Caring For Your Weapons
Sep 5th, 2011 | By
Ben W
You trust your weapons to perform when you need them, but can they
trust you to take care of them when they need it? Cleaning a weapon is
easy; anybody can simply field strip their weapons and feel good about
what they are doing, but truly caring for your weapons will keep them
battle ready and looking great for years and years.
We’ve
all seen that antique, rusted-out gun that has obviously seen better
days. Occasionally you also see the showpiece that just couldn’t look
better, as it had really been loved and treated like a valuable item.
It’s these guns that hold value, write history, and show the world that
it was an important piece of the owner’s life.
It’s not necessary to be in love with guns to treat them well and
keep them in good shape; there are functional reasons for the upkeep and
care for your firearms. They need to be able to work when you draft them
into duty.
The level of care will likely mostly be determined by your personal
preferences for the pieces.
- Do you want to refinish the firearms when they become worn?
- Do you really desire a show piece in your weapon?
- Are you a performance geek about your firearms?
- Do you keep a majority of your guns in storage?
- Do you live in a harsh environment?
If you will want to refinish your weapons at some point, you will
want to be careful about the additives and the storage methods you use
as well as the cleaning products you use.
- Silicon cloth gun wipes will make a gun look incredible,
especially if it is a rich blued color—it really makes the finish
pop and shine. The problem is if you try and refinish a highly
polished blued weapon which has been treated often with silicon
lubes or wipes (especially those which are propellant driven-cans of
spray for example), you will likely be spending a ton of money to
refinish a gun that will never look good again. The silicon can
“soak” into the metal, causing splotchy and uneven bluing on higher
polish finishes. On matte guns, you will see an uneven surface
finish. Many times, it is even impossible to remove the silicon
penetration with bead or sand blasting.
- Stainless steel slides which are blued, like those on the Sig
series of guns, should not be cleaned with trichloroethylene (a
spray similar to brake cleaner), as the bluing will not tolerate the
chemical for very long. You will begin to see wearing in places
where there really isn’t a reason for it, and it is ridiculously
difficult to refinish. It is notoriously difficult to refinish
stainless steel with blackener (bluing), as the different alloys
sometimes contain too much nickel and chromium, and in the case of
high-end alloys, too much cobalt. The finish can become very uneven,
and the gunsmith will not be able to do much about it. Make sure you
take this into account when you clean your weapon often.
- Do not use any harsh cleaner on alloy (aluminum) and steel when
they are in contact with each other. This can permanently damage the
gun. Dissimilar metals plus chemicals can cause reactions that will
damage guns quickly and irreparably in many circumstances.
- Never use a de-leading cloth on a blued weapon, and consider not
using a de-leading cloth in the barrel (yes, it seems
counterintuitive to accept this advice), as the chemicals can cause
heavy pitting, much worse than lead. Consider using a wire brush in
the barrel to remove the lead mechanically instead of chemically.
Harsh chemicals are really less advantageous when cleaning guns. It
is better to stick with smart cleaning.
If you are looking for showpieces:
- Try to avoid excess oil, so wood “furniture” (stocks, grips,
etc.) do not become saturated with it. Wood that becomes saturated
with oil will be easy to splinter and will swell and lose its
finish. The color will change in the saturated areas, and the wood
may eventually split.
- Don’t be afraid to use multiple types and styles of brushes in
cleaning the weapon, and don’t be afraid to keep them dry. Utilize
common sense with your choices of brushes and their matching
locations on the weapon. Don’t use a stainless-steel wire-bristle
welding brush on a finely polished and blued weapon; however, it may
be okay to use a super-fine soft stainless brush on certain areas of
a stainless steel weapon.
- If you are ever unsure, get a finer brush or a less harsh
cleaner.
- If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, NEVER leave the parts in the
solution for more than the maximum recommended time or five minutes,
whichever is less. The micro bubbles will pit the metal. Cavitation
is a real possibility with these types of cleaners, no matter which
strength you use.
- Never use any cloth on finely checkered wood. The cloth will
leave lint on the checkering, and the cloth may rub off the finest
points to the diamonds.
- Keep the guns somewhat temperature controlled, and definitely
monitor the moisture on the area they are in. Rust and expansion
will ruin a gun in no time.
Are you all about performance? Isn’t that the point? Yeah.
- Use natural lubes which do not contain silicon.
- Try using molybdenum disulfide or choke tube lube in tiny
quantities for heavy (concealed) contact areas like frame-to-slide
fit.
- Try a two-part graphite lube for delicate trigger parts.
- Consider having important parts plated or finished with a
high-performance finish.
- Avoid dry firing on very fine trigger systems.
- Keep extra springs on hand ALL the time.
- Do not shoot in poor conditions unless you will immediately
clean and re-protect the metal, and make sure that no debris exists
inside the weapon.
- Use very high-tolerance high-quality ammunition when you have
fine chambering or super-performance barrel and chamber systems.
- Opt for a crowned barrel, and be careful how you clean the
barrel on finely rifled barrels.
Keeping guns in storage can cause problems if not done properly.
- Cosmoline will work, but it’s ridiculously hard to clean and
smells horrible. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE THE WEAPON UNTIL IT IS
THOROUGHLY CLEANED.
- Try Boeshield T9 spray. It lasts a long time, is relatively easy
to use, and will protect your weapons well. It is easy to clean and
forms a thick barrier. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE THE WEAPON UNTIL
IT IS THOROUGHLY CLEANED.
- Don’t use silicon sprays or cloth unless you will not be
refinishing the weapon.
- Try your best to regulate the temperature and moisture in your
storage area.
- Check the guns often, but don’t touch the metal, as the acid in
your skin oils and fingerprint residue can cause a lot of rust.
- Don’t EVER store a weapon in contact with leather. The chemicals
in the tanning and dyeing process WILL ruin the finish and leech
into the metal.
Do you live at the beach? The desert? A desert island with a beach?
- Salt water kills guns, even stainless steel guns. Stain-less not
stain-free: high-wear areas on nickel-plated or chrome-plated guns
are vulnerable also. Even aluminum is not immune; you will need to
check often and clean often, even when the guns seem clean.
- Hot weather can expand the metal and the wood on firearms, and
when you combine it with moisture, you are looking for trouble.
- Extreme cold weather can cause problems with lubricants, cheaper
plastics or woods, and even resin based composites, so try to keep
them insulated from the extreme cold.
- Don’t leave mud, leaves, or any other organic materials on a
weapon for very long, and NEVER put it away after being in contact
with such items without thoroughly cleaning the weapon, EVEN if you
can’t see residue.
You will someday need to count on your weapon. It could be at 215
yards with a large buck in the crosshairs, or it could be in the
darkness in defense of your home and family. You need to know it will
function flawlessly, and you cannot keep that confidence unless you take
your weapon’s care seriously. It is simple, and it is cut and dried. You
just need do what it takes to keep your guns dry, clean, and lubricated
in the contact spots. When you need to count on them, they are there—now
be there for them.
©2011 Off the Grid News
http://www.offthegridnews.com
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