Rust damage to slide

[DevLaVaca]

My new (used) S&W has some corrosion damage on the slide. It's all on the left side, so I assume it's from being carried in a holster. You can see it fairly clearly in the images.

There is damage on the top edge of the slide, the front serrations, and in front of the slide stop notch. The finish has also worn off the front corners (again, I assume it's holster wear). There is no rust left on the slide, only the finish damage.

http://www2.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/8c3ff2442c1a364584b7b8e90dfd6fb95g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=m2b6h6taurz&thumb=4)

http://www3.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/af47538947b745015d0323c5ec9344275g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ojodjr1uadu&thumb=4)

http://www1.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/224dbd1016cba2ee05532bdd8c4831335g.jpg (http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=adiy56svbru&thumb=4)

Is there anything I can do to retouch the finish? What should I do to keep it from rusting further, particularly if carried?

Also, the slide stop itself is "mottled", and a soak in Hoppe's No. 9 plus scrubbing with a toothbrush didn't help. Any ideas?

[wjkuleck]

Looks more like road rash on the slide. The slide is steel, so it can be refinished with pretty much whatever floats your boat. In the meantime, get some Birchwood Casey flat black touchup (comes in "marker" form). The B-C flat works great on AR-15s, which are similar in finish to the SC 1911 (yes, I have an SC 1911 just like yours, and a basement full of AR-15s).

As for the slide stop, refinish, replace, or live with it.

Regards,

Walt

[MoneyTree]

Congratulations on your new pistol DevLaVaca . Walt has steered you in the right direction for sure . I hope Walt doesn't take umbrage at this but as someone whos read or looked through several of his books on the AR-15 , I take notice of all his posts . This is because like several other members here , Walt's a real expert and I feel we're very lucky to have him participating in our forums .

[DevLaVaca]

Thanks. I'll get one of those markers and keep it well-used.

[wjkuleck]

Moneytree, thanks for the kind words. As for "protecting" the finish...I think it was Clint Smith that pointed out if you don't want holster wear, keep the pistol in the safe :) . One thing that I do with every new pistol I get is to rub in Tetra Grease all over. You won't be able to see it, but you can feel it. No, it doesn't feel greasy; rather the metal feels as though it's been polished mirror-smooth. I became a believer when five or six years ago we had a Tetra rep doing a pitchman invitation in our (Fulton Armory) store at Camp Perry during the National Matches. He polished Tetra Grease into Clint Mckee's SIG, then kept dropping it onto the concrete floor. Clint really got p&ss&d, but the SIG was so slippery it never picked up a scratch.

Regardless, though, every pistol will eventually show holster wear. It just can't be helped.

Regards,

Walt