Welcome to the forums from south Louisiana.

Different people and different methods. I use brass wool myself it will not hurt any bluing on rifle.


ca'jun56

 

So the surface rust is apparently common and unavoidable if you're actually going to use the rifles?

 

Rust only happens if you fail to care for the firearm. Hunting in the rain then not drying the gun and wiping it down with oil afterwards is just asking for trouble. Personally I prefer stainless rifles for the wet stuff but I still care for my firearms after a day in the field. Even stainless can rust if allowed.

 

Hello and welcome!

There's different methods but the best advice on removing it it don't use
more scrubbing than needed. In other words, only use steel wool if you have to.
I like to try a wrag that has heavy fibers with WD40 and go from there.
For me, a wipe down with Marvel Oil lasts a long time and prevents rust
pretty good.
Rust will happen and surface rust is predictable, depending on the average
humidity where you live, and how relegiously you wipe your guns down.
Personally, in recent years, I have taken to Dura-Coating the rifles I hunt
with the most.

 

^^^This & welcome to the forum.
Ed Harris came up with a homemade cleaner/ protectant that I use called Ed's Red. 1/3 each of kerosene, mineral spirits & automatic transmission fluid.
I give them a good wipe down in & out and don't have rust. Need to keep something in the pores of the steel to keep the water out.

 

welcome from upstate ny.

 

I use Boeshield to protect my guns. It is an aerospace product and comes in an aerosol.

 

WD 40 Long Term Protectant really works very well.I hunted while it was snowing this weekend and there is no rust on my rifle.

 

If it is in spots put 3 in 1 oil on spots rub it with a penny made before 1982.


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Welcome ! Warm it up, wipe it dry and the use a good gun oil protectant. Many choices work well. There was a guy on some forum( old age prevents me from remembering where) that tested many products on brake rotors exposed to the weather. The WD40 long term protectant did very well.

 

If you are going to hunt with a Blue wood stocked rifle you need to prep the rifle. The wood will swell on you as they don't seal the areas that you don't see. I remove the stock and the fore arm wood and treat the underneath with a sealer (You will see that these areas have no finish). I do the same thing for the butt stock on the inletting areas. You can wipe down the blued metal with this preservative grease called "Rig Universal". This will help to stop the rust if the rifle gets wet but you still need to dry it out when you quit for the day.

 

^^THIS

There are a lot of areas of the lever action that don't see the light of day, but moisture (and dirt, twigs, etc.) can get in there and cause rust in places you won't see. Taking the rifle apart and prepping these areas before the start of the season, and again to clean these areas at the end of the season, is important. Doing this, along with what others have said about wiping down the rifle after use with an oiled or waxed rag, will make a huge difference.

 

Big 45 is an option for rust removal. It was designed by a gunsmith to be harder than rust but softer than bluing.

Search big45metalcleaner & you can check it out.

 

I've used Break free for almost 40 years on all my firearms. Spent two summers in Misty Fiords National Monument in a tent with a wood-fire stove. No rust. I have lived in Southeast Alaska for about 30 years and still no rust. Hard to argue with success. Jim

PS. it is known to rain a little bit in Southeast Alaska. Depending on where you are from 110 to 350 inches per year.

 

Just a rag with Rem oil will remove light dust/rust. Anything that wont wipe off lightly 0000 steel wool dabbed with some Rem oil on it. Ive cleaned up some tough stuff. Ive used Hoppes #9 gun bore cleaner and 0000steel wool to clean stuff up too.

 

cold guns in a warm room sweat. wipe down. wait for the gun to warm up. wipe again. also I wax my guns.

 

I know some would call me bongos but I wax my firearm before I take it out in the weather. I wipe it down with acetone and wax it with carnuba wax with the fore stock off. after waxing to a luster maybe twice I lightly oil it with a no scent oil. Never had a problem in Arkansas or Louisiana.

 

same here only I use johnsons wax...all the interior parts as well

 

I also use Break Free...never had a rust issue. I also REALLY like Clenzoil lubricant/finish protector (when I can find it). I wipe the entire rifle (metal and wood) with some Clenzoil on a soft cloth after every outing. I've never had rust on any of my guns.

 

Second vote for Boeshield T-9

 

Ok. I'm going to post a link for you...

Long read but very possibly one of the most informative and non biased posts on rust preventative products I've seen. This guy went about it right.

