WD-40 oil

[Dougaz]

A buddy of mine noticed a can of WD-40 around my gun cleaning stuff and he warned me to keep WD-40 away from all my guns. He says there's a solvent based chemical in the WD-40 that will damage the finish of my guns .... Especially a blued finish.

Anyone know if this is true?

Thanks

 

[dusty3030]

Damage finish? Never heard of or experienced that.

Old WD40 drying up / gunking up and binding something up? Yes, have seen that often. Especially small parts like in a trigger mechanism and have seen it bind up the striker assemblies in bolt action rifles too.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Never heard of WD-40 causing finish issues, but have read accounts of it gunking up actions.

The only time I would use WD-40 on a gun would be if it got dunked in water. I'd disassemble the gun, spray a little WD-40 (WD = Water Displacing, IIRC), clean it out, then clean and lube (not WD-40).

 

[Minorcan]

WD-40 is a great cleaner/penetrant but isn’t a protectant or lubricant. It will remove protectants and oils though. I’ve used it as a cleaner for years and never had it impact bluing or SS.

 

[Babysitr]

Used it for years, never has been an issue for me....Got away from it, there are better products out there now!

 

[4barrel]

40 years ago I used wd 40 on my lug nuts and nice and smooth. Then when the tires needed rotating I noticed some rust so I started using a small amount of motor oil instead. It will displace water in a distributor cap and fix squeaks. I have used it on the function parts of auto 22 rifles when they started to jam but never noticed a loss on the finish. I buy it by the gallon when I am out.

 

[gwpercle]

Fake News for blued guns .
WD40 is a penetrating oil so it does have oil and a solvent in it . The solvent carries the oil into tiny spaces . That solven might ...might do someting to some of S&W's painted on finishes like my 637 Airweight frame...looks like silver paint and edges are wearing off .
The solvent is mixed with oil so is diluted ...
Blued and Stainless steel are fine , aluminum alloy finishes...maybe not ... don't soak them in WD40 , apply and wipe off .
The other , blue & SS , WD40 won't damage even if you soak them in it overnight .
I've used it to clean guns , along with other products since the stuff came out . Like many other products don't flood the action and let sit , it can get gummy but so will every other ( Shooters Choice & Break Free have both gone gummy on me) CLP out there .
RemOil is the only stuff I've found that works very well inside the trigger actions of revolvers .
Gary

 

[AManWearingAHat]

WD-40 will not harm a blued or stainless finish. Off the top of my head I cannot say the same for a painted finish. I think it can play nasty with some plastics too.

 

[schutzen-jager]

I agree with everything GWPERCLE said in post # 7 , except that I have found REMOIL very lacking in lubricating + rust preventing properties - never had any problems with WD40 + gun finishes -

 

[ken158]

WD40 wont hurt blue or stainless. May gum up over time. Keep it away from nickel.

 

[armorer951]

Basically a mixture of mineral spirits (paint thinner) and mineral oil. It does have penetrant characteristics, so use caution around ammunition/primers, as overexposure can negatively affect primer viability. In other words, your ammo will no longer work as designed. As others have warned, it can also harm grip finishes and some plastics.

Opinion follows: Because of it's tendency to solidify and harden over time, WD-40 should not be used as a "lubricant" inside the lockwork of firearms, or as a general lubricant for moving parts on, or in firearms. Also, despite what the company indicates in it's promotional material, the use of WD-40 as a rust prevention strategy is not a good idea, short or long term.

There are many great products today that are specifically designed for gun care, maintenance, and cleaning. WD-40 is not one of them.

 

[max503]

I used to remove grips, put gun in baggie, hose down with WD-40, seal baggie and wrap in newspaper, then put gun in safe deposit box in bank. I've left them that way for years and never had a problem. They needed a cleaning, of course, before being used again.
The chemicals in WD-40 won't hurt a gun. It's plain silly to think so.

 

[old&slow]

I've heard this about WD-40 and blue guns..

Never believed this . I've used it for years on blue guns ,,
stainless guns,, muzzleloaders ,, rifles , shotguns and have had
nothing but good luck with it..
Now , I don't use it for long term storage.

 

[hyena]

Been using it nearly 50 years. Never a problem. But I'll keep an eye on it.

 

[kraynky]

WD-40 is a great cleaner/penetrant but isn’t a protectant or lubricant. It will remove protect ants and oils though. I’ve used it as a cleaner for years and never had it impact bluing or SS.

It is a great cleaner, for my shower stall. I'm the healthiest one between the wife & I, so I get to clean the shower. After trying all sorts of "Shower & Tub" cleaners, foaming bubbles, lime away products, I stumbled upon WD40. Man! Spray it on, let it set a bit, wipe it off!

I have a can on my reloading bench for killing primers when I make a boo boo and screw up a casing. Then theres a can in
my truck tool box, the tractor, boat, ATV and the garage & kitchen.

It will clean a gun, but it also removes any wax you may have on it. If it's a waxed gun, I typically spot clean the front of the cylinder, the chambers and the barrel with Ballistol or good old Hoppes 9, and only use WD40 on a gun that got wet out in the field.

I have never heard of it damaging the finish on any gun.

 

[diyj98]

I agree with the part about it damaging blue guns is bull ****. A friend of mine refinishes firearms. For years he's used WD-40 to wipe them down after a customer or prospective buyer handles them. It's not my choice as a lubricant, but his purposes it seems to work well. He's never had damage to the blueing or wood finish.

 

[Rule3]

And the beat, band marches on!

 

[pennzy]

I use to use it on guns all the time. Never had a problem with it. Now I use Ballistol mostly.

 

[Tubbsy]

Wd40 is mineral spirits and fish oil if im remembering correctly... remember we couldn't use it in the last shop I worked at because one of our techs had a fish allergy.

 

[Targets Guy]

If it doesn't move and you want it to, use WD-40. If if moves and you don't want it to, use duct tape.