Preventing rust while carrying

Thanks for all the advices guys... So the SS slide should be fine "no matter what" right? The frame is aluminum... does aluminum get rust? Is the bruniton finish like in the m9a1 more resistant to rust?
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Back when I was SIG's biggest fan... I posted this thread which contained this link.

Not to say this was the deal breaker. But definitely something to consider.
 
I will add one thing to the above advice, learned the hard way. I am pretty careful about drying and wiping down my carry guns whenever there is any chance I have sweated on them, something that happens often. I made the mistake one time early on of just wiping down my SR9c with an oiled towel and not removing the magazine. When I checked it out a couple of days later prior to carrying it again, I found some sweat had found its way into the magazine well and the magazine was rusted in a couple of spots. I was able to clean everything and the magazine is still in use. I learned the valuable lesson that a quick field strip is necessary to make sure everything is clean and oiled.
 
Im one of those with corrosive sweat, and I sweat a lot.

If you sweat, get a gun with a finish like Glocks, or get it hard chromed. Skip leather holsters and buy full kydex. Those hybrids are built backwards, and put the absorbent leather against your skin, where it sucks up the sweat, rubs you raw, and stays wet until you stop using it and let it dry out, which isnt happening over night.

I was constantly dealing with rusted guns until I found kydex and hard chrome. That knocked 99.5% of it down. Box stock Glocks also fall in that range.

I rotated through two Glaco Royal Guards towards the end of my leather holster days. Did that just trying to get one to dry out (read that "not sopping wet the next morning") during the summer. Never worked. I tried all sorts of leather treatments, even duct tape on the body side of the holster. All just a waste of time.

Kydex is waterproof, easily cleaned under the tap, dries with a paper towel, and only wears the guns finish at the contact points (leather wears the finish all over as it contacts more of the gun). Its also usaually a good bit cheaper, and long outlasts any leather holster Ive ever used. I still have the first Blade Tech I ever bought (back in the mid 90's), and it was used daily for 10+ years before it was retired. While it hasnt been used in about 16 years now, its still as serviceable as the day I bought it. Of the last two Royal Guards I used, one was trash after a year (as usual), the newer one looked 10 years old after a couple of months use.
 
Listen to the guys from S. Florida... up here in KY, it's less of an issue. My previous remarks are my own experience. Tunnel advises that there are types which make reholstering easier/safer...good to look at them if you want an IWB. Rod
 
Haha, you should definitely look into a Glock or an HK. Lowest maintenance guns, ever!
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I have to travel a lot to where the nice gunshops are and to take the CCW test. I think I am going on friday... I am giving a serious look to the hk vp9 and glock 26 as an easier to carry, lower maintenance alternatives... what about the SW mp9 maintenance wise?
 
So the SS slide should be fine "no matter what" right? The frame is aluminum... does aluminum get rust?
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I'm a believer in stainless steel, but there are different qualities of stainless steel especially in firearms. My DC is a Ruger SP101 .327 with the 3" barrel and a spurless hammer.
I use a Kangaroo Carry every day all day. I am an electrician by trade for better than 30 years now and I sweat a ton during the warmer months.
Being cotton, the Kangaroo is wring-able at the end of the day on many days throughout my year.
I lay it out flat each night,( I sleep with a ceiling fan on ) and by morning it is bone dry every time.
I keep a larger size pill bottle on the nightstand with a small automotive chamois cloth rolled inside that is damp with WD-40. I know I know, just don't say it and use what ever oil you wish to use.
I wipe my revolver down almost every night with that cloth especially when the holster is damp with sweat. I do mean wipe it down, not just pass over it.
Ruger's stainless hasn't had any problems at all, if it were a matte finished stainless like say Charter's, I'd bet there might be problems, and a blued pistol wouldn't survive for long I'm certain.

Aluminum does not rust but it does oxidize. Oxidization is to aluminum what rust is to steel more or less. I'm guessing that similar precautions would alleviate any issues there too but can not say from personal experience.
 
SS can and will rust, especially if you dont keep after it. I found out the hard way by not removing the grips enough and cleaning under them in the summer one year.
 
