How to keep your "truck" shotgun rust free?

F

fortkevin2

New member
A buddy is convinced it's a good idea to keep a Mossberg 500 12 gauge in his toolbox as a "truck gun" After trying to talk him out of it for the obvious reasons...getting stolen etc etc he still thinks it's a good idea.

My question is:

How is he going to keep it from rusting? A gun sock? being in the humidity around here (NC) and it just being blued etc I would think it would rust? What do you guys do and what are your suggestions? Thanks!!
 
Get it coated in something (Armor Tuff, Black T, whatever) and Eezox. And it'll probably still get some surface rust, especially if he's close to the coast.
 
Hmmm... He goes to school in Western NC and lives in Raleigh. I was thinking this is a bad idea but he really wants one. :( He just spent $160 to get a 500, then another $100 or so to get an 18.5" barrel + PG.

I've NEVER been a fan of PG's but he seems to like those to.
 
Last edited:
Spray paint. Trust me, it works. If he scratches it or mucks it up, just touch it up. All of my hard use guns get the spray paint treatment after the original finish is all scratched up and looking like crap.

BTW, take the time to do it right. Rough it up with sand paper. Better yet, blast it. The original coat will stick like glue, and when it starts to wear touch ups are a breeze.
 
I was thinking spray paint also. Several coats of Satin black I think would work good. Any idea's or experiences you guys?
 
Talk to Brownells. They have several spray on finishes in their catalog and their tech support folks know their stuff....
 
I'm not trying to knock some of the high end "gun paints" (or a moderators advice ;)), but if it's a true beat around truck gun... well I would just use an automotive grade paint from lowes and touch up when needed. I would still do prep work, but honestly I've had better results from engine block paint than I have from duracoat. You can get some cheap engine block paint from the local store for 5 bucks. I use it and approve, but don't expect it to not scratch or keep looking pretty forever. It's utilitarian (think functional but not what you want on a pretty safe queen), but it's very cheap.
 
I'd avoid the "gun sock", I've had them soften and ruin the finish on the stock, and stick to the wood finish making it very difficult to get the gun out again.
I just wipe my truck gun down with a rag saturated with BreakFree CLP a couple of times a year, and had no trouble with rust.
Another idea is to thoroughly clean it, using brake or carburetor cleaning solvent or similar, and once it's dry, spray it with a good quality paint. Krylon actually makes a good spray paint that adheres well and is resistant to cleaning solvents and oils.
 
Cosmo
I hear that dilute Lee's Liquid Alox is a good substitute for cosmoline. Dilute with mineral spirits or acetone, spray on, & let dry.

Spray Paint
Sadly, commonly available spray paint from Wally World, etc. had been ravished by the EPA. It has all gone from lacquer to enamel for the general public. This makes it a bugger to apply and touch up.

The new Krylon enamel spray paints have the curved-in cap rather than the old cylindrical cap.

However, if you can finagle a commercial account at, say, Graingers (not difficult to do), you can still get lacquers as they are not verboten to businesses <wink, nudge>.
 
Gun socks work great.


I kept a Mossberg 500 in my trunk with out any protection except a thin layer of CLP wiped on. Some surface rust appeared pretty quickly. This is in south east Texas by the way.



Bought gun socks for all my firearms. Used one for the trunk shotgun and it works great. Been about 1.5 years so far with it and no rust whatsoever.



So take it from a guy who was in the same situation before. Gun socks is a nice quick and inexpensive way to protect your trunk gun that actually works 100%.
 
One nice thing about a 500 is that the receiver doesn't rust. I agree with the spray paint idea as the cheapest for a truck gun. Use FP10 or Eezox in the bore, bolt and rails. Unless you store it underwater it will hold up well.
 
i have a 20+ yr old 500 that went a good 15yrs with only wd40 squirted inside as a "cleaning", and it was hunted every year for squirrel to deer, to goose.
every year i would paint the outside with what ever colors the season was.

ive fount that krylon grill paint works best if you dont mind black. its verry sturdy, and goes on easy, and is a non-gloss.
 
I know a guy who buys spray paint intended for spraying slow combustion fires. This paint is heat proof and seems to work well on firearms.

When the finish gets damaged he periodically strips it back and re-sprays the gun.
 
I had mine coated inside and out with flat black moly resin. Tough and slick as teflon. A guy who lives near Raleigh NC does it, 140 bucks.
 
Hard chrome would probably be the best finish, but that would probably cost more than the 500. The Marine Mag and it's counterpart would be my choice for a coastal truck gun. That said, a little rust on a 500 isn't going to get any collectors upset. Toss a H&R rifle and a High Point in for the trifecta.

I'd probably just wax it real well with a non abrasive carrinuba style wax and repeat that process every quarter.

A buddy is convinced it's a good idea to keep a Mossberg 500 12 gauge in his toolbox as a "truck gun" After trying to talk him out of it for the obvious reasons...getting stolen etc etc he still thinks it's a good idea.
Click to expand...

I know several folks that have truck guns, granted most live out in the country where they use the guns to shoot snakes, pigs and keep watch fer meth addicts. I wouldn't try that in the city, but I don't have a lockable box and don't want the harassment from local LE.
 
Less expensive, though not permanent solutions include spraying the gun with a liberal coating of Boeshield T-9 and also using plain old Johnson's Paste Wax.
 
So take it from a guy who was in the same situation before. Gun socks is a nice quick and inexpensive way to protect your trunk gun that actually works 100%.
Click to expand...
I assume you mean a silicone impregnated acrylic gunsock, not a cotton one. Cotton will make rust so much worse. The silicone will rub off the sock on to the gun constantly replenishing the protective coating. Has worked well for me the last few years although some spots don't get contact and may still rust.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top