New Sig Has Rust

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MoreIsLess

MoreIsLess

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I bought a new Sig 320 45acp about 2 months ago. It has about 150 rounds through it so I took it down for it's first cleaning and I noticed it has rust on the inside of the slide. I call Sig customer service, thinking they would offer to replace the slide but all they told me was to clean it off myself.

I am little disappointed in their response
 
Just be glad you didn't buy an HK and then call them to complain....... Many new guns get stored in poor conditions in warehouses before a dealer gets them and sells them. I wouldn't worry too much about it.
 
My first thought is what makes you sure it is rust.

Some of the new guns I have brought had a rust colored grease on it especially on the inside parts. It comes off with some solvent or Hoppes.

My next question is the slide carbon or stainless steel. The slide on my P239 is stamped STAINLESS and has Nitron finish?
If it stamped STAINLESS then go back to my first comment.

Otherwise Steel rusts.

Many things outside the control of the manufacturer can cause steel to rust. That's why there are many products on the market especially designed to prevent steel from rusting. I'll wager the owners manual that came with the gun recommends cleaning and oiling the gun before shooting it.

You have had your gun for two months and never bother to field strip it, clean, lube and oil it. Now after your neglect you are surprised it has rust.

If I am coming across as harsh it is because guns, like most mechanical devices, required oiling, lubrication and preventive maintenance.
 
Very good points. I have seen some greases that look just like rust. Just clean it all up and keep that thing oiled and check on it frequently. It doesn't need to be dripping with oil - but it needs a thin coat everywhere. The easiest way to keep a gun oiled is to buy the oil in a small bottle and drip 3 or 4 drops onto a small stenciling brush (craft store has them). Then just "paint" the entire gun with the brush. Right up next to the grips and all of the nooks and crannys and checkering and serrations. Wipe any excess off with a rag.
 
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I'm kind of surprised to hear rust could be a problem in a place such as "HotLanta". Isn't rust usually a condition usually known to occur in areas of high heat and humidity? I'm sure glad I live in an area not prone to rust, just like you do, so we don't have to take precautions to make sure our guns don't rust.;)
 
Rust is a condition for any ferrous metal that is touched by human hands. Some people's sweat can rust stainless steel in minutes. I have seen this. Keep it oiled and check on it and reapply if needed.
 
MoreIsLess said:
I bought a new Sig 320 45acp about 2 months ago. It has about 150 rounds through it so I took it down for it's first cleaning and I noticed it has rust on the inside of the slide. I call Sig customer service, thinking they would offer to replace the slide but all they told me was to clean it off myself.

I am little disappointed in their response
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First thing I do when I get a new firearm is to field strip it and give it a quick wipe down of all metal surfaces. After that I use my RemOil spray and give all the metal surfaces a spray down. I then wipe them all down with a lightly oiled rag, put some drops of oil on the slide rails, and reassemble.

I have bought new guns and seen them almost dry to sticky with something that looks like chassis lube.

I would never buy a gun, shoot it, and wait 2 months to clean it.

With all this being said, Sig customer service should have treated the OP better. They have to be made aware that there are MANY options for someone to purchase, and with Sig's prices, they need to have a higher level of customer service than other gun manufacturers.
 
if its just light surface rust......some wd40 and some #0000 steel wool will take care of it no problem.......will take you all of 30 seconds.

sending it back to sig for them to deal with is a waste of your time ....and if im honest....a waste of their time as well.

and honestly, you are nuts if you thought sig would send you a new slide....1) its a used gun....2) a little surface rust doesnt constitute the need of a new slide.

clean it off and be done with it.
 
Not sure if it was intended or not... but the tone of these responses seems like quite the smack down.

and...

perhaps Sigs response was sincere and not just a brush off...

Clean the gun thoroughly and then inspect the suspect area of the slide while dry and clean, under a good light with magnification.

If the "rust" is gone... no harm, no foul

If their is some pitting, you'll have to consider whether it is significant enough to affect function, and whether it happened over the last two months, while in you custody, or prior to receiving it.

Good luck.
 
Don't use wd40. If you got the 0000 steel wool, use whatever oil you lube your gun with. Works a whole lot bettet.
 
Did you give a good cleaning upon receiving the gun? Also did you lube the gun? It appears there have been some sigs that have a "brown gunk" that people think is rust and it actually isn't. Some have experienced this when lubing with the TW25b recommended lube, and it reacts with the oil that sigs uses to oil the gun when shipping.
 
