Most Corrosion Resistant Handgun

[PowerG]

I have battled this problem for many years, the trade-off solution I use is a dry box. No matter which gun you get your maintenance regimen will be much increased over the normal gun user. Others have pointed it out...it's not the outside that's going to give you trouble, it's the inside. The dry box can be lashed in place or epoxied to the boat, just pop a latch or two and it's open.

No idea what type boating you're doing, but if you are in any sort of rough water it might be a good idea to not wear a firearm, should you have to swim anything that can catch on an obstruction could literally cost you your life.

 

[GLOOB]

There's nothing magical about Tennifer. Glock adopted it earlier than others, but the exact same finish or competitors equivalents are available on handguns from many other manufacturers.

+1 to the sw m&p line. Not only does it have the melonite (tenifer) coating, the slide and barrel are stainless.

Um, ok.
https://www.google.com/search?q=M&P...la:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb
That doesn't look like the exact same coating. I hope S&W has figured out what's so un-magical about Tennifer.

I know that OP doesn't want a Glock. Sorry, I didn't see that before. The reason I suggested it was more than just the Tennifer coating, though. It's just as much about taking it apart.

OP says he was tired of detail stripping his 1911 after giving it a bath. I think he would be wise to detail strip any gun he takes swimming. Ease of detail stripping and reassembly should be a factor. This is why stainless revolvers aren't getting many votes.

I have a lot of guns I don't know my way inside and out. Cuz they're hard to disassemble. I love my FNX, but the inside looks like a clock. A 1911 is actually pretty easy to detail strip compared to many modern plastic guns.

 

[Confederate]

First, in my opinion, a Glock would be one of the last guns you should get. Unless you're willing to cock it before using it, it's a disaster waiting to happen. There's no viable safety on the gun, and putting a "safety" on the trigger is like putting a brake on an accelerator.

I recommend a small revolver like the Ruger SP-101 or the LCR .357. To protect it against water, give it a light coating of BreakFree CLP the night before and let it sit. The next morning, wipe off the excess and you'll be good to go. BreakFree has been tested against salt water and has been found to be very effective. The SP-101 is a bit heavy, but it's stainless steel construction would make it my first choice. The weight and corrosion resistance of the LCR makes it an excellent choice.



These Ruger LCRs are small, lightweight and highly rust resistant.




Ruger's superb SP-101. Small and highly rust resistant.




This stainless Rossi .22LR is a descendent of the S&W 63, called a "kit gun" because it could
fit in a fisherman's kit and not rust. Light weight and effective, the third party .22 stainless
steel revolvers may be a good way to go.

 

[ugaarguy]

Um, ok.
https://www.google.com/search?q=M&...x-a&channel=sb
That doesn't look like the exact same coating. I hope S&W has figured out what's so un-magical about Tennifer.

The search you linked brought up a picture of a rust covered Glock too - http://mp-pistol.com/mp-pictures/30683-glocks-don-t-rust.html.

Also, you don't have to believe me that Tennifer and Melonite are the same thing. Durferrit GMBH is the company that makes those specific CLIN salt bath formulas - http://www.hefdurferrit.de/index.php/en/nitriding.html. Other companies make similar CLIN salt bath formulas.

 

[ugaarguy]

For protecting the internal bits, DIY_guy posted this extensive Gun Care Product Evaluation where he tested both lubrication and corrosion protection of 46 different products - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=751408.

 

[rs7]

Where is the "viable safety" on those revolvers? By the way, that's not what "kit gun" means at all.

 

[RustyShackelford]

+1 on the recent DIY T&E.....

Many THR members were impressed with the extended T&E done by DIY.
It showed that Hornady's One Shot & Frog-Lube(designed by a US Navy SEAL) were highly rated for rust prevention, bad weather.

Rusty
BTW; I saw a few Walther Navy model pistols; www.gunsamerica.com . A few are sold with threaded extended barrels for sound reduction but that's not bad.

 

[Jim Watson]

The OP grumbles about having to detail strip his 1911 after a dunking.
That's the ADVANTAGE of the 1911, you can take it apart and get it clean and dry.
The other guns mentioned depend on corrosion resistant metals, coatings, or lubricants because they are not meant for user disassembly.

And don't count on Melonite etc. My Plastic M&P was very rusty after it was smoked and hosed in the house fire. Not melted, though; and it cleaned up usable but not pretty.

I would lean towards a stainless 1911oid, hard chrome or electroless nickel plated in case of mild steel small parts and to wear better.

 

[HexHead]

First, in my opinion, a Glock would be one of the last guns you should get. Unless you're willing to cock it before using it, it's a disaster waiting to happen. There's no viable safety on the gun, and putting a "safety" on the trigger is like putting a brake on an accelerator.

I recommend a small revolver like the Ruger SP-101 or the LCR .357. To protect it against water, give it a light coating of BreakFree CLP the night before and let it sit. The next morning, wipe off the excess and you'll be good to go. BreakFree has been tested against salt water and has been found to be very effective. The SP-101 is a bit heavy, but it's stainless steel construction would make it my first choice. The weight and corrosion resistance of the LCR makes it an excellent choice.



