Product Review: Joe’s Red Army Tier-One Operator Lube

I’ve used a lot of different gun lubes over the years.

When I was a kid, Dad taught me to use plain old 3-in-1 oil or WD40.

They worked for him, because he never used his guns hard. They got wiped down every time they were handled, got field stripped and cleaned every time they were shot, and he had a budding gun nut for a son who was only too willing to detail strip any gun he’d let him handle. Dad’s guns never sat long between uses, and never, ever sat dirty long enough to attract the dirt and gunk that WD40 draws like a magnet.

As I grew older and fell under the spell of a wise old shooting coach and gunsmith who loved all things Remington, I used Rem Oil for many years.

When I bought my first AR15 in 2008, I was so eager to shoot it that I took it straight to the range and shot it, without first stripping and lubing it properly. I just added a few drops of my trusty Rem Oil to the BCG, and prepared to rock and roll.

It turned out to be a very good straight-pull, bolt action repeater.

After I got home and consulted some knowledgeable blogger friends and AR aficionados, I learned when, where and how much lube to use to make my AR run properly, and what products did and did not work. Turns out, my Rem Oil was just too light for the application.

Since then, I’ve used Break Free CLP, synthetic motor oil, Shooter’s Choice FP10 lubricant, Shooter’s Choice all-weather grease, and various flavors of molybdenum and white lithium grease.

And I discovered the obvious: it’s not so much what you use, it’s how often you use it and where you apply it.

Then, at Blogorado in October, FarmDad gifted me a couple of small bottles of “Joe Juice,” or as PDB calls it, “Joe’s Red Army Tier-One Operator Lube.”

I’ve used it on every gun I have shot since, and it’s a slick, smooth lubricant that doesn’t unduly attract dust and grit and doesn’t gum up in cold weather.

In PDB’s column in GunUp Magazine, I saw that his experiences with Joe’s concoction mirrored my own, and I figured I’d share the recipe here with you:

* 2 quarts Mobil 1 10W30
* 1 quart ATF
* 1 pint STP oil treatment
* 2 small bottles of Hoppes #9
* 1 ounce hippie tears

That last ingredient is optional and may take time to collect, but it’s good for additional giggles every time you clean your gun. Well worth it.

At roughly $20 for a lifetime supply, you can make your own gun lube that is the equal of any far more expensive boutique lubricant you can buy.

I recommend it.