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.
How the heck does stainless steel get pitted?
- Thread starter jtcarm
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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.
DepOne
Member
Years ago I was in my garage cleaning a Model 60 when a neighbor who was a chemical engineer dropped in. I picked up an aerosol can of something and he asked if I was going to spray it on the gun. He recommended only using pump type sprays on anything made of steel as many of the gasses used in aerosol propellants are corrosive, even on stainless. Maybe that has changed by now, but I never again used aerosols on guns and never had a rusting or pitting problem.
Gunsnwater
Member
I know of no stainless used in guns to be non magnetic.
POLSEGR38
Member
After Googling for best SS gun protectant, this seems to be some pretty great stuff: http://www.steelshieldtech.com/prodsheetpdf/pdfcombined/WeaponShield.pdf
I'm going to order some and spray completely my 2 new SS Rugers in it and let dry or per instructions. It is designed for use on SS guns.
I'm going to order some and spray completely my 2 new SS Rugers in it and let dry or per instructions. It is designed for use on SS guns.
Here's some of the typical conditions in which the 940 has survived so long with no appreciable pitting. ( There's a little something under the left grip on the all-weather well used, 617.)
The 940 in my pocket was probably soggy as well as the 617 after fording the creek late last winter. :
Attached photos from yesterday's range trip, BTW, including the mud!:
The 940 in my pocket was probably soggy as well as the 617 after fording the creek late last winter. :
Attached photos from yesterday's range trip, BTW, including the mud!:
Attachments
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DonD
Member
That looks like a messy trip. On the other hand, firing something powerful into the sloppy mud would amuse me. Don
Our service pistols are all stainless Smiths as well and although they are tough as nails they do tend to pit a bit for our guys in the coastal posts. Salt water I suspect is the culprit along with high humidity and sitting in a holster for hours. It just reinforces the need to have a good maintenance regiment and armourer program (for law enforcement agencies in particular).
That was the concrete sidewalk at the 50 yd line!
DonD
Member
Funny. When I was young and got my first big bore revolver, a .44 Mag, I had a place that had a stream with steep and deep walls. Was fun to shoot down into it and see the geysers and mud fly w/o any risk at all of a slug going where it shouldn't. Don
Nemo288
Member
That product looks very similar to Eezox and BreakFree CLP
both of which I use. If it smells like Eezox you will be able to tell
where your weapons are a half mile away
My main oil rag is a piece of t-shirt I have had for years that is
lightly infused with a combination of RIG grease and Hoppes oil.
I use this rag to wipe up oil after lubing the press and other items.
It then gets used to wipe off the exterior of weapons after cleaning
and handling. I have had some rifles in the cabinet for decades
without the slightest rusting. It doesn't take much. This rag is
not even that greasy feeling to pick up but you can tell the nice
shine it leaves after a rub down.
---
Nemo
POLSEGR38
Member
I checked their site and chose this link. The best deal $ around.
Weapon Shield Combo Special! [ws-combo] - $15.50 : WMSI, Online Shopping
From all my research, it's the best product available for gun cleaning and protection.
Weapon Shield Combo Special! [ws-combo] - $15.50 : WMSI, Online Shopping
From all my research, it's the best product available for gun cleaning and protection.
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I'm not an expert, but when I worked at GM, we used several grades of stainless to machine fuel injector parts. We mostly used 400 series stainless steel that, like many posted above stated, is rust resistant. That's not to say that 400 is "cheap stainless steel", it's better in some cases just not as rust resistant. The upside is that 400 wears less and last longer in mechanical devices that are prone to wear. 300 is very hard to rust but is very soft and prone to wear more in parts that move against each other because of the increased amount of nickel in it.
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