Glock 27 and Sig Sauer P229 in Sarco Hand Select Grade (+$15)
These guns were salvaged from a ship that sunk in the Pacific Ocean. Just kidding, this is what happened to guns stored in a locking case for one year in Las Vegas. If you have a strong stomach, read on for the full autopsy report!
About a year ago my good buddy PogMoThoin called me and asked how good I was at working on Glocks. Since I was in the process of building a 1911, I said it should not be a problem, and asked him why. He told me that his step dad had given him a Sig P229 and a Glock 27 that had some rust, and he would like me to look at them to see if they were salvageable.
As soon as he brought them over I was astonished by what I saw. The backstory is his step dad had taken both of these pistols out before he deployed, shot them, cleaned them as usual, and locked them in a Honeywell Lockbox with foam padding, and placed them in the top of the closet. He returned after being deployed for a year and found them in this condition. After a discussion on AR15.com the best theory as to what happened was "Galvanic Corrosion: Electrons flow from the aluminum to the iron. The electrons then use the liquid water to return back to the iron. Aluminum loves to do that with most metals. Even graphite." He said to see if I could do anything with either one to see if they were worth saving, so let's break them down.
As soon as he brought them over I was astonished by what I saw. The backstory is his step dad had taken both of these pistols out before he deployed, shot them, cleaned them as usual, and locked them in a Honeywell Lockbox with foam padding, and placed them in the top of the closet. He returned after being deployed for a year and found them in this condition. After a discussion on AR15.com the best theory as to what happened was "Galvanic Corrosion: Electrons flow from the aluminum to the iron. The electrons then use the liquid water to return back to the iron. Aluminum loves to do that with most metals. Even graphite." He said to see if I could do anything with either one to see if they were worth saving, so let's break them down.
Glock 27
  |   Turns out a rusted extractor channel was not a factory option. |
Needless to say, the Glock looked like it had a possibility of delivering lead back to mother earth again. Upon first inspection, the slide still racked but would not return to battery, and the trigger was dead. The slide had massive pitting in it (first time I have seen it on a Glock). The Nite Sites, however corroded were still bright though. First thing I did was to take off the slide, and strip the frame. Being a Glock, this was a two minute process. I took all of the metal components, sprayed them generously with Break Free CLP, and placed them in a Ziplock bag and let them soak for several days.
After the metal components had soaked for several days, most of the rust simply wiped off the internal parts (striker, and trigger transfer bar). The slide took a bit of work using a nylon brush on a Dremel, but it eventually came off. The extractor was a different story. The channel that the extractor sits in was completely rusted solid. I had to use a small dental pick to get the rust out, followed by a nylon brush, and more CLP. After about an hour the extractor was finally free. Once it was removed I finished up the cleaning of the extractor channel.
All in all it took about three hours to clean the Glock up, but afterwards it passed the bench tests, and appeared to be functional. The only part I recommended replacing was the slide stop, simply due to the scaled rust that was in the serrations of it. Overall, it turned out looking decent, especially compared to how it came in. Ammusingly, the magazine still functioned perfectly!
After the metal components had soaked for several days, most of the rust simply wiped off the internal parts (striker, and trigger transfer bar). The slide took a bit of work using a nylon brush on a Dremel, but it eventually came off. The extractor was a different story. The channel that the extractor sits in was completely rusted solid. I had to use a small dental pick to get the rust out, followed by a nylon brush, and more CLP. After about an hour the extractor was finally free. Once it was removed I finished up the cleaning of the extractor channel.
All in all it took about three hours to clean the Glock up, but afterwards it passed the bench tests, and appeared to be functional. The only part I recommended replacing was the slide stop, simply due to the scaled rust that was in the serrations of it. Overall, it turned out looking decent, especially compared to how it came in. Ammusingly, the magazine still functioned perfectly!
 |  |
Sig Sauer P229
After examining the Sig for exactly 15 seconds, I reached a conclusion: It was fucked.
The more I looked at it, the worse it was. Starting from top to bottom, the slide was rusted, along with the barrel. Similar to the Glock, it was definitely pitted, but salvageable. When I got to the frame, that is where it got bad.
