You have much, much more leeway with a stainless firearm. You don't have to keep them slathered in oil. But stainless steel's Kryptonite is chloride - salt, chlorine, etc. You can degrease and coat them with FP10 and they're good for years.
How the heck does stainless steel get pitted?
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CAJUNLAWYER
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You have to really work at it-it isn't easy but it can be done.
DonD
Member
Some stainless is "passivated," using steel wool on stainless can create corrosion initiation spots. I'd bet that more than a few people have "touched up" their stainless gun with some 0000 steel wool, something they may regret. Don
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jtcarm
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I saw a long reply stating SS was probably milled with carbon steel cutters. I dunno much about milling metal, but quite a bit about wood and can say C1 carbide is the weapon of choice for holding and edge on any sort of power cutting tool, with High Speed Steel next and carbon a distant third.
I guess I pamper my guns. There is blue wear & scratches from honest use, but no corrosion. My one stainless is a Ruger Redhawk and it looks the same as when it came out of the box in 1982.
I guess I pamper my guns. There is blue wear & scratches from honest use, but no corrosion. My one stainless is a Ruger Redhawk and it looks the same as when it came out of the box in 1982.
One giant problem with using HS cutters on stainless is that it really slows down processing. Cutting speeds are way less and there's more tool changes.
I'm not a pampering sort. No abuse like slamming cylinders shut, etc., but i run them hard and use them in all sorts of nasty weather.
BigBill
Absent Comrade
During the hot summer months is when this stainless steel starts to lose its luster. I did notice once its polished with the Simi-Chrome polish I never have the problem again. Maybe we should be using a new car polish on our guns. Instead of wiping them down with oil.
Another insidious aspect of stainless rust is that because the grains of the metal have been aligned the rust follows the grain down into the metal instead of just attacking the surface metal. The damage can often be quite bad before it becomes apparent to the user. You may be able to find the test done by American Rifleman years back, which showed that rust on a SS gun is often more of a problem, the rust on a blued gun due to this. I recommend using a microcrystalline wax to protect the gun.
My 2 1/2" Model 66-1 has some fairly deep rust pits that were hidden under a set of rubber Hogue grips. It was a former Sheriff's Office issue revolver and may not have had the best of care. I was going to put a set of factory Magnas on it but I can't because the rust pits show. They are hidden by the Hogues though.
losingle
Member
I treat my 3rd gens, 6 ss, like my car, no pitting, good coat of carnuba wax, and polish. S&W beadblasting refinish process includes "passivating". They explain aggressive friction polish is not a good idea.
681ismyfavorite
Member
stainless means less care required, not no care required.
In some cases, the use of incompatible cleaning solvents can cause pitting. In stainless rifle barrels, the combination of the copper removal solvent 'Sweets', followed by Shooter's Choice was found to corrode the bore of quite a few rifles. It's also well known that salt spray will corrode stainless guns if not cleaned off promptly.
S-W9mm
Member
Easy way to tell if your stainless gun is apt to rust is test it with a magnet. 300 series like 304 (general purpose) and 316 (marine use) are non magnetic and will not rust because of the high nickle content. Acids and salt water pitting are the biggest problem. 400 series has a high iron content that makes them apt to rust but also makes for a stronger metal. I tested my 686 Pro, it's magnetic.
POLSEGR38
Member
Idea? Use a sacrificial anode to store with the gun. I wonder if someone makes one for guns. They sure work great for outboard motors and other industrial equipment. A concern could be the area where the two meet/contact, could that cause corrosion on the SS as the galvanic action is transferred to the anode? This thought came to mind after reading the above posts.
loquisimo
Member
had all my stainless gun...even glocks..electroless nickel and then on top hard crome...rust no more.
As the corrosion is usually quite localized, the sacrificial anode idea might be less beneficial than you might think as you need good conductivity between the area of corrosion and the anode. Perhaps if you kept the whole thing submerged...
Or plate the whole thing in zinc!
Really, if you pull the grips and let the revolver hang so that air can reach everywhere, there's not much that's apt to happen whilst in storage.
My poor old 940 gets virtually no attention aside from a light brushing to remove grit unless we "go for a swim" and it gets soaked. Then it gets opened up to dry out. Plenty of scratches, dings and rubs but no pits after over ten years of carry.
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I have had exactly one S&W revolver, a Model 65, ship in from a distributor and within two weeks of being sold, it was covered in orangish rust-looking specs.
