The entire body of a Glock handgun is painted black, but not all the components are metal. Some are high-strength polymers, including the magazine body and frame.

However, the slide of a Glock handgun is metal and can rust  quite badly, especially a polished one. Coated Glock slides are less likely to rust, but it still can over time without proper care.

You can remove rust from a Glock slide without damaging the metal underneath if you know what to do. Get together the following items:

*Lubricant cleaner

*Copper brush and copper wool

*Used toothbrush

*Dry and clean cloth

Coated Slides

If your Glock slide has a protective coat of black oxide, follow these steps:

*Take the Glock apart and remove the slide.

*Scrape the rust off with the copper brush or wool using gentle pressure.

*Take the dry, clean cloth and remove the scrapings from the slide. If loose rust is around the dents, use a toothbrush to reach the crevices.

*Repeat the process until all the rust is off.

*Reassemble your Glock.

Note: Don’t use a steel brush or apply any lubricant oil on coated slides. They will scratch the coating!

Polished Slides

Taking the rust off a polished Glock slides is more difficult because rust adheres more firmly to exposed metal.  You need something like a lubricant cleaner to soften and loosen the rust to make it easier to scrape off.

Do the following steps:

*Take your Glock apart and separate the slide.

*Apply a lubricant cleaner like BreakFree CLP-4 to the rusted parts of the slide and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

*Use the copper brush or wool to scrape the rust away gently. It may cause minor scratches anyway. If that happens, you must repolish the slide after the rust is gone. NEVER USE A STEEL BRUSH.

*When all the rust is gone, use a clean cloth to remove the residue.

Removing rust from a Glock slide might take some effort. You can avoid it by cleaning your Glock twice a month. Keeping it clean will also extend the life of your Glock.