The more I looked at it, the worse it was. Starting from top to bottom, the slide was rusted, along with the barrel. Similar to the Glock, it was definitely pitted, but salvageable. When I got to the frame, that is where it got bad.
 |  |
Just looking at the magwell it was apparent that this one was a goner. The aluminum was flaking off at the end of it. If this thing was a trout, it would be cooked to perfection. Being a pistol, well, not so much. I took off the grips, thinking it could not get much worse....
  Cook until frame flakes easily with a fork.  Note the frame piece still attached to the bottom grip screw. That is not supposed to happen under normal conditions. |  Most interesting place to store cocaine...Wait that is corrosion, my bad.   This may be beyond JB Weld repair territory... |
Just when I thought it could not be worse, it was. Pieces of the corroded frame actually fell out once the grips came off.
This thing was done. I did not even bother working on it since parts of the frame were crumbling in my hands like burnt toast.
The End Results
After I finished up the Glock I called PogMoThoin up and let him know that the Glock was theoretically functional. He took it out to the range, and the little bastard functioned completely reliable. Pretty impressive for the shape it was in, no doubt it faired better than the Sig due to the polymer frame. I told him I would call Sig and ask them about purchasing a replacement frame, and would give him an update.
I called Sig and spoke to their Customer Service department. I explained the backstory to an employee named Ryan and told him that I would like to purchase a replacement frame for the P229. Ryan said he could not sell me a frame since it was considered a firearm. I told him that I do understand it, but could he transfer it through my local Sig Sauer dealer? Nope, Sig does not sell frames he explained. I then asked him if I could send the pistol to Sig for them to fix it. Nope, they will not fix it. By now I was at a loss, it was clear that Sig had no interest in seeing this pistol operational again. I asked him what I should do, and he stated that I should sell the pistol for parts, and use the proceeds to purchase a new Sig Sauer pistol. I thanked Ryan for his help (or lack thereof) and hung up. Based off of my past experiences with Sig Sauer's customer service, I was not exactly surprised by their lack of wanting to do anything. I had called them in the past due to a Sig Mosquito being, well, simply a piece of shit. I was told that it was normal, and they did not even want to look at it.
In closing, the Glock faired much better than the Sig in the "Lock Box Torture Test". In fairness, most of it is due to the polymer frame of the Glock. The Sig on the other hand.....it is dead. Sig's customer service showed the same level of "Not a single fuck was given" as I have experienced in the past, and that sealed the fate of how I see the brand now. I was not asking for a free frame, I was upfront with what happened, and said I would pay for a new frame, or even send the pieces back to them to replace, but they just did not want to do anything at all.
If you do store your weapons for extended periods of time, I would recommend leaving a light coat of oil, and storing them inside a safe that contains some form of moisture removal, either in dry rod or dessicant form. Do not let this happen to you.
EZ
I called Sig and spoke to their Customer Service department. I explained the backstory to an employee named Ryan and told him that I would like to purchase a replacement frame for the P229. Ryan said he could not sell me a frame since it was considered a firearm. I told him that I do understand it, but could he transfer it through my local Sig Sauer dealer? Nope, Sig does not sell frames he explained. I then asked him if I could send the pistol to Sig for them to fix it. Nope, they will not fix it. By now I was at a loss, it was clear that Sig had no interest in seeing this pistol operational again. I asked him what I should do, and he stated that I should sell the pistol for parts, and use the proceeds to purchase a new Sig Sauer pistol. I thanked Ryan for his help (or lack thereof) and hung up. Based off of my past experiences with Sig Sauer's customer service, I was not exactly surprised by their lack of wanting to do anything. I had called them in the past due to a Sig Mosquito being, well, simply a piece of shit. I was told that it was normal, and they did not even want to look at it.
In closing, the Glock faired much better than the Sig in the "Lock Box Torture Test". In fairness, most of it is due to the polymer frame of the Glock. The Sig on the other hand.....it is dead. Sig's customer service showed the same level of "Not a single fuck was given" as I have experienced in the past, and that sealed the fate of how I see the brand now. I was not asking for a free frame, I was upfront with what happened, and said I would pay for a new frame, or even send the pieces back to them to replace, but they just did not want to do anything at all.
If you do store your weapons for extended periods of time, I would recommend leaving a light coat of oil, and storing them inside a safe that contains some form of moisture removal, either in dry rod or dessicant form. Do not let this happen to you.
EZ
