Ruger SR9c

I have only run 200 rounds through it but so far i love it had to adjust the sights a bit but thats it

Don't buy new, if you don't have to. Otherwise, you're on the right track.

I don't think you need/want a 4 die set. Go with the 3 die version.

My concept for the mounted press is not a dedicated table, but bolted to a scrap piece of wood, and then clamp to any handy surface when needed. You then remove it when finished, with no impact to the table/surface. However, the hand press works great, just not as easy as a mounted press.

I don't have the Lee book, but I've heard it's fine. I have the Lyman #49 book, and a Speer manual.

Skip the Lee scale, they're not worth the money. If you're using dippers, you don't strictly need a scale, though I recommend one. Again, look on EBay for an older Redding, Pacific, Ohaus, Lyman, or RCBS.

Also, skip the .30-30 dies for now, there's a lot more to loading rifle than pistol. Load up a bunch of 9mm, read a about reloading rifle, then decide if you want to do it. I would recommend a Lee collet die set, or a Lee classic loaded for loading rifle, both reduce the need to trim cases.

Hey guys, what's the finish on these little LC's ? Is it just bluing, or do they do the Nitride/melonite/tenifer thing?

Ruger says they are blued. I have read comments that they will rust, so a coating of wax is what I would use if you are concerned with that. My original LC9 started showing a little red-brown in the etchings, and I waxed it, and that was the end of that. I just bought an LC9s Pro and am going to carry it once it has proven itself at the range. I will wax it also.

weblance said:

Ruger says they are blued. I have read comments that they will rust, so a coating of wax is what I would use if you are concerned with that. My original LC9 started showing a little red-brown in the etchings, and I waxed it, and that was the end of that. I just bought an LC9s Pro and am going to carry it once it has proven itself at the range. I will wax it also.

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Thanks for the info, but bluing on what would be a pocket pistol for me, is a deal breaker, especially given that numerous others use the far superior Tenifer/Melonite-type finishes (treatments). These aren't range guns, these are specifically designed and intended for concealed carry. IMO, they just cheaped-out here, especially considering they're already set up to do it, as they do on the SR series.

Some people have their mind made up that they want this, or that, and nothing else will do. That's fine. I understand that. I found out long ago, a little wax does wonders. I guarantee that a couple applications of Johnsons Paste Wax every year, and that LC9 will look like new for many years. Even if it does develop a little rust... so what. Its a tool.

On the blued metal. A light coating, rub it all around, into the cracks, corners, and the etchings(in the case of the LC9). Wipe it off. Enjoy a rust free blued gun for years.

I have a blued Single Six that I keep waxed, and stored in a leather holster. Keeping an untreated blued gun in a leather holster is asking for disaster. Its been in that holster for many years, and looks like the day I bought it. It gets a coat of wax once a year.

AStone said:

Confession: I don't understand this ^ reasoning.

Why is bluing less desirable than those miracle coatings for most people?
Me? I'd rather have a well-made gun -- I mean action, etc, based on a proven model -- than a super coating.

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Why are you assuming it's an either/or proposition? Or for that matter, assuming that's what I was assuming?
OBVIOUSLY, a high quality firearm with a blued finish is preferable to a piece of junk that's been rust-proofed.
But, let's assume, more realistically, that we're talking about two roughly equal firearms, but one has a nearly useless superficial finish, and the other has a very high quality, wear and corrosion-resistant finish.......which would YOU take??
Understand the reasoning NOW?

AStone said:

^ Where does one put the wax?I'm missing something here.

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Good lord, are you kidding me??? You would OBVIOUSLY apply the wax to the surface of the metal you're hoping to protect from corrosion. (hint: that would be on the SLIDE, not the plastic frame.) It's never a bad idea to actually pay attention to what's being discussed in threads you chime in on.

I have owned a couple of blued carry guns. One I am currently keeping waxed. The other (this will probably horrify some here) I got annoyed & sprayed with engine paint. Then baked the slide in the oven for a couple of hours. It doesn't look pretty but it hasn't rusted since. A blued slide isn't a deal breaker for me if the carry pistol is reasonably price. If there were 2 guns with very similar features in the same price range & I had a choice between bluing & tennifer/melonite I would pick the one with the superior treatment every time.

AStone said:

Well, sir, I've been paying close attention to this one since I started it. (Yes, believe it or not, I'm the OP.)

But this waxing thing ... well, see above.

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Agreed. Though I don't post all that much I've been reading for 16 years and have never seen anything about waxing... and no clarity about it in this thread.

If using a blued pistol for carry it is a good idea to wax the exterior of the blued parts of the pistol. It creates a barrier to keep the carriers sweat off the bluing. I first learned of this about 8 years ago from a post made by rcmodel over at KTOG. Bluing itself really isn't anything more than controlled oxidation & does little to prevent rust. I use Johnson's Paste wax though there are other products that will work. Johnson's is inexpensive, easy to find & it works for the intended purpose though it does have to be reapplied periodically.

