Keeping Your Guns Rust Free

Living in the disgustingly humid state of Florida (where just the other day it was 111 degrees), anything here tends to rust.  From the humidity to my acidic sweat, if it’s metal and I touch it, it will tarnish or rust.  For me, it doesn’t matter with the brand: Mossberg, Ruger, Mosin, SCCY, Smith and Wesson, Taurus, and my AK have all rusted.  The only things that have not are my snub nosed S&W 19-3, and my Russian SKS (which is a factory refurb, and whatever black paint they coated it in will not let any rust develop.)

Anyway, back to the point at hand.  I really started to look into the rust issue when my Mosin Nagant was turning brown/orange.  I looked online for a wonder product, ordered something on a whim, and I am pleased!

Before you attack any firearm with the methods suggested, if your rust is bad, and your firearm comes with a lifetime warranty, look into sending it back.  I have had rust issues with my M&P9 and CPX-2 and both Smith and Wesson and SCCY took care of it without a cent out of my pocket.  (SCCY Warranty Review)

Fortunately, I have only had to deal with surface rust, and minor pitting from more extreme rust.  Before you treat your firearm for rust prevention, you need to get the rust off first.  I use Hoppe’s 9 Bore Cleaner.  This tends to dig in a little more to get the rust off, but is still safe enough for most firearm finishes, plus it smells great.  Put some on a cotton gun patch, and wipe the rusted areas down.  I would change the patches frequently, because the last thing you want to do is push the rust around.

After you have gotten all the rust off, I would wipe the firearm down with a microfiber cloth to try to get the firearm as dry as possible.  Do one more pass with the Hoppe’s to check again, and wipe it down one more time.

Here is where the magic happens.  Now that your rust is gone, how do you protect it?  RIG Universal Gun Grease!  This stuff is amazing!  Coat your ENTIRE firearm with this (the metal parts) with a thin layer.  This stuff really does a great job at keeping rust away.  Simply apply some to a clean cotton patch, and coat your firearm.  Make sure you get the nooks and crannies, as well as slide serrations and other places you typically touch.  Avoid touching any of the coated metal after until you need to.

If you plan on taking the gun to the range, wipe if down with a microfiber towel first, and then make sure to reapply it after you are done cleaning it.

I even have a layer on my carry guns, while they are being carried.

If you are storing them, make sure they are in a cool (air conditioned) and dry place.  If possible, avoid hard cases with foam linings as they may trap in moisture and speed up the rust process.  RIG isn’t going to work forever, so you need to take care with proper storage and handling after.

Never touch a firearm without wiping it down.  Sweat and oils in your hands and fingers can destroy finishes in certain situations.  Always wipe down and coat them with RIG.

To sum up:

• See if your rust is covered under warranty
• Remove rust with Hoppe’s 9 Bore Cleaner if light enough
• Coat with RIG Universal Gun Grease once rust is removed
• Store in cool, dry place
• Wipe down and recoat after handling firearm for best results
• Reapply RIG after cleaning from the a range visit

These steps should keep you rust free.  It has worked wonders with my Mosin.  It’s been rust free for a while now.  I use this method with all of my firearms, even the ones that have remained rust free from the start (like my SKS), but the method works, and I hope it works for you!

Like what you read?  Don’t forget to check us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!  Thanks for stopping by!

Read more »

Donald Trump on Firearms

There has been quite a buzz recently about Donald Trump announcing that he will be running for president.  As you probably would have guessed by now, your author is a fan of the Second Amendment.  I like guns, I like thirty round magazines, and I like carry permits.

I openly support the Second Amendment, and anyone running for President of the United States (or any political office) should have a similar view that I do on the subject for the greatest chance of a vote from me.  So where does Trump stand on this issue?  Well, it depends where you look, and when he spoke.  There seems to be some conflicting views.

Trump has toyed with the idea of running for president a few times now.  One of said times was back in 2000 where Trump did say some pretty specific things about firearm rights:

It’s often argued that the American murder rate is high because guns are more available here than in other countries. After a tragedy like the massacre at Columbine High School, anyone could feel that it is too easy for Americans to get their hands on weapons. But nobody has a good solution. This is another issue where you see the extremes of the two existing major parties. Democrats want to confiscate all guns, which is a dumb idea because only the law-abiding citizens would turn in their guns and the bad guys would be the only ones left armed. The Republicans walk the NRA line and refuse even limited restrictions. I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I also support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun. With today’s Internet technology we should be able to tell within seventy-two hours if a potential gun owner has a record.

