It has been a little "tropical" here for a couple of months. I have carried a little SP-101 on my person all day every day since it got hot. I found time this afternoon to tear the revolver down and give it a proper cleaning. My intention was to tear it down to parts per million!
I have been rained on and sweated on this gun since May!
A patch trough each cyclider and a couple through the bore, a drip of oil, and I am done! That is why I have time now to report to all of you on the computer.
My SP-101 is a early one for caliber. Whatever steel it is made from? I like it!
Cheezywan

Pure genius, and you can count me as a SP-101 fan. Has to be one of the best carry guns out there. The stainless wears well, they're tough as nails and a good size/weight. I don't knock what people want to carry but I often smile when people talk about their big hi capacity big hole auto machines and the 11 extra mags they carry....is ok with me but all that junk gets heavy and it's hard to hide. Cooler weather maybe but in the "tropics" I'm with you, SP-101 it is.

BY the way Cheezy, yall have that dry heat don't ya? :D

One of my Katrina post mentioned that the only guns to come out of the event (3 weeks in salt water and 100% humdiity) were two Rugers (one a 101 9mm) and a Freedom Arms mini-revolver. S&W and Tarus stainless was ruined beyond repair...in some cases, trigger guards eaten all the way through.

Wahtever it is they use for an alloy, it's tough...probably tough becasue mostly it's castings with little machining needed, so a more machineable alloy (and possibly more reactive) isn't used.

Actually, was amazed to soak the funk-ball that contined that Ruger and find it looked pretty good..some scrubbing with a bristle brush and it lookee very good. When it cme out of a real gun-cleaning (as opposed tot he washing it got) looking nearly prefect, was stunned. Did need a new mainspring (a kind donation from a memeber who had kept his original after an action job) and does have a few little pists in the hidden grip frame, but all in all whatever ruger is using is THE TOUGHEST STAINLESS ON THE MARKET.
-----
The other "winners" were still pretty screwed up...but with some new parts, new barrels, got a couple of parkerized Colt GM's running again, a Stainless colt Gm, and a 1967 Vietnam bring-back Tok. For wahtever reasons a blued mod. 36 survived...is rusted and ugly on the outside, but a heavy coat of grease saved the bore, chambers, and internal parts. A nicked S&W 57 and a #15 made it a bit worse for wear as well.

But the total winner was a French 1935A...parkerized and then some kind of baked on enamal paint...looks like the inside of a stove. That one came out with just a bit of rust on a few internal srpings....but looks just like it did before the flood: ugly.
-----
For those who want to run their own test, can't arrange another Katrina...but can simulate it:
1. Get an 11 foot deep barrel.
2. Fill it with salt water.
3. Add five shovels of dirt.
4. Sprinkle a few drops or a spoon full of dry stuff...from EVERY bottle or of cleaning gear, bleach, hosuehold chemical, etc. in your house.
5. Toss in a dead cat.
6. Use the barrel as a bathroom for a couple of days.
7. Toss in all your guns.
8. Roll the barrel around..don't be gentle, the water was moving fast enough to toss a work truck theough the back beadroom.
9. Punch a 1/8' hole in the bottom.
9. Walk away for 28-30days.

That's pretty close to dupication conditions...and the Ruger 101 came out just fine.

BY the way Cheezy, yall have that dry heat don't ya? :D

I am from Oklahoma Lumberjack. I see you have been kinda warm there too. A thought crossed my mind a couple of days ago. "Why do I need to drink so much water? I am breathing water!"
The SP is the only stainless gun I own(sons .22 rifle is stainless). Everything is damp here all the time. I have noticed that my hand tools that get used all the time are rusting. Side cutters and pliers require oil every few days to maintain one handed operation. Truck brakes sound "sandy" until used a couple of times.

The good news is: It's sweet corn season :) . The ears are huge and completly filled out.(Note to self: Make sure septic tank vent is clear).

Plants love this weather. Animals and metalic objects do not.
I don't think one of my blued guns would have faired as well.

Ribbonstones experiance is far greater than mine in this regard. There is nothing that I could sweat to duplicate what Katrina did to his guns. All I managed to do was keep mine wet for a couple of months. It was allowed to "air dry" over night.

I have a good friend that served the United States Navy aboard a submarine. His desciption of conditions there would have been hard on guns. I must ask him about that!
Cheezywan

A update. My submariner friend replied to my question regarding maintainence of firearms aboard the sub. Reply was that all were kept in a safe. All were cleaned regular using G.I. grease. All were loose. All were well worn like( he made reference to his Ruger mk I .22) He reports that there was no rust!
I will read between the lines here a little as I am familar with his mkI. The blued finish is near 70%. It has likley fired near 50,000 rounds. There is a buldge about mid-bore from a long ago stuck bullet. I recall detail cleaning it near 15 years ago so he could retire it when he bought his mkII. He loaded it up and shot the crap out of it with me as a witness.

This thread is about Stainless steel guns. There is much to be said about properly cared for blued chrome moly guns that are cared for.
Cheezywan

I have carried this gun for years and this summer it has been from 95-105 most of the time since July 1. I wet it down with salty sweat about every day. This gun looks brand new and don't have any rust.

That is a purdy P-97.
I did have a front sight pin break a few years ago. Never thought about it until I noticed that you have two. I wonder if the pins are stainless? That is the only failure I have had.
Cheezywan