REMINDER! Check & lube your carry gun.

[Hillbilly77]

Edit:

It's that time of year again. Thought I'd bump this up as a reminder.


It's been a while since I posted this thread, but it's still a good lesson for me to remember.
_____________________


A friendly reminder....
Check and lube your daily carry gun in the hot weather.


I've been carrying my Shield in a leather OWB pancake holster, working & sweating, etc.
Today I decided to do a little dry-firing, so I tried to drop the mag & unload it.
I found the magazine release was almost seized, and I had to push on it pretty hard to get the magazine to release.
When I looked closer at it, I found the release was rusted from all of the sweat & moisture building up.

I took it apart, and after a little wire brushing and a drop of oil, it's all fixed and working smooth again.


I just wanted to pass on a friendly reminder to all to check your EDC for rust and moisture during the hot weather.

 

[MichiganScott]

Good point. It's things like this that convince me I made the right choice when I decided that a stainless and aluminum 642 would be my carry gun. Synthetic holsters do offer the gun some protection, but you still need to check them daily.

 

[nawilson]

Great point! Even "plastic fantastic" guns have metal parts that can rust. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[RevTracy]

Great reminder Hillbilly...we can sometimes fall into the "out of sight, out of mind" mindset. I check, clean, and lube my EDC once a month, usually on the first of the month. It is a good habit to get into.

 

[Alk8944]

Good point. It's things like this that convince me I made the right choice when I decided that a stainless and aluminum 642 would be my carry gun. Synthetic holsters do offer the gun some protection, but you still need to check them daily.

Even stainless steel guns can rust! And they contain carbon steel springs at the very least. The cleaning and lubrication of any type firearm does not depend on the material from which it is made.

 

[CatSnipah]

Leather typically holds moisture. Thanks for the reminder to maintain your edc!

 

[vito]

Not just rust, but lint build-up can be a problem. Carrying a 642 in a pocket holster daily makes me almost forget about cleaning the firearm, but the other day I noticed how much dust and lint were in the barrel. I need to get in the habit of cleaning again; I like the idea of doing on the 1st of each month, something I might actually remember.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I agree with the premise that a carry pistol requires daily attention.

On the other hand, there are many people who use far too much oil in and on their pistols. Oil collects dust, lint, powder residue, and other crud that can build up and cause function problems.

A light wipe-down with a rag dampened with oil is usually all that is needed on a daily basis. Leave the piece out of the holster when not in use, and leave the holster somewhere with air flow to permit evaporation of the moisture it has absorbed.

Weekly field stripping, cleaning out the internals and oiling them very lightly will keep everything working properly. Something many people never do is to drop the floorplates of their magazines and clean out the internals periodically (I like to shoot up my carry ammo every 6 months, clean the mags and load with fresh ammo).

Final note: Choose your lubricants with care. Some oils will penetrate, and oil residue in the pistol can penetrate primer pockets in your ammo and kill the primers. WD-40 is noted for this, but some general purpose oils (3-in-1 type, sewing machine oils, etc) are nearly as bad. I like the military grade lubricants, which are probably the most thoroughly researched and highly developed products around. I bought a couple of quart cans of LSA (Lubricant Small Arms, which we used in the Army for everything from rifles & pistols to the M60 and M2 machineguns) for a couple of bucks at a gun show about 25 years ago, and I'm still using that.

One pound tubes of pure white lithium grease can be found at the auto supply stores for a dollar or two, and that is some of the finest lubricant available.

A light coating of Vaseline works great on a pistol's internals and costs next to nothing.

Johnsons Paste Wax works great on all external surfaces, providing excellent protection against moisture, and a single can will last for decades for this purpose.

Bearing surfaces in the pistol (slide and frame rails) can be rubbed with the "lead" (actually graphite) of a #2 pencil, and this provides excellent lubrication without any tendency to collect dust, lint, or other crud. Last time I bought pencils at the office supply store they were about a dollar per dozen.

If nothing else was available I wouldn't hesitate to use a drop or two of good motor oil. It is formulated to provide good lubrication under pressures and temperatures far in excess of anything a firearm is likely to duplicate.

It is not necessary to purchase the high-priced firearm-specific products. There are plenty of good alternatives, many of which you probably already have in your house.

