Posted: 1/8/2015 9:43:27 AM EDT
Like many people, I have a dedicated car gun. My M&P45c spends 99% of its time in my glove box year-round. Here in Michigan, it gets pretty damn hot and humid during the summer and we always hit sub-zero temperatures in the winter, so I'm wondering if you guys have any recommendations for maintenance (or if it's really necessary) for a weapon that lives in those conditions. I've done a little research but most articles about guns in the cold deal with weapons that spend a day or two in the elements and then go back inside (ex: hunting or hiking). The twist (and there is a twist) is that a TLR-1s also rides on it. So I'm also open to thoughts on light/battery maintenance.
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Just lube it every month or so and do a light cleaning, and test your lube during one of these very cold days to make sure it doesn't hinder the performance of your firearm in the extreme cold (Frog Lube will freeze a gun up at extreme temperatures). Check any carbon steel parts and fasteners for rust weekly. Check stainless parts when you clean it.
I would be more concerned about the ammo and batteries than the pistol as long as the internal parts and fasteners are lubed good since it's a polymer gun in this case. Extreme temperature shifts can affect the ammo pretty dramatically (I read that .38 spl in certain loads does not perform well if iit's very cold because the round is already on the velocity threshold for proper expansion, and the temperature is enough of a variable to drop the velocity under the critical velocity for reliable expansion). Also it gets over 140 degrees in a vehicle in the summer. Extremely hot rounds (temperature wise) will have more pressure, and if you're already running hot ammo (loading wise), it will be enough to increase wear at the very least. Radical shifts also has associated moisture. If you leave a bottle of vodka in a car for a week during the summer it will give you alcohol poisoning. Leave a bottle of water and it will leech chemicals from the plastic. A lot of people leave guns in cars, but not that many end up having to use them, so we probably aren't aware of all the potential problems that could arise given the right circumstances. |
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I'd look into a dry graphite lube in the winter as grease and oil will freeze up potentially causing problems.
In the summer go to grease as CLP or oil is going to evaporate rather quickly in the heat. Also be aware that in the winter the freeze & thaw cycles of having the car outside in sub zero temps and them heating up when driven is going to promote condensation. Keep an eye on it. Lastly, I'd rotate out ammo every 6 months. |
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I need tips too. I keep a Ruger P95, loaded and decocked, in my truck outside. It's been out there all winter, and it has been cold as heck in Indiana. I drove the truck last week, and thought I'd better inspect it. I opened the wool lined case and the gunetal was covered in condensation, but what really shocked me was that the hammer was half cocked! I don't understand how it got half cocked when the safety/decocker was down, so I was very cautious about disassembling it. There was only condensation inside, no ice, but the metal was extremely cold.
The thing that bothers me is that nothing could have bumped the hammer back, since it was in the case. And obviously the hammer doesn't stay back while the safety is on no matter how many times you push it back. Furthermore, even if it had been pushed back and held in that position as it froze...it was not frozen when I disassemed it. The gun oil must've became gelatinous enough, and the metal expanded enough, that the hammer was held in place half cocked. How it got that way in the first place is a mystery. |
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If I had a dedicated car/truck gun, I'd worry more about rust & how the mag spring will hold up being loaded 100% of the time than the gun malfunctioning.
The truth of the matter is damn near every gun under the counter will run fine dry in an emergency situation. A light coat of CLP on the metal bits and you should be fine. Lubrication wouldn't be my worry at all, rust prevention would be. The only mags I've had issues with were AWB era 10rd Sig mags. Those things sucked. I do have experience with leaving HK mags loaded for an extended period of time...like 2 years. Californistan believes threaded barrels are too scary so everything was left behind with family. And to my surprise when I moved out of that state, those mags are still 100% reliable today. One is a 45 compact 8rd and another is a 45 12rd USP mag. If you're confident that your magazines will be reliable after a long duration of being fully loaded and you're confident that you've applied a good protectant, I'd say you're good to go. It's easy to over think things, so try not to. |
| on my boat(salt marine environment.) I keep an oiled S&W 66 in a tupper wear container with 4 or 5 homemade desiccate packs, as long as you don't open it alot it will keep everything good for 6 or so months. the important thing is to get good nickle plated ammo. like winchester DPX |
Personally, aside from maintenance, I would be concerned about the pistol being stolen, if it is left in the glove box. Have you considered some sort of vehicle type weapon lock box or something similar. Many firearms are stolen from vehicles on a yearly basis. Just a thought .
