Guns that rust even when you think you’re doing everything right

Rust is one of those problems that makes you feel like you’re losing your mind. You wipe the gun down, you oil it, you store it “right,” and somehow you still find orange freckles along the edges or a crusty line where your hand rides the slide. What’s really happening is usually a mix of finish quality, steel choice, and the spots you don’t think about—hidden seams, rollmarks, sight cuts, under grips, inside a holster, or anywhere sweat and humidity can sit without air moving.

Some guns handle neglect better than others. Others seem to rust if you look at them sideways, especially if you live in a humid state, hunt in wet weather, or carry daily against your body. These are specific models that have a reputation for showing rust sooner than you’d expect, even when you’re trying to do everything right.

Remington 870 Express

The 870 Express earned its keep as a working shotgun, but the finish on many Express models is thin enough that rust shows up fast in the wrong environment. The first spots are usually the barrel where your hand rides, the edges of the receiver, and around the magazine tube area where moisture lingers.

If you hunt in rain, throw it in a soft case, or leave it in a damp truck overnight, it can bloom quickly. Even “normal” storage can get you if you’re putting it away with fingerprints or a light coat of oil that gets wiped off by handling. The frustrating part is you can be consistent about wiping it down and still miss the places that start rusting first—under the forend, around the barrel ring, and along the rollmarks. It’s not a bad shotgun. It’s a finish that demands more attention than people expect.

Mossberg 500

A blued Mossberg 500 can be a rust magnet if you run it hard in wet conditions. The finish can show wear quickly on edges and contact points, and once that starts, it doesn’t take long for rust to follow—especially around the receiver pins, barrel, and magazine tube area.

A lot of guys keep a 500 as a boat gun, duck gun, or truck gun, and that’s where the trouble starts. Humidity plus handling equals fingerprints, and fingerprints plus time equals orange specks. You can wipe it down and still get rust if it’s stored in a case or cabinet that traps moisture. The sneaky spots are under the barrel where it meets the receiver and anywhere the forend rides. The gun will still run, but the cosmetics can go south fast if you don’t stay ahead of it.

Marlin 336

Older blued Marlin 336 rifles are classics, but plenty of them show rust faster than you’d expect when they’re used as true hunting rifles. The barrel and magazine tube pick up moisture, and the thin edges around the receiver and lever tend to wear down to bare steel over time.

If you hunt in wet timber, brush through snow, or carry it against a damp coat, the finish can get overwhelmed. Even careful owners get caught because the rust starts where you don’t look: under the forearm cap, beneath the barrel band, and around the loading gate where your hand and sweat live. Bluing can protect steel, but it’s not armor. If you wipe it down after the hunt but don’t pull the forend once in a while, you can still end up with a rifle that looks like it’s been stored in a shed. Great gun—just not forgiving.

Ruger Mark II / Mark III

The blued Ruger Mark II and Mark III pistols are tough as nails mechanically, but they can show surface rust if you sweat on them or store them in less-than-ideal conditions. The flat sides of the receiver and barrel can collect fingerprints, and the rust often starts as tiny specks that you notice only when light hits it.

These guns get used a lot—range days, trail carry, farm use—and they tend to ride in tackle boxes, glove compartments, and cheap soft cases. That’s a perfect recipe for trapped moisture. Even when you wipe it down, you can miss the hidden steel around the sights, the rear of the receiver, and the spots where oil burns off after a long session. It’s not that the design is flawed. It’s that blued steel plus constant handling in humid air is a losing matchup unless you’re consistent about storage and wipe-downs.

Smith & Wesson Model 10

A well-used Model 10 can rust in a way that feels unfair because you’re dealing with older bluing and decades of wear. The sharp edges of the cylinder and the high-contact points around the frame often have the thinnest protection, and that’s where rust likes to start first.

If it’s been carried, stored in leather, or handled with sweaty hands, you’ll see it around the backstrap, under the grips, and near the cylinder release. A lot of owners wipe the exterior and call it good, but the underside of the grips is where things get ugly. Moisture can sit there for months, especially if the gun lives in a nightstand or safe with poor airflow. The gun will still shoot, but the surface rust creeps because those areas don’t get attention until it’s already happening. Older blued revolvers demand a little more routine than modern coated guns.

