gun owners - question about rust

[Renthorin]

I just bought a pistol. They gunsmith at the store and the owner both stressed how easily guns rust. Currently it is in its lovely blue Sith and Wesson box wrapped in gunwrap. It is also sandwiched between foam pads in the box and I hear that those will act like a sponge.

Suggestions for storage?

[NM Tom]

If it's blued you MUST keep a light coat of oil on it or it will rust. Stainless resists rust very well, but it to will rust and pit if you don't keep a little oil on it.

[Gary Wells]

FWIW & IMHO:
Keeping your gun in that gunwrap, foam rubber, and box will probably do more damage that good. Buying a good, high quality gun rug, cloth or leather exterior, chamois or soft flannel lined, & gun wrapped in a nice, clean portion of an old t-shirt, probably now days in a microfiber towel, & stored in a nice warm but not humid place like an indoor safe. Never put the gun away without wiping it down very good, especially if someone has been handling it. Some people have a very acidic fingerprint and definitley do not let them handle the gun. Light coat of oil on the non-blued parts, such as the barrel inside, & sometimes some of the action work, springs, & hammer faces, & so forth. Next trip to the gunstore, purchase some of those active dehumidifier bags and keep them in the proximity of where the gun is kept. Might want to look up a good website for handguns such as pistolsmith.com for further info. HTH

[Renthorin]

The slide and barrel are stainless and the rest (besides internal stuff) is polymer.

I was told by the gunsmith that any cloth will hold moisture and those packets and such that "remove moisture" do so ... but only after they have drawn it into their area so they are bad.

Am I being too paranoid about the whole rust thing?

[acoen]

Ditto....What Gary said.

[Gary Wells]

Originally Posted by Renthorin

The slide and barrel are stainless and the rest (besides internal stuff) is polymer.

I was told by the gunsmith that any cloth will hold moisture and those packets and such that "remove moisture" do so ... but only after they have drawn it into their area so they are bad.

Am I being too paranoid about the whole rust thing?

-------------------------------------
FWIW & IMHO:
No, I don't think that you are being too paranoid, but I do think that you need to learn to listen to someone other than a gun salesman. Don't listen to anybody, go find a good gun site. Try pistolsmith.com
or glocktalk

As far as your gunsmith and the owner go, if the barrel and slide are stainless and the frame is polymer, why are they worried about rust. Under normal conditions, that gun should not rust. And the bags should be changed every few years. As far as your gunsmith saying that rags hold moisture, so does air, which your gunsmith seems to hold a lot of too. Hot air. Knowledgable shooters rarely keep their guns in that foam crap. Do keep it for ever selling the gun.

[acoen]

No worries, use a light coat of gun oil on all of the metalic parts, clean it thoroughly after every use and wipe it down after handling. Don't wrap it up in anything unless it is a good gun cloth and don't soak it in oil, just a light coat. Inspect the gun from time to time while in storage especially in moisture prone areas. A gun safe with a dehumidifier is the best bet, you can purchase small safes pretty inexpensively now a days.

Aaron

[Renthorin]

Thanks for the replies. I am going to check out gunsmith.com today and look for a few others. Thanks for the link Gary.

[Gary Wells]

http://www.pistolsmith.com/index.php
This is the tb.com of the pistol world.

[Renthorin]

Oops....yeah..that site :-)

going to the range this weekend!!! Can't wait to click off a hundred rounds :-)