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During the week, I am left with no option but to leave my gun in the car for hours at a time while venturing where concealed carry isn’t allowed.
Now that summer is approaching, I am worried that the heat will damage my gun. When I get back after about 4 or more hours, it is almost blistering hot to the touch. Will this cause permanent damage, and if so, is there a way to keep it from happening? I am pretty consistent with cleaning and oiling my guns at least once a month, even if they aren’t fired. Will that be enough to protect it in the heat?

I wouldn't worry about it. What are you using to keep the gun hidden?

I've been keeping it in the locked glove box, or if I'm in my other car, under the back seat in a backpack. The parking lot itself is secure with constant security patrtols, so I don't worry about theft too much. I have noticed lately that I have to reapply oil more often with the heat, so that was my main concern.

I have noticed that some of the oil on the slide "runs off." This concerns me about the reliability of a "dry gun." I am thinking of switching to a grease. Some leather holster manufacturers caution against storage at the high temperatures encountered in a car in the summer.

WildBill wrote:I have noticed that some of the oil on the slide "runs off." This concerns me about the reliability of a "dry gun." I am thinking of switching to a grease. Some leather holster manufacturers caution against storage at the high temperatures encountered in a car in the summer.

I store wrapped in a cloth instead of in a holster. Is their heat concern primarily for the leather or the gun itself?

agbullet2k1 wrote:I store wrapped in a cloth instead of in a holster. Is their heat concern primarily for the leather or the gun itself?

It is for the leather.

i too am not allowed to carry during the day due to work rules and keep it locked in the car. my gun gets way hotter after shooting two hundred rounds than in my car all day. i don't think that will hurt it if you lube it regularly. most people overlube their guns anyway; i know i have that tendency.
bought a locking box with a cable that fits under the passenger seat. a bolt cutter would get it loose but most people who break into cars are looking for the quick items including stereos. hopefully they won't have the bolt cutters with them. they would have a hard time prying the box open quickly.
box was about thirty dollars at sportsmans warehouse.

I keep my Kahr K9 or Glock 23 locked in a lockbox under the driver's seat. I have had no problems doing this for 2 summers so far. Just make sure and do normal maintenance (cleaning/lubrication) and things should be fine.

WildBill wrote:I have noticed that some of the oil on the slide "runs off." This concerns me about the reliability of a "dry gun." I am thinking of switching to a grease. Some leather holster manufacturers caution against storage at the high temperatures encountered in a car in the summer.

I use grease in the summertime on my carry guns. I like Tetra, Shooter's Choice and, Militec grease good old Lubraplate is hard to beat also. For oil I use Mobil 1 it stays on better than a lot of the gun oils out there.

Unfortunately, I don't have room under my seats for a lockbox. Driver seat has a cd changer under it, and the passenger seat has the navigation system dvd-rom under it. The best I can do is the locked glove compartment. I'll try swapping over to the grease on my next shopping trip. Anyone know if Walmart carries it, or will I have to go to a dedicated gun shop? Does the grease "gunk up" and take more work to clean off?

If its your glock 27, it will be fine... they tend to work better when dryer.

as far as your other gun... i think a high temp grease is a good choice.. I use tetra in my ARs

Yeah it seems like the Glock's action feels a bit more forgiving when dry. I'll swap to grease in the Walther for the hot season.

As a matter of interest, is it possible for slides and barrels to warp over time as a result of constant 120+ degree heat?

agbullet2k1 wrote:As a matter of interest, is it possible for slides and barrels to warp over time as a result of constant 120+ degree heat?

No, they will not warp. The metals used for making slides and barrels are heat treated to much higher temperatures than you could ever reach. Even metal parts that are not hardened will not warp at temperatures you would see in a car [unless your car was on fire].

Unless it's hot enough to damage the car, I'm not worried about my pistol.

I keep my handgun and extra mag in a pistol lock box I purchased from Cabela's. Even on a really hot day, being under the seat and encased in metal with foam padding keeps the pistol somewhat cooler than the rest of the interior of the vehicle.