Effects of Gun Lube?
 

Hi guys

I am aware that most websites instruct you to use silicone lubricant on your barrel. What are the effects of this? Most websites said to use the oil as it apparently reduces friction, however I read somewhere about a guy that actually did testing on an airsoft gun using, no lubricant, 100% silicone lubricant, and WD-40. Surprisingly, the guy found that using silicone lubricant gave the lowest muzzle velocity, and WD-40 the highest. Do not ask me to cite this, as I read it some time last year, or maybe two years ago.

I used to use silicone oil on my guns, but I noticed a drop in accuracy when I did use it. I then did some more research, and it said to clean out the excess oil. The accuracy was slightly better, but it still took a few hundred shots before any coherent consistency to become apparent.

I doubt it was because of the quality of the silicone oil, because 1 was classic army silicone and the other was AirsoftAtlanta silicone oil.

I recently got a new barrel and hop up rubber, so I was wondering whether or not I should lubricate it.

Thanks!

It's probably a result of silicone/lubricant residue on the hop up and as a result the hop up not working it's magic to it's fullest extent.

As for lubricants the WD-40 would eat at any rubber in the guns. Ttry it one day, seeing it for yourself is the best proof. Go to your local hardware store and buy a few rubber o-rings or something made of rubber and try spraying a bit of WD-40 on it to see what happens.

Anything else would be fine to use WD-40 on (although it's moreso a rust remover and NOT supposed to be used as a standalone lubricant).

I think the main reason they use silicone oil is because oils based on petroleum distillates wear down rubber/polymers, so it would be bad for the bucking to use wd-40

Even having a can of WD40 in the same room as an airsoft gun is just asking for trouble.

LUBRICATING YOUR BARREL DOES NOTHING FOR VELOCITY.

VELOCITY IS DETERMINED BY THE COMPRESSION OF AIR IN A CYLINDER FORCED OUT OF A NOZZLE BEHIND A BB.

FRICTION IN YOUR BARREL IS ENTIRELY NEGLIGIBLE UNLESS YOUR INNER BARREL IS MADE OUT OF SAND PAPER.

CAPS LOCK MAKES THIS POST SOUND LIKE I'M YELLING SERIOUS THINGS.

I'm well aware of the issues surrounding WD-40. I believe them mostly to be theory and speculation though, because at one point in time when I was a noob, I used WD-40 in one of my old JG's, but there were no ill effects that I noticed after a year. I never opened up the gearbox though.

Again, my question is should I, or should I not use my silicone lube on my gun? It's currently sporting a Prometheus tightbore, G&P clear rubber, and an SCS.

Right now, FPS is not my concern, my concern is in regards to the effects on accuracy.

"hop-up" is a system that is entirely based on friction from the rubber onto the BB..

You remove the friction, you don't get good hop-up, that translates into very poor range and accuracy.

:)

First thing WD40 will eat rubber. FACT

Second thing, on the internet only time tested theory is repeatedly given year after year. Yes some remain theory but this remains fact.

Third thing, not all rubber/lube/airsoft are created equal and for a hop-up to last a year with WD40 is not amazing. Minimal coverage and sitting time can slow the effects as well it may be that your hop rubber is less sensitive. But that is key, less, it will fail eventually and cannot be recomended for further use to anyone.

So what's this business of sparring some lube at the BB entrance when doing a cleaning of your gun?

Internet lies
 

Dude its called bad information, happens all the time. Think things through from start to finish. The only way to put a back spin (thats what the hop-up does) is by friction, and the user will want to fine tune this feature. Cover it in slick silicone and the friction is greatly reduced, to the point of being nearly ineffective even when fully set on. How can this happen? Well put silicone down your barrel or in the mag wells feeding tube and you will find it on your hop rubber.

So how can you keep your barrel clean? Use the smallest amount of microfiber cloth and weave it into the end of your un-jamming rod then clean. All dirt and dust will be gonefor the most part so just do a full take down each year and you'll be good.