Thank you all for the education on wax. Never heard of it before. After owning guns most of my life, and inhabiting this fine forum for -- what? -- ten years, and making many many posts and reading even more, that's a first. I'm grateful.

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YOu and the others who haven't heard about WAX as a surface treatment... you just haven't been reading the right discussions. Fewer and fewer guns are actually BLUED, nowadays, so that may account for the fact that you don't see it mentioned much...

Bluing was applied to guns to enable the finish to hold oil, to prevent further corrosion. Same with Parkerizing.

Automotive paste was was used on well-polished guns about the time that good paste waxes first appeared. I've been using it on, again, polished bluing since the 60's. Rougher finishes don't lend themselves to wax, as they tend to trap, and hold the excess wax, leaving the guns looking milky. Silicone also works on blued guns.

Much ado about nothing. The largest issue with using oil was that, like everything else, if a little was good, many felt more was better. This led to oil soaked holsters, and could stain some of our stylishly dainty clothes.

At the price-point in today's markets, everyone has chosen to pick and choose where they will "save money". Melonite, Tennifer, Cera-Kote, and the likes all cost money to apply, and money to purchase the supplies.

You pays your money, and takes your pick.

JR47 said:

Bluing was applied to guns to enable the finish to hold oil, to prevent further corrosion. Same with Parkerizing.

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Everything I've ever read about bluing says that it is a chemical process that induces a form of controlled rusting -- that makes other forms of rust less likely. But nothing I've read or heard says that a blued surface holds oil -- only that it must be kept well-oiled to remain effective and prevent more harmful forms of rusting.

Parkerization is a COATING and it can hold some oil -- but more oil doesn't make it work better than a little. Parkerization also does a better job of protecting metal from wear than bluing, which explains its use with military weapons for many years. It's a rust- and wear-resistant coating because it is also barrier.

Melonite and Tenifer are surface hardening treatments (a form of carburization) that also resists corrosion; guns with that treatment often get an additional coating -- that is (or was) the case with Glocks, which have a dark parkerized finish on top of a Tenifer-treated slide. If you see a worn Glock slide, it's the parkerized coating that has worn away, not Tenifer.

I know Sprinfield uses Melonite, apparently a very similar process, but I don't know if that treated finish is then coated with something else.

Duracoat or CeraKote are surface finishes that protect the underlying material -- they don't change the metal underneathl. Like parkerization, these finishes create a barrier to corrosion and scratches, and can prevent some metal wear by acting as a sacrificial surface.

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Everything I've ever read about bluing says that it is a chemical process that induces a form of controlled rusting -- that makes other forms of rust less likely. But nothing I've read or heard says that a blued surface holds oil -- only that it must be kept well-oiled to remain effective and prevent more harmful forms of rusting.

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As a controlled form of rusting, a blued surface is not a dense barrier any more than any other form of rust. When it is oiled, some will penetrate into the bluing, and be held there. That used to be taught in Armorer's Schools in the USMC. Parkerizing is also not an impermeable membrane. WWII manuals recommended oiling the Parkerized finish to enhance rust resistance.

What, exactly, would be the purpose of applying oil to a blued surface if you then wiped it off? Oil only works to prevent rust if it can provide a barrier against corrosion. If the surface was impermeable, you would simply wipe everything off. If, instead, the blued surface held a small amount of oil in it's pores, it would help to prevent further rusting.

That is how oiling of blued, or parkerized, finishes was explained to me by an old Gunnery Sergeant 50 years ago. I've seen no explanation that makes more sense.

I suspect that a blued finish is, as you say, MORE dense surface. I suspect its much more dense than a parkerized finish -- but not nearly as thick. Bluing changes the nature of the steel surface, while parkerization is an extra layer applied to the surface. A thicker, less dense parkerized finish probably will hold more oil than a blued finish.

As I said earlier, it's my understanding -- possibly wrong -- that a blued surface, because it has already a formed a rust barrier that, as it was formed, used up some of the chemical in the steel that would allow more aggressive types of rust to occur. It's a barrier, but not a perfect one.

The explanation given you by the gunny sergeant makes some sense, but...


If anyone reading this can offer a better (or more technically correct) explanation of how bluing (in its many different forms) plays a role in the rust-prevention process, please speak up. (One or two metallurgists have participated here from time to time, and their input would be appreciated.)

If my understanding of how bluing works is really a misunderstanding, I'll happily accept correction -- and learn something useful in the process.
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There are any number of corrosion tests available on the 'net that show how various oils and CLP-like liquids work to prevent rust. The tests are all done using unfinished metal, and they all work to some degree -- but some work far better than others. Here's an older test of many of the more popular CLP-type solutions.http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

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