Anyone using ATF Fluid in place of gun oil?

[Bon Sauvage]

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

So, in your personal experience, how has ATF failed you?

 

[CleverName]

I think what makes it "gun oil" is the price tag. I use ATF and 10W30 motor oil in my weapons. Engines and transmissions are a much more hostile environment than most civilian firearms. If they can put up with the compression, heat, gasoline and constant use of an engine, they can work just fine in a firearm. Its sooooo much cheaper too.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

So, in your personal experience, how has ATF failed you?

Why would I use it? Gun oil is cheap, abundant, and specially made for gun. Why would I look for a lesser alternative? Especially one that will get gummy at low temps.

 

[Jamie6.5]

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.

The way to do that properly is to allow the car to idle until it reaches operating temp, and then another hour. Properly done the car is never driven.
The same instructions as used with flushing oil. Which was basically a 50/50 mix of 10W oil and kerosene.

 

[Jamie6.5]

Why would I use it? Gun oil is cheap, abundant, and specially made for gun. Why would I look for a lesser alternative? Especially one that will get gummy at low temps.

Have you been comprehending what's been said PP?
ATF doesn't get gummy at cold temps. ATF doesn't leave a harmful residue of ANY kind.

You can buy more expensive lube for your guns that smell nicer, and lubes for your guns that may stain fabric less.
But I SERIOUSLY doubt you can buy one that will do a better job of lubing ANY mechanical device that calls for a light-oil lubricant.

 

[Jamie6.5]

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?

Ever heard of a "snake-oil" salesman?

You've been bitten!

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Have you been comprehending what's been said PP?
ATF doesn't get gummy at cold temps. ATF doesn't leave a harmful residue of ANY kind.

You can buy more expensive lube for your guns that smell nicer, and lubes for your guns that may stain fabric less.
But I SERIOUSLY doubt you can buy one that will do a better job of lubing ANY mechanical device that calls for a light-oil lubricant.

Ummm....have you ever changed old transmission fluid? When it starts to break down or becomes oxidized it turns very gummy. Why would I put it on my guns when stuff made for my guns (which is very heap) is just as easy to find? I pay $2 for a bottle that last me a year. How much are you saving by using something that is possibly inferior? $1.50 a year? Why would anyone do that for that small amount of savings?

 

[Jamie6.5]

Considering that I worked in two different auto trans shops for a total of over 6 years, I'd say I have probably seen as much, or more ATF in every conceivable condition than anyone here,...
Any other questions?
If you have a gun capable of burning/oxidizing ATF-as-lubricant, you have a problem that NO oil will fix.

 

[chemist]

There is indeed detergent in ATF, but its primary purpose is as hydraulic fluid, since that's how an automatic transmission functions, after all.
I too heard about using it to clean the engine interior of gunk, though I've never tried it.

ATF doesn't contain the same kind or quantity of anticorrosion additives as engine oil, because it doesn't need it, sealed away as it is inside the tranny. But the most important thing to remember is that engine oil is basically pure lubricant, and ATF is not.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Considering that I worked in two different auto trans shops for a total of over 6 years, I'd say I have probably seen as much, or more ATF in every conceivable condition than anyone here,...
Any other questions?
If you have a gun capable of burning/oxidizing ATF-as-lubricant, you have a problem that NO oil will fix.

Then surely you have seen it get gummy. Give me one good reason to use it over gun oil? Is saving a buck or maybe two a year worth it? Especially since ATF does not usually come in easy to store and handle spray bottles like my gun oil does. If you say "buy a spray bottle to put it in" you just deleted your only reason for using it.

 

[Jamie6.5]

Just so y'all understand the workings of an auto transmission and the demands placed on the lubricant it uses.
Auto transmissions utilize planetary gears.
The "planets" in planetary gears turn at many times the engine RPM.
So an engine nearing it's redline of say 6,000 RPM generates planet gear RPMs in the neighborhood of 18,000-20,000+ RPM in an auto transmission.
UNDER THE EXTREME TORQUE/FORCE loads of multiples of the engine's output.

If you think for a minute that the lubricant qualities of ATF can be questioned under those conditions, you are badly mistaken.
ATF is chosen for it's extreme condition lubricant properties every bit as much as it is chosen for a hydraulic fluid.
There are much better hydraulic fluids, that expand much less under temp increases for instance.

But none that can take the beating ATF must endure as a lubricant.