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I'm in Michigan and have found it unnecessary to do anything special. I've had the same Glock in the car since about 2007. That's because you have a Glock 
Other pistols require more maintenance or they rust and function poorly My suggestion to the OP is to get a glocck |
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Personally, aside from maintenance, I would be concerned about the pistol being stolen, if it is left in the glove box. Have you considered some sort of vehicle type weapon lock box or something similar. Many firearms are stolen from vehicles on a yearly basis. Just a thought .Quoted:
Personally, aside from maintenance, I would be concerned about the pistol being stolen, if it is left in the glove box. Have you considered some sort of vehicle type weapon lock box or something similar. Many firearms are stolen from vehicles on a yearly basis. Just a thought .I have put a little bit of thought into, yes. I guess the main reason it sits in the glove box is for easy access. Nothing to unlock, hell it's not even in a case. It just sits fully loaded +1 in an Armordillo X-Fer with a couple of spare mags floating around. Quoted:
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I'm in Michigan and have found it unnecessary to do anything special. I've had the same Glock in the car since about 2007. That's because you have a Glock
Other pistols require more maintenance or they rust and function poorly My suggestion to the OP is to get a glocck Although I wouldn't consider an M&P to be any more high-maintenance than a Glock, this is actually in the works. I'm downsizing my handgun collection to two 19s and one of them will live in my car. |
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Personally, aside from maintenance, I would be concerned about the pistol being stolen, if it is left in the glove box. Have you considered some sort of vehicle type weapon lock box or something similar. Many firearms are stolen from vehicles on a yearly basis. Just a thought .Why should I give a Rats Ass about some POS breaking into my vehicle and stealing a gun any more than that same POS breaking into my home and stealing a gun? In both instances they are locked away when I am not present. We have laws against breaking and entering, and stealing. I'll make a reasonable attempt to keep a gun secure, but I'm not going to place an undue burden on myself or go unarmed in my vehicle just to accommodate the Nanny State. 
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Why should I give a Rats Ass about some POS breaking into my vehicle and stealing a gun any more than that same POS breaking into my home and stealing a gun? In both instances they are locked away when I am not present. We have laws against breaking and entering, and stealing. I'll make a reasonable attempt to keep a gun secure, but I'm not going to place an undue burden on myself or go unarmed in my vehicle just to accommodate the Nanny State.
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Personally, aside from maintenance, I would be concerned about the pistol being stolen, if it is left in the glove box. Have you considered some sort of vehicle type weapon lock box or something similar. Many firearms are stolen from vehicles on a yearly basis. Just a thought .Why should I give a Rats Ass about some POS breaking into my vehicle and stealing a gun any more than that same POS breaking into my home and stealing a gun? In both instances they are locked away when I am not present. We have laws against breaking and entering, and stealing. I'll make a reasonable attempt to keep a gun secure, but I'm not going to place an undue burden on myself or go unarmed in my vehicle just to accommodate the Nanny State.