Ruger Blackhawk

Blued Ruger Blackhawks are solid revolvers, but they’re often used as woods guns—carried in a holster, exposed to sweat, rain, and dust. That’s where rust shows up, especially on the barrel, the ejector rod housing, and the edges of the frame where bluing wears from handling.

If you’re doing everything “right” but still seeing rust, the holster is usually part of the story. Leather holds moisture and salts from sweat, and it keeps them pressed against the metal. You can oil the gun and still lose the fight if it rides in leather every day. The other trouble spot is under the grips and around the base pin area where grime collects. A Blackhawk isn’t fragile, but blued steel is honest. If you carry it hard and don’t give it a quick wipe and occasional grip-off inspection, it can start showing orange in the places you didn’t think to check.

CZ 75B

The CZ 75 platform has a loyal following, but depending on the finish generation, some CZ 75B pistols have a reputation for rusting quicker than you’d expect—especially if you carry them daily. Sweat and humidity tend to attack the slide flats, the serrations, and the edges near the muzzle first.

Part of the frustration is that these guns feel “all steel,” and you assume they’ll shrug off normal carry. But if the finish gets rubbed thin by a holster or your belt line, the exposed steel can start spotting fast. Another sneaky area is under the grips and around the magazine release where your hand lives. If you’re wiping the outside but not pulling grips once in a while, you can still get rust blooms in hidden places. The pistol can be totally reliable and still look rough if your climate is humid and your carry routine involves sweat and a tight holster.

Beretta 92FS

Beretta’s Bruniton finish is generally durable, but the 92FS has specific wear zones that can lead to rust if you carry it hard. The edges of the slide, the front of the frame, and the exposed metal around controls can wear down, and once that happens, sweat and humidity can start working.

The 92 also has a lot of surface area that gets handled, and handling is where people lose the fight. You can keep it clean and still miss the tiny spots where your thumb rides the safety/decocker and the slide serrations pick up moisture. If the gun lives in a duty-style holster or a humid safe, you can get that thin film of rust in corners that don’t get wiped. It’s not a “bad finish” story as much as it is a high-handling pistol with wear points. If you’re seeing rust, it’s usually where the finish has been polished off by use.

SIG Sauer P226

Older P226 pistols, especially well-used examples, can show rust on the slide in areas where the finish has worn thin. That often happens at the muzzle, along the slide rails, and anywhere the gun rubs a holster every day. Once the protection is compromised, humidity and sweat do the rest.

People get caught because the gun still looks fine at a glance. Then you field strip it and find orange starting under the slide near the rails or around the breech face area where moisture can linger after a sweaty carry day. Another common issue is storage—foam-lined cases and old range bags trap humidity like a sponge. You can oil the exterior and still get rust if the gun is stored in something that holds moisture against the metal. The P226 is a proven pistol. This is about finish wear and real-world carry conditions, not mechanical weakness.

Springfield Armory 1911 Mil-Spec

Blued 1911s can rust fast if you carry them, and the Springfield Mil-Spec is no exception. A 1911 has lots of edges, corners, and contact points that get handled—thumb safety, slide stop, front strap, and the back of the slide. Those are the first places sweat and salts start to bite.

Even careful owners get surprised because a 1911 can be wiped down and still rust under the grips, around the mainspring housing, and in the little seams where two parts meet. If you carry inside the waistband, you’re basically storing the gun in a warm, salty environment all day. The gun doesn’t need to be “neglected” to rust in those conditions. It needs a finish that resists sweat better than traditional bluing. A Mil-Spec will run fine, but if you want it to stay pretty, it asks for consistent wipe-downs and smarter storage than a lot of people give it.

Winchester Model 70

A blued Model 70 is a hunting icon, but traditional bluing is still traditional bluing. If you hunt in rain, snow, or heavy morning dew, you can come home feeling like you did everything right and still find rust starting at the worst possible spots—under the scope bases, around action screws, and along the barrel where your hand carried it.

