Gary,
Once upon a time, the Brits did not allow a musket to be blued nor browned. They considered the troops to have been kept busy, you know, busy hands cause less trouble, by keeping barrels and actions in the "white' . It takes more of a peasant soldier's time to keep bare steel rust free than blued, or browned, steel.
Mec,
The slob who had a rusted to a solid mass revolver would most likely have a rusted to a solid mass rifle or carbine. Consider, a revolver would be under a slicker when it rained on him, the rifle or carbine would not.
Smoke, As to the Civil War, if they gave them a tub of lard, they would probably scoff it up. They were not well fed. Hell, if they issued Castor Oil, they would probably suck it down, take their chances in the woods, later. So there's poison ivy in them thar woods, at least I ain't hungry for a little while. But, boy, do my ass itch!!!
That ain't funny, really, I can rip it off my trees without getting a touch. My s'in laws walk past a woods that MIGHT have poison ivy in it, they are shot to hell. My own kids don't get it, but they gotta put up with these guys who are scratching and itching for 2 or so weeks at a time. Just hope my g'kids got my, and my kids resistance to it. My other g'kids and their dads don't get it, , hope these don't, or I guess all I can do is walk them through the park.
Cheers,
George