The slide on my M&P is rusting

It is a common problem. refinish it with gun kote or similar finish......

I had heard of this before. I almost got one of them and that stopped me, you should definatelly not pay to have it fixed. S&W should do it for free and pick up the shipping.

That is a shame. As I'm sure you will hear, S&W will make it right.....the second or third time.

Too bad they don't make it right the first time anymore. TJ

A guy I work with had S&W refinish his. It still rusted until he put a more durable painted on finish.

They can refinish it everytime it rusts. The gun will still have a rusting problem.

FWIW S&W has THE best CS I have ever seen. Just dont expect it to not rust after they refinish it......

To the OP, get it refinished. After that, take better care of it - Eezox is your friend. I've seen Glocks rust in the hot & humid South in the summer too; particularly when carried IWB by folks who naturally perspire more than others and/or work outdoors. It's a tool you're carrying because it may save your life - treat it as such. Like any other tool, it will require some maintenance on the user's part.

I think its because its a .40 . Those things are prone to rust, recoiling like a MF, being pricey (ammo) and.... Nah jj man , sorry to hear that. That really sucks ! I'd be pissed for sure. I think there are some measures one can take to prevent/remove the rust. Try rubbing out with some CLP/gun oil and keep a light coating on the slide and other metal areas in the future. Definitely more solutions, just do a search for "gun rust" and I'm sure a million things will come up. Well good luck. And if it persists , I would definitely contact , S&W. Holly smilies

Not trying to be rude here, but even with a sub-par finish or finish application, rust like that doesn't happen very often with a daily wipe down. You have three basic options-

1. If the gun has(most likely) proven reliable, bite the bullet and go for an upgraded finish.

2. Prepare to live without your primary gun on a regular basis for refinish work.

3. Get a different gun, preferably in stainless for daily carry.

Look into corrosionX products as well. I've been very pleased with the rust killing ability.

Whether it should or not, it is. This is the gun you bet it all on, and it needs to be remedied one way or the other. Good luck.

I think id give S&W an attempt to refinish it first and find the best rust inhibitor you can find. If it happens after that id go to an after market finish like Robar or a few others that are a finish and a lubricant all in one.
Stuff happens and ive seen even SS 1911's have pitting issues on several gun forums and it mainly depends on where you live, how you carry it and your body chemistry.

Makes me glad i decided to save $100 bucks and buy an XD SC instead.

Wow, aren't the slides supposed to be blackened stainless? I am glad I live in the desert, I used to live in NC and barrels would rust all the time.

Wipe your gun down everyday after carrying. I would highly doubt all of that rust just popped up in one day. Any metal will rust without proper maintenance. I'm not accusing you of neglect, I'm just suggesting tips.

I would have thought as a carry gun it was likely the salty sweat rusting it. How long have you had it? Seems odd it is rusting since the gun has only been out for 5 years.

rust like that doesn't happen very often with a daily wipe down. You have three basic options-

Click to expand...

Incorrect. My SW1911 rusts like the Titanic even with daily external oiling When CCWed IWB in the summer. It's stainless too.

Get a different gun, preferably in stainless for daily carry.

Click to expand...

The M&P is stainless.

The people in this thread that think this only happens to neglected firearms either:

A)Carry a Glock.
or
B)Don't carry often in high heat environments that generate large volumes of sweat.

B)Don't carry often in high heat environments that generate large volumes of sweat.

Click to expand...

I don't know that this is an excuse. I mean, I totally understand what you are saying, and it's true that living in a dry climate I don't fully understand what the maintenance routine would be. I haven't had surface rust on any of my guns in, literally, years with the exception of my shotgun, and that was because of rain and snow and long exposure to water.

On the other hand, how is it not neglect? Rust like that doesn't happen instantly nor overnight. Part of carrying a pistol is maintenance, and while I am not casting aspersions on the OP personally, that should have been taken care of immediately. I can't see where S&W has any particular obligation to make things right. Plenty of people carry guns in swampy areas with no problems because they know they just have to do some daily TLC. When my shotgun got surface rust, I wiped it down the first time, learned a lesson about preventative maintenance, and have never had it appear again.

As far as your own pistol rusting, if you are wiping it down, you probably just have salty, corrosive sweat. It happens. I am guessing it didn't happen on your magazine though, and I am further guessing that you had to take daily steps to take care of it. Hey, I might be wrong, maybe the OP is taking care of it and he is just sweating salt and citric acid and it is effecting his gun. In that case, the remedy is a better coating. That takes some cash and is an annoyance, but it is also the cure.

If he wants to keep carrying the M&P it will need a refinish that will protect it. M&Ps rust more than anyother autoloader I know of or have seen. I never hear of Glocks rusting and the newer XDs are the same. M&Ps are good pistols but the trigger, chronic rusting problem (that I see from guys I know that own them) and way too high a retail price is a no go to me. IF they could just get it right and just copy a Glock with out so many flaws and too high a price, it would be a great pistol as is.

I shoot them real good with the apex trigger. I am just not going to spend that much to modify it, then have to refinish it when I can get a cheaper and better Glock.

Just my opinion!! I am not a M&P basher. They just need to fix the finish and trigger issue and get the retail price down.....

no need for alarm, people. send it to s&w, they'll replace the slide and mag for free.

the QC on s&w's finish & melonite process isn't the best. most m&p's have no rust issues, but too many do.

My SW1911 rusts like the Titanic even with daily external oiling When CCWed IWB in the summer. It's stainless too.

Click to expand...

i'd send that sucker in! they need to take care of that for you, my friend.

The M&P is stainless.

Click to expand...

OK. My bad. If it is stainless, it's a poor grade of such. Either that, or the factory finish holds moisture. Remedies are still the same.

im sure S&W would fix it... but as an owner of 7 M&P's... Ive never EVER had any rust and i live in a high humidity area and 2 M&P's are in my bathrooms and experience showers every day.

That almost looks like your not maintaining your firearm.

It shouldn't get THAT bad where you finally notice it IMO.

JOe

On the other hand, how is it not neglect? Rust like that doesn't happen instantly nor overnight.

Click to expand...

My SW1911 rusts near that level inside of six hours when in the heat and I don't even sweat that much. That's with a generous coating of CLP too. Do you expect us to whip out our sidearm and rub it with oil in the middle of our daily routine?

I am further guessing that you had to take daily steps to take care of it.

Click to expand...

Yes, I started carrying my Glock.

If it is stainless, it's a poor grade of such.

Click to expand...

Common misconception. Smith & Wesson actually uses a very high grade of stainless steel and that is why it's so susceptible to corrosion (high carbon content.)

Either that, or the factory finish holds moisture.

Click to expand...

Tenifer/Melonite is far less effective on stainless steel than it is on carbon steel.

If a gun shoots great and its only fault is rusting I would NOT send it in for a new slide. I would hate to get a gun back that is rust free but performs worse. Not worth the risk to me. Go to Brownells and get some gun kote. It works great and you will have a gun that is customized by you.

I had a P226 that would rust after a days use. I just kept CLP on it constantly. It got a rub down after a days use every day. It was not stainless and only had a fine parked finish. The gun shot great, noway I was gonna send it in for some hack to work on....

edit: From the pics the OP put up it looks like it is oiled, and a good one is used. Look at the barrel. It clearly has a quality oil on it. I doubt he would take care of the barrel and ignore the rest of the gun.....

. It works great and you will have a gun that is customized by you

Click to expand...

people today don't want to get their hands dirty... or they feel everything is owed to them.