I recently inherited several side by sides, old military rifles, hunting rifles and an old .22 ruger pistol. None have been used, cleaned, or even handled for between 10 and 20 years. They have been stored in a typical wood cabinet, glass door in north east. I don't believe anything was done to preserve in anyway since they were just left sitting unused, not stored. Short of professionally restoring these, what are the chances that they can be reasonably cleaned up and functional? Any suggestions? Thanks
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Unused unstored old rifles
- Thread starter mept
- Start date
Chances are really good that they will clean up fine. If the temp swings in the house were not too drastic they may well be pristine yet. Definately give them a good shot of elbow grease before paying a smith large bucks for the same thing in a "restoration". Remember too that a few pits in a barrel or a dark bore are not the end of the world. I have one military type with a few pits that is MOA or so.
I think the first thing to do is examine them and do a standard cleaning, just to see where you stand. As mentioned, that may be all they need. I have purchased a number of guns from people that had them stored in a closet for over 30 years, they were in like-new condition, and there was absolutely no effort to preserve them. As long as they haven't been in a bad environment, I think you'll be surprised how good the condition may be. I collect old pistols, and some of the ones I get have not been cleaned for 50 years, yet most have very little effect from the neglect.
Possible help
My company, Novum Solutions, makes a gun cleaner, Blue Wonder Gun Cleaner, that will be able to help you in cleaning these firearms. Several people have purchased our product and used it to clean firearms of this type and have reported excellent results.
For removing rust you can follow these instructions:
1. Apply Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner to the rusted areas and work in with “0000” steel wool or a brass brush until the rust is loosened. (This will not harm the bluing!) For heavier rust, work gel in and let sit for 5 -10 minutes. Wipe areas with a clean, dry cloth and apply quality gun oil to prevent further rusting.
For bare metal areas where harming the bluing is not a concern, Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner may be applied with more abrasive products such as ScotchBrite™ abrasive pads, more course steel wool, steel brushes, etc. (Use caution as these type abrasive materials will affect the surface finish of the metal and strip any existing bluing).
To deep clean rust from the pores of metal, first, clean the areas following above instructions. Then, apply another coat of Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner to the areas and “while the gel is on the metal”, use a propane torch and heat the areas to about 130oF. (Remove or protect wood, plastic or composite components!) Heating the metal while the gel is on it, draws rust particles and residue out of the pores. While still hot, work the areas further with steel wool or brush and wipe clean with a dry cloth. Apply quality gun oil to prevent further rusting.
For general firearm cleaning you would follow these directions:
1. Apply a liberal amount of Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner to a brass gun brush of the proper size. Run back and forth through the bore 5-6 times and then repeat. Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner works by "chemical reaction", so let the gel remain on the surface for 5 - 10 minutes - or longer for bores with heavy deposits.
2. After 5 - 10 minutes, run the brush back and forth through the bore 5-6 more times and then run patches until they come out dry. For a cleaner bore, wad up a piece of toilet paper or paper towel so it fits tightly in the bore and push it through with the cleaning rod. This cleans the bore better than loose patches as the paper forces itself into the lands and grooves. Repeat this until they come out dry. If still dirty after 2-3 times, repeat step 1 above.
3. IMPORTANT!! After using Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner, the surface will be chemically clean and free from all copper, lead, powder, etc! It is VERY IMPORTANT to finish by applying a coat of quality gun oil to prevent rusting.
For bores with very heavy deposits follow step 1 above and then plug one end of barrel with cork or similar object. From open end, fill bore with Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner, plug other end. Let stand overnight and then remove plugs and continue with steps 2 & 3 above.
For removing blood and other contaminants follow these instructions;
Clean the area with Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner to remove any oil, grease, fingerprints, etc. Liberally re-apply Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner to the area with blood, and “while the gel is on the surface of the metal”, use a propane torch and heat the area until the gel is boiling. Keep the gel boiling until you see it turning reddish brown in areas, as it draws the blood residue out of the pores. Apply fresh gel to a green ScothBrite™ abrasive pad and scrub the area well. Immediately wipe the area clean with a paper towel or cloth. Repeat this process if necessary to remove all blood residue. Wait until the area cools down to about 125oF – 130oF before applying Blue Wonder™ Gun Blue.
Caution! The metal will be HOT and can cause burns! Do not overheat the area! Remove or protect wood, plastic or composite components from the heat!
If you have any questions, whether you use our products or not, please feel free to email me at dvasquez@novumsolutions.com. If I do not know the answer I will quizz one of our professional gunsmitihing pro staff members and ask their advise as to the best way to solve your problems.