BSA1 said:
I'll wager the owners manual that came with the gun recommends cleaning and oiling the gun before shooting it.
Click to expand...

You have had your gun for two months and never bother to field strip it, clean, lube and oil it. Now after your neglect you are surprised it has rust.
Click to expand...


I am just following the instructions given me by the LGS, who is the largest Sig dealer in metro Atlanta, where I bought it which was to wipe off the packing grease and then put about 150 rounds through it and then field strip and clean it. So, I had it for about 6 weeks and kept it in a gun safe before I got around to shooting it and then I field stripped it after 150-200 rounds and found what I described above.

I wouldn't exactly call putting 150 rounds through a gun before cleaning it the first time, neglect. I know many people that don't shoot guns right away after buying them. Some people buy guns because they got a good deal and plan on selling it with no intentions of keeping it.
 
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Must agree with Drail.
But, DO NOT use steel wool!!! (Drail isn't the one who suggested that) Use either bronze wool, or SS wool, available from kitchen supply outlets. Steel wool will leave behind some molecules of the very stuff which caused the rust in the first place.
 
And? If it turns out to be rust, it isn't gonna affect the finish in any way. If it doesn't hurt bluing, it's not gonna hurt 400 series stainless. But make sure it's rust and not grease. I know that match 10/22 I got in stainless looked like it had rust on the outside of the bull barrel. Turned out to be grease.
 
Because you shouldn't have to use something as nasty as iron/steel wool for stainless steel. If it is rust at all, a good soak in Corrosion X and a good rub with a rag should remove the surface rust. It is his slide. Minute particles of carbon steel can embed or worse end up inside the slide. I'm just cautious and use the milder approach first.
 
OilyPablo said:
Because you shouldn't have to use something as nasty as iron/steel wool for stainless steel. If it is rust at all, a good soak in Corrosion X and a good rub with a rag should remove the surface rust. It is his slide. Minute particles of carbon steel can embed or worse end up inside the slide. I'm just cautious and use the milder approach first.
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What I've listed is extremely mild. I'm not telling him to lay into it like you would if you're grinding down spot welds.
 
I wouldn't exactly call putting 150 rounds through a gun before cleaning it the first time, neglect. I know many people that don't shoot guns right away after buying them. Some people buy guns because they got a good deal and plan on selling it with no intentions of keeping it.
Click to expand...

I would not consider it neglect but I do not advise it. The oil which new guns are packed in generally are preservatives for storage not for use. So it is always advisable to field strip the gun and clean it then relube it before you shoot it.

Can you post pics of the "rust"? Where is the rust exactly. Are you 100% positive that it is not the packing oil burnt and stuck to a part of the slide?
 
WVsig said:
I would not consider it neglect but I do not advise it. The oil which new guns are packed in generally are preservatives for storage not for use. So it is always advisable to field strip the gun and clean it then relube it before you shoot it.

Can you post pics of the "rust"? Where is the rust exactly. Are you 100% positive that it is not the packing oil burnt and stuck to a part of the slide?
Click to expand...
This^. I know how badly my kimbers came from the factory.
 
WVsig said:
I would not consider it neglect but I do not advise it. The oil which new guns are packed in generally are preservatives for storage not for use. So it is always advisable to field strip the gun and clean it then relube it before you shoot it.
Click to expand...
Duly noted

Can you post pics of the "rust"? Where is the rust exactly. Are you 100% positive that it is not the packing oil burnt and stuck to a part of the slide?
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It's on the inside of the slide near the muzzle. I'll double check that it's not burnt on grease on post pics if not
 
BSA1 said:
My next question is the slide carbon or stainless steel. The slide on my P239 is stamped STAINLESS and has Nitron finish?
If it stamped STAINLESS then go back to my first comment.
Click to expand...

I don't see STAINLESS stamped on the slide of my 320 although Sig Sauer told me that it was stainless with Nitron finish
 
Last time I was in FLA. it was a place of high heat and humidity. Every piece of exposed steel I saw was rusted. We rented a condo and had to replace the front door hinges because they were simply gone. Got some free rent for our trouble. If the gun was fired and put away uncleaned for 2 months there is a very good chance that the powder fouling in it promoted the rust. Even though it is not corrosive it has oxidizers in it that will promote rust on unprotected steel. Guns NEED to be cleaned and oiled after use if you want to take care of it.
 
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