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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.
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.
