Hello all I was fishing on a river today and our canoe got swamped while navigating some rapids my S&W MP 340 was in my front pocket in a pocket holster, once got through the rapids I pulled the pistol out wiped it down with a dry towel and put it back in my pocket in the holster.

Flash forward 8 hours later I get home pull my pistol out to clean and lubricate it and it has surface rust all over it. . I have had guns get wet before but I have never had one get rust all over it in a few simple hours. Is this a normal thing you think or is there something wrong with my pistols finish.

I broke the pistol down and everything wiped clean and is back to normal but I am worried since I use my 340mp for carry a lot and for a lot of different things and have never had a problem. This is the first time I have been soaked though for a prolonged period of time with this pistol. What doI need tto do to prevent a rust problem in the future while fishing?

Thanks all

I would give it a thorough cleaning and leave it out of a holster a day or two if possible. If it got really wet, I would consider removing the side plate just to dry things out. Since you mention inside the pocket holster, I would let the leather dry out nice and good before carrying it. I wouldn't be worried about the finish.

You soaked it in the pocket holster.

Would you store your revolver in a wet wrap, even for a few minutes? That's what you did.

Fortunately, it appears only cosmetic and won't have any impact on function.

Better yet, you won't baby the revolver - just use it as the tool it is. It isn't beautiful anymore but works just fine.

Kind of like getting the first scratch on a new car: kind of a relief - now you can just drive it.

What is your holster made of? It might be a reaction between the saturated holster & the steel. I think I'd use a good wax to try to keep the moisture from the steel. My second choice would be a film of Breakfree CLP before an outing. I'm not sure which would prove better. You might want to apply a waterproofer to the inside of the holster. We used to use silicon spray but I'm don't know if that's the best option today. I was working traffic & got caught in the rain with my 66 in an exposed Safariland holster... Just dried & BF after.

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NRA LIFE
Reserve Officer 9yrs

Thanks for the reply and peace of mind I stripped it down and cleaned and oiled it real well then sprayed it down with Barricade. I will leave it a part over night the holster I will let dry for a day or two. I was thinking i should have sprayed it down with WD40 before I went I will next time it just gave me a heart attack seeing the rust on it.

I have a lobo leather unlined pocket holster I used today. I use a Smith for work as well but have never had a problem with it getting wet before. I wondered about a reaction but the worst of the rust was on the trigger and on the inside of the cylinder face. I appreciate the insight stay safe

Lemon juice for the rust, with a toothbrush or some brass wool. Then I had some rust on my EDC and someone recommended Ren Wax, scooped some up from Amazon. I hear it works wonders!!!

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Still just a kid at heart

Thanks for the tip I was able to get all the rust off and am leaving the gun apart over night I will remember the lemon juice for later. Thanks again I appreciate it.

Not a problem! Lemon juice works great for getting rust out of any metal. And since it's all natural, you don't have to worry about finishes.

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Still just a kid at heart

I like blue guns, but for edc and water travel, Stainless is the way to go.My m-60 has been submerged more times than I can remember even the crimson trace grips still work fine. I did get wet on my dog walk the other night and I could not believe how long it took for my leather holster to throughly dry. More than three days and still a bit damp!
Ren wax is your friend.

DO NOT USE WD40 on your firearms!!! WD40 is not a lubricant nor offer any corrosion resistance, it is a penetrating fluid!! Unless, of course, you want MORE RUST.

Generally your hands and the acids in them will affect a surface more than water. As stated above the type of dye used on the holster can literally strip the blue when combined with water, sweat, blood. I use Sentry Solutions on the gun since it non silicone based, does not attract dust when dry, and will not freeze at 30 below ( I have tried it ). Wet leather is not good for any finish, separate and dry as stated. Be Safe,

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I BACK OUR BLUE

To dry leather, you want little heat to avoid damage... but a fan... air flow... is a big help in evaporating the water. I hand made a few holsters, as a re-enactor I already did leather work but John Bianchi's book Blue Steel & Gun Leather gave me tips I did not know. After shaping the wet holster... it has to be dried.

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NRA LIFE
Reserve Officer 9yrs

WD-40 stands for "water displacing". The immediate first aid for a gun that has been dunked is to unload and quickly shake/wipe off the gun, then spray it heavily with WD40 on the outside, in the barrel, and inside as much as you can hit. That displaces most of the water, giving you some time to get the proper tools/lube/facilities for more complete disassembly, drying, and re-lube.

If the gun was dunked in salt water, you want to dunk it in fresh water or hose it off with fresh water, before the WD40.

If WD40 is not available, you can also use diesel fuel or kerosene.

I've never tried waiting to see how long the WD40 will hold rust at bay, but it's worked for a couple of hours.

WD40 is NOT a good long-term lube or rust protective, I've had excellent results with Break Free CLP but there are other good ones too.

Yes, blasting water out of and off a gun is one of the few things WD-40 should be used for around guns, as displacing water is exactly what it was designed for.

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SWHF #448

Not to say I don't trust your observation but are you sure that's rust? You did say you were in a river and I've seen a lot of rivers here on the east coast that were muddy and rich in iron. Anything that goes in and comes out usually has a sort of rusty color, which looks a lot like the trigger on your pic. I know it's possible for rust to form in hours, and if it is that's a little scary because it could mean normal perspiration may cause it too.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

I shot a Cowboy match today and asked some people what they thought about WD-40.

They claim it is good to use if guns get wet to flush out moisture. And then clean guns as usual. I've been using it for seven years to flush out moisture. And then I use Rem Oil to lubricate. No rust yet!