A question for LT and the other 1911 enthusiasts

[Mike1951]

The 1911 is my favorite handgun and my favorite carry.........when it's cool.

I sweat so profusely that above 80 degrees, my IWB gun gets wet.

That warm, and OWB isn't practical, either.

Most days, removing the grips and wiping down is sufficient.

But frequently, it's bad enough that the frame needs to be disassembled and cleaned to prevent rust, mainly around the grip safety.

This may be enough of a reason to buy an alloy framed 1911 in the future, but right now all five 1911's are steel or stainless steel.

My stainless steel 1911's are only marginally better.

As a result, I have different carry pistols for warm weather.

I'm just wondering if the rest of you encounter this and how you deal with it.

Thanks,

[carlson1]

I am not LT, but I have carried 1911 for several decades. I use two things: The first is Slip 2000 (http://www.slip2000.com) and the second is Gun Butter (http://www.gunbutter.com). I carry IWB most of the time all year round. I have never had a problem. I use THE ANSWER that has full leather between me and the gun. Also with the Gun Butter you will be surprised how easy it is to clean after shooting.

[G.C.Montgomery]

I only regularly carry three of my 1911's and the experiences with each is different.

The LW Commander was recently coated with NP3. It has since shown absolutley no signs of rust. It's smoother than before and clean up after 1000 rounds requires little more than wiping it with an oil soaked rag.

My Kimber Classic Custom has been a workhorse for nearly eight years or so. It's a plain chrome-moly gun that used to rust while you watched in high humidity. Since being hard chromed, rust generally isn't a problem. May be it's an inconsistent plating but I swear hard chrome can and does rust if the gun is "dry" in humid environments. I wipe this guns with clean, but oil soaked rags and have never actually found rust on the rags. Still, the chrome looks better with a light coat of oil. Otherwise, this is a recommended coating.

My stainless Colt Goverment Model doesn't seem to have any major rust issues except when it's very dry in a humid environment. So keeping the rust off is similar to my experience with hard chrome with the exception of the fact that I can use a "ScotchBrite" pad to remove any surface rust without fear of damaging the surface. Having said that, I've got a stainless Combat Commander that I swear will rust faster than any "blued" gun I've ever seen. That gun knows the "ScotchBrite" and Hoppe's metal polish compound very well.

Not sure if any of that helps, but that's been my experience. If I know I'm going to get particularly sweaty in warm/hot and salty environments, I just given to the dark side and carry my Glock 19. I've seen rust on that gun too, but somehow I just don't care as much. Not saying I don't clean it immediately...It just doesn't irk me as much to see a rusty Glock as it does to see a rusty 1911.

[Texasdoc]

Well to start out by saying I was carrying a Glock and didn't think of the problem and now I am carrying a Kimber Pro carry 2 which is a alloy framed gun and with these 80 +days we have been having it sure does help to have alloy framed gun ,I also carry in a Hight noon Closing argument holster taht has a piece of leather to protect the hammer and grip from sweat.


I hope this helps


300shooter

[Skiprr]

You may also want to look at Cylinder & Slide's "Dunk-It": http://www.cylinder-slide.com/dunkkittec.shtml. Kinda like "Ed's Red," only you don't have to worry about mixing the stuff yourself.

[KinnyLee]

I must not have carried my pistolas enough because I haven't seen rust at all on any of them. And I wear the crap out of them. Hehe.

[Mike1951]

Back in '96, I bought a stainless Kahr K-40 that I proceeded to rust.

Sent it off to Walter Birdsong and had it done in Black-T. I might have the PT1911 done, as that would completely eliminate rust concerns.

My Kimber Eclipse Pro is prone to rust, but it's too pretty to refinish. Does the hard chrome alter the appearance?

I'll consider all response as I'm always willing to try new ideas.

My current practice is to carry a PM9 in a pocket holster. I bought a Kahr P-45 last July, but it has never proved reliable enough to carry. I just bought an FNH FNP-40 that I just shot for the first time yesterday. Unless, I find a good solution for the 1911 problem, the FNP-40 will be my hot weather carry.

[loosecannon]

Rig Gun Grease has been an old standby for decades. Its purpose is rust prevention and not lubrication. Wipe it on and wipe it off. Of course, a protective film remains. Its the best I've ever seen, and I'm old as dirt.

[longtooth]

LT got called to the hospital last night for one of our Church members so I am way down the list.

I SWEAT ABOUT LIKE YOU DO. I have actually had sweat beads on my Kimber Pro around the thumb safety when I would spend a long summer day in a hospital waiting room that was not ACed good. I understand. If you are outside in the heat it is really tough. I mow a few yards to make the ends meet.

I really cant add anything to Carlson1 & GC Montgomery's. They covered all I know.
Have not tried Skiprr's dunk it or Rig Gun Grease. I will though.
I also give mine a disassembly & wipe down anytime I see a sweat beads.
We cant stop sweating so we clean. You are in some good company.

[HighVelocity]

I've been very happy with the results I get from Rem-Oil. Big Green/gray spray can with a yellow top.
With a freshly cleaned gun, grips removed of course, I drench the pistol in Rem-Oil and let it sit for a few minutes. Then I wipe off the excess with a terry towel and have not seen a speck of rust in many summers.
Regardless of what product is used though, I believe the key is to start with a VERY clean gun and use oil that is thin and flows easily into the pours of the metal.

[isa268]

I wipe my SW1911SC (the old school blued edition) with a silicon rag and CLP. Before I was using Mil-tech oil and FP-10 and would get light surface rust on the slide. With the silicon rag and CLP I haven’t gotten rust since.

[txinvestigator]

Mine is seldom against my skin. I always wipe with a silicon cloth and clean regularly. No rust here.

[cyphur]

I too use rem-oil, it both protects and lubes quite well.

For my Kimber, the action is smooth as butter when using it. I apply somewhat liberally to the slide, the slide rails, the barrel-pin, the safety area, the barrel contact areas, and let it soak for a minute or two, then cycle the action a few times, wipe off what drips out, cycle again, clean it up.

Then I apply it to the entire surface of my Kimber and then gently wipe off the excess. Keeps the gun rust-free, even when mexican-carrying. Makes cleaning a cinch and it works every time....

[AV8R]

The 1911 is my favorite handgun and my favorite carry.........when it's cool.

I sweat so profusely that above 80 degrees, my IWB gun gets wet.

A big part of the problem is that sweat contains both salt and organic acids, which are polar compounds that are highly soluble in water (a polar solvent) but insoluble in oils (non-polar solvents). So an oil cleaning or wipedown leaves a lot of the salts and acids behind to react with the metal. The solution is to clean the sweat-dampened areas first with water and a little mild detergent, like Joy, using a moistened rag. Follow that with a wipe of clean water to remove the detergent, then dry and coat with gun oil. Rem oil, CLP, LPS #2, and WD-40 are all very good corrosion inhibitors.

If the gun is ever immersed in salt water, a disassembly and soaking in several changes of fresh water is necessary to dissolve and remove salt crystals, followed up by drying and oiling.

In the old days, I carried a first-generation G-17 in sweaty tropical climates where I was in and out of salt a lot. A daily soak in fresh water, followed by a wash in diesel fuel, kept the gun corrosion-free and reliable for many years.

[lrb111]

I wipe them with Rain-X, no probs.
They even make Rain-X wipes now.