How do you maintain a blued gun.

[just one question]

How do you maintain the finish on a blued gun?


With my stainless I dip a cleaning patch in Hoppes 9 and clean the slide with it. If I do that with a blued gun will it take the finish off? I know I can’t use gun scrubber or anything like that on it

What steps do you take to keep the finish good on a blued gun? I always buy stainless so I have no clue what I am doing with this blued stuff.

 

[ojibweindian]

I've cleaned my blued guns for years doing exactly what you do. No rust, ever

 

[ulflyer]

Gun scrubber won't hurt a blued finish, nor with Hoppes 9. Been using it about a zillion years on mine. I don't use it deliberately on the outside but it still get slopped outside anyway. For the outside I spray on a little G96 or Remoil and wipe it off. Lots of folks swear by CLP. Thats about all you need do in normal climates. I also keep a rag sprayed with the above stuff in a ziploc and anytime I handle my guns, blue or stainless, I wipe them down. Never had a rust spot yet.

 

[k_dawg]

Most general gun cleaners should not attack the blue. However, I would not "soak" it. You do have to be careful about some specialty cleaners, such as copper-removal bore cleaners.

I've used Hoppes #9 for years without a single problem. If its not dirty, any good CLP will work well, and do it in "one step".

 

[XavierBreath]

I'll add one last thing............
On my bench is a couple of chamois rags that are soaked in BreakFree and Ballistol. Everytime I handle one of my blued guns, especially those purty S&Ws, I wipe them down with one of these chamois rags before I put them away.

 

[radom]

Pretty much you leave it in a safe and never shoot the thing, you also never put it in a holster too.

 

[kozak6]

Hell, I just wipe mine down with a light oil every now and then. It's no real problem at all. It's pretty dry out here, though, so you might need to take special precautions in a more humid environment.

 

[big daddy 9mm]

just oil it down once every couple of weeks and it should be fine. blueing is pretty tuff from my experience.

 

[COK]

What everyone else said , real simple - clean and wipe down with a good gun oil and it will look fine for a life time.

 

[Webleymkv]

I don't use solvent on the outside of my pistols because the outsides usually aren't dirty except for maybe fingerprints. I do wipe the outside with light oil though as it erases fingerprints, prevents rust, and makes 'em all shiny & nice

 

[USP45usp]

Hoppes, breakfree, etc.. won't hurt a blued finish.

I wipe my down with a silicon rag to remove the body oils and everything when I clean it and I wipe them down once a month whether they've been shot or not.

You could get really fancy and get one of those safes that has the dehumidifier, a/c, and the built in moisture taker outter (can't spell it) but just common care will do the same thing.

Oh, just so you know, DO NOT store the gun in a holster. Either put it in the original box or just let it sit out by itself. A holster can speed up the rusting action if stored for a long time (especially leather).

Wayne

 

[BillCA]

Most of the common powder solvents won't damage a gun's blue.
Just don't use one of the "Lead-Away" cloths on blued guns - I'm told that these will damage the bluing, but I have no first hand experiences (thank goodness!).

Maintenance of a blued gun is similar to that of a stainless steel gun. For years I've cleaned the bore, chamber(s) and so on with solvent (Hoppe's #9, Rig #44, CLP, Tetra, etc.) and quite a bit slops or runs all over the gun. I also use a solvent soaked patch to clean the muzzle area, forcing cone and top-strap (top & undersides), recoil plate (front & rear) -- or on Autos, the muzzle end of slide & bushing (inside & out) and around the ejection port, hammer/firing pin area. No damage to the bluing has occurred.

Once cleaning is complete, I wipe the gun down with a soft cloth or more patches, old t-shirt, etc. Then lubricate the firearm's internal and external lubrication points (you do know where those are, right?). The final step, with a clean and lubed gun, is to apply 1-3 drops of oil or lubricant (I prefer a good quality oil over CLP/Break-Free) on a patch and wipe down the entire outside surface. I rub down every metal surface I can reach (except the hammer spur and trigger surface) and inspect frequently for "brown" rust stains. Then a clean, dry, soft cloth to wipe the excess off the exterior and still leave a thin film of oil on the surface.

 

[Old Shooter]

All of the above and if you really want a little extra, finish it off with FLITZ. I use it from time to time especially if I'm not going to be using the gun for a while and won't be cleaning it.

 

[Ramcharger]

When my SW Model 19-3 gets so cruddy it wont rotate the cylinder anymore I take her out of the holster and throw her in a can of auto parts cleaner for a few days. Then I take the water hose and rinse her off cuz that stuff will burn skin. Then I wipe it down with paper towels. If she cmplains a just reach back and pimp slap her a few times. When she finally acts right I then lube her by soaking her in a bucket of 3 in 1 over night.
Next morning I wipe her down, coat her and wrap her in a gun sock in the safe.
Its a love hate relationship I know. She is oh so pretty but so high maintanace.
Then again the best ones are.