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Posted: 12/11/2003 1:52:10 PM EDT
| Just bought a Romanian WSAR (re-converted to proper config) & am thinking of designating it the portable SHTF solution in the trunk. I live in a VERY humid climate & was wondering what steps could be taken for the long term hygene of this weapon. Thanks. |
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I am using a SAR-1 for the exact same purpose (something in the trunk to keep predators at bay). I live in GA, but I have been travelling all over SC, and TN as well. My cars trunk has a tendency to stay damp, so I just make sure I pull it out and wipe it down with oil about once every week or two. If you are keeping a gun in the trunk, it is going to get a little rusty, there isn't much you can do about it, especially when you live in a high humidity area. I think you have made a wise descision in a trunk gun, I was raised with a Winchester .30-.30 and was told over and over again what a great brush/trunk gun it made, but it doesn't hold a candle to the AK design as a brush gun, plus is more of a pain to take down and keep oiled. A pistol grip equipped WASR is compact, durable, easy to use, inexpensive, and most imporatantly reliable. Some folks may advise you to hose it down with the mystery oil of the week, sticking it in the trunk and only cleaning it once a month, I say once a week with your favorite gun oil should be plenty, plus it gives a a chance to function check it just as often. I often find my self on very remote mountain tops and sleazy inner city neighborhoods in the middle of the night, so I find having a handy rifle to be as important as any other tool I carry, and I assure you that I unload all of my tools once a week and clean/oil/repair all of my tools. I believe that many would say an AK is not PC enough to keep in a vehicle, but I have not had any problems, I had a Knoxville police officer stop by the site I was working on late one night (I was alone as usual), and start asking me the usual polite and friendly questions you would expect to hear when you see a clean cut thirty something white guy in the middle of the projects at 0300hrs, as the discussion turned to the safety of the neighborhood, I mentioned that I had a rifle in the trunk, he said that was a good idea, and asked me what I was carrying, when I told him it was an AK47 he looked like he was about to have a heart attack, so I explained that it was a fairly inexpensive rifle, that was far more suited to life on the road than my old winchester he actually looked like he comprehended what I was saying, and said "when you put it like that I guess that is about the perfect gun to tote" he also mentioned something about what a benefit "banana clips" would be if you had problems with the local residents of that particular project. |
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Thanks for the reply... I'm trying to keep a straight face over what might have been a helluva pun in that post. I was also wondering if Vaseline applied to the exterior & tetra gun grease applied to the bolt would "rustproof" it. Another option is to store it under the seat in my car. I have a soft case that fits the rifle like a glove (unloaded). There's not an inch of play horizontally or vertically when zipped up and it has a small velcro pocket that would nicely fit a 30 rd mag. Granted, I'd have to jerk the the case out, unzip, then load, but the plus side is less humidity and I would have access to the rifle from within the car if needed. |
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buy a plastic airtight gun case...such as a "gunguard" brand or a "pelican". remove the foam except for enough to keep the rifle stabile in the case. add a 12 volt rod type heater element similar to those used in gun safes. wire the heater with a quick-disconnect plug and a power switch using the air vent pass-thru on the case. make sure to mount the heater element in such a manor so that it does not come in contact with either the case or the rifle. the heater will not get hot enough to do and damage, but safety first. run a wire from a hot terminal on your vehicle's fuse block (you will find several unused terminals) to the case and equip the end with a matching quick-disconnect plug. i have friends that do this and they also wire the case into the vehicle's alarm system. |
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Ive had very good luck with a bore store for my AK Its basicly a soft, lightly paded gun sack made out of some silicon treated material... no rust so far (couple months) more info here- www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/570349 |
| ...neyt on the gun case...unless you want to open it up one day and find a "fuzzy" AK! I have seen it happen more than once in the type of enviroment we live in. The south has enjoyable weather...if'n you don't mind 90%+ humidity. My solution is/would be is to locate a source for "Cortec" VPCI, or simular type products. They are very common around the off shore rigs down that way. They are used on the rigs to keep the tools, and spare parts from rusting. You will know them on sight as they are a thick blue bag, and yes they have them large enough for a gun....even big enough for motorcycles. |
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Dude: Don't "sweat" it with the AK. Just wipe it down with some silicon lube and toss it in the trunk with a loaded mag. Running an oiled patch through the bore and oiling the internals prior to trunking it doesn't hurt. Whatever you do, don't case it, as condensation will form. If you have an openfaced carpenters tool box just put it in that in the trunk. If it gets rust spots, don't worry, just wipe it off every 6 months. My field AK had all of its finish worn off, had rust stains at the joints, and the wood was almost bleached save for the oil and grease stains. It fired every time. Besides, if you ever need to pull that puppy out of your trunk for real, the only thing your assailant will be hearing is the theme music to Chariots of Fire as he breaks the land speed record for the 100 meter dash. |
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RIG is very good stuff...get acquainted with it. Trouble is, it is greasy...get a dry rag and keep it handy if you use it on a gun that might be needed in a hurry. Cases are not really good, but what to do if you also need some protection for the gun so that it stays in the same place and does not end up with peanut butter...or whatever, Ha!...in the action or bore from rolling around in the trunk? Use something like heavy canvas so that it can breathe or you will be sorry...blued steel can rust in a matter of hours...believe it. Parkerizing will do little to nothing to prevent rust by itself. What it actually does, besides allowing a fast, cheap, dull finish, is to hold more oil, RIG, or other stuff on the surface of the metal, thus allowing better protection than a slick, blued finish. You must wipe a newly parkerized gun down daily for the first week or so in order to see a real benefit. After that, you can slack up some. Downside to parkerizing is that "casual" gun users...like lots of cops I know and have trained...will not see rust as quickly on this rougher surface if/when it does form. The FBI stopped using parkerized shotguns many years ago because of this same fact. Me? I often use my SAR2 as a truck gun. My solution was to "say it with Krylon"...works well, thank you... and I am not worried in the least that it won't win a beauty contest! Like Campy's, it's my little slut-gun. (I really like it, but I would never admit to loving a slut! ha!) |
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Go find yourself an oversized dessicant canister and throw it in your trunk. www.polylam.com/reusable_canisters.htm Good place to start. Id tell you to just throw a 50 pound bag of ammonium nitrate back there, but LE might take to kindly to seeing that with an AK back tere :) |
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