 

[nwo]

 

[Jamie6.5]

Then surely you have seen it get gummy. Give me one good reason to use it over gun oil? Is saving a buck or maybe two a year worth it? Especially since ATF does not usually come in easy to store and handle spray bottles like my gun oil does. If you say "buy a spray bottle to put it in" you just deleted your only reason for using it.

Buy all the gun oil you want PP. It's your money, and your convenience, and your sense of smell etc.
But don't tell me that gun oil lubes better.
Just because you like it, or you think it's easier to apply, doesn't make it lubricate better.

ATF doesn't get gummy. It breaks down if you overheat it (450*+ F), but then it gets thin and watery.
The only "gummy" ATF I ever saw was some that came out of a trans that someone vandalized by putting Karo syrup in,...
But it wasn't the ATF that provided the "gum."

It sounds like you are thinking about gear lube, which is completely different stuff.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

Why would I use it? Gun oil is cheap, abundant, and specially made for gun. Why would I look for a lesser alternative? Especially one that will get gummy at low temps.

Well..........I don't believe that I have to belabor the point that the original poster is looking for people with ACTUAL experience using it. If you don't use it, and you haven't used it, why all the talking smack against it?

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Well..........I don't believe that I have to belabor the point that the original poster is looking for people with ACTUAL experience using it. If you don't use it, and you haven't used it, why all the talking smack against it?

Because during the course of the conversation people brought up why someone would need to use it. Conversations evolve. I have noticed no one is willing to actually say why it would be worth using it. It is a good lube, but not nearly as convenient as gun oil. Could it be just to save a couple bucks a year? Could anyone actually be that cheap? Gun oil is is made specifically for guns, it is cheap, it is abundant, it comes in easy to use containers...how does ATF somehow become a better option? ATF is a good "alternative" if gun oil is not available (it is even a good lube all by itself if you have storage space and applicators), but gun oil is pretty much always available and ready to carry and use. I know I have more of it on hand normally than I do ATF. Why would I go out of my way to get it "instead of" gun oil?

I have seen tests of gun oils where ATF (or an equivalent) was used and it did very well, but not better than the gun oil beside of it. When you add how easy to keep in your cleaning kit and how easy to use the containers are why is ATF being considered? Personal preference? Plus, do not get ATF on your wood grips...but you should remove wood grips when cleaning and lubing anyway.

 

[Jamie6.5]

ATF doesn't smell as nice as outers.
ATF doesn't come in cute little bottles with squirty-nozzles or drip dispensers.
ATF doesn't wash out of the waistband of my slacks as easily as gun stuff.
ATF doesn't contain teflon or other fancy additives.

But ATF does a great job of lubing guns, where a light oil is called for. Under all temperature and dust and/or moisture conditions.
I know this because I have used it for same.
ATF does a great job of preventing corrosion.
ATF does a great job of penetrating less-than-optimal surfaces.
ATF is better than most gun oils at resisting dust/residue build-up and therefore helps prevent premature wear from same
ATF is WAAAYY cheaper than the latest gun/snake-oil.

To the OP:
Use it if you like, it works GREAT.

But it isn't PP approved. If that matters to you, proceed at your own peril.

 

[nwo]

 

[Grunwald]

read what it says on a bottle of Break-Free and you'll discover that it's a synthetic oil.
For now I still have a couple of small bottles of it, so that is what I use, but once they are gone, I am switching to a synthetic motor oil. A quart of it should last a lifetime.

To those that think that using motor oils for guns is a bad idea - ask yourself what did they use on their guns 100 years ago? The likely answers is any oil or grease that they could get their hands on.

 

[oa98pistol512]

I use conola oil to me smells like fried chicken when I shoot! lol

 

[PDXSparky]

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?

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?

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.

+1 on these.

Buy all the gun oil you want PP. It's your money, and your convenience, and your sense of smell etc.
But don't tell me that gun oil lubes better.
Just because you like it, or you think it's easier to apply, doesn't make it lubricate better.

ATF doesn't get gummy. It breaks down if you overheat it (450*+ F), but then it gets thin and watery.
The only "gummy" ATF I ever saw was some that came out of a trans that someone vandalized by putting Karo syrup in,...
But it wasn't the ATF that provided the "gum."

It sounds like you are thinking about gear lube, which is completely different stuff.

It might just be me, but it seems that you are taking this whole ATF vs. gun oil thing very personally.