SS Ruger SBH Wax it or oil it?

I see in the manual that Ruger said you could use a wax on there guns in SS I would be guessing a good wax would work well. But then again there are so may good waxes out today one could use.. I use to use wax on my S&W model 19 that was a nickel finish I think. Simonize car wax the old stuff. Worked well.. But then again I have guns 40+ years that I just oil.. key I found was to have a good oil rag on hand and just wipe it down after it's handled every time.. I never had a issue with rust or fingerprint etching of any kind.. Should I stay with the oil or go with wax on my stainless guns? What's the benefit if any to wax.. Thanks! George

P.S.
I know a little boring but thought I would ask!

Well, if use is normal,,, then oil will be fine. If it's going to be stored,,, I'd opt for Renaissance Wax.

I've never applied wax to any gun metal.

s4s4u said:

I've never applied wax to any gun metal.

Click to expand...

Nor I...

And not on any gun wood either...

For a using firearm, oil is fine. Wax does work. All you're doing with either is putting a protective layer of hydrophobic hydrocarbons on the surface of the steel to prevent attack by moisture and oxygen - in those terms, wax is little more than a more solidified version of oil or grease.

Renaissance Wax is good for LONG TERM storage of firearms, but I try to avoid it on firearms which might ride in leather between relatively long stints in storage. It's a microcrystaline wax, which can actually damage leather with use. Great for museum storage where the leather won't move, but for guys strapping it on, it does shorten life.

I start with a clean rag with Ballistol & wipe all my guns down, including the grips/stocks. I also use it in the barrel & cylinder after cleaning with Hoppe's to store as well. It has been working good for me for the last 5 years or so since I started using this stuff. I do use one of those electrical heating rods in the safe which helps & when the need arises to fondle em, :lol: I use those little cheapy cotton white gloves you might get at the dollar store so I don't have to wipe em down all the time. It also keeps the hand salts/acids or whatever from the guns surface.

I store the rag in an air tight plastic jar with the gloves & get lots of use from them. Once in a while I give the rag another squirt or spray when it needs it,.....works for me! So far no rust or finish problem, other than a safe-kiss which would be another topic....

Good luck & happy shootin!

Someone at S&W once told me to use car wax instead of oil on carry guns. This prevents getting oil stains on your clothing. I use Ren wax on blades and firearms that are on display, but oil on guns I use, and RIG grease on guns in storage.

Try Simichrome. It is the best metal polish. Brownells carries it. Another polish I like is White Diamond. A liquid polish. I use Simi on my SS Rugers. Amazing results!

I like Johnson's paste wax (sold as a wood floor wax). I find it really does a good job of protecting a blued finish when carrying in wet/damp weather.

After waterfowl hunting for several years, imho wax cannot be beat for severe damp weather use. There are coatings out there that are silicone based, get it soaking wet and it is like trying to hold onto a fish. The wax will shed water as if on a ducks back and not be slippery.

I have seen simi chrome come up a fair bit as of late. I used to use it to take the blue heat marks off of chrome headers and polish stainless. It is pretty aggressive. Mirror finish is not my bag on stainless guns. I am even cautious with flitz anymore after seeing what a fellow did to an early 10/22 and a MkI. Both his gpa's and he just wanted them to "shine". The MKI went from a 90% gun to a 20%, didn't take the blue off but it sure did thin it a lot.

Flitz is pure and simple a really fine buffing compound. They say its not an abrasive but thats exactly what it is. Maybe a fine one say on the order of 1000 grit but nevertheless an abrasive. Put it on a blued gun with a little buffing wheel on your dremel say, and it will remove the bluing.

Back to the OP, I would just give the a stainless gun the occasional wipe down with a silicone gun oil rag and forget it. Unless I lived in a high humidity area or a corrosive salt air environment.

I always used to field strip my guns, especially my flintlocks, and apply a light coat of plain old Johnsons Paste Wax before hunting season - to both metal and wood. Unless you fall in a lake, that will keep them from getting rusty. For long term storage, RIG universal is hard to beat.

I can never understand why anybody would feel the need to wax a stainless gun.
I have several stainless revolvers & autos dating back over the past 25 years.

None ever waxed, a few not fired in 20 years.
No signs of rust.

Why bother?
Denis

I agree with Denis. After owning different Ruger pistols/rifles in stainless for over 30 years now , the most any have ever seen outside of the barrel is a quick wipe down. If hunting in rainy weather they get a little more thourough wipe down. No issues. I think you are worrying too much about it.

Years ago I was sent out on a call involving a found Smith & Wesson stainless Model 67 revolver.
When it was handed over to me by the finder, turned out to have been stolen the previous Fall during a res burg & presumably had sat outside all Winter long, on the ground, through rain & snow.

The blued sights were a bit rusty & so were the non-stainless guts, but the outside stainless surfaces showed no corrosion at all.

Yes- I'm aware stainless CAN corrode, I just point out this one extreme example where it didn't.

As far as waxing nickeled guns go, pretty much same deal.
Sent out on a found Raven .25 Auto, recovered from a shallow lake bed by a fisherman.
Outside nickeled surfaces were absolutely pristine, insides were mostly rusted solid.
Even on one of the cheapest pistols made, the nickel protected & stood up extremely well.

I see no need whatever to waste time & effort waxing a stainless or nickeled gun, whether carried & periodically cleaned, or cleaned & left sitting in a safe for years.

I sometimes think this idea borders on fetishism more than any real need or benefit.
Denis

Agreed....stainless needs very little care to keep it looking good.
An occasional wipe down with an oil or silicone cloth and you should be good to go.

Blued guns require more care and I have found that waxing them with either Ren wax or Johnson's paste wax (no abrasives or cleaners in either of those products) does a very good job at protecting the metal.