How to protect finish of gun?

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kazaam

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Is there anything I should put on the outside of the gun to protect its finish (stainless p226)? I see some people use silicon wipes to wipe off and protect the finish of their gun, but the item description of those wipes also says it polishes the gun. I definitely don't want the matte finish to be polished. :eek:

Any advice? Thanks!
 
I don't like silicon anything on, or in my guns. That includes silicon gun socks, WD-40, or those silicon wipes.

I just leave a nice coat of rem-oil on my guns, and wipe it off and out of my gun when I want to shoot it. Any (gun) oil will work, and most motor oils, if all you are doing is keeping it rust free. I like rem-oil, simply because it is an aerosol.

Some stainless steels will rust, I don't know about that specific Sig, but I have seen stain "less" 10/22 barrels with a nice film of rust on them...

You don't need to really worry about those silicon wipes actually polishing anything that isn't supposed to be polished, it usually means that you can scrub some light dirt/grime off with the cloth.
 
I keep a piece of flannel hanging inside my safe. I occasionally spray it with Rem oil. I use it to wipe down any gun I have handled.
 
ColtPytonElite,

Never thought of hanging an oily rag like you mentioned....but it's a very good idea. Sure beats messing with a rag in a Baggie.....I learned something new today!....thanks....:)
 
Tennjed, the problem with paste wax is that it instantly washes away from exposure to any sort of solvent. And it can also be rubbed away. It's not a "self healing" coating like a thin film of oil can be.

An oily rag as suggested by a few so far is all that is needed. The metal surface doesn't need to look "wet" to be protected. Even the thinnest of oil films will do the job.
 
Renaissance Wax. It will not alter your matte finish. Do a Google search on it, it is very popular for protecting the finish on your guns. It's what the NRA museum uses.
 
BCRider said:
Tennjed, the problem with paste wax is that it instantly washes away from exposure to any sort of solvent. And it can also be rubbed away. It's not a "self healing" coating like a thin film of oil can be.

An oily rag as suggested by a few so far is all that is needed. The metal surface doesn't need to look "wet" to be protected. Even the thinnest of oil films will do the job.
Click to expand...

I reapply mine after I clean them so that takes care of the solvent issue. If applied properly it will not rub off with normal use.
 
By far, the best method of protecting your finish is periodic, routine cleaning, which includes wiping down the exterior of your weapon as the final step.

If you go target shooting, clean your weapon before storing it.

If you to hunting, clean your weapon before storing it.

If you carry (open or concealed), carry it in a proper holster. Get into the habit of wiping the gun down periodically after removing it.

The final wipe down of any weapon I have when I clean it uses a cloth lightly oiled. When I carry, I may not wipe the gun down with an oiled cloth every day when I remove it, but I will wipe exposed surfaces on the gun with a clean cloth to remove residue from body sweat or finger contact. A lightly oiled cloth every few days works fine under most circumstances.

Routinely carried firearms (open/concealed) don't generally need much more than common sense wipedowns for general cleanliness. But any steel weapon, even stainless steel to some extent, needs to have body sweat residues and finger/hand print residues removed periodically.
 
I use the same thing NacsMXer, I've used that for about 5 years now! One doesn't have to slather it on, just a small amount on a rag, wipe all metal with it, then an old Tshirt to wipe the small amount off, good to go. Sure makes that Python shimmer in the sunlight.
 
Is there anything I should put on the outside of the gun to protect its finish (stainless p226)? I see some people use silicon wipes to wipe off and protect the finish of their gun, but the item description of those wipes also says it polishes the gun. I definitely don't want the matte finish to be polished

It absolutely depends on where you live.

What is the humidity and salt level in the air in the area you live? Coastal areas requires a higher level of care than the midwest. I have a S&W 66 for over 30+ (35) years that I have never treated with a rust preventative/oiling without a speck of rust.

On the other hand I deliberately abused a loaded stainless steel handgun years ago by leaving it in the trunk of my car for a year. 90 - 100 degree summer days and below zero winter days. At the end of the year I test fired it and three rounds would not fire. The gun had three small places the size of pin head of rust that had created a pit. The gun was completely functional with fresh ammo and the rust was easy rubbed off.

