This subject is usually a pretty good discussion starter. Does anyone else use car wax on their guns? As a young lad attending the San Diego County Sheriff's Academy (1971), our senior firearms instructor gave us a tip for preventing rust and wear to our firearms. At the time, we all carried blued, 4" - 6" S&W model 19's. Rust prevention is an issue with duty guns, especially in the 70's before modern firearms finishes. The instruction we received was to use paste car wax on the exterior parts of our revolvers, and gun oil on the interior parts. The thinking was (is) that wax is superior to oil on exterior parts because on wax, water beads off. On oil surfaces, the oil floats on top of water, exposing the metal to moisture. On all of my blued guns, and blued guns only, pistols or long guns, I've followed that advice and endorse the practice. I still have that Model 19, which I carried on duty until the mid-80's when we went semi-auto. With the exception of a few minor scratches and slight holster wear near the muzzle, the gun is in 95% condition, and still has a high gloss finish. It has never malfunctioned, or failed. The only noticeable effect is the wax gets a little soft on the cylinder during extended shooting, such as qualification or competition. The wax, when it dries, has the side effect of highlighting the logo and other engraving, making it look really cool.
Car wax seems pretty good to me,although I have never tried it. I have good sized c&r collection. What I have done for years is use floor paste wax on the wood and metal. I have never had any problems. I guess it's about the same as car wax?
I use rigg on my guns but on my swords I use a beeswax and olive oil paste. I have tried the car wax on my swords but it just doens't seem to last. Nice looking revolver.
A few of us did that in the Army for a short period of time,makes a M-16 shine BIG TIME,but was ordered not to do it anymore too,because of the shine coming off the weapon might catch enemy eyes in broad sunlight,at least that what I was told
Yes. Wax was first applied in May, 1971. It was carried in a duty rig for about 15 years or so in all kinds of weather, and used in competition, including one "this is no drill" discharge. It's been resting in my pistol safe for several years and fired occasionally.
