Like most of you, I fieldstrip and inspect my EDC (every day carry) gun every week or so. It only takes a few minutes, and every once in a while you might find something that, if untreated, could cause a problem.
For example, many people are surprised to find that, over time, even quality, gun specific oil evaporates. High-tech metal “conditioners” like Militec-1, FrogLube, and others are designed to address this issue. Yet on more than one occasion, I have encountered people who have not done anything to their EDC gun in six months—in one case more than a year.
That particular gun was a Berretta 92FS, and when I asked the student to safely unload it so I could inspect it, the gun actually squeaked like a rusty door hinge. It was absolutely bone dry. I know, I know, most modern guns will fire even in that condition, but why would you risk it?
Another problem is that lint from clothing or bits of suede from the lining of a holster can find their way into all sorts of nooks and crannies of a typical carry gun, especially autoloaders. During one of my inspections of my alternate carry gun, a Smith & Wesson Shield, I went to eject the magazine and found that the release button was stuck, and it took some significant manipulating to finally free it up. After that, a blast of non-chlorinated brake cleaner around the button, followed by a touch of Rem-Oil, cured the problem.
It was a good reminder of what can happen, even when a gun isn’t used. But something happened a few weeks ago that illustrated how important it is to regularly inspect all of our equipment, not just our firearms. I was doing a similar maintenance check on my normal carry gun, and the thought occurred to me that it had been months since I had looked at the spare magazine that I carry on my left hip.
Well, surprise, surprise, when I popped the magazine out of its Blackhawk polymer carrier, it had a disturbing amount of rust on it, around the base plate, the upper lip, even on the spring. I was genuinely shocked. This was not some cheap after-market piece, but one of the three H&K factory-supplied mags I got with my VP-9.
Then it dawned on me. I had recently moved to Florida, where heat and humidity, and the sweat that such conditions produce, are far worse of a problem than they are in my previous residence of Minnesota, or even in my hometown of Chicago.
But even if you live in much colder climates, remember that your carry gun typically sits very close to your body, and usually under clothing. As a result, both body heat and humidity (sweat) are potentially affecting your firearm, as well as with things like holsters…and spare magazines.
After removing all rust with steel wool (including the spring), I re-blued the H&K magazine, which now looks as good as new. Note also that many popular handguns come equipped with nickel or chrome plated mags (Springfield XD) or even stainless steel. These should withstand heat and humidity quite well.
But the lesson is still valid. Since it takes only a few minutes a week, it simply makes good sense to regularly inspect all of the equipment that you may one day need to save your life.