Compare this to a carbon steel blued Llama 45 Auto that was left in the trunk of the car. It was 75 - 80% rusted on the exterior. We had it bead blasted and reblued and used it for a range rental. Still looked like crap but it was entirely functional after we blew the rust off.
 
You have to be careful with paste wax - make sure it has no abrasives in it and that it is PH neutral. Renaissance Wax is a gentle wax.

I started using Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Paste Wax for the exterior of the Glock slide. Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Paste Wax is fairly oily, it also is PH neutral and has no abrasives in it.

I waxed the slide on my G34 and I like it. It is easier to cycle the slide than if it had a light coat of oil on it. And it's more protected than if the slide were wiped completely dry.

The way I do this though is that I put a light coat of fairly thick oil on it first. I use Halvoline SAE 50 on the outside of the slide - just basically wiping down the slide with it. Then I wrap the pistol in cloth and let it sit over night. The next day I give it a wipe down with a dry cloth so I can't see the oil. The oil is still there... you can smell it and you can feel it with your fingers... it is in the pores of the finish. But anyway, then I apply the wax. The wax takes longer to dry because it's not being applied to a painted surface with a clear coat finish - it's being applied to a surface that's been oiled. So anyway the wax probably takes three times as long to dry as it would on a car, but it does dry. maybe the wax is acting as a wick to evaporate the chemicals in the oil that would dry up over time - I don't know. But anyway, I then polish it out with a cotton cloth and my slide has a fairly hydrophobic coating on top of the gun's finish.

If I'm not going shooting for a while, I'll put another coat of wax on it.

Here's a picture of my Glock 17L with a few coats of Meguiar's Gold Class on it.

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Give the exterior a squirt of something like Birchwood Casey's "Barricade" when you put it away and it'll stay like new.

It's been keeping all my guns - blued, parkerized, stainless, whatever - rust free for about 20 years. I also use it on my tools that I keep in the boat. There's not many places more humid than here (southern Louisiana).
 
kazaam said:
Is there anything I should put on the outside of the gun to protect its finish (stainless p226)? I see some people use silicon wipes to wipe off and protect the finish of their gun, but the item description of those wipes also says it polishes the gun. I definitely don't want the matte finish to be polished.
Click to expand...

This forum turned me on to Rig Grease and the Rig Rag.

Rig +P for Stainless.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/935946/rig-p-stainless-steel-gun-lubricant-1-1-2-oz-tube

Regular Rig
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/857072/rig-universal-gun-grease-1-1-2-oz-tube

Rig Rag
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/291010/rig-rag-universal-grease-applicator
 
I don't see a Glock being a good example of being protected from rust or not...I have carried one as a duty weapon for over a decade and have never applied any rust preventative to it and have no rust. It gets wet often and drip dries in the holster, too...The metal finish on a Glock needs very little if any extra care.
 
45_auto said:
Give the exterior a squirt of something like Birchwood Casey's "Barricade" when you put it away and it'll stay like new.

It's been keeping all my guns - blued, parkerized, stainless, whatever - rust free for about 20 years. I also use it on my tools that I keep in the boat. There's not many places more humid than here (southern Louisiana).
Click to expand...

Agree wholeheartedly with 45_auto, I use Barricade on everything I own, from my 2 day old Beretta Nano to my grandfather's 80 year old Browning Auto-5. Love this stuff and recommend it to everyone.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk 2
 
I have used Break Free CLP ever since it came out.

It works VERY well.

A good thick application wiped on thoroughly, let sit for about half an hour, wipe off excess.
 
For a satin finish stainless pistol, the main thing would be to prevent abrasion and marring, so a good means of storing and transporting it would be a good idea.
 
For a satin finish stainless pistol
Click to expand...

StainLESS, not stainNONE.

The chloride in your sweat is hard on the grades of stainless used to make guns.

They still need a film of oil.
 
Don't worry, I have plenty of oil at the ready in the event any of my stainLESS pistols show signs of corrosion.
 
I assumed he was asking about finely crafted firearms made out of blued steel and walnut?
Somehow I can't come to grips with that pic of the waxed Glock.:)
 
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