Anyone using ATF Fluid in place of gun oil?

[supergenius]

ATF has a good detergent package in it... Also a very comprehensive additive package for lubrication... ZDDP (Zincdithiophosphate is a very commonly used synthetic additivbe that impregnates itself into metal)...


Read here:

bobistheoilguy.com.



More than you should ever want to know about oil.

I did alot of research there in finding the oil for me for the racecar.

 

[BlvdKing]

Any high temp lubricant should be able to be used but I still stick with gun specific products for my guns.

 

[tdocz]

I have used synthetic ATF for several years as a replacement for traditional gun oil. It's inexpensive and works great but I can't say definitively that it is "better" than gun oil. Moreover, I've never had an issue with the odor. On the down side, the synthetic ATF I use is red in color which may turn people some off. I've heard concerns about added detergents in ATF posing potential risks for delicate finishes but this hasn't been my experience. I also use ATF with along with acetone, kerosene and mineral spirits in my bore cleaner recipe, aka Ed's Red (courtesy of Ed Harris). A gunsmith friend of mine swears by it. Works well and cost effective.

 

[Gunner3456]

I use 5w-20w motor oil. There is a big difference between motor oil and ATF. Detergent motor oil is formulated to withstand high pressure combustion and to clean carbon, etc. ATF is formulated to live in a non-combustion environment and to clean, cool and lubricate in a high pressure hydraulic environment.

Which does your gun most closely resemble?

 

[darkminstrel]

I do. Smells pretty good when it heats up too, sorta fruity with a hint of hydrocarbon. I only use it on my bolt guns though, not my semis.

 

[chemist]

ATF is hydraulic fluid; it's not lubricant. It's a pretty good solvent for certain uses, but it's just as bad to lube a gun with it as it would be to pour it in the crankcase of your truck.

ATF is closer to brake fluid than it is to engine oil.

Synthetic engine oil on the other hand is an excellent choice for a gun lube, in part because of its high coking point.

 

[darkminstrel]

I would argue with you using anecdotal evidence...but your user name trumps any field experience I might relate. Thus, this comment is both pointless and yet humble.

 

[gearchecker]

ATF is nearly pure detergent with a high level of very thin, light lubrication. That's what keep the transmission clean, but still allows the gear plates to stick together when they need to.
If your cars engine isn't running smoothly you can drain out the motor oil, fill it with 3 qts of ATF and drive it for 15 minutes. then put in 2 qts of oil to top it off drive it for another 15 minutes. drian the engine and it'll be clean as a whistle.
ATF doesn't allow dirt, grime or gunpowder to stick to anything on your guns the same way it can keep a transmission clean for 50 or 60,000 miles.
with very careful application you can clean and lightly lubricate your guns with it. It won't hurt your guns, but it's not really designed for them
I prefer gun oil in my firearmsf. It's specifically designed for my guns, and not my autos.
Regards,
Gregory

 

[Gunner3456]

If your cars engine isn't running smoothly you can drain out the motor oil, fill it with 3 qts of ATF and drive it for 15 minutes. then put in 2 qts of oil to top it off drive it for another 15 minutes. drian the engine and it'll be clean as a whistle.

Gregory

Wow. What a way to risk ruining an engine. This is a very bad but widespread myth. While it's getting clean it will also lack lubrication. As you correctly mentioned, there is VERY little lubrication in ATF.

Quality motor oils have detergents which will clean the engine as well as can be without a tear down. It far better to just change the oil and filter two or three times every couple of hundred miles, being sure the engine is often fully warmed up and run at different RPMs. If quality oil and filter are changed regularly, and the engine is warmed fully regularly (not grandma just always driving two blocks to the grocery store) the engine will stay amazingly clean.

 

[madcratebuilder]

ATF has been used for fire arms for years and years. I made my first batch of Ed's Red thirty years ago.

Read all about it!
Homemade Firearm Related Products

 

[Jamie6.5]

ATf is the best quality lubricant in your car, as it is the most refined lubricant in the works. Better than motor oil or gear lube. As others have mentioned it has a very high percentage of detergent. The only reason your engine doesn't spec it is because it isn't made in a variety of viscosities.
However, it works great to clean out and free-up a sticky/noisy hydraulic lifter, or even stuck rings in engines when used in place of an additive like Rislone etc. when used at less than 20% in the crankcase (1 of 5 qts.)
Please don't tell me that this is risky or may damage an engine, as it has been done millions of times in the past 30-40 years by knowledgeable mechanics and it works excellent.

