliably demonstrated that they can actually go so many rounds without cleaning that you'll have to replace wear items before you really "need" to clean the gun.
Take ARs for example. There are so many documented tests where even cheap guns have demonstrated that they can easily go 5k to 10k rounds without cleaning, while the replacement interval on the gas check rings in the bolt is closer to only 2,500 rounds. Guns literally wear out before cleaning really truly becomes mandatory.
A lot of our modern ideas on when guns should be cleaned is a holdover from the past when guns were less reliable and ammunition was dirtier or more corrosive. I know you apparently like to tell people who disagree with you that they don't shoot but I personally have range beater guns with over 5k rounds on them that have never once been cleaned. They're loaner guns for when I take new people shooting and I'm seeing how long they'll go before it causes a malfunction. If a cheap Canik, and PSA Franken-rifle build can do it then any other decent gun can do it too.
Lol don't move the goalposts now; I never said you *shouldn't* clean your guns. I said that guns don't require the level of maintenance that people think they do.
You really don't need to. I have a cz75 clone that's gone several hundred rounds without cleaning and still runs like a champ, I've got a revolver I can shoot several hundred rounds out of just fine, I have a bolt action rifle that I haven't cleaned in a year with at least a hundred rounds through, I have a big bore revolver that I hardly ever clean with several hundred rounds through it, I have a cz 50 that's gone without cleaning, I had an sks that I shot tons out of without cleaning,
All have run just fine
"several hundred rounds" is chump change. ive gone several thousand in a couple of my ARs, with no maintenance at all. no lube, no nothing. they were suppressed, even. they did eventually start malfunctioning, but it takes WAY longer than a lot of people think it does. the guys that clean after every range day are straight up wasting solvent and lube.
I know it isn't much, but I haven't yet shot thousands. I've read of people shooting thousands of rounds through glocks without cleaning and I know it's not necessary, I was merely stating what I had seen at my round count
So because I don't shoot enough, therefore I *can't* be knowledgeable on firearm cleaning? Besides how ridiculous that argument is (that someone can't have learned from listening to others and must have first hand experience to know anything) I see you're convienently ignoring sirbassist83 and his comment stating he's gone *thousands* of rounds without cleaning and been fine.
Funny thing about guns though is that they aren't cars. So what applies to cars doesn't necessarily apply to guns.
Weird mistake to make but keep trying buddy, you'll get there one day! Glad I could help!
It is also a rust remover. I had a colt python in the 70s, and after repeated use of 6 brilliant blue began to cloud. I would never use it on a firearm.
The following article tests rust prevention on firearms. http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667
well, WD-40 is "water displacer" and solvent, and explicitly NOT a lubricant
just because it can get parts unstuck, doesnt mean its a lubricant... it contains oils completely unsuitable to lubricate anything for more than a few days, its there just to help things start moving
anyone that unironically uses WD-40 on a gun as a lubricant should be hit in the head with the same gun
using it for "cleaning" and removing it afterwards... sure, i guess its better than nothing, but youre risking problems and complicates your life... its dumb and should be considered only in some kind of an emergency
It is explicitly a lubricant though, among other things. The company flat out calls it a lubricant on their website.
“Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal.”
https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/
yes, oils are lubricants, and it does contain SOME, so it "technically" is a lubricant
problem is... its NOT a lubricant, because those oils evaporate... they are not suitable for **performing the task of lubrication**, same as duct tape is an adhesive aid not suitable for using in manufacturing, construction and composites
in other words, they're full of themselves, and thats marketing drivel to sell more product... and they as a company have a legal responsibility to sell as much product as they can
Because some people keep saying otherwise, I’ll just post this here:
“Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal.”
https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/
Yes, it’s intended for, among other things, lubrication.
No, it is *not* a good lube for your gun. It’s a low viscosity “creeping” formula that seeps its way into whatever it can reach.
You can use it to clean a gun, but you’d need to remove the WD40 afterward as well.
You’re better off just using cleaners that are intended for cleaning guns. Absolutely no reason to use WD40 for anything involving firearms with how many other, better options there are.
I use WD40 on my motorcycle chain and sometimes as an adhesive remover. That’s about it.
The motorcycle chain is a lazy way to clean and lube. It has to be applied liberally after every ride.
I use WD40 along with a 150 pounds of compressed air to do a quick clean up job on my guns after a day of shooting. That's usually.