Individual choice, I guess. For some reason, I suppose I really don't like the idea of making it too easy for some criminal POS to steal a gun out of my vehicle and end up using it in a crime? Common sense (or perhaps, uncommon sense?) would dictate that the gun would only be locked in the event that it was actually left unattended in the car while you are not with it. I really wouldn't feel real great about learning that my unattended firearm was used to kill somebody. As with anything, personal choice. It was recommended to the OP as an option to consider, nothing more. |
| Your logic is sophomoric and I would guess if you owned a tobacco company you would feel responsible for people dying of lung cancer. In this case if you have a need to assuage your conscience by taking the responsibly for another persons criminal behavior have at it. |
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Your logic is sophomoric and I would guess if you owned a tobacco company you would feel responsible for people dying of lung cancer. In this case if you have a need to assuage your conscience by taking the responsibly for another persons criminal behavior have at it. Sophomoric? Hardly. The act of leaving firearms unsecured in vehicles is careless in and of itself. If you couldn't care less whether or not your individual choice to properly secure your firearm is appropriate, that's your right, but in doing so, it's still careless  .
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That's because you have a Glock
Other pistols require more maintenance or they rust and function poorly My suggestion to the OP is to get a glocck Quoted:
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I'm in Michigan and have found it unnecessary to do anything special. I've had the same Glock in the car since about 2007. That's because you have a Glock
Other pistols require more maintenance or they rust and function poorly My suggestion to the OP is to get a glocck A Glock still has plenty of metal parts in the fire control system, the slide, and the slide rails molded into the frame. I use Break Free CLP. Clean the parts (as in degrease them thoroughly). Heat gently with a heat gun till warm Soak overnight (submerge them). Wipe completely dry. Allow to sit about 24 hours, wipe them again. Assemble. Springs do not 'wear out' except from repeated compression-extension. |
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If I had a dedicated car/truck gun, I'd worry more about rust & how the mag spring will hold up being loaded 100% of the time than the gun malfunctioning. The truth of the matter is damn near every gun under the counter will run fine dry in an emergency situation. A light coat of CLP on the metal bits and you should be fine. Lubrication wouldn't be my worry at all, rust prevention would be. The only mags I've had issues with were AWB era 10rd Sig mags. Those things sucked. I do have experience with leaving HK mags loaded for an extended period of time...like 2 years. Californistan believes threaded barrels are too scary so everything was left behind with family. And to my surprise when I moved out of that state, those mags are still 100% reliable today. One is a 45 compact 8rd and another is a 45 12rd USP mag. If you're confident that your magazines will be reliable after a long duration of being fully loaded and you're confident that you've applied a good protectant, I'd say you're good to go. It's easy to over think things, so try not to. We argue about this issue 10 times a year . In the end the guys who know the science of metals claim a properly designed spring doesn't change or get weak any from just being compressed as long as it is not overstressed . Repeated cycles will in the very long run somewhat weaken the spring . A decent proportion of folks (something like 40 or 50 %) disagree with the scientists and insist that springs get weaker over time when compressed. In my life I have bent and mangled many springs and metal things by beating the heck out of them but the only gun magazines I have ever seen with a problem were just caked with dirt and old gummy oil . A good cleaning fixed them right up. I am a guy who worries about many things failing me but loaded magazines are not on that list . Any pistol that has lots of rounds through it (like 5000+) will get a new recoil spring if it is in the lineup as a defense weapon. I agree any firearm in storage for extended periods should be looked at from time to time to be sure lubrication and rust control is up to snuff . Perfect way to do this is to train with this car gun from time to time , clean it after training and pack it back away |
| Just wondering why you keep a gun in the car and not on you hip? I keep an AR in my truck but it has a lock going around the upper and lower through the mag well and ejection port. The reason why I have a rifle is if I need more fire power. Otherwise my Glock17 with 2 mags (51 rounds of JHP) in on my hip. |
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Just wondering why you keep a gun in the car and not on you hip? I keep an AR in my truck but it has a lock going around the upper and lower through the mag well and ejection port. The reason why I have a rifle is if I need more fire power. Otherwise my Glock17 with 2 mags (51 rounds of JHP) in on my hip. In a perfect world where I could carry everywhere, every day, my 19 would be on me. No such thing, though. So that's why I like having another handgun in the glovebox so that on days where I don't have one on me, one is still close by. |