 

[HankG]

When I walk into the house, my Diamondback .380 comes out of the holster and both it and the holster are allowed to breath and cool down to room temp. I use engine STP sparingly on the slide and springs. The warmer it gets the better it lubes.

 

[Tom_R]

Never, never, never store a gun in a leather holster.

The oils in the leather will deteriorate the finish on a gun if stored in said holster.

After a day of carrying always wipe down the gun with either a silicone cloth, a shammy of some kind, or an oil wipe. If you use an oil wipe, then wipe it clean.

Definitely agreed that proper maintenance and cleaning of a quality firearm will enable a lifetime of faithful service.

 

[GF]

Good post and pictures Hillbilly77.

It made me take a look at the Nano I've carried the whole month of June & the first part of July that I've neglected to clean.
It has been wiped down and fresh ammo is in the (new) mag.

I had some seriously green colored ammo in a Mod 60 one time that shoulda' taught me a lesson!

GF

 

[forrestinmathews]

It takes a real man to post pictures of his own mistakes for the benefit of others. Thank you Sir. I have been slacking a bit, but am back on task. Thanks again.

 

[fyimo]

Just a week ago I pulled out my Sig P228 carry pistol and detail stripped it and cleaned and lubed it. It's funny how you sometimes just get stuck in a routine carrying and you forget about simple maintenance which on the Sig takes 5 minutes or less.

Thanks for the reminder

 

[mark32812]

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[hittman77]

It'd also be nice if folks would shoot 100 rounds or more through their CCW gun at least monthly. Always makes me cringe when I hear of someone who never practices or worse ..... has carried a gun for months or years and have NEVER fired it.

 

[SC_Mike]

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Chris642]

I agree with the premise that a carry pistol requires daily attention.

I guess that might depend on the gun, the climate and/or your chosen profession, but I think that's a bit excessive, unnecessary and unrealistic for most average civilians to clean their CCW's daily.

I use compressed air to blow out any lint or dust in my 642, then wipe it down with a silicone treated cloth at least once every other week and it looks and performs flawlessly. When I do add any lube it is usually done after shooting practice, which may only be once or twice a month. I dry fire practice and handle it enough in between to know if there are any issues it may be having.

 

[Practical]

Good point. It's things like this that convince me I made the right choice when I decided that a stainless and aluminum 642 would be my carry gun. Synthetic holsters do offer the gun some protection, but you still need to check them daily.

Remember the steel internals of J-frames can rust. After benign neglect, and NOT opening and oiling the internals they can rust.

 

[686-380]

Yep, cleaned & lubed Bodyguard 380 - Thanks for the reminder!

 

[alde]

Thanks for the reminder. I will do some maintenance on mine this weekend. It's been way too long.

 

[MajorDude]

Wow, that looks like a part that would benefit from a little stainless steel!

 

[labworm]

Hillbilly77, excellent post to remind all of us.

One way to prevent that:

Have your wife do all the work which may make you sweat.

 

[mc5aw]

Hillbilly77, excellent post to remind all of us.

One way to prevent that:

Have your wife do all the work which may make you sweat.

Or simply don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[Old cop]

A silicone cloth is cheap. I purchased several and keep them around the house and car to wipe down my Model 38 fairly often. I run a dry patch down the barrel and wipe out the "hump" weekly.

 

[bearfoot]

it is a knowledge we soon experence, lint/ dirt on the trigger, in the barrel, somehow inside the slide. last summer i was at a friends, sitting outside he showed me how he carried, a expandble belt worn around his chest. a glock/40 and a glock 45 under the each arm.pit, but no round in the chamber. when he put them on the table unloaded/ locked open, i took a look at the sub compacts. they had so much lint/ dirt in the barrels, triggers , slides, that i was laughing so hard i could have fell off the seat. suggested when he fires the glocks the lint might burn his hands. felt bad i laughed so hard, i've know him 46+ years. plus he was embarresed!. hope i did,t stray from the thread to much. the weapons that are used for CC daily, get some grime from the enviroment. HillBilly 77, thumbs up on your thread. thank you.

 

[Hillbilly77]

Just thought I'd bump this reminder now that summer is here.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

Even stainless steel firearms will corrode. They are usually made from 400 series stainless that is heat treatable, and magnetic. Most stainless that is used in a corrosive application is made from 300 series and is non magnetic and very corrosion resistant.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I guess that might depend on the gun, the climate and/or your chosen profession, but I think that's a bit excessive, unnecessary and unrealistic for most average civilians to clean their CCW's daily.

