INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF FIRECLEAN AND CRISCO OILS

**Kayback** · 10-06-2017, 00:40

Originally Posted by Wanderin' Zero

People get *soooo* excited about gun lubricants. Yet a gun is an extraordinarily simple mechanical device in the greater scheme of things.

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I never got on the Fireclean hype train because I'm still working through my stock of SLIP.

I have used Breakfree, RAM, high temp grease and some others I'm sure I'm forgetting and all I can say is I don't shoot enough to give a shit.

My 1911 and my AK are currently using white lithium grease. My Glocks and 15-22 are using SLIP EWL and my other guns use SLiP 2000. Why? Because I have a tub of grease and two bottles of SLIP.

While I'm sure at 10000 rounds per month it may make a difference. All my shooting combined I'm not hitting those figures per year, let alone on any one platform.

**AK-Gunner** · 10-06-2017, 15:36

Originally Posted by A-R

...untill I watched the LAV video with the "more smoke" story. Hmm... What a load of utter BS form a well respected authority.

Yes, and the questionable wisdom of the sentence "tells you it's getting sucked out, the vacuum's taking it out the barrel" is quite disturbing. BS without losing your poker face, but then again, LAV is nowadays a pro consultant of sorts.

What I learned when I tested Fireclean, it worked as promised: the gun was easier to clean since the fouling didn't stick on metal surfaces, but it was as dirty as before. My problem must be the fact that I don't shoot inside a vacuum chamber and there's nothing sucking my barrel clean.

I did run into problems after storing my AR and Glock for a few weeks without shooting them: the oil had turned gunky and neither weapon functioned properly. Thorough cleaning, apply some Slip and both have been good to go even if I clean them or not. Fireclean is a nice product to those who shoot every week and clean their weapons after every visit to the range. Not suitable for my lifestyle.

I don't care if my lubricant is made on fish oil or liberal tears as long as it works :)

**Wanderin' Zero** · 10-06-2017, 16:08

Originally Posted by AK-Gunner

the oil had turned gunky and neither weapon functioned properly

Which tells you it is absolute junk. No decent lubricant to do that, at least not within a few weeks.

**Skaaphaas** · 10-06-2017, 16:39

Originally Posted by Wanderin' Zero

Which tells you it is absolute junk. No decent lubricant to do that, at least not within a few weeks.

At Finnish temperatures? I think some we use may actually do that.

**Wanderin' Zero** · 10-06-2017, 17:09

Originally Posted by Skaaphaas

At Finnish temperatures? I think some we use may actually do that.

Fair point but even so, it should not happen unless you are storing your guns outdoors… But AK-gunner's note leads me to understand that it is not a temperature -related issue he is referring to but rather a product related issue. I could be wrong though – perhaps he will clarify.

Interestingly, during World War II on the Eastern front, the Germans often fired their machine guns at regular intervals in order to keep them from freezing up.

**Kayback** · 10-06-2017, 17:10

Originally Posted by Skaaphaas

At Finnish temperatures? I think some we use may actually do that.

Froglube was advertised to do just that wasn't it? Be gunky to not run off important parts during storage and to melt and slide during use?

**Wanderin' Zero** · 10-06-2017, 17:19

But not so as to stop the gun working... One hopes.

Thixotropuc grease is sold in 20 litre buckets. Its a grease but turns into an oil under pressure. There's an existing automotive or industrial lubricant for every application you can possibly think of.

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**AK-Gunner** · 10-06-2017, 17:45

Originally Posted by Wanderin' Zero

But AK-gunner's note leads me to understand that it is not a temperature -related issue he is referring to but rather a product related issue.

Correct. The guns were stored in a safe in room temperature. I've heard from multiple sources that Fireclean doesn't work as a preservative for its tendency to gunk up the gun. About Froglube: if you see gunks of it, you've applied too much. Haven't tried Froglube, but there was a short initial hype but the product is now mysteriously disappeared from the shelves...

The reason Germans fired their weapons was condensation which would've frozen the guns up unless you kept their parts moving. Not so much a lubrication issue.

**Skaaphaas** · 10-06-2017, 18:04

I've been using Fireclean on my 17 for about a year and half now. I've only cleaned it once, in December. I haven't shot it much this year, to be honest, but it hasn't gunked up on me yet.

Even so, I cannot really comment on it. My 17 has run well with Ballistol, EWG, Vaseline, and Fireclean, so nothing new is happening.