WD-40

Though I wont use it I use nothing but Tri-flow

Here is some history on them

n 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company and its staff of three set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry, in a small lab in San Diego, California.

It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out. But they must have been really good, because the original secret formula for WD-40â€"which stands for Water Displacement perfected on the 40th tryâ€"is still in use today.

Convair, an aerospace contractor, first used WD-40 to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile from rust and corrosion. The product actually worked so well that several employees snuck some WD-40 cans out of the plant to use at home.

A few years following WD-40's first industrial use, Rocket Chemical Company founder Norm Larsen experimented with putting WD-40 into aerosol cans, reasoning that consumers might find a use for the product at home as some of the employees had. The product made its first appearance on store shelves in San Diego in 1958.

I can answer this from a car guy hobbiest point of view: It works, yes, to lubricate, and even clean some...but nothing to rely upon as a one thing to fix all. In fact, somepeople reccomend that for cleaning and storing engine blocks...no bueno. And that is from personal esperience. The lubricant is very light, and lasts for a short while. Cleaning wise, initially, it is good. Make sure, as others have stated, to properly clean and lubricate any firearm after such a spray cleaning.

Firearms have different properties totally, with the stuff that the chambers produce. It cakes on, rather than lays like oil related, as in an engine. I myself would never use WD40 to clean any of my guns....as a "Fixall" and leave it be. Short term, its ok.... but clean it as soon as you get home.
Myself? I use spray cans of Break Free CLP.....and for lubrication on my AR, is real gun oil.
YMMV

WD-40 is primarilary a water displacing agent but does have some lubricating properties as well. WD-40 is not a protecting type lubricant and this is why a lot of people end up with rusty equipment after using WD-40 as their sole lubricant and protectorant.

The chemical properties of WD-40 is a trade secret, but its primary composition is kerosene and several water displacing solvents. The solvents are used to thin the product and displace moisture on metal. The solvents are also the reason folks end up with rusty equipment. Not only does the solvents displace water it also displaces oils leaving the metal bare and exposed to the elements.

A couple years back a member on one of the muzzleloading forums I visit did a corrosion test on some 15/16" barrel sections. He had some in the white and some blued and his test used WD-40, RemOil, Ballistol, a home brew non petrolium based protectorant and TC 1000 Bore Butter. The corrosion results were pretty amazing because Ballistol and TC 1000 came out with zero corrosion after two weeks of sitting in the open air garage. WD-40 and RemOil showed signs of corrosion after just a few days and by the end of the two weeks the barrel section treated with WD-40 was pretty bad.

I will look for the corrosion test link and post it later.

rimfirehunter

I've used it for years. There might be "better" stuff on the market, but I've got WD-40 at the house. The "better" stuff is at the store.

If you spay it on your guns, handsaws, drill bits, tools, etc., and just forget it, they will rust. It evaporates. If you sprayed them with something else and forgot them, they'd probably rust too, but it might take longer. You're not supposed to just "forget" stuff. Look at it once in a while.

You'll hear that WD-40 will kill primers. It will. So will Breakfree, 3 in 1 oil, carb cleaner or most anything else if you spray your ammo with it. The cure is DON'T SPRAY YOUR AMMO. What in the devil are you doing cleaing a loaded gun anyway? Take the ammo out.

You'll hear that WD-40 will collect dust and gum up your guns. It will. If you just spray it on and leave it on there. So will most anything else you just spray on and leave there. You're supposed to wipe it off. Buy a rag, find an old T-Shirt, get some paper towels for goodness sake. This isn't rocket science.

WD-40 is not evil incarnate. It's not the best product in the world. It's a pretty good, solvent, light oil, water displacement agent, squeek stopper, and who knows what else. And you've got a dozen cans around the house somewhere I'll bet (Is a can of WD-40 ever really empty?). That other stuff is still at the store.

Oh, it's cheap too.