Corrosion...........
Check Your Gear
- Thread starter Kanewpadle
- Start date
Rastoff
US Veteran
Always a good reminder; thanks.
Just to add to the reasons why we should check our gear, check this thread out: Shield 9mm slide won't fully cycle
Just to add to the reasons why we should check our gear, check this thread out: Shield 9mm slide won't fully cycle
wingriderz
Member
Check , Check, Testing, Testing. This is not a Drill
Im a maintenance freak when it comes to life or death home defense.
My home defense guns are well lubricated. They have good springs in them, with good magazines, also with good springs. I replace my mag springs at least every 3 years for my mainline guns.
ALL of my home defense guns have flashlights mounted to them. I change the CR123 batteries yearly, so they are never dead and always working. The batteries are still good of course, so I use them up in my numerous flashlights that take 123 batteries.
I'm so anal on battery maintenance that I made a spreadsheet and listed every battery in my house. I check them all every year to make sure none are leaking and I also check the voltage and get rid of the mostly dead batteries. I rarely if ever leave an alkaline battery in a device for 3 years, but if it gets 3 years old, I change it. And duracells are the absolute WORST battery in the business. I've had at least 6 or 7 leaks in the past several years. I now flat out refused to buy them. I've used hundreds of the Amazon store brand alkaline batteries and none of them have leaked.
My home defense guns are well lubricated. They have good springs in them, with good magazines, also with good springs. I replace my mag springs at least every 3 years for my mainline guns.
ALL of my home defense guns have flashlights mounted to them. I change the CR123 batteries yearly, so they are never dead and always working. The batteries are still good of course, so I use them up in my numerous flashlights that take 123 batteries.
I'm so anal on battery maintenance that I made a spreadsheet and listed every battery in my house. I check them all every year to make sure none are leaking and I also check the voltage and get rid of the mostly dead batteries. I rarely if ever leave an alkaline battery in a device for 3 years, but if it gets 3 years old, I change it. And duracells are the absolute WORST battery in the business. I've had at least 6 or 7 leaks in the past several years. I now flat out refused to buy them. I've used hundreds of the Amazon store brand alkaline batteries and none of them have leaked.
Thanks for the reminder, I'm going to check things now. As an aside I check my Ruger LCP (mag firmly seated & round chambered) every morning before I go out for the day. It's something I was taught to do w/my service revolver in '68 and a habit I don't intend to break. Any emergency coming your way will take you by complete surprise.
bigggbbruce
Member
I walk my dog where I need to use my flashlight to pick up after him at night.
Worked yesterday...
Worked yesterday...
ContinentalOp
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Interesting that this thread should pop up now. I carry a Nitecore MT1A in my pocket. Every day I do a quick function check to make sure it's working properly. Well, I recently did my function check and the light was not only incredibly dim, it was shaped funny. At first I thought it might just need a new battery, but then I was worried something was wrong with the lamp. I checked the lens. A dime had gotten stuck in the rim around the lens. I popped it out and all was right again.
Why don't you mentioned the brand so we'll at least have it as a data point?
Since you state being a "maintenance freak when it comes to life or death home defense", I would suggest that you refrain from using ANY alkaline batteries in ANY flashlights that are of good quality, or possibly to be called upon in an emergency situation.
Some have mentioned Eneloops, however, for flashlights that sit unused for weeks/months, waiting for emergency use, I would very highly recommend that you use only Lithium batteries, and keep spares with the lights.
After having many friends bring me their "ruined" flashlights (yeah, I'm not just the "gun guy", I'm also the "flashlight guy", and "knife guy", etc) after alkaline batteries ruined them, and my first question always is "so how much did you save on those alkaline batteries, in that $20-$100 flashlight you just ruined?"
It usually only took one loss for them to understand the $5 or so for Lithium's was a bargain, when compared to replacing the flashlight, not even to talk about knowing that the batteries will be good for years, even if sitting unused.
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dirty & hairy
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Regarding flashlight batteries, I use a NiteCore R40 flashlight that has a rechargeable battery that, in a pinch, can be charged using the usb outlet in my truck. Awesome flashlight with a unique battery setup, super easy to keep charged.
BigNC
Member
I change the lithium primaries that are in various devices and backup emergency flashlights and communications gear on my birthday. Cr123, cr2(smoke detectors) and Aa/aaa lithiums. Other stuff uses Eneloops or lithium-ion that gets regularly tested and topped off ( my dog walking and chicken coop checking lights as well as Edc gear that use 16340, 16650 or 18650.)
Rotate non ethanol gas in my Jerry cans. Check the gene and chainsaw on the first of the month. Check my firearm that gets Edc every time.
Maybe obsessive but I hope to never know.
Rotate non ethanol gas in my Jerry cans. Check the gene and chainsaw on the first of the month. Check my firearm that gets Edc every time.
Maybe obsessive but I hope to never know.
That's why I have more than one. Several in each vehicle. My hunting truck always has 4-5. Several in the house. You can have too many flashlights/knives or guns.
OP
Streamlight. Just remembered that I two Scorpions years ago. The switches quit in less than year. Bad luck? Or?
Who knows. Just bought another Surefire.
Send them back to Streamlight, their Customer Service is excellent, they'll take care of you!
Kronos
Member
I've always got a half dozen lights laying around so I'm never short a source of illumination...I even have a couple LED lanterns 
I've stopped buying expensive name brands and use off brand or unknowns now my pocket light right now is an Olight raider with a rechargeable 123A,next is a Jetbeam single AA light again stuffed with a Rayovac rechargeable AA cell I got at Wal-Mart.
My most used light that I carry with my pocket light (yea I carry two lights the majority of the time) is a LEDLenser headlamp,that kind of light is the best utility light of any kind.
I've stopped buying expensive name brands and use off brand or unknowns now my pocket light right now is an Olight raider with a rechargeable 123A,next is a Jetbeam single AA light again stuffed with a Rayovac rechargeable AA cell I got at Wal-Mart.
My most used light that I carry with my pocket light (yea I carry two lights the majority of the time) is a LEDLenser headlamp,that kind of light is the best utility light of any kind.
Lightfoot4
Member
We had a power outage too. My kerosene lantern fired right up. 
The problem with that theory is that if you have nothing, that's what you have for emergencies. Nothing
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