Lyle notes a problem with OC, namely that the gun can get rusty exposed to the elements. The first gun I ever carried was a Bersa Thunder .380. I carried it for about six months before getting a Glock 19. During those six months the slide started to rust. I have to give Glock credit with their materials and finish; I’ve never found a spec of rust on my Glock 19. I bought a Kel-Tec P-3AT a while back, for moments when Glock carry was just too impractical. That held up well to pocket carry, but once the surface bluing started wearing off, rust rust rust, and it didn’t take that long. With firearms other than the Glock, it’s a constant battle on the carry pieces. I also, for a while, carried a Makarov, and that also experienced rust after a month or so.
Inside pockets and inside waistbands are hot, moist areas. If they weren’t, you wouldn’t have to wash down there regularly, and there wouldn’t be much of a market for Lotramin.
I’m not a fan of chrome guns, but I made an exception and got the matte chrome when I purchased my Kel Tec P3AT. It has held up much much better than a blued one to regular IWB carry. Not a speck of rust on it.
Excessive amounts of moisture in the atmosphere is something we here in the desert don’t have to worry about much. :)
Now dust, on the other hand…
For once this Californian can say it:
You should just move somewhere where there is less humidity!
-Gene
I don’t think I’d be carrying, in any manor, a potentially 50 year old comblock pistol. I’ll stick with my G19.
i hate to say it, and it may sound apocryphal, but many of my ‘comblock’ pistols are my most reliable. this includes my makarov, p64, and cz 82. none except for the last are particularly pleasant to shoot. this may not be what you mean, there are of course other reasons why one would not choose these weapons (heavy, underpowered, unpleasant to fire). i suppose i just felt like defending them as not the worst choice for concealed carry on the planet. no, that would be the beretta bobcat.
I’ll second that. My makarov has never had any kind of failure and I put it as one of the most reliable handguns I own. Accurate too!
The only problem with Rust I’ve had on my Kel Tec (which has a significant amount of blue worn off after 4 or 5 years of pretty regular carry) was some rust that formed on the slide after I placed it in some water on the floor of kayak while I was kayaking in salt marsh’s a couple of years ago.
That rubbed off quickly though, and was oiled up and hasn’t shown any problem since then.
I have a stainless steel Colt Mustang .380 for exactly this reason.
Huh. My 3 possible CCWs are stainless. I guess I chose wisely.
Living in the Pacific Northwest has made me a huge fan of chrome. At least the constant rain here washes off the salt spray…
I’m a huge fan of the old mandrel-bent sheet metal slide Sig Sauers – the old P226, the P225, and the P228. They all rust like crazy and the finish wears off pretty much the very first time they’re holstered.
But it all rubs off pretty easily with a rag and a bit of oil. No big deal. I wouldn’t trade my P226 or 225 for all the Glocks in the world.
No problems with my HK Compact .45 USP. Polymer frame with a blued slide, just like my Glock 19. Would the type of holster be a factor?
Lots of guns available in Stainless. They can be melonited to get a hard, black finish like my M&P.
Keep in mind that your problems with rust may be more than just the pistol…
From practically the time I purchased the first of my XD pistols, I had problems with surface rust on the slide, to the point where I had to oil the slide practically daily as a preventative measure.
Then, I cut WAY back on my intake of soda, and my problems with rust disappeared almost overnight.
In short, examine your diet, and you may find that the root of the problem is what you’re eating…
I’ve never had even a spot of rust on my XD, which I carry year round. I just assumed it was the gun, but it is also true that I drink no soda, so you might be on to something.
Glock has been paying off the soft drink industry for years to put in a little additive that specifically makes you sweat a compound that causes the XD to rust, so people think they are bad guns. You can’t trust old Gaston.