Does gun oil go bad?

[Gbirk]

I am pretty sure this was my Dad's gun oil from when I was a kid making it 30-40 years old. Does oil go bad in that time frame or is it OK to use?

Oh, and I see it listed on eBay for like $49, so maybe I should sell it instead of using it?

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[Knobgoblin]

Make a shadow box with some other old stuff.
Cool old can

 

[Gbirk]

Make a shadow box with some other old stuff.
Cool old can

Mount it under the 1950s era Remington 721 with Weaver 4x he just handed down to me. Come to think of it, it probably dates back to when he hunted with that gun.

 

[Stomper]

I am pretty sure this was my Dad's gun oil from when I was a kid making it 30-40 years old. Does oil go bad in that time frame or is it OK to use?

Oh, and I see it listed on eBay for like $49, so maybe I should sell it instead of using it?

View attachment 1432705

Hmmm…. you should take a sip and find out!

 

[ma96782]

Rrrrright.....$49 for that can?



Aloha, Mark

PS....having had the experience of "congealed/dried oil" on firearms. Well, I'd get rid of it. BTW, that was with the oil found usually in those Outers firearms cleaning kits. So, maybe your oil is "different". Whatever.

 

[Gbirk]

Rrrrright.....$49 for that can?

View attachment 1432714

Aloha, Mark

PS....having had the experience of "congealed/dried oil" on firearms. Well, I'd get rid of it. BTW, that was with the oil found usually in those Outers firearms cleaning kits. So, maybe your oil is "different". Whatever.

I am not saying it is worth it or even going to sell, but someone thinks very highly of the can at least.

 

[msgriff]

These go for hundreds of dollars for unopened cans

 

[Koda]

I am pretty sure this was my Dad's gun oil from when I was a kid making it 30-40 years old. Does oil go bad in that time frame or is it OK to use?

I dont think it would... but put a drop on something. If its liquid and slippery use it.

Mount it under the 1950s era Remington 721 with Weaver 4x he just handed down to me. Come to think of it, it probably dates back to when he hunted with that gun.

in that case keep it on display as part of the nostalgia with that rifle.

 

[gmerkt]

I am not saying it is worth it or even going to sell, but someone thinks very highly of the can at least.

Yes, better to look at the "sold" item listings rather than active listings. Those are the real prices.

As to the original question. I've acquired a few guns that didn't work right due to aging out of the lubricants. Oil will turn into a kind of varnish over time, then small moving parts won't. Yet that might be a function of having been subjected to heat in operation. Engine oil is subject to oxidation over time when exposed to air. Sealed in a can it stays good. Your little can presumably isn't sealed against the air but might still be good. Lubing the action in a firearm like we may own doesn't require all that high tech of a lubricant. Like bearings turning thousands of rpm. I would use it; I probably have POL products out in my garage that are older and see contemporary use. Vacuum cleaner induction motors turn from about 15,000 rpm and up.

 

[TTSX]

When gun oil is as cheap as it is for new, I don't see why you wouldn't just buy new. I'm very sure what we make today is far and away better than what was made 40 years ago

 

[Certaindeaf]

The rusty can says no.



Lulz

 

[ilostmypswrd]

Nope, I still have 6 unopened bottles of rangoon oil that my Late uncle gave to me in the late 70`s, and I think he bought them in the 50`s. The stuff is awesome.

 

[Nosferatu]

Only way to know if it's any good is to taste it for yourself.

 

[Knobgoblin]

 

[Jay Walk]

I used up a crazy old bottle of gun oil that my father gave me, never gave it a second thought. It's oil.

 

[rexposeidon]

Yep, I spent an hour cleaning a rifle yesterday with an older can of Hoppe's #9, took me more time than I care to admit to realize that it was the cleaner making the gun dirty.

 

[Boboclown]

Make deep fried chicken with it and find out.

 

[JohnnyMac]

Oil doesn't go bad unless it buckles to peer pressure....

 

[raftman]

It definitely can go bad, such as when it receives a cancer diagnosis and finds that its relatively modest high school chemistry teacher salary is insufficient to cover the expenses.

 

[ma96782]

It definitely can go bad, such as when it receives a cancer diagnosis and finds that its relatively modest high school chemistry teacher salary is insufficient to cover the expenses.

Or maybe he'd die waiting?

Aloha, Mark