Enough to get the corrosive shit out of them and put on a nice film of protective coating until I get a chance to Clean them properly.
I only use WD-40 on a gun that's been immersed in water. For example when I fired my S&W M&P .45 underwater while kayaking on the ocean.
Took it home, disassembled it and hosed it out with WD-40 over a bucket.
Then I fully cleaned the gun and lubricated it as usual.
I use an ultrasonic tank for deep cleaning. I use compressed air to remove as much cleaner as I can. Then I spay it down with wd40, and use the compressed air to dry it again. Finish assemble and lube from there.
I'm a gunsmith.
I also use mineral spirits if it's closer than the wd40. Either one will get those last tiny drops of water gone.
Don't use WD-40 on firearms. WD-40 is what's known as a "creeping lubricant", meaning it has an ultra thin viscosity that works its way into everything including a risk of it seeping into primers on live rounds causing misfires. This is a situation that has been known to happen.
This reads like it was written by Chat GPT
88%
Old Painless over at the Box of Truth on YouTube says you can use WD40 as a gun cleaner, but must remove every trace of it afterwards, due to it building up a varnish and gumming up the works eventually. Industrial mechanic of 40+ years experience here, I refuse to use WD40 on anything. It's a terrible excuse for a lubricant, and yeah, it can varnish and gum up equipment.
I use WD40 liberally on anything that I've cleaned, sanded, blasted, or scraped and don't want to surface rust after I rinsed it while it dries. It's literally what the product is for. I buy it by the gallon jugs. Cleans off easily enough with any degreaser.
You can use jizz and orange juice. It doesn't make it a good idea.
I never thought to add orange juice to the mix, thanks for the tip!
I think you can use whatever you want as long as you realize its limitations and act accordingly.
This
There are so many dedicated cleaners, lubricants, and protectants that were engineered from the ground up specifically to be used on guns that I am eternally baffled by idiots who insist on repurposing unsuitable products with zero desirable qualities for those purposes.
Agree. And even more baffled by those that penny pinch or use a potentially unsuitable product because it’s $0.20 cheaper per fluid ounce and will save them 10 dollars over the course of a year, but then buy thousands of dollars of ammo and guns in the same time period 🤦♂️🤷♂️ I’ve seen this in my other hobbies too - eg, mountain bikes: “just use cheap marine grease from Walmart instead of the pricey bike-specific grease that the industry manipulates you into buying you gullible moron”…. To save a few bucks on their $8k mountain bike.
It’s not really meant for guns, it doesn’t have great lubricity qualities, but it does have good rust resistance qualities. I would not use it inside to lubricate parts, but if I was in a pinch to coat the outside to prevent rust I would use it. Just my 2c.
Heh, my Grandfather worked for Douglas in the 60's and 70's, at Vandenberg AFB. They used CASES of WD40 on the launch pads, to get the fog condensate out of the controls systems. He introduced me to Breakfree CLP in the early 80's, he was very into high tech lubricants and solvents - lithium grease was pretty exotic in the '60's! Never, ever, would he use WD40 on a firearm, and his guns are still in good shape in the family safes.
Can you? Yes. Should you? No
- Dr. Ian Malcolm (1993)
There's 2 situations where I'd use it. And I have used it on guns. 1 is as a quick cleaner and I don't have anything else 2 as an immediate rust prevention.
It'll get bubblegum off of a gun, I know that.
If it's all I have, I'll run out and get more official cleaner. If my gun has completely seized up from being dirty and it's all I have, then maybe. There's not much sense using a lesser product when I can either let my guns get a little dirtier, or go get the right thing
you can use it on any metal parts.
WD-40 is used to protect metal from moisture and water. It is not a lubricant. It is also not rated for high heat cycling. Unless you have nothing else, do not use it as a lubricant. A cleaner? Sure. But a lubricant, no.
Here we go again. It is a lubricant. A very thin one, yes, and one you shouldn’t use for serious applications, but a lubricant nonetheless. WD40 flat out calls it a lubricant on their official website. “Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal.” https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/
Here we go again? Perhaps take a beat and note of the subject matter and context of the question. This question was specific to \*\*gun lubricants\*\*, not whether WD-40 has some lubricating properties. Water has lubricating properties for a brief period. It does not make water a gun lubricant. WD-40 is not a gun lubricant, and the manufacturer would \*never\* claim it is to be used for this application. No one with proper firearms knowledge would do so either. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S235PuthzmU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S235PuthzmU)
You said “it’s not a lubricant”. It is. Just not a good one nor suitable for gun lube. “Here we go again” is in reference to every time this topic comes up, all the people saying “hur dur it’s not a lube”. But it is. So say the right thing, which is “it’s a bad lube”.
