As of 3 years ago, I have re-discovered (used G96 Gun Treatment many years ago and still had a can) a product that is in my opinion just a better CLP than any I have tried to date - yes, even better than the coveted Breakfree CLP. I have used the old tried and true G96 Gun Treatment in the past and it works quite well. That said, I have been hooked on the Synthetic (yellow bottle) for the last few years and it works even better!

I was paying about $12-13 bucks for a 4 ounce bottle but now the price has increased to $21 per 4 oz bottle if bought on Amazon. That comes to $5.25 per ounce! I have been shooting more than ever these days and am constantly cleaning and wiping down guns. I went on G96's website and discovered that I can buy a 1 liter bottle (directly from them) of the same synthetic CLP for $71 for 33 ounces - that comes to 2.15 per ounce and should last me around 8-12 months at the rate I am using it. The larger bottles (1 pt - 1 gal) are only available on their website.

Where the G96 really shines is that it cleans noticeably better than the Breakfree. The lubrication and rust protection is just as good as BF (maybe slightly better), but the cleaning has been noticeably easier and more thorough with less effort and less passes. BTW, it IS approved for the US Army's new specifications and requirements. I believe it is the only CLP that now is.

My real point is not to try and switch anyone from one brand or product to another, it is simply to demonstrate there are usually better deals out there if one is winning to look. Hey, if you only use a 4 ounce bottle every year or two - it doesn't really matter but for the serious shooters and collectors here who use a lot of product, it makes a difference - at least to me. BTW, the small 4 ounce bottles are fully refillable from the 1 liter bottle so you do not need a large bulky bottle on your workbench.

Do the math - it pays off!

Oh, and I know there will be Mobil One, Ed's Red, etc. etc. that guys will bring up and yes, they are more economical to say the least. Forgive me if I have been hoodwinked but I like using "Gun Oil" for guns and motor oil for cars. I do believe that Acetone is not a good think to breath, handle or use on certain materials and motor oils contain other chemicals not necessarily needed for guns and some ingredients might be missing altogether - so that is why I use "gun oil".

Amazing just how many products are available for gun cleaning, and the what the manufacturer's charge for them. Thieves selling snake oil.

According to the MSDS, G96 is a blend of kerosene (49%), mineral oil (9%), blended "non-hazardous" oils, butane, and propane.

Not sure how they are justifying charging over $5.00 an ounce for this flammable liquid. Seems some consumers will buy just about anything.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

I use G96 and have been for years. I switched away from the aerosol can to the liquid squirt bottle because the liquid was cheaper per ounce and seems to last me longer than the spray.

I'd like to know what ingredient(s) makes G96 smell so good.

Unless I am mistaken, what you've described is the REGULAR G96 Gun Oil. I was referring to the Synthetic US Army approved version. I am no Chemist so it's hard for me to understand all the ingredients, but I did not see what you posted on their MSDS. Their regular G96 works great - however this Synthetic stuff is better.

https://www.rothco.com/upload/dealer...6_CLP_MSDS.PDF

"Doing the math", kerosene sells for about 8 cents an ounce in small quantities. (Home Depot)

By all means use your preference , but G96, and most of the other products out there are a huge rip off, including those categorized as CLP variants.

Snake oil manufactured to steal cash from consumers.



Carter

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

It's amazing that high tex, high revving car, motorcycle engines can run of regular motor oil. The clearances in those engines are very tight. They run at high temps for long periods of time.


Yet for some reason gun oils need some super expensive top secret ingredients!?? Most just have PTFE Teflon



Proprietary blend of trade secret additives, blended trade secret 40-75%
Esters, Phosphates, Amines, Carboxylate

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Still Running Against the Wind

I could see where anything with 49% kerosene would be a good general cleaner. I've used straight kerosene for years for degreasing and cleaning up old firearms.

As far as gun oil, I generally use whatever I pick up on sale. It seems like every test I read has a different oil winning or different oils winning in different categories, cleaning, rust prevention, lubrication, etc.

Over the years I've found that using a dedicated bore solvent works better for actual cleaning, and the CLP is for lubrication and preservation.

One way the CLP's work for a heavy user is that the "C" Cleaner component keeps fouling soft so the moving parts can sweep it out of the way and continue working longer.
This is more critical for a military user then most civilians.

Amazing how in many articles it may be said: "use a good oil. or Use a good solvent." But never be told what is a good...

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"Don't Give Up the Ship"

I agree with your assessment 100%! IMHO NOTHING works better to remove and clean carbon, lead and fowling than good ol'e Hoppes #9 (especially the older original version) of which I still have some. That said, I rarely use the original Hoppes Bore Solvent now days because of the high toxicity of the Benzene in it. The newer version does not contain that and while it still works well, it is not as good as the original IMO. I use it only when necessary and use the G96 Synthetic CLP 95% of the time. Since I clean my guns after every single shooting session they are never really that bad. The G96 Synthetic is the best CLP I have used to date and like I said in my original post, I can see the difference in the cleaning aspect as compared to the BF CLP. The lubrication and protection is also slightly better than the BF - but not as big a difference.

Getting back to my original reason for posting...... no matter what we use for cleaning, lubrication and rust protection buying it in larger containers after shopping around for the best price is the way to go.

BTW.......After I posted this yesterday, I went to Bass Pro (last night). The new price there for a 4 oz. bottle of the G96 Synthetic CLP was $22.97 for 4 ounces ($5.75 / oz) - WOW!! I paid $2.15 / oz. in the 1 liter bottle directly from G96 Company. Again.... I choose to use 'gun products" for guns - my choice.

I did the math and didn't care for the price of fancy commercial bore cleaners / gun solvents ...
Discovered "Ed's Red Bore Solvent" ...aka ... "Ed's Red Gun Solvent" ...
Mix it yourself from 4 common ingredients you can get at Wally Mart for about $20 and ... makes a Gallon !
I don't have a link for the recipe but it's on the Los Angeles Silhoutte Club's web site ... just search ... Ed's Red Bore Cleaner... that one prints out nice and large and is easy to read .

This stuff works great ! Try it just once ...

Hint ... Do Not Use Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid ... it will not mix with the other 3 ingredients ... Use conventional ATF GM compatible !
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

If you use a product made for use in firearms, they're all good.
There is no "Best" gun oil or solvent.

All the posting online about gun lubricants is nothing more then "What I like".
There's any number of rust tests, and even those done under lab conditions and standards show wildly different results.
There's very few lubrication tests due to the difficulty in establishing a test procedure.
Here's one of the few...........

Results of gun care product evaluation | Shooters Forum

Over the years I have watched a bunch of Gun Oil and Solvent tests and yes depending on who is doing the testing, the type of raw steel they use and other variables, there are many different results of the same oils and solvents.

I am 70 and have been cleaning guns for 59 years. I go by my own results and what I have found that works consistently - I really pay only a slight amount of attention to Youtube tests. IMHO, there is no better Solvent than the original Hoppes 9. The new version (safer) is good but just not as good IMO).

The best CLP for many years has been Breakfree CLP - it still is very good. That said, I do find that for me the G96 Synthetic CLP works much better in the cleaning department and lubricates a tad better as well. The rust prevention of the BF and G96 are pretty much both good. While a CLP may not be the best at any one of the three aspects, since I clean my guns every time they get used, I never have an y issues and only rarely have to use the Hpppes. Once in a blue moon I do to save me cleaning time or if I am in a nostalgic olfactory mood!

Hello, thank you for sharing! It reminds me of when I found this little diner off the beaten path that served the best pancakes ever. I'm all about stretching my dollar, so I'll definitely be checking out their website for that sweet deal.