Wondering if the finish on a MP shield is covered under warranty?  Love my shield and carry it all day every day. I do landscape work so I clean and oil it often. Did some training over the weekend so I took my full size and left the shield in the safe. Un holstered it this morning to find the muzzle end of slide covered in rust! Some perspiration must have gatherd in the holster and caused it. Just oiled last week. It's my carry gun so I don't mind a little character. Is this something I should send back to smith or chalk it up to operator error? It's only a year old.

Stainless steel is rust resistant, not rust proof.

My M&P compact has a couple rust spots that I take care of regularly.  I have no desire to send it in, 'cause I carry it 99% of the time.

You will want to remove, clean, and lube the firing pin regularly as well.

You aren't alone.

My rust spots are from sweat and I have left it in a moist holster for a time as well.

Any recommendations for removing the rust and and protecting in the future. Touch up the paint etc? I really dont want to send it back.

Are you close to columbus?  you could get it cerakoted pretty cheap

Interesting. I have had trouble with the mag catch rusting where it goes through the frame in mine (seems to be a common complaint) if I sweat on it and don't wipe it down, but never the slide. I have gotten mine sweaty enough at times that, even with the holster, I have had beads of sweat on the slide. No rust at all.

On the slide, get all the rust off, then try coating it with Johnson's Paste Wax. I use it on blued guns and it seems to just plain work. Also, check your mag catch. If the slide is rusting, the mag catch may be, too. I haven't found anything that works for the mag catch except dousing it with Break Free, reinstalling and wiping off the excess. In a couple months, you have to do it again, but it seems to work. Good luck.

Bub75

My 9c turned to shit

The Hard Hat treatment is supposedly very durable.
Hard Hat

 

Dave Severns did a 1911 for me back in 2008 with the Hard Hat.  It's been incredibly durable, the only spots where it is showing wear is on the high points where the edges of the metal itself are wearing.  

Cerakote is also a good option especially if you want something besides black.

Yes I am in Columbus. I think I met the guy from gun envy at one of the shows at westland. Thanks for reminding me about them. Cerakote may be the answer because i plan to carry the shield for a long time. It is not quite as bad as the 9c above, but i could see it getting that bad. Its starting on the left corner of the muzzle very similiar to the one pictured.

Sweat rusted my mag release shut once on my Shield. I now remove the mag release periodically and grease it up before reinserting especially after periods where it is exposed to sweat. With the weather cooling soon, I can probably relax a bit. Summer in Texas is when I really have to stay on top of it.

I started seeing an area on the left side of the slide toward the rear spotting. I put CLP on it and scrubbed it off. The finish looks a little worn in that area now. Even a Glock will develop rust and they're generally regarded as having one of the most robust finishes.

Practice good weapon maintenance.

On my 1911 I carry I use blue wonder armadillo wax.  Its been a year since I've done it and haven't oiled it since on the outside.

I would call Smith and Wesson and let them refinish the gun, I'm pretty sure they will, they have out standing service.

I do a lot of outside work and after carrying for 7 years my G19 has some freckling on the slide, I am really surprised it did not happen sooner. I think the leather IWB holster helped slow it down I keep it lathered up with leather treatment. which is water resistant and thus gets on the gun.        
 

I've carried several different makes of guns over the years.  I've only had "rust" issues with 2 of them.  The first was an old W. Germany P226 Sig 9mm.  That thing would rust just looking at it.  But I knew it, cleaned it weekly and wiped it down daily.

Now my Shield is rusting.    A stainless slide with Melonite finish.  Never had an issue with my 14 year old Glock.  I can go 6 months w/o cleaning that one after carrying it daily.  No rust.  My current carry gun is a Springfield 1911 with standard Parkerized finish.  I clean it once a month, and no rust.  

I cleaned my Shield and a week later I found the slide was rusting.  About the only thing to do was take 0000 steel wool and clean it up.  I'm surprised at how poor the finish is on these M&P guns.  Reading the comments here I know its not just me, and I don't have "acid sweat" that wrecks guns.  I had considered getting a M&P 45c, but am now re-thinking that choice.