Technically, this really isn’t so bad.  First off, he doesn’t say there will be a confiscation, and probably one of the most eye open statements is the fact that he realizes that criminals would never turn them in anyway.  Holy cow!  Someone actually realizes that this kind of stuff only affects law abiding citizens?

He also talks about the support of the assault weapons ban.  This was during a time when such a ban was in play.  Today, this is pretty much seen as a dark period in the Second Amendment history.  This was a long time ago, and firearms activists have taken a big step in the forward direction of defending our Constitutional right, so I am not sure if we will see something like this again (at least not on the scale of the Clinton Ban).

The waiting period point he makes again seems archaic in today’s world.  Background checks take a matter of minutes.  Waiting periods really have no point to me when in states like Florida, I can walk in a store with cash and out with an “evil black rifle” after passing a background check, but if I wanted to buy a .22LR target pistol (and didn’t have my concealed carry permit), I would have to wait three days.  I too am for background checks, but not waiting periods.

In 2012, Emily Miller of the Washington Times interviewed Trump, and he again stated that he has a concealed carry permit that’s effective in New York City.  This really does not mean too much.  He’s ridiculously rich, and people like that tend to have an easier time getting permits in the “un-free” states.  However, the fact that he is open about it shows he is not exactly against them.

It is however next to impossible to get concealed carry permits in New York and New Jersey.  I was talking to an ex New Jersey cop I know, and I asked him what it would take to get a concealed carry permit there.  Now, in New Jersey, to get a permit you have to be over twenty-one, pass a background check, and you must show “justifiable need” to have one.  My friend pretty much said this: “To get a permit, you have to basically be carrying millions of dollars worth of uncut diamonds at night every night.  Even at that, a judge will say that with that kind of money, you can hire armed body guards, and you won’t get one.”

Anyway, back to the matter at hand.  Fast forward to 2015… We all remember the very unfortunate terrorist attack on Paris in January.  Trump actually had some very interesting comments to say about the issue that he tweeted to the public such as, “If the people so violently shot down in Paris had guns, at least they would have had a fighting chance.”  Also, “Isn’t it interesting that the tragedy in Paris took place in one of the toughest gun control countries in the world?”  These tweets (naturally) were taken negatively by many people.  Then again, is that surprising?

So, what about now?  What about today when he actually announces that he is running for the Oval Office?  Let’s start off with him saying, “Fully support and back up the Second Amendment.”  He goes on to talk about the two criminals who recently escaped from prison:

Now, it’s very interesting. Today I heard it. Through stupidity, in a very, very hard core prison, interestingly named Clinton, two vicious murderers, two vicious people escaped, and nobody knows where they are. And a woman was on television this morning, and she said, “You know, Mr. Trump,” and she was telling other people, and I actually called her, and she said, “You know, Mr. Trump, I always was against guns. I didn’t want guns. And now since this happened” — it’s up in the prison area — “my husband and I are finally in agreement, because he wanted the guns. We now have a gun on every table. We’re ready to start shooting [in self defense].”

I said, “Very interesting.”

So protect the Second Amendment.”

Now, of course this was a very fast statement for an important topic to many.  Many politicians have said in the past that they aim to protect the Second Amendment, but only with the firearms they see as reasonable to own, or the magazines they think are fair, and so on.  Does Trump mean this?  He did use the word “fully”.  Regardless, Trump is a very skilled negotiator, and knows how to get what he wants.  Now, add politician to that mix, and we all know how that goes.

All in all, it seems like Trump is now all for firearms.  Though, is he saying that now for support, because he didn’t sound as supportive in 2000?  Again, times have changed, and so far, I like the views he has regarding the Second Amendment.  Let’s see where Donald Trump goes with this as time continues.

Read more »

Dos and Don'ts of Pocket Carry

Concealed carry is a great thing, and there are many methods and ways of accomplishing it.  If you have a smaller firearm, a great method is carrying in your pocket.  However, there are certain things you should do, and certain things you should avoid for the safest, most practical, and most effective experience when carrying in your pocket.

