[MIMber]

Help. Just bought my first Kimber But the gun is rusting already. I bought it just few days ago and the barrel is rusted. I haven't shot it yet. I brought the gun back to my LGS and complained about the rust on a new gun, but the salesman told me that it's common for Kimbers to rust, even new ones. Why is this and what can I do to stop it? Will sending it back to Kimber for them to remove the rust fix the problem?

 

[pbsdaddy]

Chemically speaking, rust is the product of iron, moisture and oxygen. Other factors can cause rust but none of them have any business around a gun, (acid, salt, sulfer dioxide and carbon dioxide).
Since the gun is made of steel. (iron alloy), and oxygen is present anywhere and everywhere, the remaining culprit has to be water, (moisture).
I would guess one of several possibilities exist. 1. air conditioning is producing excess moisture. 2 gun was subjected to water and never dried. 3 some form of acid was used to try to clean it. 4. gun was handled excessively and the oil/acid from someone's hands was left on the gun. Bottom line. I have serious doubts Kimbers rust any more or less than any other gun normally cared for. It should not have to be something you live with. Before you send it back, make sure it isn't the conditions you presented that caused the problem(s).

 

[Chuck43]

First off welcome to the forum from Northern Illinois MIMber.

I'm on a couple of forums and this is the first time I've ever read about someone taking delivery of a new Kimber with a rusty barrel. I would definitely say this is not common for new Kimbers. I would not have accepted that answer from a salesman and demanded to speak with the store owner. That aside is the rust on the inside or outside of the barrel and how bad is it? Is it just a little surface rust or has the metal started to pit? If it's just a light coating of surface rust a little fine steel wool and something like WD-40 followed by a good oiling should take care of it. If it's in the barrel I would definitely contact Kimber and wouldn't settle for anything less then a new barrel. If the gun has to be returned to Kimber be prepared to have it gone for at least 6-8 weeks.

What can you do to keep this from happening, easy clean and oil it, I have family guns passed down to me that are over 100 years old and have never had a speck of rust on them.

 

[Sonofagun]

Hello and welcome. I bought my Kimber Super Carry Custom HD. There are a few reasons I bought the particular model other than its looks and ambi controls. I've heard that some of the newly produced kimber barrels rust fast. Well That is why I did the kind of research I did and found an all stainless gun. If you look on the Kimber site you'll learn that the listings describe which firearms are made of what. Most of the custom II barrels are "steel". That's carbon steel to be exact. Of course you must consider the environment you are in, but it is true that after shooting and not cleaning and lubing properly the barrel, it can rust due to the materials used to make the barrel and the elements provided by nature, "salt in the air" such as near the coast. Try Eezox. The fact is, when demand was increased by panic buying, the manufactures had to come up with ways to keep up. Well, carbon steel is easier to mill than stainless steel, is the story I got. My suggestion is, don't be discouraged. Buy a SS barrel if you can. Kimbers are worth the extra cash if you look at the other elements going into the firearm as its made.

 

[johncola36]

Hello and welcome. I bought my Kimber Super Carry Custom HD. There are a few reasons I bought the particular model other than its looks and ambi controls. I've heard that some of the newly produced kimber barrels rust fast. Well That is why I did the kind of research I did and found an all stainless gun. If you look on the Kimber site you'll learn that the listings describe which firearms are made of what. Most of the custom II barrels are "steel". That's carbon steel to be exact. Of course you must consider the environment you are in, but it is true that after shooting and not cleaning and lubing properly the barrel, it can rust due to the materials used to make the barrel and the elements provided by nature, "salt in the air" such as near the coast. Try Eezox. The fact is, when demand was increased by panic buying, the manufactures had to come up with ways to keep up. Well, carbon steel is easier to mill than stainless steel, is the story I got. My suggestion is, don't be discouraged. Buy a SS barrel if you can. Kimbers are worth the extra cash if you look at the other elements going into the firearm as its made.

Learned something new. I didn't know about the carbon steel barrels. I have carbon steel knives that are great choppers and need to have oil all the time.

My stainless target ii is in good shape. I make sure that there are dehumidifiers in the safe and the guns are cleaned and oiled..

 

[Sonofagun]

I'm trying this Eezox gun care stuff and I'm getting the impression it's unbeatable. I tried frog lube for a short time, but the Eezox is noticeably more penetrating and very slick, like grease. It's outrageously expensive so I thought it must be good. Anybody else hear of this product before?

I'm using it on some Damascus made knives and it seems good there too. If they don't rust, nothing will. I'm also contemplating using it on my table saw and other tools in the basement.

And just for the record. A/C should reduce moisture content if not eliminate it.

 

[MPO Southy]

WOW! I really learned alot from this thread.Carbon steel vs. stainless steel.Eenox.And I didn't even sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.Thanks fellas.