Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we took a look at carrying with compensators on your carry gun. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to give it a quick read. This week, I think it's important to check your carry gun before the summer hits the northern part of the country in full force in the next few weeks. Florida is already hotter than the surface of the sun, but northern states are starting to feel warmer temperatures, which means you need to check and maintain your carry gun and its equipment. With the rising temperatures, your carry gun will be prone to having more sweat and debris around the handgun, so it's important to inspect and maintain your gear. Let's take a closer look at items to check before summer.
Concealed Carry Corner: Carry Items To Check Before Summer
Clean and Lubricate Your Firearm
One of the most important aspects of being ready for the summer months is cleaning and maintaining your gun to keep it in top condition. Simple cleaning and lubricating can make all the difference in protecting the finish from corrosion. During the colder months, your handgun can become dry due to the conditions and any liquid lubricant being pulled off the slide. Long exposure to sweat and moisture can start to affect your firearm's finish, ultimately causing surface rust or corrosion. Giving your carry gun a proper cleaning and lubricating not only ensures it can function without any issues but also protects the slide and internals from moisture or the beginnings of corrosion.
During the summer, especially during the higher temperatures, I try to clean my gun at least once a month to make sure I have some sort of oil or protection on the slide to prevent corrosion. In the past, when I’ve talked about firearm maintenance, I’ve had individuals comment that my schedule is too frequent and most will do every six months. My viewpoint is I’d rather clean my carry gun more often and know for a fact I don't have to worry about any surface rust or corrosion, rather than less frequently, only to find the damage without any way of reversing the issue. Even a rushed cleaning will only take you 10 minutes or less, with a detailed cleaning not taking more than half an hour, realistically. I think 10-20 minutes of my time is worth the peace of mind knowing my gun is protected and I’m doing everything I can to keep my carry gun in the best possible condition.
Check Your Carry Ammo
While your firearm will always be the most important tool to maintain, your carry ammo is equally important. This is incredibly easy to disregard and not check, since ammo is out of sight, out of mind for many of us who leave our carry guns loaded without emptying them every day. Moisture and debris can eventually tarnish and work their way into the powder charge, making the ammo less reliable than it would be brand new. Typically, I will shoot my old carry ammo and the first time I ever tried to shoot my old carry rounds at the range, I had several failures to fire out of the magazine.
This carry ammo I previously had in my gun for just over three years proved to me that it needs to be changed and maintained every year, compared to every two or three years. Self-defense ammunition is a fairly cheap consumable item compared with the price ranging from $20-30 typically. I will usually replace my carry ammo every year, either on my birthday or the first day of June, just to keep things consistent. I cannot tell you how many people I know who just use the same carry ammo year after year, even if they switch carry guns. They will simply unload their carry guns and reload the same ammo into their new carry gun instead of purchasing new rounds. There are certainly better ways to approach having quality carry ammo, but some people just don't see the dangers of getting moisture in their carry rounds over time.
Cleaning Your Holster
One of the most common remarks I hear when it comes to holster selection is the fact that Kydex holsters can sometimes “scratch” the finish of your gun. That simply isn't true because the Kydex plastic is softer than anything, so it's not possible to scratch the metal surface of your firearm. Now the main issue with holster maintenance is the fact that they can accumulate dirt, sand and debris inside the holster that gets packed into small creases, which will scrape and damage your firearm's finish because there's nowhere to compress or push the debris when it becomes trapped inside the holster.
Given enough time, your holsters can collect so much debris that it will scrape and damage your firearm every single time it creates an uneven wear pattern or grooves into the handgun slide. By far the easiest way is to first hit your holster with a can of compressed air, which will push the vast majority of large debris out of your holster. For the smaller pieces that may find their way into corners or folders, I always take a damp paper towel and run my finger along the folds inside the holster. This will clean out any remaining debris and will keep your holster clean and in top shape.
Overall Thoughts
This may seem like incredibly basic things, but you would be amazed at how many people I have run into who simply don't change or clean any of their gear. Eventually, these are the same people who become frustrated with any issues they run into, which is far more common than we care to realize. Taking a few minutes to clean your firearms, along with gear, or replacing old consumable items drastically improves the odds that everything works correctly.
What else do you guys do to make sure everything works smoothly? Let me know in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.
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