Severe finish wear on 1911... Should I take extra steps to protect the steel?

[snakeman21]

Hi all. My EDC weapon is a RIA 1911 tactical. I have been carrying this gun for a few years now. Personally, I'm not worried about how worn and ugly my guns end up looking. On the contrary, I actually prefer the look of a worn, well-used 1911.

However, I am a little concerned about care. There are a couple of areas on the slide where the parkerization is entirely gone, revealing the shiny steel underneath. IIRC, RIA's are made 4140 chromoly, which as we all know doesn't have enough chromium to resist corrosion and rust nearly as well as, say, stainless.

How much should I worry about this? I tried to find info on this, but can't really find a straightforward answer.

[flabbydan]

I've had great results with Eez-ox.

[johnfritz]

I carry a P6 that has bare metal all over it from years of me and its previous LEO owner carrying it.

I just keep it clean and shoot it with Eezox occasionally. Never had any problems with corrosion. Keep an eye on your RIA, you should be OK.

I really like those guns, by the way. If I were to carry a 1911 the RIA would be one of my first choices.

[snakeman21]

You know, I love eexoz and I used to use it, but I have been to every retailer that might sell it within 50 miles and when I show them the empty bottle I still have, they either say, "never seen it before" or "wow, where did you get THAT? I haven't seen it in [xx] years!"

[Ewussor]

Need EEZOX? Just order it up from Warren Custom Outdoor:

http://www.warrencustomoutdoor.com/pl-eezox.html#eezox

[Steve_NEPhila]

You could also get the slide refinished. The options are almost too numerous to list and do not require an FFL or expensive overnight shipping if you just send the slide. Refinishing the slide may be your best bet, if it were me I would go with the Green-T finish from Birdsong for the slide, but I have a thing for green.

[snakeman21]

You could also get the slide refinished. The options are almost too numerous to list and do not require an FFL or expensive overnight shipping if you just send the slide. Refinishing the slide may be your best bet, if it were me I would go with the Green-T finish from Birdsong for the slide, but I have a thing for green.

Really can't afford that, and to be honest, if I can protect it well the way it is, I'd rather do that anyways... As I said, I much prefer the look of a worn-down, well-used 1911.

[MOUNTAINORACLE]

I wouldn't worry about it until it looks like this: