204Ruger

Please, for the love of God, clean your sidearm! Today I saw the pistol that my partner in crime was carrying everyday and I was shocked at how dirty it was. He said he usually just took it off his nightstand and placed it in his holster every morning. He said he didn't usually look at it very closely since he never fired it. Looking at his pistol, it was full of dirt, lint and rust. It was so dry I can't imagine it would cycle without jamming. You've got to keep it clean if you expect it to defend you whenever called on.

I think a quick spraying with Gun Scrubber, tooth brushing, bore brush and lube once in a blue moon would be in order. You might even want to take it to the range and practice with it every once in a while. Sheesh!!! I remember carrying my Sig Sauer P229 Legion one weekend and was shocked at the surface rust that formed in just two days. Nasty!!

On a side note-
I just ordered a Bersa Thunder 380 for less than $300 from Academy. I expect to pick it up later this week. Imagine, a Walther PPK clone for less than half the price of the original James Bond gun. No wonder they can't keep them in stock. Seems like a likely truck gun.

That's all, rant complete

Over the years in LE and civilian CC, it is amazing yet sad how many I have seen that people I know carry and do just about the same as you mention. I only takes a few minutes really, every week or so to at least wipe a weapon down, with a take down and cleaning/check say once a month.
And yes do hit a range and fire a few rounds once in a while to be sure all is working as it should. How or what some think and do at times, will surprise you, for sure.

First off Skipper, congrats on your new pistol; always a good thing to have a new gun in the house (or truck). Those little Bursa .380's make for a nice small concealment pistol when something larger is not an option. I sold my last PPK some time ago, as I've got better small pistols that shoot much better. I had a pre-'68 GCA German PPK that I traded for an AR a long time ago, then traded off the AR too. An early stainless PPK found a home here for a few years too. For the PPK replacement, I chose the Sig P938 in 9mm and a Kimber Micro 9....much better pistols, better caliber too for SD.

As for your partner, it's a very good thing he never had to deploy that pistol in a moment of need. The potential malfunction could have been a life changer. As my carry rotation varies from season to season and current conditions daily, all my EDC's get field stripped, cleaned and lubed often, sometimes just for something to do in the gun room. Just because they haven't been shot recently is no reason to not strip them down, re-lube and wipe them down. It's good stuff for a gunny guy to do.

My primary EDC at present is a Wilson Combat SFX9. Very compact, 10+1 or 15+1 capacity double stack that has a slimmer grip circumfrence than a 1911 single stack. It has a 3.25" barrel, night sights and tolerances and fitment one would expect from Wilson. I also carries in all my IWB rigs intended for the 3" 1911's I tend to favor. No grip panels either. The lower frame is very thin for the double-stack mag to keep it light and slim. It's also more accurate than I can hold; typical Wilson.



Ten yards, two hands with my handloads (124gr FMJ over W231). The two high flyers was me determining sight hold for point of impact:





Living here on the high desert, there's virtually no humidity to rust a gun, but all mine get regular stripping, lubing and proper care on a regular basis anyway, sometimes sooner or more often if I'm in the mood. I hope your partner now realizes he dodged the proverbial bullet and is now more attentive to his carry gun.

Don't forget pics and a range report when that little Bursa Thunder lands there!