EAA Witness -- rust on barrel. Help!

B

BrianF-Jax

New member
I left my gun (EAA Witness 9mm, Fullsize, wonderfinish), with the slide open for about 5 days, after closing the slide back, I find a patch of surface rust on the barrel, right above where the "CAL 9X19" is printed. Its easily a dime sized spot.

I have shot this gun one time with factory loaded federal american eagle cartridges. I fully dissassembled, cleaned and oiled it thoroughly afterwards.

Examining the barrel further, I see a spot of similar surface rust right near the tip of the barrel.

I went after it with some solvent/oil, scrubbing at it, and all it is now is black pitting like stuff instead of rust. Basically the surface is gone in that spot.

Can anyone tell me WHY this happened, and does anyone know if EAA will address this issue?

-Brian
 
Need details

What kind of oil and solvent did you use, and how are you cleaning the handgun?

Some oils and solvents do not mix well. Matter of fact, some mixed together will create corrosive byproducts. Because of this, it's a good practice to wipe one completely off before using the other.

Also, only use stuff specifically designed for gun cleaning. There's an incredible amount of stuff available cheap in hardware stores that is corrosive or detrimental to guns. Simple Green comes to mind. (if you could see what it did to some USAF landing gear...)

Also, where you store/carry the handgun will affect corrosion/rusting. If you live near a large body of salt water, you may have to clean your handgun much more often to keep it clean and rust free. Even if you didn't shoot it. Some people carry daily and are naturally "sweaty". They have to clean their handgun daily or live with the rust.

I doubt EAA will do anything about it.

I hope that helps.

Edmund
 
The oil I've used is outers "gun oil" that came with a cleaning kit. Hoppe's #9 and shooters choice for solvents.

I used a dremel with a cloth wheels & some polishing compound and got rid of the rust, (it was really thin). So crisis averted. (I kind of freaked out..) :)

I don't carry the gun, it was sitting under my bed in a bianchi nylon holster. I do live in florida, coastal, but not right on the coast. Don't have problems with things rusting quickly on a regular basis.

The symptoms have been fixed, now I need to fix the problem. This was sort of a wake-up call I guess, I see where I may have missed cleaning something that could've contributed to the rusting.

You live and learn! :)

-Brian
 
Another guess

Keeping the hangun inside a holster for storage might be aggravating your situation. Gunk or something corrosive inside the holster might be working on the gunmetal. Also, holsters tend to keep moisture trapped against the firearm.

I'd suggest some other way of storing it, or maybe clean (and dry) the holster carefully.

Just a guess on my part.

Edmund
 
The only time I've ever gotten rust on a gun is when it's in a case. Seems to be more of an issue when their is quite a temperature swing to make condensation form. Like others, I'd recommend keeping your enclosed case open a crack. There are some desicants available that may help, but I don't know how they would work in a holster.

Bri
 
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