442/642, sweat/rust questions...

[Eagle1*]

Guys, thought I would ask opinions on the durability of the blued 442 cylinder compared to the stainless cylinder of the 642. I have attached a couple of pics below of what my 442 looks like after everyone of my runs. Of course it is 90 plus degrees right now and I carry her in a fanny pack when I jog 4-5 days a week. I am oiling the cylinder every time I run but did not do it a few days and the cylinder did not want to open as it began to rust on the bar that swings out the cylinder on the inside causing it to somewhat freeze up and not wanting to swing out. I guess some sweat got down in there as I pulled it out and cleaned a oiled it so I have been super anal about keeping it oiled up since then.

Do you guys think the 642 would be better than the blued 442's or would it do the same if I did not oil it daily too? I'm talking not just about the cylinder but the crane and cylinder latch as well? S&W website says the 442 has a carbon steel cylinder compared to the stainless on the 642. I am aware that stainless can rust but not as easy as carbon steel.

Would a titanium cylinder in my 442 solve this issue? Thought about doing that mod/swap for this particular j frame for what I use it for to save from buying another J, but I do know how acquiring another J frame feels too, sooo... Thanks for the help...

 

[Buford57]

I've been pocket (and rarely, IWB) carrying a 642 for about 6 years. Never seen any rust. That is truly bizarre and I can only imagine is related to the coating/finish S&W uses on the 442. My cylinder has a couple of "spots" (for lack of a better term) about 1/8" in diameter that are lighter than the surrounding metal. The frame has wear on the sharp edges where alloy or blued carbon steel guns always wear, but none of the flaking/peeling I was led to expect.

 

[rockquarry]

Guys, thought I would ask opinions on the durability of the blued 442 cylinder compared to the stainless cylinder of the 642. I have attached a couple of pics below of what my 442 looks like after everyone of my runs. Of course it is 90 plus degrees right now and I carry her in a fanny pack when I jog 4-5 days a week. I am oiling the cylinder every time I run but did not do it a few days and the cylinder did not want to open as it began to rust on the bar that swings out the cylinder on the inside causing it to somewhat freeze up and not wanting to swing out. I guess some sweat got down in there as I pulled it out and cleaned a oiled it so I have been super anal about keeping it oiled up since then.

Do you guys think the 642 would be better than the blued 442's or would it do the same if I did not oil it daily too? I'm talking not just about the cylinder but the crane and cylinder latch as well? S&W website says the 442 has a carbon steel cylinder compared to the stainless on the 642. I am aware that stainless can rust but not as easy as carbon steel.

Would a titanium cylinder in my 442 solve this issue? Thought about doing that mod/swap for this particular j frame for what I use it for to save from buying another J, but I do know how acquiring another J frame feels too, sooo... Thanks for the help...

Hard to tell from the photos what's going on, but... if you carry your gun in a fanny pack, wrap it in a soft lightly oiled cotton cloth folded to give two or three layers of protection. It shouldn't matter whether the revolver is stainless or carbon steel. Wipe down with a lightly oiled cloth after each run. I don't know anything about titanium but would guess it would be fine as well.

 

[BloodyThumb]

I have sweat all over guns for about 40 years. A spray of BC Gun scrubber displaces moisture in tight spaces and then a quick light lube at the end of the day.

I (and hopefully most of us) brush our teeth once or more times a day, we wipe when we go, and we dry off when we bathe. Make it one of those things and a blue gun will be fine unless it truly MUST remain pristine and look as if it belongs to a non-shooter. It does NOT take that long and is not that big of a deal.

I will offer this. I had one period of time where I was required to carry deep concealed for an extended period. Coincidentally I was using a 442 at the time. I put a sheet of wax paper from the kitchen in a folded washcloth and put that between my skin and the gun. The wash cloth kept the wax paper quiet and only the skin side got wet. Worked like a champ.

 

[mikerjf]

Been sweating on a silver 637 all the time, looks fine.