WD-40 for maintenance?

[Bart]

I use it all the time for cleaning, not the best lube though. Some people love it, others hate it. WD-40 is not as bad for you as many of the other cleaners, but still wear gloves.

Why do you wear gloves?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Colin]

Because all hydrocarbons and cleaners are bad for you. My brother was careless with chemicals and now has serious skin problems on his hands. Your hands are the device that allows you to shoot and connect you to your gun, take just as good care of them as your gun.

I used to play with boats a lot, anything good for the boat was bad for you.

[mchaley]

Negative. I have used it and I regret it. I used it on my .308 Remington model 7. It gummed up the trigger and the firing sequence. I'd pull the trigger and wait for SERIOUSLY 2-3 seconds for it to fire. Yes. Not only is WD-40 not good for firearms... it's plain and simply dangerous.

Dont use it.

Also I used it on a bike chain before... i let it sit for a few days and then i noticed it was gummy... I dont like wd-40. Use kroil if anything, that's pretty good.

[user]

It's a good solvent for crud, and is designed to displace water. However, that or any penetrating oil will seep through the barrier between the cartridge case and the primer and foul your cartridge, resulting in unreliable ammo that could misfire. The sticky film it leaves behind will actually retard corrosion, so it's not bad for guns you're going to store unloaded for some time. But you'll want to clean them thoroughly and re-lubricate with conventional oils before actual use.

[bal_g23]

Does anyone use WD-40 as a solvent? I read about people being very opposed to it because it leads to a gummy build up over time, but wouldnt it not matter if it was just used to get all the gunk off and then wiped off? Im not talking about using it as a lubricant, but a solvent (to be wiped off) for the working parts, barrel, and the like. I first got the idea from Box-O-Truth

The box o truth guy says
"First off, let's get the "WD-40" question out of the way. For some reason that I simply cannot understand, some folks have an unreasonable hatred of WD-40 and even say things like "I'd never put that stuff on my firearms!"
I've been using WD-40 as a cleaner/solvent and rust preventative for 50+ years and have never had a single bit of rust or any other problem with it. Maybe it is that some folks don't know what to use it for.
Regardless, it is my primary solvent when I clean guns."

Educational Zone #46 - Cleaning and Lubricating a Revolver - Page 1
Educational Zone #50 - Cleaning & Lubricating an AK Rifle - Page 1

[Rcher]

Back 30 yrs ago or so, there were'nt very many lubricants around that was in an aerosol form, WD-40 was fairly new to the market and we used it for guns all the time. IIRC, WD stands for "Water Displacer", hence the name. I remember using WD-40 on my waterfoul shotguns after hunting and it did very well for removing the debris from the barrel and action and also displaced any water that got into it from rain and just being in the duck swamp. I also remember on cold days, my Rem 870 got real sluggish in operation and never knew why. It wasnt until several years later that I started using Break-Free w/CLP and I never had another malfunction in cold weather. Hmmm, must be a pattern here? Maybe it was the WD-40? Yes, it was. WD-40 is mainly a solvent but leaves a low viscosity oil film on the surface. This also attracts dirt and dust which eventually turns to "gunk" or "grime" and makes things worse in cold weather. WD-40 is a great "all purpose" solvent / oil for many things around the house, farm or shop ... but, do I completely trust it for my valued firearms? ... no, not anymore. Not with the many specifically formulated lubricants designed for firearms.

WD-40 has its place in the world but I think there are many better products out there for my firearms. Is it better than nothing? ... yes. Do I use it? ... nope, not for my guns.

YMMV

[JimH58]

I was advised against using WD-40 for guns by several people who have used it on a variety of weapons. Generally I clean my handguns and rifles then lub them with Militec-1 which has been great especially on the semi-autos.

[rednecksport]

I used to use WD on my guns when I was younger untill my trusty Rem 700 failed to fire, Took it to the Gun Smith, Guess what his First Question was, "Do u clean it with WD-40? Then Theres your Problem" he took the bolt apart, cleaned it up gave it back and begged me to never clean a gun with it again and I havent.And won't

[Colin]

I have heard people tell me of this build up problem, but in all my years have never seen any buildup, but then I also wipe the gun down and then reoil with proper lube.

[TapRackBang]

I couldn't imagine with all the good products out there that are designed for firearms why would someone spray their firearm with WD???

I guess my answer is not only no but.......no

[Tom G]

WD40 is good for water displacement. I've worked in the restaurant repair business for years and the customers would use it on machinery. WD40 would gum up the machinery to the point that it could not be used. Do not use it on your guns.

[ExSoldier]

After reading the replies to this thread I saw none that duplicate this answer so here's the input from your friendly neighborhood firearms instructor as to why you should NEVER use WD-40:

It is a penetrant. Which is to say that contact with the chemical to your AMMO may result in faulty primers so that you experience misfires and you can't tell by looking at them if the ammo has been contaminated! How bad a tragedy would it be if you were using the gun in a self defense situation and your ammo failed because of your choice of cleaning materials? My advice is to stay with products designed by and for use in the firearms maintenance arena.

[jcrim007]

i just picked up a glock 19 the other day, used, and it was pretty dirty. one of the things it had on it was the grip-tape handle tape. i did not want them on there, so i peeled them off. they left behind an awful mess, so i used WD-40 to clean up the sticky stuff. it worked so well, that i used the WD-40 on the rest of the gun to clean it up. since it was so dirty, and i did not want to waste my good gun oil. after cleaning with the WD-40, i had no issues with it being sticky, and it worked well. i DID apply gun specific oil afterwards to the rails and slide, etc... but i think the WD-40 did a real good job for the hard cleanup.

[Tom G]

I have a g 19 and WD40 is a good cleaner for the sticky stuff but it is not a lubricant. If your gun gets real wet it is a good product for displacing water.

[ExSoldier]

worked so well, that i used the WD-40 on the rest of the gun to clean it up. since it was so dirty, and i did not want to waste my good gun oil. after cleaning with the WD-40, i had no issues with it being sticky, and it worked well. i DID apply gun specific oil afterwards to the rails and slide, etc... but i think the WD-40 did a real good job for the hard cleanup.

Yeah.... BUT. The chemicals in the WD-40 are still present and can still penetrate primers if they come into such contact. Since a Glock is primarily used to protect life and limb I'd want to be 10000% certain of the reliability under any possible circumstances. If this isn't the case with you, I'd suggest a move to Las Vegas, you've missed your calling. What I'm saying is: Okay use the WD-40 is you must. But then use GUN SCRUBBER to remove all chemicals so the metal will dry quickly and be DEVOID of anything not specifically designed for use with firearms. Then re-lubricate with approved products.