How to Apply RIG

[7.65browning]

Hi All,

I have guns that are rarely shot and mostly stored for extended periods of time. Historically I've been using oil to protect these guns, I take them out of the safe and push an oil soaked patch through the bores once every 1-2 months. Recently I've acquired a jar of RIG to try on these guns to see if this 1-2 month maintenance period can be extended.

To apply it I placed a cotton patch in the jar, swirled it around a little bit until it was well coated and then used a cleaning rod to push it through the bore then pull it back. What I see is that a lot of the grease is actually scraped off the bore and remains around the muzzle and if I shine a light down the barrel I'm not sure how thick the actual grease coat is on the inside.

Am I missing something here or a very light coat of RIG is enough to protect the bore?

Thanks!

 

[badkarmamib]

I use gun oil to protect the bore, and RIG grease, applied with a RIG Rag, to protect the exterior.

https://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Ca...e=UTF8&qid=1523962781&sr=8-1&keywords=rig+rag



I have never tried to get RIG in the bore, but have never needed to. Some of my rifles only get fired once a year, and have never needed anything more than oil to keep them shiny. YMMV.

 

[drband]

Rig-rag for the exterior. Oily patch for the bore.

If you put RIG in the bore, I suggest using a clean patch before shooting it. Just a precaution.

 

[Walkalong]

Rig grease on a rag to wipe them down after use.

Another option for guns that won't get shot for a long time is wax.

 

[GBExpat]

WHOA! Just look at that bucket of RIG!

Sorry, my experience with RIG dates back to the late '60s when it came in teeny-tiny tubes ...

 

[hdwhit]

From the time I was a teenager, I was taught to clean my guns and then oil them down thoroughly (inside and out) with a light machine oil (like 3-in-1) and do nothing else. Rare exceptions were made for parts that were inaccessible except with extensive disassembly. For those rare situations a heavier oil or a light grease was applied.

This was how my guns were being kept when I was stricken by a neurological condition that nearly killed me and kept me from having more than occasional glances at my guns for nearly twenty (20) years. During that time, none of my guns suffered any rust or other deterioration.

You can do what you want in the name of preserving your guns, but I've got the empirical evidence that all that is necessary to preserve guns in pristine condition for decades - guns that were not intended to be neglected for 20 years when they were last cleaned - is a good cleaning followed by a thorough oiling with a light machine oil.

 

[Deus Machina]

In most situations, yes, a light coat of oil is all that is needed.
Since I'm in Florida and things tend to rust if you look at them wrong, I'm a fan of stickier stuff that won't move. Is it needed? Maybe not on guns. But I've had machines that decided to start speckling some rust on when oil without additives to make them stick ran off. In that case, bearing grease did the trick. RIG is better than that for firearms.
Some all-purpose oils (like 3-in-1, or anything by WD40) can leave residue. No problem if you clean it off, but over years or decades they can get gummy it nooks and crannies. I stick to Break-Free CLP or Hoppes or the like for that.

Going to display it? Count me as another fan of Renaissance Wax like Walkalong up there. It's invisible, puts a nice modest sheen on it, and while I'm keeping an eye on the rust on my 870, that was already there and hasn't spread. And the project I bought it for, my dad's double-barrel (circa 1931-1941) had the receiver case-colored but rusted most of it off through the years. Took the rust off with WD40 and fine steel wool, degreased the whole thing with carb cleaner because the lube inside had turned to varnish (see: residue, above), and then got a coat of wax. Not a speck of rust on it since.

Since then I covered every inch of every blued gun I have, and still have 3/4 of the tin.

 

[Walkalong]

guns that were not intended to be neglected for 20 years when they were last cleaned - is a good cleaning followed by a thorough oiling with a light machine oil.

Not all oils are created equal. Some oils simply do not protect from rust very well. You's obviously did. One of my favorites, Tri-Flow, is great at breaking up rust, penetrates pretty well, and keeps locks, hinges and other sliding surfaces working much longer than WD-40, but is terrible at rust protection. RIG grease works very very well at protecting from rust.

 

[7.65browning]

Thanks for all the replies so far. Does anyone know if RIG has any ingredients that chemically act against corrosion or does it only serve as a barrier between moisture and steel? What would happen if a patch with RIG would get some water on it before being used to coat a surface?

 

[Sauer Grapes]

Thanks for all the replies so far. Does anyone know if RIG has any ingredients that chemically act against corrosion or does it only serve as a barrier between moisture and steel? What would happen if a patch with RIG would get some water on it before being used to coat a surface?

I don't know, but I have left guns for long periods of time with Rig on them in closets for years with now ill effects.

 

[Mauser lover]

I don't know, but I have left guns for long periods of time with Rig on them in closets for years with now ill effects.

"now ill effects" or no ill effects? Do you have problems now?

Not trying to be a grammar nazi, I just haven't heard of problems before, and I want to know if you have had them...

 

[bannockburn]

My use of RIG pretty much mirrors everyone else's here: I clean a gun with Hoppe's No.9, run a patch through the bore with some small amount of oil on it, and then lightly apply a coating of RIG to the exterior of the gun. Have been doing it this way for many years and still no trace of rust on any of my guns.

 

[Deus Machina]

I'm not up to date on my chemistry, but I'm betting it's mostly an oxygen/moisture barrier. Which is 99% of what it needs to be anyway.
The problem with anti-corrosives (again being out of date on my industrial chemistry) is (or was) that something that prevents corrosion to steel might promote it on something else. For instance, some anti-seize compounds that would prevent carbon steel bolts from rusting would cause galvanic reactions that bound stainless ones up, or corroded aluminum around bolts.
Wouldn't want that on stainless guns or scratches through the anodizing on aluminum castings.
I honestly hope I'm wrong nowadays.

 

[RPZ]

I've used Tetra Gun Grease wiped out of the bore and buffed dry on duty pistols carried in a hot humid environment. It holds up really well, and works well on exterior. And when applied so, it is safe to shoot.

Boeshield T9 works well too, but I would strip it from the bore and chamber with a degreasing evaporating solvent before shooting.

 

[Sauer Grapes]

"now ill effects" or no ill effects? Do you have problems now?

Not trying to be a grammar nazi, I just haven't heard of problems before, and I want to know if you have had them...

My bad, never a problem with Rig. I even put it in the bore. I left 3 guns for a decade only to peek at them once in a while.

 

[hso]

You may find this thread interesting.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/results-of-gun-care-product-evaluation.751408/

 

[Panzerschwein]

Those damned sheepskin RIG rags are about the most worthless things I've ever used.

They leave fine hairs everywhere, stuck to the gun and snag badly on corners and edges leaving fibers all over. Go to the automotive section at Wal-Mart and you should find a bulk pack of microfiber cleaning clothes. They are FAR more economical than buying them elsewhere and are highly durable, never snagging or tearing even when rigorously scrubbing down a gun. They also leave absolutely 0 lint and can be cleanly cut into smaller sizes without fraying. I keep a 2x2" piece in my jar of RIG and it makes an ideal applicator.

As for the bore, only a light coating of the grease is needed. You are trying to create a barrier between the atmosphere and metal, it takes a very light coat of grease to do this. I'd use an appropriate sized brass jag for your bore and a cotton patch soaked with RIG will work ideally. Again, it needn't be a thick layer.

 

[luger fan]

Keep the bore OILED.
Wipe the exterior down with a clean cotton cloth and RIG. Wipe off with clean cloth. Finished.

 

[MI2600]

On seldom used firearms I grease all the metal parts, to include the bore, with RIG. Then, I seal them in Z Rust bags.