Cosmoline removal

R

REM1

New member
We have just received a new Remington 860P Parkerized shotgun. Can you please advise how to remove the cosmoline on it from the factory? It is not clear, but the manual and FAQ's on Remington's website seem to suggest using a good coat of REM OIL on it for 20-minutes or so before wiping the oil off. Does this soound right?

This is what the instructions say...

When first receiving and cleaning the parkerized firearm, literally spray the finish (with a great product like RemOil) until it drips wet, go have a cup of coffee, then return and towel dry. This gives the lubricant time to fill the pores of the parkerization...

Are they refering to spray Remoil after the cosmoline is completely removed or to use RemOil to clean the cosmoline off?

Thank you.

Best regards,
REM1
 
This is a new 870 Police Magnum 24417 shotgun. The manual says it has been sprayed with a cosmoline coating in case they had to be shipped overseas or stored for an extended period of time.

This is from the FAQ's on Remington's LE website

Q: Can parkerization rust?

A: Yes. Unless you properly clean off the warehouse packing product, cosmoline and completely oil the parkerization, rust can begin to form in a very short amount of time. When first receiving and cleaning the parkerized firearm, literally spray the finish (with a great product like RemOil) until it drips wet, go have a cup of coffee, then return and towel dry. This gives the lubricant time to fill the pores of the parkerization.
 
New Remington products are shipped with a coating of mineral oil, not cosmolene. I would wipe it down with a lint-free cloth and lube it with a good quality CLP. I use FP-10, but there are other good CLPs on the market.
 
Best stuf I have found, even for REAL cosmoline is Clean Streak. We use it in the shop, it will not hurt plastics, but smells like cancer in a can. Use it outside, or suffer the wrath of the the wife.
 
The military does buy shotguns so I can believe it is cosmoline. WD40 and CRC 556 are recommended solvents. It melts at 113-125 so hot soapy water or steam cleaning works. 40+ years ago the cleaning company I worked for would steam clean it off the surface of imported cars(BMW??). Problem with "elbow grease" was that any dirt or grit stuck to it would result in scratches.

edited to add link

http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/cosmoline/index.asp
 
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We use mineral spirits in the shop to remove cosmoline. WD-40 or any other petroleum based based solvents will cut it pretty good. Rem oil would fit the bill although it may not be as fast as others. Make sure you drop the trigger group and get it clean.
 
Back when Remington absolutely did spray Police guns with Cosmoline, I'd field strip the gun, including the magazine tube and spray everything dripping wet with CLP Breakfree.

I'd let it soak for 30 minutes or so, then use air to blow off the excess, drain and blow out the trigger group, and wipe everything to remove the excess.
This removed the Cosmoline and left everything well protected from rust and well lubricated.

Whether Remington is still using Cosmoline or not, this is still a good way to remove the gummy factory coating and ready the gun for use, and it certainly doesn't cause any harm.

I liked CLP Breakfree because it's thicker then Rem-Oil and I think it does a better job and doesn't run off so bad as the much thinner Rem-Oil.
Put the gun on a thick pad of newspaper to soak up the CLP that drips off while it soaks.
 
Thank you everyone so much! I appreciate the responsiveness of this forum. The manual does say it is cosmoline. Someone here is going to call Remington Law Enforcement (LE) Support on Monday. I will post the info on what they find out. Today I was also told by a local firearms store to use CLP Breakfree or RemOil.

Thank you again.

Best regards,
REM1
 
Coleman camp fuel will remove cosmoline. It is also known as white gas.

For my Mosin's, and other Com-Bloc guns that come slothered in the stuff I use Brake Parts Cleaner. Just make sure to wipe it dry, and oil everything quickly.
 
The Cosmoline coating Remington used was nothing like the packed gunk you find in old military surplus guns.

It was a very thin spray-on coat and didn't firm up like standard Cosmoline.
Unless you wiped the new gun with a white cloth and noticed the brown stains of the Cosmoline, you probably wouldn't notice it.
Some people thought it was a light layer of rust.

In any case, all that was needed to remove it was the soak in Rem-Oil or CLP Breakfree.
 
Thank you as are right. My guy says Remington told him today that it will either be very light coat of cosmoline on some and a heavy coat of oil on others. All that is needed is to soak it well with RemOil, Remington Shotgun Cleaner or CLP.

Thank you again. I never expected such a strong response. This is a very active forum and I appreciate everyones help.

Best regards,
REM1
 
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