By Jim Romanelli Mode Maintenance When I was gunsmithing, I always was amazed by how many firearms brought in for repair had problems stemming from a failure to minimally maintain them. I'd see actions rusted shut because gun owners had read they could coat them with any light oil kept around the house, then applied vegetable oil. I'd see shotguns with surface rust that had to be polished and reblued because they were cased and uncased, throughout Basics MARCH 2019 in the waterfowl season, without even a quick wipe down with water-displacing WD-40 and a lightly oiled cloth. I'd see nickel-finished guns that were discolored because they were stored in penetrating solvent rather than preservative oil. A lot of these problems stem from a general lack of knowledge about basic maintenance. So let's go over some of the basics, as well as some common pitfalls that eventually can lead to costly repairs. Firearms Care 53