As a police trainer, I get a lot of requests for law enforcement product evaluations.  Most, probably about 85%-90%, find their way into my circular file under my desk with the items sent back.  The remaining 10%-15% are really good quality items with relevance to and for today’s street cops.  So along those lines, here’s one I found really interesting.

I own quite a few guns.  I do a lot of firearms training and most of my “tools” are of the blue steel variety.  I recently came across a new product while up at my old haunt in Rochester, NY.  I was turned on to this item by the range staff at my old PD when I saw a few of the local retirees using it on their off-duty pieces during my most recent HR-218 requals.  Curious as I am about anything firearms related and thinking it was gun oil or a new spray lubricant, I asked what this protectorant was. “A rust inhibitor” was the reply. As it turns out, it’s more than that.  Since the spray was obtained from CopGear, Inc. which is located a few miles from the police range, I stopped off to speak to owner Mike Cohn.  

Metal Defense is a rust preventative for not only blue steel firearms but any metal normally stored indoors that might become rusted or corroded by moisture.  Easy to use, a very light coating is all that’s needed to protect your blue steel pistols, revolvers or long guns from rust when stored indoors or in squad cars.  One of the evals I read was from a sheriff’s office K-9 handler who uses it on their shotguns which are mounted upright between the front seats of their cruisers. It seems that the moisture from hours of  “doggy breath” isn’t good for the 870’s carried by those troops.  These guys raved about Metal Defense.  Another local PD wanted to do their own due diligence before spending any money on the product; so they conducted their own series of tests.  For test #1, they used salt water spray and Corrosion X Gun Oil as a control, they subjected bare gun metal steel to a 7-day exposure to indoor air.  Test #2 was a salt water tank immersion which is probably more than our police firearms would ever encounter. Their conclusions revealed the “Metal Defense product provides substantial long term protection from rust” when used as directed.  Photographs supported these reports.

Here’s how you use it.  Clean and lube your guns as usual after using them. Afterwards, a light spray on the metal surfaces (internal and external) from a distance of 4-5 inches is all it takes. No wiping needed since the non-oily coating dries in minutes and stays dry to the touch.  It leaves a thin transparent film on all metal parts and does not have to be removed before using the gun.  No oily residue. And from my experience the coating does not attract dust or lint like one might expect with standard gun oil. Except for my daily carry gun, all my guns are kept in a gun safe until needed for a class.    

I sprayed my Beretta 92F, my Smith 469, my Glock 43 and my Remington 870.  I even gave my stainless guns a spray just for grins.  I used Metal Defense on my late dad’s P38 9mm German Luger he brought back from the war.  I was worried about the spray hurting the bluing on that very valuable gun but from the Material Safety Data Sheet I reviewed it indicated it would not.  However, I did check with Mike Cohn first. He was right.  Not only will it not harm the bluing, but your wood or simulated wood (plastic) grips are safe, too, but Metal Defense suggests wiping the excess spray from wood and/or plastic parts before storage or use.    

It’s been almost 6 weeks since I was given the spray to evaluate and because I live down in southwest Florida where salt air is all that I breathe on a daily basis, I wanted to make sure this stuff was just as effective down here on the Paradise Coast as the cops up there claim. It appears to be everything it claims to be. This next sentence may seem a little hyperbolic, but the unique green spray pump on the canister distributes just the right amount of protectorant.  While it looks like any other sprayer nozzle, it’s designed specifically for Metal Defense.     

For the hunters out there, a few spray cans for the hunting lodge is probably a good idea before closing up the camp if you’re custom and practice is to lock up your long guns in a camp gun safe prior to departing. This stuff is intended for metal protection for indoor or in car settings, not prolonged exposure to the outdoor elements. Not only does it displace water, it also neutralizes fingerprints in the event your lube and cleaning procedure left telltale traces on the gun.     

The Material Safety Data Sheet is available to anyone wishing to view it.  And I would strongly suggest any agency that plans on using this stuff keep that info readily available. Those familiar with MSDSs know that the pages contain not only proprietary material but fire and hazard data, health hazard info, handling spills or leaks as well as special precautions for shipping and handling, and the all important emergency first aid procedures.

You can find Metal Defense on Amazon HERE

Contact CopGear, Inc. for agency quantity pricing:

Mike Cohn, President: CopGear, Inc., 1460 Ridge Road East, Rochester, NY 14621

Toll-free: (800) 262-2832 – Fax: (585) 467-2870

E-mail: nyps@frontiernet.net