My buddy bought his first handgun... a berreta 92fs inox model. He had it in a container with foam thinking that it would take a long while for it to rust.  Well it's been two weeks and this is the end result.


(sorry for the small pic... he used his cell)

He soaked it in CLP for a couple minutes then scrubed it clean.  He did that and used a sponge to scrub it.  He said most of the rust came off but he says the finish/shine isn't what it used to be.  Any suggestions on how we can get it cleaned up?

Personally, I would look at having the slide professionally bead blasted.

Or, perhaps have the slide ion bonded or np3 or something like that.

What would each of those things do?  Sorry, n00b question I know.
Also, any way to get it "shiny" again?

How the Hell??? The beretta is suppose to be melonite (tennifer Glocks trade name for it) coated... The ones we were issues the M9's never rusted they sucked but they never rusted.  Even with the black paint coat mostly gone and holstering into a sandy holster still 0 rust.  I think the slide might be defective or he did something to really punish it.

The stainless Berettas don't get a special coating. They're just exposed stainless steel, which most certainly can rust under the right conditions/neglect.

The finishes referred to above, from a place like Robar, will apply a protective coating over top of your stainless steel slide. Different finishes in different colors depending on what you want. Hard chrome will get it really shiny.

I've never had a gun refinished, so I can't provide you with much more info on it.

In terms of cleaning and keeping it protected, just use CLP for both?

CLP is all I've used for years.

You are never going to get the texture to match up again. I'd either scotchbrite the whole thing, or see how much will wipe off and try and use something like flitz or the like on it. Either that or get it refinished.

I'll give him $250 for it that he can put towards something a bit less prone to damage due to negligence.

Was this a new pistol? A few weeks in a container with foam shouldn't have done that. I carry my 92FS, but had my M9 in a softcase for months with no problems, but I do wipe it beforehand. Was it wiped with something that reacted with the foam? Either way I'd say it is what it is now. I'd send it off to BerettaUSA and have them refinish it, which would hopefully be covered under warranty if new. Their going to be the main ones to make it original again if that matters, because whatever happened through reaction or just general poor care, the finish is screwed up.

BerettaUSA

This is SO wrong.

Beretta uses Bruniton on the black models. But only on the slide. The barrels are not bruniton'd, and the frame is just anodized.

However - that is the black models.

The stainless models are just plain stainless steel for the barrel and slide. The frame is still aluminum and is still annodized - just a different color.

Foam attracts moisture. I have seen a lot of stories of handguns and long guns rusted by keeping the gun in the case, locked.

Some of this can also depend on the humidity in your area.

I would suggest NP3 - it is a new coating that will honestly make the gun rust proof. Its the most rust proof finish out there. It is a grayish color finish. I'd do the frame too, so the whole gun matches.

It's a brand new italian made 92fs.  He hasn't had it for more than a month.  he kept it in it's original container then we took it to the range.  Put it through it's paces.  Cleaned it with CLP.  I helped him clean it but I can't recall if we put CLP all over the slide.  I know we did the key parts that would need to be lubed.  

He stored it in a new container he purchased that had foam in there.  About two weeks later, went to inspect it and it's rusted.  Barrel and frame are fine, just the slide is rusted.

Could it be that the new container was more air tight than what beretta gives thus causing it to react this way?

Send it back to Beretta.

In all honesty, I wouldn't expect Beretta to cover the cost to refinish that pistol as they will likely classify it as being caused from improper care/storage on the owner's behalf. Also, if you consider having the slide or complete pistol refinished with the NP3 plating, you will likely void your remaining warranty as well. In addition, if the NP3 is applied to the frame, they will have to strip the anodizing from the frame.

Any suggestions as to what can be done or is it pretty much a done deal and he just needs to keep it all lubed in oil and watch for continued rust?

At this point I would look at this way:

1. You could call Beretta USA and explain what happened and see what they say about it. If they deny warranty due to neglect, they will likely offer their services to refinish the slide (however, they will likely be very expensive but you would probably retain your factory warranty).

2. You could try to find a professional refinisher who could maybe bead blast the slide to get it near original finish (likely much cheaper than  Beretta USA).

3.  You could look at having the slide and barrel plated by Robar Industries with the NP3 finish (probably the nicest and most corrosion resistant option), but you will likely void partial or perhaps complete warranty on the pistol.

What it boils down to is how important is the factory warranty to you? If you are not concerned about it, then I would personally want the NP3 finish over stainless steel option. If you can find a professional refinisher who could bead blast/polish the slide back to factory like condition, nobody would likely know anything had happened in the first place (just make sure that the slide is properly stored from that point forward). If you want to retain your warranty, then contact Beretta USA, pay their price and have it done by them.

Listen....if this is an all stainless slide  use one thing....FLITZ   it will take the rust off in one second.....but only if its a stainless slide.  The stuff is amazing I use it on all things I have that are stainless  including my guns........use it and watch the rust wipe away.



keep the gun well lubed after and store it a place with not alot of moisture or humidity......Get some dessipacks and put them in the safe.  CLP is fine but if your going to play with it every couple weeks you need to wipe it down good afterwards....use a oil impgregnated cloth(can be bought at wally world)  what I also do is I spray a small squirt of CLP on the foam.....you can also buy rust blockers(usually sold at dicks, or Walmart as well) used for putting in tool boxes and such  and just put one in the case as well.


Now....if your thinking of refinishing the slide(if its stainless and you buy the FLITZ you wont need to)  then in my opinion there is only one finish to go with  NP3 from Robar......I have a Sig P220 done it  and it is amazing stuff....its so slick I dont even lube it anymore...its that good.



Here is what you want.....rub the paste on  wipe the rust off......easy.  I also noticed on there home page there giving away free samples....call them and find out the deal.

http://www.flitz.com/p-16-flitz-polish-paste.aspx



Good Luck!


good luck

I had light rust on the outside of the barrel of my M9 in Iraq from sweat...


I kept a light coat of CLP on all steel parts…


My vote is hard chrome…

That's the thing.  The only thing that rusted was the slide.. Barrel and frame are fine which got us wondering, maybe the slide isn't made of steel?

Look on the bright side.... he can carry it IWB and not worry if it gets a little rusty from sweat now!

Consider it a lesson learned.

That said, use it like it is.  It's ugly but it'll still function just fine.

My dad used to use a pencil eraser to remove very light rust. Try that.

Even in a foam case, that's a ridiculous amount of rust for a oiled down slide. Was the foam wet in any way? What did he use to oil it?

Was where he kept it especially damp?