Update:
Those inconel springs have been sitting in saltwater for 11 days without a hint of corrosion that I can detect. Color me impressed. The other springs are more or less destroyed.
However, I’ve gotten a refresher lesson at keeping corrosion at bay on the rest of a rifle. I do most of my outdoor shooting in the rain (except for matches), to avoid Bubba and Cletus at my unsupervised public range. Its crowded with unsafe idiots in nice weather, but in an all-day downpour, I get it all to myself. And here in the Lowcountry, we’ve been having something resembling a monsoon for a week or two. So I’ve been shooting outdoors almost every day that I have off(24-48 on/24-48 off), and my rifle has been wet near continuously. Plus I cleaned it with a hose one day, and its been submerged a few times. Some thoughts:
All ferrous metal, regardless of treatment/coating needs either paint, or a light coat of oil.
Nickel Boron coated parts, such as in a trigger, are not impervious to rust with long term exposure to water, and oil wash-away.
Nitride, such as on a barrel and gas block, is also not invincible.
Stainless parts can get rust.
A Sprinco Blue will rust.
A gun full of sand and water (freshly submerged) is likely to experience stoppages unless horrendously overgassed.
Some parts that you may not have considered that will rust: roll/coil pins, ejection port cover detent, sling hardware, QD ball bearings, QD cups on URX4, MLOK fasteners, selector levers, crush washer (or maybe it was the barrel shoulder), front sight post and detent, mag catch.
Conclusion:
Even on a build where you choose parts for real or perceived corrosion resistance, you must stay on top of preventative maintenance when subjected to Neptunian abuse.
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