How long does it take an ar15 to rust? (Read 10720 times)

DeejayTTHawaii

How long does it take an ar15 to rust?
« on: April 14, 2013, 11:50:45 AM »
We had a flood in our house and my ar15 was completely submerged in water for a short time, 2 min max.
Unfortunately it didn't get cleaned till about 5 days after the incident. So it was sitting a little wet in a foam case for 5 days.
I asked a family member to wipe it down and spray some clp on it. And I'm on a trip and don't get back til a month from now.
I'm wondering if its going to be badly rusted?
P.S it does have a chrome lined barrel.
Give them nothing. But take from them, everything

dirsh

Re: How long does it take an ar15 to rust?
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2013, 01:29:19 PM »
Maybe leave it in some motor oil or ATF?
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Hunter1007

Re: How long does it take an ar15 to rust?
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2013, 02:25:35 PM »
As long as it had a chance to dry our completely and taken out of that foam case, it shouldn't be too bad. If you are a dilligent firearms owner and had left your ar with a decent coat of clp or other protectant on it it might not be too bad. I've seen extremes on both ends where rust caused pitting on the bolt and barrel and times where you couldn't see much damage at all.

Hope you learned a valuble lesson here. Store your firearms where there are no chances of flooding.

armsinc

Re: How long does it take an ar15 to rust?
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2013, 02:29:38 PM »
We had a flood in our house and my ar15 was completely submerged in water for a short time, 2 min max.
Unfortunately it didn't get cleaned till about 5 days after the incident. So it was sitting a little wet in a foam case for 5 days.
I asked a family member to wipe it down and spray some clp on it. And I'm on a trip and don't get back til a month from now.
I'm wondering if its going to be badly rusted?
P.S it does have a chrome lined barrel.
Depends on wat it is made of.... what kind of coating you have on it ... and was it fresh water or was it sewage.... I think it with a good cleaning should be fine but it might have some surface rust
ArmsInc Hawaii

Lifer

Re: How long does it take an ar15 to rust?
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2013, 04:26:29 PM »
Without CLP and neglect, I've seen weapons show surface rust in a matter of days ( less than a week) in the field.

If you had someone wipe it down with CLP or the like, and its indoors, you should be ok.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2013, 04:34:54 PM by Lifer »

kaneohegrown

Re: How long does it take an ar15 to rust?
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2013, 04:42:12 PM »
Have your family member strip the rifle down and clean and lube it. If they don't know how, just tell them to watch a YouTube video. Better to have them take care of it now rather than come home and the rifle is f-d.

DeejayTTHawaii

Re: How long does it take an ar15 to rust?
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2013, 06:10:25 PM »
Alright, thanks for all the replies guys! much appreciated  :shaka:
Give them nothing. But take from them, everything

TANGOSUCKA808

Re: How long does it take an ar15 to rust?
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2013, 07:53:13 PM »
We had a flood in our house and my ar15 was completely submerged in water for a short time, 2 min max.
Unfortunately it didn't get cleaned till about 5 days after the incident. So it was sitting a little wet in a foam case for 5 days.
I asked a family member to wipe it down and spray some clp on it. And I'm on a trip and don't get back til a month from now.
I'm wondering if its going to be badly rusted?
P.S it does have a chrome lined barrel.

hopefully not bro, sorry to hear that

djsmiles808

Re: How long does it take an ar15 to rust?
« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2013, 07:56:33 PM »
flood insurance? new ar? lol

GZire

Re: How long does it take an ar15 to rust?
« Reply #9 on: April 15, 2013, 08:40:30 AM »
For anything to corrode you need three things; moisture, air/oxygen, and the material.  Take any one of the three away and the process goes away.

Anywhoo.........spray that sucker down with some CLP and you should be OK.  I'd take it out of the case too.  Both these measures should help to take away the moisture part of the equation.

drck1000

Re: How long does it take an ar15 to rust?
« Reply #10 on: April 15, 2013, 09:31:26 AM »
I've heard those foam cases can be bad if the gun has moisture on them and stored. 

If your barrel and other major components are coated, I would think you would would be just fine.  I usually just pay attention to the castle nut and end plate on my guns which have shown spots of rust.  The rings on my Rem 700 have also shown signs of rust, so I usually wipe them down with Ballistol to keep the corrosion away.