SuicideHz

#1 Stainless DOES and WILL rust. But, not that quickly. I don't think bare iron will even rust that quickly.

#2 What you have a problem with is something in the finish- another chemical reaction. That is not normal rust. That is occuring in the finish, not the stainless steel.

I hope S&W fixes that for you...

Slim_45

Hey "Juggernaut" i see its been a month now since you posted this. Any answers as to why this happened & did they make it right?

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DopdBrd

I was thinkin the same thing man. For that gun to rust like that in about 8 hrs there had to be something else factor in to it. I carry mine all the time, it stays in the holster almost 24/7 and I have even had it rain on it one time. Mine still looks brand new and fires PERFECT. Maybe I got a good one.....

Juggernaut

I still haven't sent it out, I got the UPS label, but the center near my home closes before I get home and I can't have firearms anywhere near my job. I can't schedule a pickup. Overall the situation sucks.

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Balsac

You sweat venom

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crzy4guns

I would suggest instead of sending it off to S&W that you may want to consider refinishing it with a finish like Armaloy or similar. I have a friend who just by touching guns will cause them to rust in a day or so. Since he has had his pistols done in the Armaloy finish that doesn't happen anymore. His body chemistry must be very acidic and reacts with the black phosphate type finishes and also the bluing on pistols. You may have the same problem. Hope that this helps you. If you do send it back to S&W you may also want to consider a nylon or kydex holster instead, leather does attract and retain moisture especially body sweat.

Juggernaut

I've never had a problem with any of my Berettas or my other Smiths, stainless or not. Kydex is not my cup of tea (unless it's an MTAC), neither is nylon.
I have been thinking of sending this one off to Robar, but the pitting on the front of the slide might warrant some polishing.

__________________
Vis consili expers mole ruit sua.
-Horace

crzy4guns

If you are not having any problems with your other pistols then that definitely rules out a sweat problem and you should be fine with the leather holsters. The only thing that I could think of would be that the finish on your M&P is either missing a chemical ingredient or was not left in the chemical bath long enough. I think the Robar finish would be better anyway for close body contact and would show little to no holster wear. I had a S&W Walther PPK/S that had problems and I was not satisfied with S&W's warranty department at all. I was so disgusted that I ended up trading the darn thing for a Glock 26 9mm. I am sorry to hear about your troubles with the finish and do hope you get better service from S&W than I did. Good luck and keep us posted.

airslot

Don't they use some type of ACID in the tanning of leather? May not have been completely neutralized. Combined with a little sweat, that might explain the rapid & localized corrosion. Just another possibility.

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The situation will NEVER BE THE WAY YOU WANT, it WILL BE THE WAY IT IS. You must be FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO ADAPT and just "DEAL WITH IT".

M&P 45
S&W 22A

Juggernaut

Hasn't happened to any of my other pistols. Leather holsters are tanned with a vegetable tannin, unlike chromic tanned leather, which uses chromium salts. The purpose is specifically to protect metal in guns and cartridges.

__________________
Vis consili expers mole ruit sua.
-Horace