Obviously, the salt in the air, I know that. But it wasn't expected. My guns (Well, just right now my P230. But who know's whats next!) are rusting. Is this normal? I'm now worried about my other guns. My P230 is a bit beat up and old so I'm not terribly alarmed, but it's probably only going to get worse. What can I do to stave off the rust and potential damage?
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Just moved right near the ocean, WTF is this rust on my gun?!
- Thread starter Him
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That was just my Sig. I also have a Saiga 7.62 (seems like it could be prone to rusting), an SW 1911, and a Walther P22. I also dont have a safe, just tigger locks and cables abound. Whats my best course of action? Just pro-active measures?
Luckily for me I'm just renting for the school year. But still, for the next nine months I'm going to have to deal with a house of rusting stuff! As long as my guns are cared for, however, I'll be fine.
It's the important things.
It's the important things.
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I have kept a stainless S&W revolver, a stainless 12 ga. pump shotgun, and a SIG pistol (alloy frame under stainless slide with a black finish on it) on a boat for umpteen years and never seen a spec of rust.
That by itself won't stop rust. He'll still need to use desiccant and/or a Golden Rod. And he'll still need to clean and lubricate frequently.
45collector
NES Member
I've lived on the Cape my whole life. You learn how to deal with moist salty air.
I keep cilica gel packs in each safe compartment, and in the summertime about once a week I point my Liotech Freedom at each gun in the safe to inspect for signs of corrosion. (A bright light like that will immediately reveal any signs of corrosion onset.)
Every gun gets a quick wipe down with CLP after it's been taken out of the safe, regardless whether it was fired or not.
My guns I'm not worried about. It's my car I have to be on top of. And of course I off-road on the beaches so I've spent many hours on my back hosing down my undercarriage.
I keep cilica gel packs in each safe compartment, and in the summertime about once a week I point my Liotech Freedom at each gun in the safe to inspect for signs of corrosion. (A bright light like that will immediately reveal any signs of corrosion onset.)
Every gun gets a quick wipe down with CLP after it's been taken out of the safe, regardless whether it was fired or not.
My guns I'm not worried about. It's my car I have to be on top of. And of course I off-road on the beaches so I've spent many hours on my back hosing down my undercarriage.
F
Finalygotabeltfed
One of these will be your best friend over time.View attachment 13215
J
Jose
Glock is the answer
Ok, so I've been monitoring the rust situation. I got most of it off of my 1911 with nothing but some oil, but there is some on there that won't come off. How do I get it off? I'm sad, my expensive investment no longer looks expensive 
Wipe down the guns regularly, in addition to diligent cleaning/lubricating practices. If you carry, don't just carry one gun all the time, mix things up a little to give them a break from constant exposure. Dessicant in the safe, stored in a room with AC will also help out a lot.
Yes it is. They rarely rust, and when they do it tends to be light and in small areas.
How do I get it off? I'm sad, my expensive investment no longer looks expensive
What kind of rust are we talking about? A light film on the surface, or big lumps of it? Some oil and a plastic brush should take care of most of it, if that doesn't work try a brass or copper brush with oil. Don't use a steel brush on a steel gun, you'll probably scratch the finish and make it less rust resistant.
If you start with a nylon or plastic brush, if that damages the finish on your gun it's probably a Jennings.![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
Yep! I have a few Sigs including a P230. I've never seen rust on any. The oil/salt from your hands w/ extra humidity will do more damage than living near the ocean. I guess you need to be more anal about cleaning.
I used to collect vintage swords and had some where I just liked the sword, it wasn't worth much, so I took the rust off.
I sanded it off with VERY high grit sand paper. Stuff you may not find at places like Home Depot -- you'll find this stuff at Autozone and the likes -- it's designed to re-polish the paint finishes of cars. 2000 grit-ish. You'll need to start lower than that probably. How low? Depends on how bad the rust is. If it's not bad at all just take your time with the 2000 and use nothing else and you may be alright. After that -- oil the hell out of the thing and keep it VERY wet till you're away from the ocean. That's what I do with my old vintage katanas and stuff -- haven't had any rusting issues with doing it.
I don't own any firearms that have had rust issues and have never worried about it, so perhaps someone with experience taking rust off firearms can chime in with a better idea. My idea might leave the firearms a bit too glossy where you sandpaper them since the 2000 grit will give you a mirror-finish if done for long enough and involves grinding. Perhaps something chemical? I really don't know. Just trying to help and giving you an idea here man. I wish you the best with fixing the problem.
I sanded it off with VERY high grit sand paper. Stuff you may not find at places like Home Depot -- you'll find this stuff at Autozone and the likes -- it's designed to re-polish the paint finishes of cars. 2000 grit-ish. You'll need to start lower than that probably. How low? Depends on how bad the rust is. If it's not bad at all just take your time with the 2000 and use nothing else and you may be alright. After that -- oil the hell out of the thing and keep it VERY wet till you're away from the ocean. That's what I do with my old vintage katanas and stuff -- haven't had any rusting issues with doing it.
I don't own any firearms that have had rust issues and have never worried about it, so perhaps someone with experience taking rust off firearms can chime in with a better idea. My idea might leave the firearms a bit too glossy where you sandpaper them since the 2000 grit will give you a mirror-finish if done for long enough and involves grinding. Perhaps something chemical? I really don't know. Just trying to help and giving you an idea here man. I wish you the best with fixing the problem.
A lot of people have had rust problems with Sigs, but humid or saltwater air seems to play a pretty big role in it a lot of the time.
Do you have pictures you can post, or a progress report? Let the rust soak in oil before you try any removal. You might have to put a lot of effort into it.
