Bead blast finish on “Combat Magnums?”

[Paper Clip]

I have been looking for a good deal on either a Super Blackhawk in 44 or a model 69 with the longer barrel. Something that has really been holding me back on the 69 is the finish. Not the ascetics, although I don’t like those all that much either, but the function. I have had pretty bad experiences with bead blast finishes rusting within hours of being exposed to moisture. That would be a real issue for me on a trail gun. The reason I am buying stainless and not blued is the amount of care needed in the field.

Could anyone with one of the new “Combat Magnums” with the bead blast finish comment on their rust resistance? Thanks for your help!!

 

[3rdgeargrndrr]

Sounds like some nefarious trickster had a blued firearm, somebody sanded or beadblasted off the bluing and sold you a “stainless”. You had a rusty gun Quickly thereafter.
I have many stainless Smiths without a hint of rust and only one stainless one with a little rust that is kept in a tackle box.

 

[Paper Clip]

Sounds like some nefarious trickster had a blued firearm, somebody sanded or beadblasted off the bluing and sold you a “stainless”. You had a rusty gun Quickly thereafter.
I have many stainless Smiths without a hint of rust and only one stainless one with a little rust that is kept in a tackle box.

Actually most of my bead blasted experience has been with different stainless steel knife blades. Even high chromium content steel will rust more easily for me if it is bead blasted. I know it doesn’t directly correlate, but wanted to ask someone with experience just to check.

Bead blasting actually opens up pores in the steel where moisture can be trapped and rust can form more easily, from my understanding.

 

[scruffy]

M66-8 (.357 Combat Magnum) and have had zero issues with the finish. Easy to keep clean and I keep it wiped down with a silicone cloth.

 

[Black Knight]

What part of the country are you in? I have a S&W model 686 that I used as an armed security patrol officer and supervisor for many years in the 1980s. It was in every weather condition you could imagine with the exception of salt air (coastal areas). Mine never rusted even a little. After your trail trip do you wipe it down with a silicone cloth or even a dry terry cloth hand towel. The idea is to keep moisture off but when it does get on it to wipe it off as soon as possible. Any gun can rust even stainless guns but stainless guns will rust slower. When I did private security one of my subordinates asked me if I would look at her gun (a stainless Taurus 357). Being one of the company's firearms instructors I looked at it and it showed a good deal of surface rust. She was going to be off a few days so I took the gun and gave it a thorough cleaning. I told her to wipe it down after she was in the rain and not to keep it in a wet holster. She never had that problem after that. Keep a silicone cloth with you (they are inexpensive) and wipe it down at the end of the day, don't store it in a wet holster and you should not have any problems with rust.

 

[Paper Clip]

What part of the country are you in? I have a S&W model 686 that I used as an armed security patrol officer and supervisor for many years in the 1980s. It was in every weather condition you could imagine with the exception of salt air (coastal areas). Mine never rusted even a little. After your trail trip do you wipe it down with a silicone cloth or even a dry terry cloth hand towel. The idea is to keep moisture off but when it does get on it to wipe it off as soon as possible. Any gun can rust even stainless guns but stainless guns will rust slower. When I did private security one of my subordinates asked me if I would look at her gun (a stainless Taurus 357). Being one of the company's firearms instructors I looked at it and it showed a good deal of surface rust. She was going to be off a few days so I took the gun and gave it a thorough cleaning. I told her to wipe it down after she was in the rain and not to keep it in a wet holster. She never had that problem after that. Keep a silicone cloth with you (they are inexpensive) and wipe it down at the end of the day, don't store it in a wet holster and you should not have any problems with rust.

Thanks for your response!

I take good care of my firearms. I wipe them all down when exposed, stainless or not.

 

[Papa_D]

I daily carry an SD9VE with the bare Stainless Steel "bead blast" finish. Not exactly Smith's flag ship piece. I've had it on my hip in the middle of a Texas Summer storm & all Summer in South West Oklahoma.

Not a hint of rust.

Sent from my Vivo XL4 using Tapatalk

 

[shocker]

Stainless rusts when exposed to water+salt. Gun exposed to sweat all day? Personally, I'd wipe it with Ballistol/water mix, just like as if I was using corrosive primers.

 

[stansdds]

Stainless steel firearms can rust under the right conditions. Stainless is more resistant to rust than carbon steel and is far more resistant to pitting.