breakfree clp or militec-1?

James Falor said:
Everyone is right-on about CLP. It kept my M-16 A1 running really well while I was in the Marine Corps and it keeps my weapons running well now. The Corps wouldn't let me bring my A1 home with me so I had to settle on a M1A National Match. Just curious--where do you find the BIG containers of it? I'd like to get my hands on a large supply too. Best--Jim SEMPER FI
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James -

Here is a link to the 1 gal size. There are many kinds (forumulas) of Breakfree. The ones I use are either the "CLP" or the "PCL" (industrial strength).

http://www.copsplus.com/prodnum4085.php

It sounds expensive but a gallon will last forever and it is only about 10 times the price of a dinky little bottle of the stuff.

The old Breakfree had small particles of what I think was teflon in it. You had to shake it good to get the particles in suspension before you used it. Maybe we have a chemist in the house who knows more about it. It worked, whatever it was.

With any good lube you should (1) use it sparingly, a little does a real good job, a bunch will gum things up, and (2) wipe everything off as clean as possible so you don't end up with gunk.

If I'm cleaning something badly corroded or very dirty I'll put some BF on it and let it sit for a day or two. Then after it has a chance to eat all the bad stuff I'll wipe it off and then relube with the fresh BF (sparingly). This is mostly done on skeet/trap shotguns that get lots of use and powder buildup. After cleaning shotguns working on knives is a piece-of-cake! I don't want to debate the merits of any product. Whatever works for you is great by me. I will say that I probably put more lead down the tubes of my shotgun in a week than most do in their lifetime. There is just something about seeing those orange clay pigeons turn to dust that I enjoy. If you have never shot clay targets I would suggest going to a skeet/trap range. They will be very helpful and have loaner guns. Safety is rule #1 at the target fields. I'll shutup know that I'm getting off the knife topic.
 
realisticmind1 said:
I am also looking for militec-1 at stores. Did you find your clp at a big retail store such as sears or home depot?
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got clp at wal-mart.
 
think theyd be anywhere else? (clp) closest wal-mart to san francisco is oakland and i dont want to go through traffic to get there.
 
IntheWoods said:
Take it from this former jarhead.

BF's old formula was a better lubricant than the new formula. It was thicker, and had a slight yellowish tint to it.

Then sometime after I got out of the military ('84), BF changed the formula to the thin stuff we see today. From what I understand BF no longer even supplies it to the military.

The new formula is far too thin to be a good long lasting lubricant. May work well in the lab and may neutralize corrosive primers on older .50 caliber ammo still in inventory, but in the field copious amounts of it are required for adequate lubrication. Remember the whole idea of lube is a film so that rough metal surfaces do not rub together. That's why if you put break free in your crankcase, your car wont run far.

Further, the solvents and preservatives in break free attracts all sorts of crud, especially on a firearm, which quickly turns whatever residue is left into a crusty goo that can be difficult to remove.

Militec works far better as a lube on firearms, will work in your crankcase as well and makes cleaning far easier. Although it is not a solvent. It provides some rust protection.

Bottom line is adequate 3 in 1 products simply do not exist, no matter what the Pentagon wants to believe. They are a compromise product that preserves better than it does anything else (this is actually how the product was developed, as a metal preservative in high sulfuric acid environs).

But BF is an an excellent product for carbon steel knife blades where alot of lubricative qualities are not required, but preservation and protection against environmental conditions is the main goal. It also has many uses around the house.

It is also an adequate firearms lube, although must be applied regularly and often to continue to offer adequate lubrication. And the firearm must be kept very clean.

So what do I use and how do I use it?

I use BF on most things around the house including my carbon knife blades, locks, etc....

I use militec on my firearms for lubrication and use hoppes elite gun cleaner as a cleaning solvent. If I need a stronger solvent I use lighter fluid or a dedicated copper cleaner.

I get Militec from the website;

www.militec1.com

And I get BF at wally world in the spray can.
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The reason that breakfree changed the recipe for CLP was its horrible performance in cold, especially subzero, environments. Handguns lubricated with things like hoppes oil or rem oil are very easily turned into singleshots when temps get very cold. CLP being a universal product needed to meet that requirement. It is the single solution to the .mils firearm lubrication problem. As most here know, universal fits usually dont.

The cleaning part of CLP isnt a replacement for a good cleaner like hoppes #9, its simply a basic emulsifier that by design should leech out "crap" over time. You can clean using it in a generic sense since most powdered residue left on firearms can be suspended in the oil through the act of wiping it one.

CLP isnt meant to run in a car engine due to a handful of reasons. Comparing it to engine oils is apples and oranges. Its the same as saying a brand of engine oil is bad oil when you used straight 5 weight oil and the owners manual said to use 10w30. It is very important that the oil you choose meet the requirements of the job you are requesting it do. Most firearm moving parts dont see the same pressures and cycle times that car engines do. I do lubricate my NFA mac with straight 30 weight oil but theres no way in hell I'd lube my car with remoil. ;)

I personally lube my semi autos with CLP and my bolt actions with thicker hoppes oil. In some cases graphite works well too.
 
If you want to use a little redneck engineering -

You can use Marvels Mystery Oil that you can get an most auto supply places. I have gun owning friends that swear by this stuff. Of course they have air compressors to blow out the excess whenever they use it.

In a pinch I have also used Mobile 1 5wt which will not gum up and provides a decent lubrication.
 
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