I'm having a rust problem with my luger pistol, i just clear the gun and in the next week is rusted again, it's only light rust but is concerning me and it's no good stay cleaning the gun which week cause i don't even shoot the gun, i store the gun into the original holster and in my wardobe, no moisture there and still rusting, the previous owner also stored the gun in the holster for more than 30 years and came to me with no rust, what could be the cause of the rust? there is a pic showing the light rust and my holster. sorry for my bad english.
One tiny bit of advice - never store a gun in the holster, the leather will attract moisture, whether you see it or not! Oil the gun and keep it out of the holster!
I won't say that for sure that it is causing it, but you can bet it ain't helping it. I just know I would never keep a gun in a leather holster because the leather will attract moisture.
i just don't understand why started to rust now, the previous owner also stored the gun in the holster for many years and had no rust, why is rusting now?
Do you live in a more humid area than the previous owner? Did the previous owner have it in a safe with a dehumidifier? A wooden wardrobe and a dehumidified safe are two entirely different things!
Are you 100% sure it was stored in a holster by the previous owner? Most gun guys will tell you the same thing. Never store a gun in a holster. It's right in the Ruger owner manual not to do this as the gun may rust.
George has it! 100% - NEVER store a firearm in a leather holster. I'd even go further - never store a rifle or shotgun in a zip-up case, and never store ammo in a leather cartridge belt. That is, of course, unless you are a fan of green ammunition cases.
I have a shotgun that's been stored in it's zipped, padded, gun case since I received it. It is staring to lightly rust. The humidity in Florida is awful. Yes, I lightly oiled it.
Greetings Folks:
As everyone else has already pointed out, it's the leather holster. Don't, don't, don't, simply don't do it!!!! Do not store a firearm in a holster or one of those zippered pouches. Those zippered pouches with the fuzzy linings look like they'll protect your firearm, but in reality that fuzzy stuff attacks moisture and leads to rust. There is an alternative. There are products out there known as VCI poly bags. VCI stands for "volatile corrosion inhibitors." Essentially they are plastic bags that have the corrosion and rust inhibitors built into them. For many years there were at least two companies that made them specifically for firearms: Bianchi and Birchwood-Casey. Unfortunately, they dropped the products. You can still find them produced by companies such as Zerust, Zcore, and others. They are available through distributors such as Midway.
However, like with most products there are pros and cons. On the positive side: they do inhibit rust, you can put a pistol in one of these bags and then put the bag in a holster or a zippered case, and they're not terribly expensive. On the con side: using a VCI bag does not mean that the gun will not ever rust--it is an "inhibitor" meaning that it slows the progression of rust. In addition to the metal, rust requires two things--water and air. VCI bags slow down both, but the plastic is not impermeable which means that over time rust and water vapor will get through the plastic. There is another con that is also important and that is some folks have said that all plastics including VCI bags give off gasses which will eventually damage the finish on most metal objects. Some folks have also found that some of the oils and lubricants commonly used to retard rust and corrosion will cause the plastic bags to disintegrate and this combination then damages the finish of your gun. There are also VCI papers and S&W used them for years, but I don't think they do that any more either. Some guys use the vacuum bags to eliminate the air and that helps, but again, the plastic will degrade and eventually let in both air and moisture.
I lost two rifles to rust and I live in the desert!
Three rifles were stored in a locked cabinet in a utility room inside my house. The swamp cooler was 20 feet away from the closed cabinet but pointed right at the cabinet. The cooler ran from 6 AM to 8 PM all summer long. The guns had not been looked at for over a year and a chance opening of the cabinet revealed the horror.
Two of the rifles which were not covered were un-recoverable from the rust. The outside had deep pits and the bores were ruined. Even the steel scope on one gun was deeply rusted. The third gun in the same cabinet and in the same environment was perfect. The difference? That gun was in a rust preventing Silicone treated rifle sock. No rust anywhere. The other two were given to a friend to display in his cowboy mini-town bunk house, rust and all.
Those socks flat work! Holsters are a know source of rusted guns. Wiping down a gun with a silicone rag before storage helps too as well as following the wipe down with wrapping the gun in the silicone cloth. Most all my handguns are wrapped in a silicone cloth and store in a box or gun rug. Saturating the gun during cleaning with Break-Free also minimizes the chances of rust.
Ok guys, i'm very thankful for the tips, i will try too keep the gun out of the holster, which is
probably causing the rust, i hope this do the trick to stop the rust, many thanks folks.
I am the odd man out on this one. I have quite a few WWI and WWII military guns that have been stored in the original holsters for many years with no damage at all. I have a MINT CZ-27 that was a WWII bring back and always kept in it's holster. The key is moisture. If you environment is damp you will have problems. I have a WWI 1911 that was in Siberia and it is still quite nice in the original holster. I also have a mint 1918 Black 1911 that has been stored for it's entire life in the original holster. I know the experts all disagree with me but this is my personal experience. Some times the holster may have been treated with something that causes the problem. And yes if it does get wet and stays in the holster all will be lost.
I would highly recommend you use this spray. I used it on my boat on all my gear on saltwater. And use it on all my guns when they go into storage for a while. Spray the gun use 0000 extra fine steel wool and this will remove the rust plus create a protective barrier. Afterwards you can use the one specifically made for guns which I have but have never had the need.
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