Ruger GP100 stainless storage

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FCOD13

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Hello everybody!

Surprisingly this is actually my first post on THR. I look at articles and forum entries on THR all the time, but never took the time to register until now.

I am an extremely die hard Glock collector, but about a month ago purchased my first revolver which was a GP100 stainless model. It is a newer model with the brushed stainless and the hogue finger groove grip. When I first got it, I kept it in its hard plastic foam less case, but I then put it in a gun rug while I went on a trip (it traveled with me). I tonight JUST pulled it out of the gun rug and it had a little tiny almost microscopic amount of rust on the side of the barrel. No big deal as it came right off with some Mothers Mag polish.

My question is, is that I know stainless revolvers are very rugged, but that NO gun should be left in a foam padded case or gun rug for extended periods of time. Will I be ok with leaving it in the hard plastic case since there is no foam inside to attract and hold moisture?

I have only owned Glocks, so am a little new to the whole bare steel idea.

For what it's worth I love my GP100!:evil:
 
FCOD13 said:
Will I be ok with leaving it in the hard plastic case since there is no foam inside to attract and hold moisture?
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Welcome to THR!!

I have a pair of GP100s (stainless) and they're not as corrosion resistant as many think. You still need to oil them down, keep them clean and store them in as dry an environment as possible or else you may see corrosion pits forming on the surface. If you plan on storing the revolver in the plastic box, wipe it down with an oil soaked rag or one of those silicone cloths but don't leave it and forget it. It'll only take a minute or two to check on it once a month or as frequently as required depending on the storage conditions. Basically, if the revolver is coated with a thin film of oil and is kept free of moisture and moisture attracting dust, it should do just fine for many months or even years inside the plastic box. One potential issue is crevice corrosion which occurs, as you might expect, at the interface between an object and the metal/alloy in question. In other words, the most susceptible parts of the revolver to corrosion (in the box) are where it's in direct contact with the box.
 
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Thanks for the quick reply! I usually wipe it down with either Ballistol or BF CLP.

I'll stick to the hard plastic box and check on it periodically. Just another reason for me to pull out the gun and tinker with it. It really is a great gun. Very heavy duty and rugged!

Do I have to worry about finger prints like I would have to with a blued gun or is moisture the worst enemy for a stainless gun?
 
For what it's worth, I started using car wax on all my gun finishes way back in the 60's, both blued and stainless. Not sure how it would do on brushed stainless. I learned this back in my black powder days and never had a rust problem or any other problems doing it.
 
GP100s go well with Glocks. My two faves. :D

I went with Blue GP100 though. I would treat the stainless one like a blued gun. Keep a thin film of oil on it and wipe off fingerprints. Heck I do this with my Glock too, I think its probably a good habit to have anyhow. I have always used the foam cases for transport and sometimes for multiple days and never had an issue with rust on my blued GP100. Maybe foam wicks away moisture? I use Ed's Red for cleaning and wipedowns.

Stainless, as you found out, is not stainproof. :(
 
Suprised noone asked for it, so I'll just provide some gun pr0n. Sorry bout the low quality. All I have is my Iphone. These are my two favorite pistols by far. Glock 21 with Heinie Straight 8s and my GP100. :)

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Foam or gun rugs do not attract moisture. But if you have your gun out in the cold and bring it in and then open the box or gun rug right away the moisture can condense out as moisture. And of course the foam or fabric holds that moisture and that causes the trouble.

But a lighter fabric that can easily breath such as a gun sock will protect against rub and scratch marks and allow any moisture to dry away before it can cause any trouble. Well, as long as you store the gun in a warm and dry location.

Given that you wipe it down with oil already I'm surprised you had this issue. But then it IS winter so perhaps traveling with it caused moisture to condense out and dampen the gun rug. If you want to use the rug to trasnport the gun again I'd suggest you open the rug up at night to let the rug material and the gun dry out fully. If you do that then youi shouldn't run into troubles like you did.
 
I scuba dive and I can assure you 'stainless steel' ain't 'stainless'. It sure can rust!

Hard to make it rust but it most certianly can.

I take care of my guns, stainless or blue.

Deaf
 
There are many different levels of "stainless" steel. Some rusts fairly easily, and some is very rust resistant. If it will attract a magnet, it is not good stainless. If it doesn't, it is at least decent SS.
 
There are many different levels of "stainless" steel. Some rusts fairly easily, and some is very rust resistant. If it will attract a magnet, it is not good stainless. If it doesn't, it is at least decent SS.
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That isn't right Walkalong. In fact, most of the better grades of stainless are magnetic. The high nickel content grades like 316 aren't magnetic but they aren't used in gun manufacturing. I've never held a magnet up to my GP100 to check if it was magnetic, but all of my good kitchen knives sure are.

Here is some info on stainless properties. http://www.azom.com/Details.asp?ArticleID=2873
 
I'll assume you know more than I and assume that's right.

Let me say that the SS I have seen that attracts a magnet rusts easier that that which does not.

Would you agree, or was it just a couple of instances that made it look that way?
 
Let me say that the SS I have seen that attracts a magnet rusts easier that that which does not.
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ahhh, but does that make them good grades because they don't rust? A304 won't rust no matter what you do to it, but it is a soft alloy that isn't good for much more than handrail and ornamental purposes. A316 is a better grade that won't rust and most of your medical countertops are made of that. You couldn't make a knife or a gun out of either of these because they don't posess the physical properties necessary for the task. A good grade of stainless steel is one that is appropriate for the task at hand whether it is magnetic or not and whether it rusts or not.
 
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