The problem is trapped moisture. Water creeps under rings and bases, and you don’t see it until you pull the scope. Same with stock contact points where the barrel channel can hold moisture after a wet day. You can wipe down the exposed metal and still miss what’s happening underneath. Add a soft case, a warm truck, and a cold night, and condensation becomes the silent culprit. A Model 70 isn’t more rust-prone than any other blued rifle. It’s simply a rifle that gets used in weather, and weather eventually wins if you don’t occasionally pull it apart and dry the hidden areas.

Savage Axis

The Savage Axis is a budget rifle that often shoots better than it has any right to, but the factory finish can be thin enough that rust appears faster than expected in humid conditions. You’ll usually see it on the barrel and around the bolt handle area where it gets touched and wiped the most.

What gets people is assuming a quick wipe is enough. If the gun has been rained on, there’s a good chance moisture is sitting under the stock line, near the recoil lug area, or around the action screws. Those aren’t places you see unless you pull the barreled action. Another common issue is storage in a case after a hunt. That case holds humidity against the steel, and the thin finish doesn’t give you much forgiveness. The Axis can be a great working rifle, but it rewards owners who treat it like a tool that needs real drying, not a quick swipe and a prayer.

Rossi Model 92

The Rossi 92 can be a fun, handy lever gun, but the blued finish on many examples doesn’t hide wear well, and rust can show up fast if you run it hard in wet weather. The barrel and magazine tube are long moisture collectors, and the receiver edges can start to spot when the bluing gets thin.

Lever guns also have plenty of places where grime and moisture settle: around the loading gate, under the forearm bands, and near the tang where your hand and sweat live. You can wipe down the outside and still have moisture hiding under the wood. Another factor is that these guns often get stored after a range day without a deep dry-out because they “look fine.” Then you notice rust at the screws, around the barrel bands, or along the mag tube seam. It’s not that the design rusts. It’s that the finish and the hidden contact points don’t give you much room for lazy storage.

Ruger Mini-14

Older blued Mini-14 rifles can show rust in frustrating places, especially if they’re used as ranch guns or truck guns. The exposed barrel, gas block area, and the small steel parts around the action can pick up moisture and start spotting even when you’re wiping the outside down.

The tricky part is the Mini’s operating system and where carbon and moisture hang out. The gas block area can trap grime, and if the gun rides in a case or sits in a vehicle with temperature swings, condensation can creep in. Another place rust likes to start is around the sights and hardware where you don’t routinely wipe oil. Mini owners also tend to handle them a lot—carry them one-handed, toss them behind the seat, grab them for quick chores—and that handling lays down sweat and salts. A blued Mini-14 can stay clean, but it takes more consistent wipe-down habits than people usually expect from a “utility rifle.”

Glock 43 / 43X

Glocks have a reputation for resisting corrosion, but the slim carry guns like the Glock 43 and 43X have still shown rust on some guns—mostly in high-sweat carry conditions. The common spots are the slide around the serrations, the muzzle area, and the small steel parts like the slide stop and magazine release spring areas.

The reason it feels unfair is because you’re doing your part: wiping it down, keeping it “clean,” and carrying it in a modern holster. But body sweat is nasty, and these guns sit tight against you with limited airflow. Add a humid climate and daily carry, and you’re basically running a corrosion test every day. Another factor is that people clean the visible parts and miss the underside of the slide, the striker channel area, and the places where moisture can collect when the gun goes back into a holster warm. The gun can stay reliable while still showing surface rust if your carry environment is aggressive.

Kimber Custom II

Kimber’s blued 1911s can show rust surprisingly fast when used as carry guns, especially in humid climates. The slide flats, front strap, and controls get handled constantly, and once the finish starts to thin from holster wear, rust can creep in even with regular wipe-downs.

The 1911 layout makes it worse because there are so many steel parts exposed to sweat and friction—thumb safety, grip safety, slide stop, and the edges around the ejection port. You can oil the gun and still see rust in the spots where oil gets wiped away the moment it touches fabric or leather. The worst surprises often show up under the grips and along the mainspring housing where sweat migrates but you don’t look often. A Kimber can be a great shooter, but if you’re carrying it daily, bluing isn’t your friend. The rust you see is usually about environment and finish wear, not neglect.