Rust!

D

DMMikey

New member
OK, I feel sick. I have arthritis, have not shot my Browning x bolt in a couple of years. I distinctly remember wiping the gun down with Remoil and a rag before putting it away. When I took it out of it's case today (an expensive one that supposedly prevents rust) it had surface rust on the underside of the barrel in front of the forend. Yes, it is pitted. I've wiped it down again with Rem cleaner and Remoil, and it looks a lot less noticeable, but the surface is still rough, and the rust is obviously still there. What did I do wrong, and what move do I take next?
I do not recall getting it wet. It's stored in a spare bedroom, in a locker type safe. There was no excess humidity. I don't get it.
 
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storing it in a case is a no-no. Rem-oil is not a rust preventative. run an oily patch down the bore and wipe the piece down with an oily rag at the very least once a year.
 
Take the stock off of the rifle and spray the metal down thoroughly with G-96 and let it set for 24 hours, then come back with just a towel and wipe off all he rust you can and inspect the damage from there.
There are some things you can do to fix it from here,, keep us posted.
 
The number 3 use for Remoil listed on the can is corrosion protectant.
The case is an expensive one from Bob Allen with a copper colored liner called intercept, which is supposed to prevent corrosion and is supposedly approved for this use by the US Military. That is why I stored it in a case.
The only thing I can think of is that it somehow held moisture in, instead of out, but I can't figure out how it got in there in the first place.
This wasn't my major question however. I really wanted to know if anyone had any ideas for stabilizing the corrosion and minimizing it's appearance.

G96 is a name of a company, not a product. What specifically are you pointing me to?
Thanks
 
You can live with it. Cheapest and easiest. Doesn't sound like the function is impaired. You can do a search on the archives of this site and find dozens of suggestions to try and improve the appearance. There is really no reason or easy way for me to try and repeat all the prior discussions of this. It is a frequently made inquiry. Absent a gunsmith or rebluing there is no quick way to fix it 100%. You can have it professionally reblued at whatever cost. You do need a better lubricant. Here is a bottle of Hoppe's Gun Oil I have been using. It is much thicker than rem oil. Rem oil is a fine oil like sewing machine oil is. That stuff evaporates in a few weeks. I also think you may want to stop bragging on that guncase and stop using it. I have never heard anyone reccomend long term storage in a case. It trapped moisture in there , likely related to temperature change and rusted your fine firearm. There are a lot of gimmicks for sale. Some work , some don't. I'd put some dessicant or a goldenrod drier or something in that safe. You had or have a moisture problem.
 
It was pitted in only one area- that leads me to think a sweaty palm print or such, and that was the ONE small place that didn't get wiped down.

I'm another who would like to recommend against storing the rifle within the case.

I don't know what the rifle means to you, but those pits can be cleaned up and re-blued- but to do anything to make them disapear would be either way more expensive than re-barreling.

Speaking of re-barreling, you might google up a list of replacement barrel makers, contact them, and ask if they'd have a factory take-off bbl they would part with for a reasonable price.

For preservation and rust prevention (like we have a lot to worry about here in the Tx Panhandle), I find that plain old medicinal mineral oil works fine for my needs. It's in the pharmaceutical section of any Wally World down in the "I can't poop" isle with the laxatives.
 
The case is an expensive one from Bob Allen with a copper colored liner called intercept, which is supposed to prevent corrosion and is supposedly approved for this use by the US Military.
Click to expand...

Approved for "use". Use, in this instance, doesn't mean storage - it means transport.
 
If you store a gun in ANY type of case you are just asking for rust. Toss the Remoil and buy some Breakfree Collector or Eezox. Store the gun in open climate controlled air. Wipe it down thoroughly every time it gets handled.
 
I have seen many threads where an owner put a gun in one or another type of case, left it there for a while, and was surprised to find rust.

Shotgun, rifle, pistol, revolver. The worst were stored in cases that had foam inside, but anything that prevents airflow works to encourage rust.

I have seen those gray cloth chemically-treated rifle storage sleeves that claim to prevent rust. I also see some yellow poly sleeve/bags that claim the same. I have not tried either one, but if I used one, I would not trust it enough to leave it for several years without a glance.

