S&W M&P's rust easily?

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megatronrules

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I'm concerned about this as I just ordered an M&P 40c for a carry gun. This concerns me greatly as I live in hot humid southwest Florida.

I've had some people tell me that the M&P rusting issues were just a small batch that got out a while back and others say it is a common problem and they all rust regardless,is this true?
 
If you like plastic sights, go Glock!

My M&P 45c has been soaked many time while hunting or fishing and has not rusted yet.

Plastic won't rust, blackened stainless won't rust. When my gun gets wet, I spray internals with a water displacing spray (WD-40 works well) blow it out with compressed air and spray again with Rem oil and blow excess Rem Oil out with compressed air again.
 
If you look at the M&P pistol forum you will find that S&W had issues with a short run of pistol that were not treated correctly when the melonite was applies. It left salts on the finish that resulted in some rusting issues. That problem was corrected long ago and the M&P is very rust resistant. I have carried mine daily for years now and the only thing I use on it is Mobile 1 motor oil. It still looks like new and I've never found a spot of rust anywhere on it. Maintain your pistol and don't worry about it.
 
I still see M&P rusting issues come up, despite the claim that it was a past thing... If I were to carry one, I'd be worried about it a lot, I think.. Admittedly, this is all from reading I have done, but it seems to be a common topic
 
jon in wv nailed it. I have had a few M&Ps and none of them even know how to rust........as good as it gets IMHO.
YMMV
 
Look around and you'll find rusting with Glocks too. Maintain your weapons and you won't have any problems. For God's sake its treated stainless steel. If your rusting that you are just TRYING to neglect it.
 
I've seen pictures of rust on the slide but I live in Utah and have never had that problem. What is usually stated after the picture is that if it is babied then it will take a really long time to rust.

I use Rusty's rags to clean it. The chemicals in the solution are to help the shine and protected it but I guess the bottom line is take REALLY good care of it.
 
Yes, my Pro 9 started showing faint speckling on the slide and I babied that range gun!

Sold it with full disclosure.
 
If the Melonite process isn't done properly it can result in some surface rusting. (This process is outsourced to a vendor.) From everything I've heard S&W has stood behind their M&P's when this has occurred and either refinished or replaced the affected slides under their lifetime warranty.

Neither of my M&P's have rusted while I've owned them (a couple of years for the first one and over a year for the second). Both have been subjected to moisture and and heavy rain and have not rusted after normal care/cleaning. Neither has rusted in the safe, even though I've left them in both plastic & leather holsters inside the safe.

Naturally, the small parts like the slide stop lever, takedown lever, sights, etc are not treated with Melonite carburizing and should be kept clean and well maintained in order to reduce the opportunity for oxidation.

BTW, Glocks can rust if neglected, too. So can stainless steel.

I remember when most everyone carried blued carbon steel guns and knew how to take care of them. ;)
 
My M&P 9c is rust free and has been for over 2 years. Not a trace of rust. I care for it like any other gun I own and don't feel I need to take extra special care of it. I have read of a small batch and if S&W stands behind their product then there is nothing to worry about. Judge the gun for what it is not a perceived possible cosmetic issue.
 
I'm concerned about this as I just ordered an M&P 40c for a carry gun. This concerns me greatly as I live in hot humid southwest Florida.

I've had some people tell me that the M&P rusting issues were just a small batch that got out a while back and others say it is a common problem and they all rust regardless,is this true?
Now thats the million dollar question, is the M&P subject to a higher incidence of corrosion then what would be considered the norm?

I owned the 9c and it had rust on the slide(breech, and on the slide at the sights)right from the box. This was not an early specimen, it was just over a year ago, further I have heard many other similar accounts of oxidation to the M&P slides.

I have a theory as to why this periodically appears in production, it centers around the application of melonite to the stainless steel slide. Melonite is another name for tenifer, which is the salt bath nitriding hardening process done to Glock's!