These Ruger LCRs are small, lightweight and highly rust resistant.




Ruger's superb SP-101. Small and highly rust resistant.




This stainless Rossi .22LR is a descendent of the S&W 63, called a "kit gun" because it could
fit in a fisherman's kit and not rust. Light weight and effective, the third party .22 stainless
steel revolvers may be a good way to go.

I'm guessing you don't know that a Glock isn't "cocked" until you pull the trigger? Do you keep your revolvers with empty chambers too? They don't have a safety either.

 

[Drail]

Tennifer is not a finish.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Post #33....

#33 says a house fire?
I'm sure many pistols may not function correctly or at all after caterstrophic damage. Fire, floods, sunken vessels, aliens, earthquakes, etc.

Rusty

 

[BCRider]

Rusty, since he said the plastic didn't melt that means the metal didn't get hot enough to suffer either..... at least not until the fire hoses and fumes had their way with the insides.

Jim, as I've tried to point out there are a number of other pistols that do not require as many parts be removed and stripped as with a 1911. The mainspring housing is just one example of this. After a water soak the MSH would need to be pulled and the spring and plunger separated from the housing to allow drying and re-lubing to be sure it won't rust solid. Lots of other guns with the main spring down the back of the frame grip area have these parts all exposed and easily flushed and oiled without removal.

So I'm still thinking that an stainless CZ is the way to go. It's one gun I know would be easy to service with minimal detail stripping after a water dunking.

 

[Jim Watson]

I would be concerned about water in the lockwork block of a CZ75. And I am for sure not taking it apart on a riverbank.

I am liking the sealed bag for whatever gun. Didn't the army issue those in Viet Nam?

Rusty, I do not know exactly where that gun was; my friends salvaged my guns and a very little else worth keeping while I was in the hospital in 2010. But it was a rusty mess from contaminated fire hose water. It would not have been in as bad shape if just dunked in clear water. But it cleaned up and shoots fine. Interestingly enough, two of its magazines were blue steel which rusted; but others were apparently of blackened stainless and showed no damage.

 

[PowerG]

Um, ok.
https://www.google.com/search?q=M&P...la:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb
That doesn't look like the exact same coating. I hope S&W has figured out what's so un-magical about Tennifer.

I know that OP doesn't want a Glock. Sorry, I didn't see that before. The reason I suggested it was more than just the Tennifer coating, though. It's just as much about taking it apart.

OP says he was tired of detail stripping his 1911 after giving it a bath. I think he would be wise to detail strip any gun he takes swimming. Ease of detail stripping and reassembly should be a factor. This is why stainless revolvers aren't getting many votes.

I have a lot of guns I don't know my way inside and out. Cuz they're hard to disassemble. I love my FNX, but the inside looks like a clock. A 1911 is actually pretty easy to detail strip compared to many modern plastic guns.

This.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

Navy SIG P226 or the Walther PPQ M2 Navy gun.

 

[BCRider]

Jim, the whole point is that the action block is fully open to spraying it out. Any hangun that gets dunked is going to fill with water. What makes one better than the other is how easily it's sprayed clear with a water displacer such as WD40. And the CZ is so open to such care so easily when it's only just field stripped.

I only used the CZ as one example since it's a gun I'm familiar with. I'm sure there are others that are good for this as well. But one gun which is NOT good is a 1911. The sear and disconnector are buried deep and behind metal. A 1911 is just about the last gun I'd want to use around water for this reason.

 

[Jim NE]

How about a Smith and Wesson SD9VE? Mostly Stainless and plastic, and at the cost you won't cry as hard if it ends up in the rapids.

Not sure what the issue is with shooting Glocks, but it may carry over to the SD9. The internals are ridiculously close to a Glock, but the ergonomics are better in my opinion. The trigger has a heavier pull than the Glock as well, which can be a plus or a minus depending on your opinion.

I believe that's a good consideration.

I've never seen a Porsche SUV that looked like it was off-roaded hard and put up wet. They're usually babied. Often the same with pricey guns, regardless of their corrosion resistance. The SD should work well. I have one in .40 as well as an old Sigma in 9mm. I also have a well used police surplus S&W 681 L frame revolver in .357 that I bought for this purpose.

 

[CraigC]

I have always thought that hard chroming a stainless steel firearm, whether it be handgun or rifle, would be the most rust resistant.

Yep!

The trouble is that even stainless guns typically have carbon steel parts in the actions. And many have carbon steel barrels. Finding a truly stainless gun might be a real problem.

Bingo! Most "stainless steel" guns only use the material for major parts, still utilizing carbon steel for small parts, screws and pins. However, I do believe that the vast majority of parts in stainless Ruger revolvers are made of stainless steel. I believe that a hard chromed stainless steel Ruger Blackhawk, Redhawk or GP100 would be the most corrosion resistant possible.

The reason I suggested it was more than just the Tenifer coating, though.

Tenifer is not a coating. It is not a finish. It is a surface hardening treatment that does NOT alter the appearance of the steel. That black finish you see on a Glock's slide is not Tenifer.