Looking for a nice gun lubricant to store up on in case feces fly up and hit the ceiling fan, that will pass my cold weather test. I do live in Wisconsin, and even though I'm in the Southern part, it still gets quite cold.
Decided to test just a couple I had on hand, by putting them on a slab of steel and leaving them in the current 10-12 degree temps outside.
I also sprayed some water on them, just to see if they'd lose their cool. I am using, from left to right, Rem Oil, CLP, Tetra gun oil, Clenzoil, & some Full Synthetic 10w-30 motor oil.
I'm about 4 hours in, and this is how they're holding up:
Rem Oil: Lost its cool. As soon as I put it on the steel, it started to creep everywhere. It reached as far as it could before I had to stop it. It is a very thin oil. As soon as I sprayed it with water, it gave me a look I knew wouldn't hold up long, and it didn't.
There is now a very thin layer of ice where Rem oil once sat, and seems as if there was never oil there in the first place. Maybe not bad for giving a room-temperature stored gun an oil down before storage, but not for field use.
CLP: What I use to clean my guns. It also crept a little, but not like the previous, and it gummed a tad after 4 hours, but not enough for me to say I wouldn't use it if I had to. Not the worst, but not the best.
Tetra Gun Oil: I'd be nervous putting too much of it on a rotary Ak bolt and expecting it to get the job done in these temps. It gummed up way too much in the little amount of time it's been out there. It seems as if it turned into a lithium grease while out there, with a film on top. I always knew that crap sucked since it smells like chocolate vodka - yuck.
Clenzoil: Yes I am a fanboy, but I'm not being bias. If I had to pick one here, it's this. It stayed just how I put it there, and it's still slippery like it should be. Whenever I go shooting this is what's on the rails, and whenever I'm done shooting, it's still there and just as slippery, just a little darker. The only problem is it isn't at any stores around here, I have to order it.
10w-30: Also a good one. Just a liiiiittle thinner than Clenzoil, but the same as Clenzoil as it hasn't changed it's viscosity. Not sure how rust resistant it is as most gun oils are, but this isn't about storing guns, it's about being able to use them whenever. I wouldn't hesitate to use in the field.
Things can still change overnight, but I'm not sure how much. A lot of other factors could also come into play, like a lower temperature, heat from using the gun, amount applied, etc, but I was bored and I figured I'd share my results. I'll be sure to check on it in the mornin too, and let ya know if it changes at all.