Gun Oil

FIREClean is the premier gun oil on the market. FIREClean is designed to hold as a gun oil to the highest possible temperatures and provide the best possible lubricity across the applicable temperature spectrum.

In addition to the “wet” lubrication provided by the gun oil itself, FIREClean also conditions the metal deeply to provide inherent slipperiness or lubricity. Even in the absence of visible gun oil, metal parts still slide freely due to the remarkable “boundary lubrication” properties of FIREClean.

A very light, thin coat of gun oil on any parts that are subject to mechanical movement or fouling from carbon or other sources is all that is required.

FIREClean is a new and different approach to operating your firearm. While traditionally the focus has been on “proper lubrication” and “keeping the gun wet”, experience has taught us that friction is rarely the problem on normal metal surfaces in the operation of guns. While this may sound like sacrilege to many, consider this: when was the last time that manually cycling a clean, dry firearm resulted in locking the gun up?

The real enemy of successful firearms operation is heat and fouling – particularly carbon fouling. Carbon is the unavoidable byproduct of powder combustion in the firing process. Carbon adheres very, very strongly to metal surfaces.

It is very abrasive, hence the “gritty” sounds typically encountered with dirty or fouled firearms. Cleaning carbon with traditional methods requires harsh and hazardous chemicals – toxicity to humans, eco-toxicity, flammability, hazardous and potentially explosive vapors are some of the typical dangers. 

Often, cleaning materials must be treated as hazardous waste before disposal. This leads to long-term health concerns as well as risk and expense. Other methods of carbon removal involve scraping, grinding, and other mechanical methods.

In addition to the time and difficulty of using these methods in a field environment, this can often lead to undesired wear on mechanical surfaces or on the finish of the firearm. The other problem that FIREClean solves exceptionally well is lubricant “burnoff” or evaporation due to heat generated in the firing process.

Frankly, most firearms lubricant can’t stand the heat! When you are required to constantly re-lube your firearms, that is a telling sign that either your gun oil has evaporated or has “cooked off”.

Evaporation is caused by low temperature thresholds and the volatility of the substances used. If the gun oil has a strong odor or smell at normal temperature, that indicates that the gun oil is undergoing evaporation.

If the gun oil is “smoking” in operation, that tells you that thermal breakdown of the oil is happening. Either one of these cases will lead to the loss of lubrication, and typically the dried-up or burned-off gun oil creates gums and varnishes that are difficult to remove and lead to jamming.

This is why FIREClean’s gun oil is superior to its competition. Here is how FIREClean stood up to a 3,000+ round review from SWAT Magazine.

180 ROUNDS 

At the end of six magazines of M193, the rifle was absolutely unremarkable. It cycled the same as round one, the bolt showed the same wet sheen as upon application, and just the slightest tinge of carbon was near the vent holes. I am pretty sure I could have convinced any shooter accustomed to military CLP or similar that the rifle had less than 30 rounds through it.

Also worth noting is there was no “spray” or splatter when shooting commenced as is common with some lubes when applied as liberally as the FIREClean was. It stayed put and there was no smeary mist on the eye protection.

500 ROUNDS

When the rifle hit 500 rounds, we took a break to let it cool and checked out the innards. A little more accumulation of soot was on the bolt’s indentation, but no difference in feel and, if I wasn’t counting rounds, I would have no inclination to add any lube in a different setting. 

1,000 ROUNDS

At the end of a solid training day, we had 1,000 certified rounds on the gun. As you can see in the picture at the bottom of this page, there was a little soot, but on the whole the bolt retained an oiled appearance on all reciprocating parts and surfaces.

Again, I suspect I could convince an experienced bystander that the weapon had less than half of the actual round count through it by appearance. The feel when cycling the action was still smooth and wet, just not quite as magically slippery as when shooting commenced.

2,000 ROUNDS

Two weeks and two training sessions later, the rifle was at 2,000 rounds of the 55-grain XM193. The rifle had remained in my sole possession and had not been cleaned in any way or had any lubrication added. The one change was that at 1,300 rounds, I added a BCM Gunfighter compensator to the end of the barrel.

As an aside, the little birdcage prole comp made a dramatic difference in recovery. After 1,300 rounds in short order on the same rifle, it was quite noticeable how much faster I could follow up and how at the rifle stayed. I have used the longer BCM comp on 14.5-inch barrels extensively, but the shorter unit on this 16-inch barrel exceeded expectations.

The rifle cycled exactly as one would expect it to, with no sluggishness whatsoever. At the 2,000-round mark, it was starting to look a little dirty and the oily sheen was visible in spots but not prevalent. 

There was no tactile friction or resistance even when opening the bolt slightly to perform a chamber check and slowly returning the charging handle. This is a particularly telling sign. Many rifles that are traditionally lubricated at intervals and are at this many rounds would sluggishly respond to a chamber check or require an assist to fully return to battery.

2,430 ROUNDS

Seven weeks, six range trips, and 2,430 rounds from lubrication, I swapped the optic from a Bushnell 1-6.5X to my world-travelled Aimpoint T-1. At this point, the rifle cycled smoothly but without as wet a feel to it.

Left to my own devices, I might have chickened out and added a drop or two of lube, but the FIREClean crew reassured me the rifle was good to go. We scheduled a training day to get over the hump with our remaining XM193.

3,000 ROUNDS

Nineteen PMAGs of 5.56 later, the BCM upper was at 3,000 rounds. No stoppages, no pushing on the forward assist to chamber rounds, no drama of any sort. The photo on page 87 shows the bolt’s condition. It was dirty but much less so than other bolts I’ve seen with half as many rounds and steady lube. Cycling the action was still smooth.

There was a slightly dirty feel, but not that dry, with a sluggish feel that says, “lube me!” The carbon on the bolt carrier was soft rather than baked on, and my experience with the oil on other uppers assures me that the weapon could be returned to a remarkably clean state with nothing more than a paper towel.

3,090 ROUNDS

When I looked at the calendar and realized the rifle was six months from its initial and only lubrication, I decided to take it back out and get a quick training session in. 

The bolt was unchanged from its condition and feel months prior as I loaded up the PMAGs with some Hornady Steel Match 55-grainers. The BCM upper purred through three magazines, bringing the total on the gun to 3,090 rounds across six months and eight sessions.

That is pretty remarkable performance. From the condition of the bolt and upper, I would not be able to predict how much longer it would run, but it seems like it could go on for quite a while.

SUMMARY

It is worth repeating that this was an endurance test for data purposes? I would not choose to depend on a rifle six months out and over 3,000 rounds from cleaning or lubrication in an operational setting. It is nice to know I could probably do so, but why tempt fate?

There are over 150 unique firerearms-specific lubrication offerings on the market. I’m not sure many could equal that performance and wouldn’t expect any to be capable of doing so until they proved otherwise. If some can, then it’s all good for the consumer.

The lubrication sector of the industry is fiercely competitive, and plenty of shooters are strangely attached to their brand of choice, their celebrity endorser, or their home-brew mix of motor oil and whatnot.

With many of the latest non-toxic (and typically higher priced) lubricants, you can find a variety of Internet accusations that they are simply this or that repackaged.  The nature of the Internet will ensure these rumors multiply and recycle. I am less concerned with the specific ingredients and formulation of a product than its proven performance.

The latest generation lubricants out-perform traditional ones by a significant margin. FIREClean is at the leading edge of that development.

FIREClean gun oil can be purchased here or on Amazon.  

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