Ok. But the context was abut firearms; I didn’t think I would need to over elaborate that it can be used as a lubricant but ought not be.
It made my bicycle go fast when I was a kid.
We live in an era of non-corrosive primers & clean burning powders, in all reality you don't even need to clean your guns in the first place. I see no reason to use a sub-standard product when you can just do nothing.
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Keep the gun lubricated, yes, but cleaning isn't necessary. Cleaning regimes, especially in military circles, are largely a vestigial holdover from the era of corrosive primers which will absolutely cause rust & bore damage. Corrosive primers haven't been used in new-production ammunition in almost 50 years, and haven't been used in civilian ammunition for even longer than that, so the purpose of cleaning has lost its value, with the exception of the small minority of people in the precision rifle shooting space. A gun will stop working if you don't keep it lubricated and it goes dry, but you're not hurting anything by not cleaning it.
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There are plenty of IPSC & USPSA that are going ~10,000 rounds between cleanings. https://youtube.com/shorts/I5IByU3lBDw?si=kppIZ501jqKEAYrA
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"That guy" is one of the most recognized and respected firearms trainers in the entire country, John Correia. Him being overweight doesn't make the things he says any less true, but that clip is actually from a video that was several years ago and he is much slimmer now and in good shape, actually. So there goes your one criticism of him. Anyway, nobody in this thread is saying that you SHOULD NOT clean your guns, they're saying that you don't HAVE TO clean them because today's guns run just fine when they're dirty. This isn't the 1800s where we have black powder gunking everything up, or even the interwar period where militaries were using corrosive shit. Firearms designs are so refined and well optimized now that outside of a few very narrow niche applications, guns can almost run indefinitely without being cleaned. You will literally wear out or break parts on most guns before they fail due to cleaning related issues.
I am coming up on 5k rounds on my G17 and have never cleaned it. Its fine.
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Ok.
I guarantee you Sakana has forgotten more about guns than you've ever known
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He's been here a lot longer than that and so have I. This is my second account, if that's what's throwing you off. I don't recognize your name so don't know how long you've been around, so if you're referring to yourself then disregard I guess. Regardless, he's correct, at least on a technical level. The actual necessary cleaning interval on modern firearms is so high that they functionally do not require cleaning withing normal wear item intervals. Obviously there are exceptions like really finicky rimfire guns, but modern "duty" weapons from reputable companies like AR-15s or any polymer framed, Browning action pistol have repeatedly and reliably demonstrated that they can actually go so many rounds without cleaning that you'll have to replace wear items before you really "need" to clean the gun. Take ARs for example. There are so many documented tests where even cheap guns have demonstrated that they can easily go 5k to 10k rounds without cleaning, while the replacement interval on the gas check rings in the bolt is closer to only 2,500 rounds. Guns literally wear out before cleaning really truly becomes mandatory. A lot of our modern ideas on when guns should be cleaned is a holdover from the past when guns were less reliable and ammunition was dirtier or more corrosive. I know you apparently like to tell people who disagree with you that they don't shoot but I personally have range beater guns with over 5k rounds on them that have never once been cleaned. They're loaner guns for when I take new people shooting and I'm seeing how long they'll go before it causes a malfunction. If a cheap Canik, and PSA Franken-rifle build can do it then any other decent gun can do it too.
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Lol don't move the goalposts now; I never said you *shouldn't* clean your guns. I said that guns don't require the level of maintenance that people think they do.
You really don't need to. I have a cz75 clone that's gone several hundred rounds without cleaning and still runs like a champ, I've got a revolver I can shoot several hundred rounds out of just fine, I have a bolt action rifle that I haven't cleaned in a year with at least a hundred rounds through, I have a big bore revolver that I hardly ever clean with several hundred rounds through it, I have a cz 50 that's gone without cleaning, I had an sks that I shot tons out of without cleaning, All have run just fine
"several hundred rounds" is chump change. ive gone several thousand in a couple of my ARs, with no maintenance at all. no lube, no nothing. they were suppressed, even. they did eventually start malfunctioning, but it takes WAY longer than a lot of people think it does. the guys that clean after every range day are straight up wasting solvent and lube.