Also you can visit our web site at www.novumsolutions.com to see if we may have the tips you need posted there. Good luck with your project.
My company, Novum Solutions, makes a gun cleaner, Blue Wonder Gun Cleaner, that will be able to help you in cleaning these firearms. Several people have purchased our product and used it to clean firearms of this type and have reported excellent results.
For removing rust you can follow these instructions:
1. Apply Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner to the rusted areas and work in with “0000” steel wool or a brass brush until the rust is loosened. (This will not harm the bluing!) For heavier rust, work gel in and let sit for 5 -10 minutes. Wipe areas with a clean, dry cloth and apply quality gun oil to prevent further rusting.
For bare metal areas where harming the bluing is not a concern, Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner may be applied with more abrasive products such as ScotchBrite™ abrasive pads, more course steel wool, steel brushes, etc. (Use caution as these type abrasive materials will affect the surface finish of the metal and strip any existing bluing).
To deep clean rust from the pores of metal, first, clean the areas following above instructions. Then, apply another coat of Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner to the areas and “while the gel is on the metal”, use a propane torch and heat the areas to about 130oF. (Remove or protect wood, plastic or composite components!) Heating the metal while the gel is on it, draws rust particles and residue out of the pores. While still hot, work the areas further with steel wool or brush and wipe clean with a dry cloth. Apply quality gun oil to prevent further rusting.
For general firearm cleaning you would follow these directions:
1. Apply a liberal amount of Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner to a brass gun brush of the proper size. Run back and forth through the bore 5-6 times and then repeat. Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner works by "chemical reaction", so let the gel remain on the surface for 5 - 10 minutes - or longer for bores with heavy deposits.
2. After 5 - 10 minutes, run the brush back and forth through the bore 5-6 more times and then run patches until they come out dry. For a cleaner bore, wad up a piece of toilet paper or paper towel so it fits tightly in the bore and push it through with the cleaning rod. This cleans the bore better than loose patches as the paper forces itself into the lands and grooves. Repeat this until they come out dry. If still dirty after 2-3 times, repeat step 1 above.
3. IMPORTANT!! After using Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner, the surface will be chemically clean and free from all copper, lead, powder, etc! It is VERY IMPORTANT to finish by applying a coat of quality gun oil to prevent rusting.
For bores with very heavy deposits follow step 1 above and then plug one end of barrel with cork or similar object. From open end, fill bore with Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner, plug other end. Let stand overnight and then remove plugs and continue with steps 2 & 3 above.
For removing blood and other contaminants follow these instructions;
Clean the area with Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner to remove any oil, grease, fingerprints, etc. Liberally re-apply Blue Wonder™ Gun Cleaner to the area with blood, and “while the gel is on the surface of the metal”, use a propane torch and heat the area until the gel is boiling. Keep the gel boiling until you see it turning reddish brown in areas, as it draws the blood residue out of the pores. Apply fresh gel to a green ScothBrite™ abrasive pad and scrub the area well. Immediately wipe the area clean with a paper towel or cloth. Repeat this process if necessary to remove all blood residue. Wait until the area cools down to about 125oF – 130oF before applying Blue Wonder™ Gun Blue.
Caution! The metal will be HOT and can cause burns! Do not overheat the area! Remove or protect wood, plastic or composite components from the heat!
If you have any questions, whether you use our products or not, please feel free to email me at dvasquez@novumsolutions.com. If I do not know the answer I will quizz one of our professional gunsmitihing pro staff members and ask their advise as to the best way to solve your problems.
Also you can visit our web site at www.novumsolutions.com to see if we may have the tips you need posted there. Good luck with your project.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
A good cleaning. Have cleaned many guns up with a light application of elbow grease and a liberal application of Hoppes gun oil. Need something that is thick. That and a couple of good 4X BRONZE wool. You need something that will NOT remove the blueing of the guns. True bronze wool as from Brownells will not take off the blueing. Scrub and wash the surface until all the crud is off and see what is underneath. It will take off all but the most offending rust without removing any patina and surfacr color.
A good cleaning. Have cleaned many guns up with a light application of elbow grease and a liberal application of Hoppes gun oil. Need something that is thick. That and a couple of good 4X BRONZE wool. You need something that will NOT remove the blueing of the guns. True bronze wool as from Brownells will not take off the blueing. Scrub and wash the surface until all the crud is off and see what is underneath. It will take off all but the most offending rust without removing any patina and surfacr color.