I was always under the impression that this process was not transferable to stainless, in fact I know for a certainty that it actually destroys the ability of stainless to be, well stainless! It does so by breaking down the steel and rendering it brittle....Something that doesn't happen with carbon steel.

Yet S&W is obviously having the process applied to the stainless steel slides of their M&P's! At any rate my theory is that there is a "narrow therapeutic window" so to speak, where the process imparts a benefit to the stainless, and if the vendor misses it, you end up with obviously flawed slides....
 
If you like plastic sights, go Glock!

My M&P 45c has been soaked many time while hunting or fishing and has not rusted yet.

Plastic won't rust, blackened stainless won't rust. When my gun gets wet, I spray internals with a water displacing spray (WD-40 works well) blow it out with compressed air and spray again with Rem oil and blow excess Rem Oil out with compressed air again.
Sure it does(blackened stainless rust), and I don't know of anyone who doesn't replace the Glock plastic sights with NS, often direct from the factory for a nominal cost...
 
I bought an M&P40C a couple of yrs ago--thought I'd waited long enough for all of the issues the early guns had to be resolved. Well, mine would randomly lock the slide back. Sent the gun in to S&W for repair and they fixed what was wrong (new slide stop lever w/ stiffer spring). When I unwrapped it from the brown anti-rust paper that they shipped it back to me in I found a big rust speck in the middle of the side of the slide. Luckily, it wiped off with a Lead Away rag.

I've got half a dozen or so Glocks, never have seen a rust spot on any of them. I carry a G27 daily (going on 2 yrs) and do not wipe it down, it is rust free to this day as are all of my other Glocks. YMMV.

Nail
 
My Plastic M&P had a good deal of ugly rust after going through a house fire. Obviously it was not exposed to flame which would have burned or melted the plastic, but it took a lot of fumes and firehose water. The friends who salvaged my shooting gear while I was in the hospital ran it through an ultrasonic cleaner. It is now fully serviceable with only a little thinning of the blackened stainless finsh, with no pitting.
 
How did you guys survive when guns only had bluing on them?

I've lived in West Virginia for the last 8 years. This state is the most unbearable humid and wet place every. My deck and porch have mold on them all the time, the ground is mud about 60% of the summer and 100% of the fall, winter, and spring. It rains most of the winter. My guns are all in my basement next to my washer and dryer and they don't rust. A couple of the rifles sit in my garage taking all the extremes of the weather and don't rust. My carry gun doesn't rust and my P32 I took hiking in the woods INCLUDING dips in the creek with it in my pocket didn't rust. Good Lord, do a little maintenance.

If you are one of the rare few whose M&P rusts because you can't manage to maintain it Smith is even nice enough to replace it for you free of charge. That seems beyond generous to me.
 
yeah i sent in a mp45c to s&w recently. the slide, barrel, and sites were all rusted. inside and out. never seen a gun rust like that.

s&w did replace the slide, sites, and barrel free under warranty. without question. great service.

i have read a few threads on m&p's rusting. if you really want a worry free carry gun, for humid environments especially, glocks & HK's are far more rust resistant than most.

i don't think HK's are worth what they cost, so i would recommend glock for your situation :)
 
I have an M&P .40 C that I sometime wear in a belly band holster. It gets covered with sweat. I don't clean it after CCing it if it hasn't been fired and I've never seen the first sign of rust. I don't know if this has anything to do with it but I just purchased mine a few months ago.
 
I live in hot and humid south MS and I have never had a problem with rusting, with any of my guns, including my m&p9c. I do make it a habit to wipe it down with a gun rag every time after a day of being carried. I also make it a point to "maintenance" all my guns once a month which includes a wipe down, re-lube and very light coat of rem-oil applied to the barrel with a barrel mop. As this has always been my practice I have had no rust issues.
 
I got the M&P back today (13 days) and they replaced:

1)Slide.

2)Extractor.

3)Mag catch.

and...wait for it...


ADDED NIGHT SIGHTS! It also feels like they did something to the trigger! Very nice.
 
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