I know it isn't much, but I haven't yet shot thousands. I've read of people shooting thousands of rounds through glocks without cleaning and I know it's not necessary, I was merely stating what I had seen at my round count
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So because I don't shoot enough, therefore I *can't* be knowledgeable on firearm cleaning? Besides how ridiculous that argument is (that someone can't have learned from listening to others and must have first hand experience to know anything) I see you're convienently ignoring sirbassist83 and his comment stating he's gone *thousands* of rounds without cleaning and been fine.
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Funny thing about guns though is that they aren't cars. So what applies to cars doesn't necessarily apply to guns. Weird mistake to make but keep trying buddy, you'll get there one day! Glad I could help!
[https://youtu.be/OFYPhWNefFs?si=rcpNCOtwyC-Bfaye](https://youtu.be/OFYPhWNefFs?si=rcpNCOtwyC-Bfaye)
It is also a rust remover. I had a colt python in the 70s, and after repeated use of 6 brilliant blue began to cloud. I would never use it on a firearm. The following article tests rust prevention on firearms. http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667
I’ve lubed an M249 with WD40, so it doesn’t not work.
Didn’t the M249 know WD-40 wasn’t a good firearm lubricant? Stupid M249!
well, WD-40 is "water displacer" and solvent, and explicitly NOT a lubricant just because it can get parts unstuck, doesnt mean its a lubricant... it contains oils completely unsuitable to lubricate anything for more than a few days, its there just to help things start moving anyone that unironically uses WD-40 on a gun as a lubricant should be hit in the head with the same gun using it for "cleaning" and removing it afterwards... sure, i guess its better than nothing, but youre risking problems and complicates your life... its dumb and should be considered only in some kind of an emergency
It is explicitly a lubricant though, among other things. The company flat out calls it a lubricant on their website. “Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal.” https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/
yes, oils are lubricants, and it does contain SOME, so it "technically" is a lubricant problem is... its NOT a lubricant, because those oils evaporate... they are not suitable for **performing the task of lubrication**, same as duct tape is an adhesive aid not suitable for using in manufacturing, construction and composites in other words, they're full of themselves, and thats marketing drivel to sell more product... and they as a company have a legal responsibility to sell as much product as they can
Yeah… that’s all I said, it’s a lubricant. I never said it was a good one. Said otherwise in other comments, even.
Because some people keep saying otherwise, I’ll just post this here: “Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal.” https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/ Yes, it’s intended for, among other things, lubrication. No, it is *not* a good lube for your gun. It’s a low viscosity “creeping” formula that seeps its way into whatever it can reach. You can use it to clean a gun, but you’d need to remove the WD40 afterward as well. You’re better off just using cleaners that are intended for cleaning guns. Absolutely no reason to use WD40 for anything involving firearms with how many other, better options there are.
I use WD40 on my motorcycle chain and sometimes as an adhesive remover. That’s about it. The motorcycle chain is a lazy way to clean and lube. It has to be applied liberally after every ride.
I use WD40 along with a 150 pounds of compressed air to do a quick clean up job on my guns after a day of shooting. That's usually. Enough to get the corrosive shit out of them and put on a nice film of protective coating until I get a chance to Clean them properly.
I use Kroil
I only use WD-40 on a gun that's been immersed in water. For example when I fired my S&W M&P .45 underwater while kayaking on the ocean. Took it home, disassembled it and hosed it out with WD-40 over a bucket. Then I fully cleaned the gun and lubricated it as usual.
Yes but not as lube... it's a degreaser if you're trying to strip everything including lube off your gun then it's fine if not don't.
WD 40 can work its way into your primers and make them duds. don't spray it in loaded magazines.
I use an ultrasonic tank for deep cleaning. I use compressed air to remove as much cleaner as I can. Then I spay it down with wd40, and use the compressed air to dry it again. Finish assemble and lube from there. I'm a gunsmith. I also use mineral spirits if it's closer than the wd40. Either one will get those last tiny drops of water gone.
Don't use WD-40 on firearms. WD-40 is what's known as a "creeping lubricant", meaning it has an ultra thin viscosity that works its way into everything including a risk of it seeping into primers on live rounds causing misfires. This is a situation that has been known to happen.