Rust on a Gun

[ohiohuntinweim]

I was at a trial over the weekend and it rained during my run. I wiped the gun down quick...just a towel no oil. 5hrs later when I pulled it out of the truck at home it was crusted with rust.

Not just small specs of surface rust major stuff that had ate thru the bluing. All over the gun on the vib, both barrels, receiver, etc.

I hit it with 0000 steel wool and rubbed it with oil really well.

Any suggestions on how to prevent in future? How to fix it now?

Is this normal for a gun to rust that bad that quickly?...its only a year old

[sjohnny]

You might try wiping it down with some oil next time. What is it? I've never had one rust up like that before and mine have gotten wet and dried before I could clean them. I generally wipe mine down with a silicon rag after I clean them and it seems to be working pretty well.

John

[BigShooter]

I've had many different guns out in the rain 100s of times. Often with the gun being soaked all day. I've never had that happen. The bluing had to have been very thin and just got thinner after being rubbed with steel wool.

Are you certain you used a clean towel with no chemical agents in it?

You can dry the gun and wipe it with oil right away but you will always have a problem unless you have it reblued.

[nj gsp]

The best tip I can give is to make sure your gun is well oiled all the time, and keep some clean dry rags and gun oil handy for drying it out, and just soak the heck out of it with oil until you get a chance to clean it right & let it dry out completely.

[Chaingang]

I've had many different guns out in the rain 100s of times. Often with the gun being soaked all day. I've never had that happen. The bluing had to have been very thin and just got thinner after being rubbed with steel wool.

Are you certain you used a clean towel with no chemical agents in it?

You can dry the gun and wipe it with oil right away but you will always have a problem unless you have it reblued.

Have to agree here. Normally a barrel that has bluing in good shape should not show surface rust overnight. Especially if the gun had been wiped down prior to the day in the rain. Some manufacturers do a better job on bluing than others. I would probably opt to just have her re-blued, it's not terribly expensive. If you can happen to locate a metal finishing company near you, sometimes they will do it cheaper and better than most gunsmiths that do it (many times gunsmiths send them there as well). I had one done by such a place I believe for $40 or so about 8 years ago.

[ohiohuntinweim]

It gets wiped with oil every time its cleaned. It got wiped down with a clean towel...which was supposed to be used for the dog.

Its cheap stoeger condor (probably problemo numero uno right there). One guy at the trial said using the gun cases that have foam on the inside will suck the oil off the gun. I have never had that happen before.

There was no way to get it cleaned up without steel wooling it.

Dop those over the counter birchwood casey rebluing kits work?

[BigShooter]

The Casey rebluing kits are cold bluing kits. Those kits do what they are supposed to but it's not as good as a gunsmith or metal company bluing job. The real secret to cold bluing is for the metal and the agent to be warm. Cold bluing works best on softer steel such as used in some .22 LRs.

If you go that route do a google search and read up on "tips' to getting good results.

[nj gsp]

Not all the Birchwood Casey kits are cold kits. I built a .36 cal blackpowder gun a few years ago, and I was going to use the hot blue kit but decided to finish the metal with the BC brown finish kit. I had to heat the barrel with a torch to get it to where the chemical agent would bond with the steel (as per the instructions). It came out great though, and has held up very well.

However, the best quality bluing is going to be done by a skilled gunsmith who has the right equipment.

[BigShooter]

nj,

Good point. Of course with his two barrels you have the issue of what material was used for holding the barrels together and how much can it be heated. Hot bluing baths can cause real problems with soft solder. I have no idea if that is a non-issue with all newer shotguns.

Seems to me when you hot blue, adequate ventilation to prevent the inhalation of the airborne chemicals is a bigger issue as well.

A lot of gunsmiths will look at your gun for free over the counter and give you advice on re-bluing.

Mark

[tanner]

i have never had a gun rust that bad but to help prevent in the future i use this stuff in a spray can called reel magic or real magic cant remember how its spelled. it comes in a little blue can with a white top, i spray my guns before i take them out and when i get back and it's worked on my guns so far, i spray all the inside moving parts when i break a gun down to clean it as well, makes some very good cleaner too, Id recommend it to anyone.