I have weapons grade toxic sweat. I carried an old blue Detonics to an IPSC match once. Just tucked in my waistband. Three (3) hours later, the side against my body was evenly coated in brown fur.

For the last few years, I've carried a Sig P239 appendix (in a holster) Got all the controls hard chromed. Stainless grip screws. Good to go, right?

No. Carried for a day had rust inside the barrel. Cleaned it, coated it with Boeshield. Got two days before the rust started.

Gave up, bought a Barsto stainless barrel. Seems we have it under control now. Except some of the hard chrome is flaking a little on the controls.

Anyway, stainless will buy you time, but most of my stainless revolvers that i carry concealed, have a little pitting under the grips. So be it.
 
Just to be clear, my nightly wipe down does not negate the necessity for or replace a regular thorough cleaning that includes removal of the grip.
 
I, too, like some of the others lived in south Florida for many decades before moving to DRY Arizona. LOL!:D

Wipe the gun down at least every other day with a good grade of oil. It doesn't have to any fancy "gun" oil. Any good quality oil will do. Do not use anything like WD-40 for anything other than very short term protection.

Next, about once a month, remove your grips to make sure no corrosion is starting under them. Sweat has a very bad habit of migrating under the grips where it slowly starts rusting everything.
 
I've used Turtle Wax F21 liquid car polish on my guns for a couple of years and it is waterproof. No rust on guns used in wet weather while deer hunting or after handling with sweaty hands.

Got this tip from hunters forums.

JP
 
Some folks use car paste wax on their handgun... seems to help prevent rust.
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Waxes can offer great surface protection. Unlike oils, they don't tend to run off or wick away. This is can be especially good under the grips. It can also put an amazing shine on your gun. Of course, it takes a lot more work than simply wiping down with oil. I'd justify it on guns you love and don't mind rubbing down. ;)

That said, I've heard that some car or boat waxes contain additives that may not be ideal on guns. Supposedly, Renaissance Wax is just right and will work as well on wood as it does metal. I only just picked some up and probably won't get around to trying it for a week or so. Here is a video about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlToim_s0c0
 
Eezox provides excellent corrosion protection. If you want to go with a wax, Renaissance Wax is used by many museums to preserve their items.
 
AdamBomb:

You used the wrong kind of wax! Even the best Turtle Wax is almost a liquid, and that's not what we're talking about.

Try Johnson Paste floor wax (which is inexpensive) or Renaissance Wax (what many museums use on their collectible weapons). The wax actually helps the appearance of blued guns.

I would expect CLP-type liquids to work better in the situations we're talking about, but in some cases, hard paste WAX might be quite good -- Especially is you're also trying to protect wood stocks/grips, too.
 
Try Johnson Paste floor wax (which is inexpensive) or Renaissance Wax (what many museums use on their collectible weapons). The wax actually helps the appearance of blued guns.
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You can find tons of tests online that used renaissance and it does as bad as control. For example:

http://www.vintageveloce.com/2014/04/testing-firearm-metal-preservatives.html

http://rugerforum.net/maintenance/74563-rust-protectant-wins.html

There are tons more out there. I have no reason to believe that renaissance would do better than turtle. They both seem equally bad in tests.
 
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Im a little confused. Are talking about guns being carried daily, or guns sitting in a safe or museum?

Im not seeing the wax holding up very long, especially when the gun is being used in a leather holster.

Eezox has been the best rust preventive I used to date, but only on guns (tools, etc) in storage. Guns Ive used it on that were a rust issue, still rusted, simply due to handling, holsters, and being exposed to my body and wet clothing.

One thing Ive noticed over the years about this discussion is, there really is no one answer here. To many people doing to many different things, and in a lot of different ways.

If youre someone who lives and plays in a controlled environment, and dont really lead an active lifestyle, your results are likely going to a good bit different than those of someone who works outdoors year round, and is active. Then theres everything in between.

The only way to figure it out, is find what works best for your situation. Best not to use you favorite BBQ gun in the decission making process. :)
 
I completely agree AK. Anything short of removing all sweat from the handgun at the end of the day/workout and lubing it properly is just asking for trouble. Applying wax, chicken fat, motor oil or anything else instead will result in rust.
 
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