Even my v. cheap no-name 6" newt has a decent coat of paint & no rust. Must be a production problem with the tubes maybe? Unfortunately these things can happen with anything you buy, not just scopes but basically anything that's mass produced. Sometimes you are just unlucky.
But I would certainly take the matter up with the retailer, since they might be able to confirm with manufacturer whether or not there is a problem/recall whatever. It doesn't hurt to inquire, since this is not a normal situation. Any buyer would have a reasonable expectation that the OTA won't start rusting out within a couple of months of normal use, so you might get it swapped over?
Let us know how you go...
