Anyone have problems with S&W 642 rusting?

[ZeppelinM16]

I've been looking into a S&W 642 and was wondering if anyone has run into a rust problem with any part of the weapon as a direct effect of pocket carry or any other type. Thanks!

 

[Slamfire]

As you can see, the trigger mechanism is carbon steel. I would not soak the thing in salt water.

The frame has some sort of a paint finish. You have to be careful not to wire brush it off.

 

[rdrancher]

I sweat like a whore in church in the Texas heat (winters too?), but the 642 rides in my pocket almost daily. I'm not too good about cleaning it much... and no rust problem after 2+ years.

rd

 

[Spartacus451]

No rust problems here either.

 

[ArmedBear]

No rust problems here, either. I pocket-carry it a lot in a DeSantis Nemesis.

 

[41magsnub]

I had some trouble with my 438 with rust on the cylinder release. No matter what I did, oil, wax, etc it would rub on my pocket and have a slight little bit of rust each night. I replaced that piece with one from a ladysmith and it is fine now. Looks a little goofy, but the problem is gone.

In your case, you already have the same finish on that part so I doubt you will have an issue.

 

[fourdollarbill]

No rust here. I saw moisture build up when I went into a warm room from the frigid outdoors over and over again for years and never had rust on or in it.
They seem to be pretty well protected.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

No rust, but the painted on finish comes off pretty easily.

 

[aHFo3]

I carry my 442 in a Nemesis all day everyday while working landscape maintenance 9 months of the year. I had issues with the cylinder release, so I just brush it and oil it every month or so. I thought about getting a stainless release, but it doesn't bug me because it still functions perfectly.

 

[ArmedBear]

the painted on finish comes off pretty easily.

Mine has had no trouble, but others report this, too.

I wonder if S&W changed the coating at some point.

 

[stchman]

I thought the S&W airweights were aluminum and stainless. I didn't think they would ever rust.

 

[41magsnub]

The frame is, but the trigger, cylinder release, and other parts are still steel.

 

[ArmedBear]

You have to be careful not to wire brush it off.

Wait... How often do you hit your gun with a wire brush?

 

[John Wayne]

My 442 is fine when carried in a pocket holster. If not, it's a different story.

If I carry it in a pants pocket however, the side of the gun closest to my body is literally covered in rust after a day (except the frame, which is aluminum).

It has always wiped right off with an oily rag because I never let it go unchecked...but still a very disappointing feature in a carry gun. The main areas I have trouble with are the cylinder latch and the cylinder.

 

[Slamfire]

Wait... How often do you hit your gun with a wire brush?

Does a device that looks like a tooth brush but has brass wire qualify as a "wire brush"?

Because if it does, I wire brush every time I clean a revolver. I was cleaning an Airweight S&W and noticed while I was on autopilot that I was scrubbing under the top strap with a wire brush.

Some of the paint came off before I went back under manual control.

 

[jad0110]

The only rust issue I have with my 642 is on the grip screw. That little bugger rusts quite easily, so I remove it, brush it off and add a bit of oil about once a week.

 

[Resto Guy]

A solution to the rusting grip screw. I keep my screw in the case, along with the grip. The screw on the Hogue Monogrip I replaced it with has not rusted.

 

[Bula]

That grip screw rusted up so bad that I needed to gouge out the plastic around it to grab it with some needle nosed vise grips. I do have some weird spider like stains where the cheapo-crappy 'finish' (I mean paint) has worn off. All steel parts get wiped down with an oily gun rag.

 

[md7]

i have carried my 642 for several years now in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster. only spot on mine that has rust is on the grip screw. the finish on mine shows some wear.

i honestly care little about finish wear on a ccw as long as all the moving, and/or critical parts are clean and in good working order. i expect, over the course of time, to have that happen on a daily carry piece to some degree.

now my HD and range pistols, i like em to shine like a new penny!

 

[ArmedBear]

Hoppes or CLP and a patch is all I ever use to clean fouling off a revolver frame, or anywhere else. I just cleaned a FILTHY used Ruger Mark II .22 semiauto, and that is all I needed (solvent-dipped Q-tip for hard-to reach spots).

I use a bronze brush rarely, to remove forming surface rust, not fouling! I have a plastic brush for stubborn fouling, but a toothbrush works fine, too -- if I need any brush at all, which I generally don't. A bronze brush is a specialized tool for working with finished metal, not a general gun cleaning tool.

People seriously use a bronze brush to remove superficial powder fouling?