Many manual transmissions now spec ATF for lube.

The original dino-oil dexron I, II or III ATF made a fantastic diesel fuel additive to clean/lube/maintain the injection pump.
The latest version however is much higher in synthetic content, and doesn't burn well, so it's use as a diesel additive is not advised.

It is NOT just hydraulic fluid, as it starts out as 10W oil, which is not remotely like DOT3&4 brake fluid, which is glycol based (not silicone based DOT5), and DOT 3&4 brake fluids absorb water like crazy (hygroscopic).

I have used ATF to lube everything that specs a light oil, from bicycle chains to sewing machines and typewriters, including guns, and it works great, especially in dusty conditions.

On the issue of coking, if you get your gun(s) that hot they will be junk anyway. (upwards of 2,000* Celsius, 3600*+ F) For years Detroit Diesel spec'd Delo specifically, because it had the lowest ash content and wouldn't coke up the piston tops and destroy the pistons.
So if coking is your worry with your guns, and you insist on engine oil, use Delo.

Proceed.

 

[Wallygator]

I use ATF for all my guns. It has held up great in my submachine gun, which is probably one of the best tests for any oil. I don't live in an environment that gets really cold, so I don't have to worry about it getting thick. I do think it makes the guns easier to clean when I am done shooting vs. other non-gun oils. JM Browning originally spec'd out light machine oil for his designs. Isn't this what atf is but with additives added for cleaning carbon?



WG

 

[Gunner3456]

However, it works great to clean out and free-up a sticky/noisy hydraulic lifter, or even stuck rings in engines when used in place of an additive like Rislone etc. when used at less than 20% in the crankcase (1 of 5 qts.)

Running it at 20% for its cleaning properties is a whole different thing than draining the crankcase and putting back 3 quarts of ATF as mentioned earlier.

Back when I was much younger it was common for guys to replace all of their motor oil with ATF and drive them for a while in an attempt to get them to stop burning oil. It was believed that this would do no damage and would free the rings. I've seen several engines burned up that way.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

I have more than a few guns which I clean quite often (almost obsessively) and a couple bucks worth of gun oil lasts me for a year or more. Why would anyone ever need to take risks with alternatives?

 

[the4thshake]

I don't see using automotive products as a risk if you understand its intended purpose. Oil and grease made to handles the extremes of automotive use can most certainly handle use in a firearm. Guns don't have transmissions but using ATF in a role such as Ed's Red works just fine. You can use car wax on fancy wood stocks and brake cleaner to degrease parts. Isn't there a member around here that uses mag wheel polish to give his purdy guns a mirror like shine?

 

[locobob]

Although its nice to know I could sub another type of oil if I had to (perhaps some kind of survival situation) I just don't see the point for normal use. Some very smart people with degrees in chemistry and engineering have been developing and selling specific gun oils and cleaners for eons now... why not use them?

 

[Hook686]

I spent hundreds on my firearms. Why would I quibble over a few $ for good premium gun oil ? While ATF seems like a good high temperature lubricant, I see no reason to deviate from a well established gun oil.

 

[RVTECH]

Any 0-40 Mobile-1 that remains in the last quart I put in my Polaris Sportsman goes in a bottle that lives on my lathe bench and lubes both it and the guns. A can of Spray Rem-Oil is in my range box for 'field' use.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Although its nice to know I could sub another type of oil if I had to (perhaps some kind of survival situation) I just don't see the point for normal use. Some very smart people with degrees in chemistry and engineering have been developing and selling specific gun oils and cleaners for eons now... why not use them?

Yeah, I just do not get it. When the OPTIMAL product is readily available and inexpensive why would anyone look for lesser alternatives?

 

[The Quiet Man]

Anyways, i'm looking for more feedback from people who have actually USED ATF as gun oil.

I have been using synthetic ATF in place of gun oil or related lubes on my semi-autos for years. It is essentially the same stuff as the high cost specialty gun lubes, costs nearly nothing in comparison, and works just as well as the best of them. What's not to like?