While on the subject of lube I was wondering how mineral oil would work for guns ?
its what I use to preserve my carbon steel blades
and its dirt cheap

So is silicon oil...

When I get mags brand new I'll put a drop of high viscosity silicon oil down them, load and eject 3-5 mags worth of BB's, and then wipe off all the excess.

Depending on your game climate (I've heard of feeding issues in REALLY dry and sandy areas being fixed by a bit of lube in the rubber) it'll matter what you do/don't lube.

In Manitoba I have never lubed anyone's hop-up rubber and as long as they use decent BB's they do not have a single feeding problem.

[QUOTE=Amos;1220311]
Depending on your game climate (I've heard of feeding issues in REALLY dry and sandy areas being fixed by a bit of lube in the rubber) it'll matter what you do/don't lube.
QUOTE]

I've had feed issues with my mid-cap mags since I got them. VERY dry climate here and yet my solution has been one drop before the mag is filled each saturday night before the game. I tried that shit in my barrel and never again will it happen. I really cannot say that it helped in anyway at all. The only other solution I got was to keep my mags in zip-lock bags... Not happening.

lol @ stalker
and just so you know, you don't actually need any silicone lube what so ever in your barrel, not even to clean it, infact I recommend against it.
Use alcohol or windex to clean the barrel, and every now and then put a drop of silicone lube on the hopup rubber to keep it from drying out.
How this works is the BB never actually comes in contact with the wall of your barrel, so any dirt, oil, leftover lube, built up plastic or used condoms in there will greatly reduce accuracy.
Use very light lithium grease to lubricate your cylinder, just enough to get it to seal really well. and between the air nozzle and cylinder head. That's all you need.

Silicon grease in cylinder!

Rabble rabble rabble!

I was under the impression that the bb bounced around in the barrel. If it never came in contact, then a tightbore wouldn't make the bb more accurate, only increase the fps. Unless you mean doesn't ie only makes minute contacts?

no, it makes NO contact WHAT SO EVER. AT ALL, in a tightbore.
it happens alot in stock barrels on sewing machine guns with poor compression, you get alot of BB strikes on the barrel and it makes this hard plastic residue inside the barrel thats impossible to clean out. I've seen it happen at 200,000 rounds and at 60,000 rounds. But my 249 has always had great compression, at 200,000 rounds I still have no plastic residue in my stock barrel, which means the bb never strikes the side.
In stock barrels that are poorly manufactured, the bb bounces, thats why getting a tightbore, that's tighter (so air has more trouble escaping around the BB), and more consistent (so theres no bumps on the inside wall), makes it more accurate :)
Accuracy and range is all about getting the proper compression, because with the proper compression, your BB stays in the exact center of the barrel, not touching the walls, all the way down the barrel.

Keep in mind that WD-40 is not actually a lubricant it is a solvent and should be treated as such. If you want to clean your inner barrel with WD-40 your welcome too, but keep it away from your hopup. Run a cleaning pad with a light spray of WD-40 on it through, then run clean dry pads through until they come out clean.

Doing so will keep it clean but if you over do it could result in the hopup failing eventually.

Also keep in mind that a barrel has no moving parts it does not require lubrication, just proper cleaning and maintenance to ensure that any residue as well as dirt and debris are cleaned out.

Well, since you say accuracy is more about compression, I am somewhat worried that my gun may be having compression issues. What kind of groupings at say 30-40 feet would you expect running my current setup?

Prometheus 509mm tightbore
Guarder clear rubber
Shredder's concave spacer
And it's shooting at 400 ish FPS (estimate)

Also, do unused bbs deteriorate over time?

Thanks guys

Why don't you take it to a gun-doc if your worried? I know I was more than able to install all my upgrade parts but it did take a bit of time to ensure all the pieces were compatable and properly sealing in the respective places. Some times another set of eyes is the best thing for an amature in the whole hobby world.