Day At The Range | Always On Target

Now, to save you some time. For my money it came down to about 4 products. I regularly use 3 of the 4. I've personally settled on the Frog Lube as my preferred product because of all the rust preventative that actually work, it's got the best lubrication properties and let's face it, that's important.

I'll let you read it for yourself though so as to avoid me influencing your choice.

 

Ok. I'm going to post a link for you...

Long read but very possibly one of the most informative and non biased posts on rust preventative products I've seen. This guy went about it right.

Comprehensive Corrosion Test: 46 Products Compared | Day At The Range

Now, to save you some time. For my money it came down to about 4 products. I regularly use 3 of the 4. I've personally settled on the Frog Lube as my preferred product because of all the rust preventative that actually work, it's got the best lubrication properties and let's face it, that's important.

I'll let you read it for yourself though so as to avoid me influencing your choice.

 

I apply slip 2000 prior to going out hunting with my stainless XLR and wipe the rifle down multiple times after returning to the cabin and then re apply the slip 2000. There was 1 1/2 feet of snow this year and no rust. I also do a complete strip down, cleaning, and re-lube after returning home from each hunt.

 

I use 000 steel wool with mineral spirits. The truth is, I have not had much luck with this or with using WD-40 or gun oil. It works a little though. I ride my guns hard and try my best to take care of them after some dampness but the rust still gets them sometimes. I live in a hot humid climate and really should be using stainless guns but I like my pre safety Texans too much. I tend to treat my rifles like a duck hunter treats a shotgun. They just get beat up because of the way I hunt.

I have been using Johnson Paste Wax on the blued metal lately and it seems to help prevent moisture intrusion. The recommendation of Boeshield above is also a good one. That stuff is miraculous. I use it on my machine tool surfaces. Lathe ways, the tables of mills, drill presses, table saws, and jointers. I will also use paste wax on these too like a jointer and table saw where I need to reduce the sliding friction of a workpiece.

 

Sorry to take you to task on this, but you've learned an important lesson here; one that most of us learned early on when we were younger. Taking a rifle out in the rain and then putting it away without giving it a good going over to dry it and oil it; well, that's something you knew better than to do. Writing circles around it and hoping you can find the language that eases the responsibility is just avoiding the inevitable. You have to own this one, and then you can decide to do better next time. As you can see, there are dozens of ways to proceed with the care of your lever action after a wet day in the field. Most of us have been there in the hotseat. I remember being utterly mortified when I found my old Model 94 Winchester covered in scale rust a day or so after I was out hunting. I really let the ol' girl down, and my stomach was tied in a knot. I'll bet I worked on it for two full days before I was satisfied that I had reversed the damage, or at least had it once again as healthy as it was the day I took it out.
The good news is that there are many, many ways and products to help you, from bore butter to Johnson's paste wax, brass wool, and WD-40. I'm not much for WD-40, because it is mostly just kerosene and it evaporates, so it isn't a true lubricant, but it can help to pull liquid out of cracks and crevasses before it evaporates, should your weapon be thoroughly soaked during your day out. One thing I CAN recommend is to have a drier in your safe, which dehumidifies the air and helps keep all of your guns free from moisture and rust. Very inexpensive, and money well spent. Works to protect your rifles even when you're not around.

Jim

 

A very liberal coat of paste wax on the stocks and metal (Johnson's etc.) before going out goes a long way. After I get back I run an oiled patch down the bore and keep the action fairly well greased with a thin layer of lithium grease. One old trick my dad, who spent 6 years in vietnam, was to put a condom over the muzzle to keep water out. I'll have to admit I do usually skip that step unless it's pouring out.

 

One old trick my dad, who spent 6 years in vietnam, was to put a condom over the muzzle to keep water out. I'll have to admit I do usually skip that step unless it's pouring out.

“No, Honey! I swear I’m just going hunting! It’s for gun protection! What? No, Honey... not that gun! It’s for my rifle!” 🤠

 

paddle07,

WD-40 and 0000 steel wool. A light coat of WD-40 overnight then a light working with the very fine steel wool will remove all surface rust. Done!

Ballistol is outstanding for normal cleaning and storage. However, WD-40 is the best for protection against water and surface rust when you are in the elements.

The next time you take her out of storage into the elements, apply a light coat of WD-40 over all metal parts. It should protect as it was intended to.

 

OOOO steel or brass wool and oil to remove rust, will not harm blue. A good coating of old fashioned paste wax on wood and metal will help protect. I was going to say "liberal" coating but I was being "conservative"!!