Know Your Firearm

First thing is first: no matter how you plan on carrying, know what you’re carrying.  You must train with your carry firearm to be most effective.  Now, I don’t mean run a timed course or fire thousands of rounds with your firearm.  Know the recoil, know how to reload quickly, know how to clean it, and so on.  Carrying something you are unfamiliar with may work against you in the event you ever needed to use it.

Pick the Right Holster

Picking the right holster is everything for carrying.  When it comes to pocket carry, there are some different things to keep in mind when selecting the right holster.  A holster does not have to be made specifically for your firearm.  When I carry in my pocket, I carry my SCCY CPX-2.  It’s pretty large in terms of pocket guns.  Normally I avoid “cheap, one-size-fits-all” holsters, but for me, I have found that a low cost brand, size four pocket holster works great for my SCCY.  I picked it up for ten dollars at Walmart.  (Note: one-size-fits-all may work for pocket carry, but I would never suggest that type of holster for any other method of carry).

After you have found the holster that your firearm fits, it MUST meet three criteria:

1. The holster must cover the entire trigger
2. It must keep your firearm upright
3. It must fit tightly enough around the firearm to keep foreign object out

Let’s take a look at these in more detail…

Make Sure the Trigger Is Covered

This one should be pretty straight forward.  It is very common for handguns to not have safeties on them.  However, safety or not, the trigger is what makes the firearm go bang.  You never want to have any part of it exposed inside your pocket.  If anything gets snagged around it, you could open up a hole in your leg the next time you sit down.  Worse, you could injure someone else if the firearm discharges.  Having the right sized holster for the job helps with this.

Make Sure Your Firearm is Upright

The orientation of your firearm is also very important to keep in mind.  You always want it pointed down (following your leg).  This is important for a clean draw, and safety.  If you ever needed to draw your firearm defensively, you want to make sure your hand grasps the grip right away.  If you grab any other part and need to spin it around when you remove it from your pocket, it may be too late.

When it comes to safety, if something does ever work its way around the trigger, you’d rather have that pointed down away from vital organs.

Keep Your Pockets Empty

I have mentioned keeping your trigger covered and proper firearm orientation.  These must be followed, but to be even better off, don’t have anything else in your pocket besides your firearm and its holster.  Having anything else in your pocket could be dangerous if it works its way into the holster.  Also, it may hinder you from getting a quick draw on your firearm if you ever needed to.  It’s also just a good way to keep your firearm free from scratches and marks from whatever else is in your pocket.  The only other thing I keep in the same pocket is a simple knife that I am very familiar with.

Wear the Right Pants – Don’t Print or Expose

If you can’t fit your firearm in your pocket, don’t try.  Get a smaller firearm, or different pants.  One, you need to be able to get your hand in quickly to get to your firearm; two you could break some very serious laws if you print or expose.

“Printing” a firearm means when you have it concealed, your clothes press against the firearm, and you can see the outline of it.  In some states, this is perfectly legal.  In other states, you could be in serious trouble.  Legal or not, this also lets people with a trained eye know that you have a firearm, which could make you a target.

Exposing a firearm could be even more serious than printing.  If your firearm is too big and you have part of it hanging out of your pocket, you have just gone from concealed carry to open carry.  Again, in some states, this may be fine.  In others, you may be charged with a felony and you won’t have to worry about this issue again, because you’ll no longer be able to carry legally.

Keep Your Firearm Clean

Keeping your firearm in your pocket will quickly expose it to pocket fuzz, dirt, sand, and whatever else.  While this will not bother most firearms in moderate amounts, you never want to take the risk.  If you carry daily in your pocket, I would suggest cleaning your firearm about once per month, even if you don’t shoot it, just to be on the safe side.  For anyone who carries a SCCY, you will be pleased to know that I did an extreme test on this, and it fired just fine: SCCY CPX-2 Pocket Lint Test.

Be Safe, and Be Legal

Finally, use common sense and obey the law.  Be safe and follow what I have mentioned above.  Also, DO NOT carry a firearm in your pocket (or anywhere concealed) without a concealed carry permit that is valid in whatever state you happen to be in.  Check with all local laws (or other state laws if traveling) before carrying a firearm.  One mistake could cost you your freedom, or physically harm you or another.

Read more »