With our humidity, I noticed rust to start to build on my HK mags.  The area where the paint is worn off.  I figure I'm not going to baby my mags to avoid wearing the paint off, so I'll just use them until the rust starts to flake.  Then dump them.  And buy new mags slowly, so I don't spend $300 1 crack.  I've had these mags for about 18 months.

1) So with that being said, if mags can rust, I'll assume guns can also.  So how do you guys prevent this without babying your guns?  As in, I take the HDF classes so they get dropped or scraped on the ground and stuff like that.  Not just bench shooting.  So far, no rust on my slide of my pistol.  I do not have A/C.

2) Since the rust is not deep yet, should I sand it off and use paint to extend the life of the mags?  If yes, what paint do I use?

3) As long as the rust on the mags aren't flaking, are they OK to use?

4) HK forums recommended that I put a light coat of oil on them.  But I do dry fire a lot at home, so this would seem humbug to get oily hands all the time and have to re-apply.  any other options?

I keep some mags in arms reach in the home (night stand, table, etc...).  So they're exposed to air and moisture. The rest sit in a water tight ammo can.

clp for the ones in the night stand.

store the rest in humidity controlled safe?

not much else you can do.  Can probably spray paint em after you make sure you have get all the rust off, idk.

For the mags that you use often, no worries. The rust usually forms a bit of a barrier that prevents it from going too far as long as it’s not exposed constantly to water. My CZ mags are like that and they get scratched up quickly and surface rust. They aren’t as pricey as HK mags though.

Air and water and key for corrosion. For guns that are rust sensitive, I’ll wipe with Ballistol or one of those Hoppes cloths.

Ballistol. Light coating after a thorough clean after use.    Rag dampened with ballistol stays in or near the safe to wipe down mags or firearms when handled. Bare steel on mags has zero trust on them after many years of handling and use.  Even my black powder firearms show no rust, and I use plain tap water to clean them...    I do not have a climate controlled safe or house.  (I have never shot or used the mags in direct rainfall or mud conditions.)

For something more robust, I've been experimenting with pure mink oil paste.  So far so good on my Flintlock, which has been to the range with blowing rain on it.

I got a tin of it from Track Of The Wolf.  Been using it for patch lube, lock grease, and rust protection.   

Wd40 specialist

4) HK forums recommended that I put a light coat of oil on them.  But I do dry fire a lot at home, so this would seem humbug to get oily hands all the time and have to re-apply.  any other options?

light coat of oil means put it on, and wipe as much off as you can
should not be oily to the touch

put thick coat of astriglide oil, then rub em all over vigorously 

Wd40 specialist

Another vote for WD40 specialist. 

http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667

light coat of oil means put it on, and wipe as much off as you can
should not be oily to the touch

Got it, this would make more sense.  If not, Mrs. change gonna be pissed there's oil everywhere in the house.  Thanks!

Shall I do the same with my rifles that sit in an open safe when I'm home?

Got it, this would make more sense.  If not, Mrs. change gonna be pissed there's oil everywhere in the house.  Thanks!

Shall I do the same with my rifles that sit in an open safe when I'm home?

Dunno if you want to try this, but I've been using Break Through Clean products. Apply a thin layer of oil to all surfaces, wait about 10-20 minutes, then wipe off. I do that for all the external parts. It leaves a nice "gloss" but not oily to the touch so I know it left something behind to protect the mental.

I go back once in a while to check and apply again if needed.

https://www.breakthroughclean.com/product/battle-born-high-purity-oil-2-fl-oz-bottle/

I would remove all the rust first.  Rust just makes more rust. It creates a barrier so your oil doesn't penetrate to the metal.  It traps moisture, and more rust forms.

Then, I'd recommend Frog Lube.  Make sure any oil/WD40 is cleaned away first. Coat the mag and use a hair dryer or heat gun according to instructions to make the metal absorb the Frog Lube into its pores.

Let the mags cool, and wipe off any excess lube.  The mags will have a "wet-looking" shine, but will be dry to the touch.

When dry firing, you won't notice any difference.  When live firing, the heat of the gun usually causes the lube to partially liquify.  It still protects the metal while forming a slippery surface to act like oil.

Frog Lube might be lower on that chart, but I've seen experiments that place FL at the top 3 for rust prevention.  However, it doesn't create an oil coating that gets on your hands and everywhere.

I still use Ballistol for a bunch of things, but I like Frog Lube as a protectant/lubricant on my pistols.  It smells a lot better than Ballistol, too!   

I've always been taught to NEVER use WD40 on guns.
I use a bronze wool soaked with Safari CLP to clean it up
surface rust and leave a thin film of CLP.
I'm going to try the Hoppe's product though.

I've always been taught to NEVER use WD40 on guns.
I use a bronze wool soaked with Safari CLP to clean it up
surface rust and leave a thin film of CLP.
I'm going to try the Hornady product though.

correction
I meant Hornady not Hoppe
Ignore first post.

I've always been taught to NEVER use WD40 on guns.
I use a bronze wool soaked with Safari CLP to clean it up
surface rust and leave a thin film of CLP.
I'm going to try the Hoppe's product though.

========
I do use wd40 on my guns like a water hose to wash your car. It carries away the grime.
I finish off with Break Free or Corrosion block if it's going into hibernation.

Don't confuse wd40 and wd40specialist

Once I remove the rust, should I paint it with something?   If yes, what type of paint?

Once I remove the rust, should I paint it with something?   If yes, what type of paint?

I wouldn't. The paint is just going to get worn off again.  Just have the wipe down rag as mentioned above, and wipe them down before putting away. Hand oils and sweat causes more rust than general humidity.

Thanks everyone for the replies.  This is a 1st for me, so IDK how to deal with it and google's response was to refinish the mags.  But their mags were flaking rust, not minor rust like mine. 

I will do the following:

1) Use brass brush to remove existing rust with breakthrough oil
2) Coat mags and guns like mentioned by Macsak above

old article.  compares 46 products on corrosion prevention, lubrication, water displacement, smell/odor, compatibility with rubber/plastic/gun finishes
top 3 for corrosion prevention were:  WD40 specialist, froglube, hornady one-shot

http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667

old article.  compares 46 products on corrosion prevention, lubrication, water displacement, smell/odor, compatibility with rubber/plastic/gun finishes
top 3 for corrosion prevention were:  WD40 specialist, froglube, hornady one-shot

http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667

Thanks for posting that link.  That's one of the experiments that helped me decide to try Frog Lube.  The writer said he wasn't sure if it was much of a cleaner.  What he didn't think to mention, apparently, is once a gun is protected with Frog Lube, heated, and sealed, the gun cleans up after use with almost no effort.  It really does protect and lubricate without having to reapply as often as most oils that transfer to whatever you might carry it in.

Clean and oil the inside of the magazines too.  Once a year is good enough for most.