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

This test shows the relative corrosion prevention of a number of products.
Rem-Oil ends up in the middle...not terrible, but far from the best.

Eezox ended up the best, and it is what I have been using since I saw this test...and another that had similar results.
http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

Good luck, and let us know what works (or doesn't).
 
You are probably better off just laying the gun under the bed that a case.

Throw away all the 'oily rags' and get some RIG=Rust inhibiting grease and a RIG RAG (sheepskin) and wipe down after each handling and preiodically therafter. Could also take the oily rags to the shop and wipe down the wrenches/saws/chisels/ etc.

Im cleaning some guns for a friend whos house burned.The guns were not damage, by the fire but sure are corroded.

A spoonful of Rig applied to 8 of them would have done a world of good 10-15 yrs ago.

Oil on a gun moves esp when in a rack/safe of standing in the closet. At least 3 of the above 8 have 'black' stocks where the oil has run into the wood just below the barrel/reciever. It will never come out.
 
There are some good items mentioned ^ Where can I buy this good stuff. Been using Rem spray oil, and Yes! I have to spray them about 3 x a year.
 
I store all my pistols in the cases they came with. If not the cases, then where? They dont really stand up well in a safe like my long guns do.
 
Storing guns is cases is not a good thing.

My infrequently used guns are lubed with Militec 1. They were stored in their safes for up to three years while i worked overseas. No gun ever rusted.

Rig or other gun grease works very well.
 
I just experienced the same thing with my A-Bolt. I had it stored in a gun case at my in-laws. It was laying under a bed in their basement for the last two years and when I picked it up Saturday night the barrel had light pitting. I wiped it down with some Rem Oil which cleaned it up nicely but I want to prevent this from happening again in the future.

Is G-96 considered the best rust preventative on the market?
 
I wiped it down with some Rem Oil which cleaned it up nicely but I want to prevent this from happening again in the future.
Click to expand...

Simple - don't store it in a case. A protective oil - no matter how good it is, isn't a substitute for proper storage.
 
As many have said, NEVER store in a plastic gun case. Best is to buy a silicon impregnated gun sock. If you have a swamp cooler in your home, rust on guns is always a problem. I learned this with my first swamp cooler experience. Best lube and protector I have found is Frog Lube. Put it on thick for storage.
 
I'll tell you a little story of WD-40 and why I laugh at the "experts"... epically the the "I'm a gun smith" "types" that tell people they'll do harm by using WD-40 on their firearms. WD-40 does what it was MEANT to do well. It's a penetrating oil and "rust PREVENTATIVE".

Why do I laugh you ask. I put the shotgun I hunted with away for the off season. As I did every year after a thorough brake down and cleaning I sprayed it down with WD-40 and pout it in a zip-up case and put it in the closet. Yes I know now that was/is a no no. Did that every year for years and years, only this time it stayed in there for over 10 years. Poop happens! When I finally got around to taking it out I looked in horror as it appeared that my hunting partner of many many years was completely coated in rust. But wait! On closer inspection while it was dull brown it really didn't look like rust but rather some sort of dry coating. So I broke out some "WD-40" saturated a rag and wiped my old buddy down. Underneath the "dried coating of WD-40", which dissolved and wiped off immediately, was that shiny Blue Steal and spots of bear metal form years of work that I remember. WD-40 "PROTECTS and STOPS RUST". Is it a good lubricant? No! If it gets into trigger mechanism and doesn't get flushed out will it get gummy? Yep! Will it kill primers if you let it sit on your ammo? YEP! Does it disperse water/moisture and protect while stored? ABSOLUTELY! After hunting in the rain or taking a swim in the bottom of a boat my shotgun got a good spraying of WD to protect it until I got home and broke it down and clean it. NEVER A SPOT OF RUST!

So when the "EXPERTS" rant an rave about the horrors of using WD I just laugh. Over 40 years of using it on guns, the guns I've use it on work perfectly and don't have any rust.
 
Eezox ended up the best, and it is what I have been using since I saw this test...and another that had similar results.
http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html
Click to expand...

I also started using eezox after having seen this test and I concur. Eezox even neutralizes residue from corrosive ammo, the bane of all shooters everywhere.

Use eezox and never worry about rust again. Can't make it any simpler than that.
 
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