I use compressed air to blow out any lint or dust in my 642, then wipe it down with a silicone treated cloth at least once every other week and it looks and performs flawlessly. When I do add any lube it is usually done after shooting practice, which may only be once or twice a month. I dry fire practice and handle it enough in between to know if there are any issues it may be having.

I think you misread my post. I did not recommend daily cleaning. I recommended a daily wipe-down when putting the piece aside at the end of the day. Takes about one minute to visually check the piece and wipe it down.

I got into the habit of daily inspection and wipe-down while in Vietnam. Followed through for 24 years in law enforcement. The habit stuck and I'm still following the same routine 46 years later.

Weekly I break my pistol down and do a light cleaning. After a shooting session it takes me about 10 minutes to thoroughly clean the piece.

I don't find any of these chores excessive or time-consuming. When I was building houses I took care of all of my tools at the end of every day, much the same way. I try to walk around my truck every day, look at the tires and other equipment, and I check the oil and other fluids every time I fill the gas tank.

If I am relying on a piece of equipment it makes sense to take care of it.

Best regards.

 

[Lightfoot4]

Good reminder. Last year I decided to shoot my S&W CS9 that I had been carrying for quite a while. It had never failed on me. But this time it did. It "jammed" after every shot, with the slide not going all the way forward. It didn't look too dirty, but had enough there to impair the function. Definitely a wake up call for me. I alternate between my S&W CS9 and my S&W 5906, but I now make sure to clean and lube every couple of months or so. Lubed up the 5906 this weekend .... after some plinking.

 

[hkcavalier]

I agree with the premise that a carry pistol requires daily attention.

On the other hand, there are many people who use far too much oil in and on their pistols. Oil collects dust, lint, powder residue, and other crud that can build up and cause function problems.

A light wipe-down with a rag dampened with oil is usually all that is needed on a daily basis. Leave the piece out of the holster when not in use, and leave the holster somewhere with air flow to permit evaporation of the moisture it has absorbed.

Weekly field stripping, cleaning out the internals and oiling them very lightly will keep everything working properly. Something many people never do is to drop the floorplates of their magazines and clean out the internals periodically (I like to shoot up my carry ammo every 6 months, clean the mags and load with fresh ammo).

Final note: Choose your lubricants with care. Some oils will penetrate, and oil residue in the pistol can penetrate primer pockets in your ammo and kill the primers. WD-40 is noted for this, but some general purpose oils (3-in-1 type, sewing machine oils, etc) are nearly as bad. I like the military grade lubricants, which are probably the most thoroughly researched and highly developed products around. I bought a couple of quart cans of LSA (Lubricant Small Arms, which we used in the Army for everything from rifles & pistols to the M60 and M2 machineguns) for a couple of bucks at a gun show about 25 years ago, and I'm still using that.

One pound tubes of pure white lithium grease can be found at the auto supply stores for a dollar or two, and that is some of the finest lubricant available.

A light coating of Vaseline works great on a pistol's internals and costs next to nothing.

Johnsons Paste Wax works great on all external surfaces, providing excellent protection against moisture, and a single can will last for decades for this purpose.

Bearing surfaces in the pistol (slide and frame rails) can be rubbed with the "lead" (actually graphite) of a #2 pencil, and this provides excellent lubrication without any tendency to collect dust, lint, or other crud. Last time I bought pencils at the office supply store they were about a dollar per dozen.

If nothing else was available I wouldn't hesitate to use a drop or two of good motor oil. It is formulated to provide good lubrication under pressures and temperatures far in excess of anything a firearm is likely to duplicate.

It is not necessary to purchase the high-priced firearm-specific products. There are plenty of good alternatives, many of which you probably already have in your house.

LSA is wonderful stuff. SAWs, M240s, and M60s magically became unreliable when the military went away from using it due to cancer-causing reasons.

Not sure I can second your recommendation for Vaseline, especially for striker-fired guns. Gum up your striker channel with Vaseline and you're asking for trouble.

My old man was an engineer for Boeing. When he passed I found several pen or syringe type lube applicators with some Japanese company listed on the side of the clear tube (clearly trade show schwag). Despite being 30 years old they work fantastic. I've seen this type of applicator for the "Gun Butter" brand for almost $10.