A quick call to S&W revealed that it had most likely escaped the passivation process. A quick return to the factory and it came back looking brand new. The explanation? The carbon tools used left microscopic specs of carbon in the surface, which rusted, which created the orangish specs all over the outside of the revolver.
This is why use of steel wool on revolvers is not a well thought out plan. Unless you want to have your revolver covered in orangish red rust specs, care for your revolver exactly as mentioned in the owner's manual. I have never seen steel wool mentioned.
A quick call to S&W revealed that it had most likely escaped the passivation process. A quick return to the factory and it came back looking brand new. The explanation? The carbon tools used left microscopic specs of carbon in the surface, which rusted, which created the orangish specs all over the outside of the revolver.
This is why use of steel wool on revolvers is not a well thought out plan. Unless you want to have your revolver covered in orangish red rust specs, care for your revolver exactly as mentioned in the owner's manual. I have never seen steel wool mentioned.
littlerocknroller
Member
Stainless is not stainless - in all cases
Coming from the cutlery or flatware industry I can tell you that there are big differences in the qualities of stainless steel. For a top quality spoon or fork manufacturers use 18/10 stainless steel. This means 18% chrome and 10% nickel which gives the so-calles chrome - nickel steel. This is non-magnetic and practically rust resistant. For less quality items the steel is 15/10 which means 15% chrome ans 10% nickel. This means that the items are magnetic and may suffer from rust. Take a knife from your wifes kitchen drawer and look if the blade is a separate piece and in some way attached to the handle. Then chances are high, that you have a high quality knife with a 18/10 handle - BUT a lesser quality blade. Blades MUST be of lesser quality because otherwise they simply do not cut for long. The other side of the medal is, that the blade may suffer from food acids if not cleaned immediately after use. Human sweat is some kind of acid, too.
This may give you the explanation why a stainless steel S & W may have some pitting or even rust. They certainly use the "lesser quality" steel, because it is much stronger than the high quality material. Make the magnetic test and you will know more. To get rid of the rust I would recommend - don't laugh - toothpaste (very mild) or use the product your wife uses for the stainless steel kitchen sink. This should be a milky liquid which is great for cleaning stainless steel. After that keep your gun oiled and keep it away from "wet hands". I once had a buddy I never allowed to touch any of my guns. The became rusty immediately because he had very wet (sweaty) hands. Hope this helped and gave you same idea about the what's and why's.
Rainer
Coming from the cutlery or flatware industry I can tell you that there are big differences in the qualities of stainless steel. For a top quality spoon or fork manufacturers use 18/10 stainless steel. This means 18% chrome and 10% nickel which gives the so-calles chrome - nickel steel. This is non-magnetic and practically rust resistant. For less quality items the steel is 15/10 which means 15% chrome ans 10% nickel. This means that the items are magnetic and may suffer from rust. Take a knife from your wifes kitchen drawer and look if the blade is a separate piece and in some way attached to the handle. Then chances are high, that you have a high quality knife with a 18/10 handle - BUT a lesser quality blade. Blades MUST be of lesser quality because otherwise they simply do not cut for long. The other side of the medal is, that the blade may suffer from food acids if not cleaned immediately after use. Human sweat is some kind of acid, too.
This may give you the explanation why a stainless steel S & W may have some pitting or even rust. They certainly use the "lesser quality" steel, because it is much stronger than the high quality material. Make the magnetic test and you will know more. To get rid of the rust I would recommend - don't laugh - toothpaste (very mild) or use the product your wife uses for the stainless steel kitchen sink. This should be a milky liquid which is great for cleaning stainless steel. After that keep your gun oiled and keep it away from "wet hands". I once had a buddy I never allowed to touch any of my guns. The became rusty immediately because he had very wet (sweaty) hands. Hope this helped and gave you same idea about the what's and why's.
Rainer
MountainSmith
Member
I have noticed the high polished stainless of my Ruger Vaquero seems more stain resistant than the (more porous?) stainless of a Smith J frame. Any thoughts on this? Could the high polish make a difference?
I've got a NIB 66-5 that has pitting under the factory Uncle Mikes rubber grips. Joe
Paints-n-cows
Member
I just bought a used Ruger SR1911 that had Hogue grips on it. They had estimated his shot count at 250 in 4 range sessions. Since I don't particularly care for rubber grips, I removed them and found lines of rust right at the edge of where the grips meets the frame.
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