Waiting for the Belmont Stakes post time I thought I would pass on a few observations on my recent acquisition:
Upon very close examination and with the aid of indirect sunlight, I noticed what appeared to be very small spots of light corrosion underneath the finish on the barrels, mostly near the breech and forend area. As I cannot stand the presence of corrosion anywhere on my firearms, I went about trying to buff these spots out with 000 steel wool with some WD-40, which proved to be more of a struggle than I had imagined. I then decided to remove whatever substance the barrels were coated (lacquer thinner) which came off easily enough but I was surprised how heavy it had been applied and that it came off in a dark color. Stripped of this material the barrels are much less "brown" in appearance. The rust spots mostly cleared off easily with that stuff out of the way.
I've researched the process of refinishing damascus or twist and know it is a common practice to apply some type of finish at the end, but other than keeping it pretty what is the purpose of this finish? What value does it have if corrosion can occur underneath? Is it really good for the gun?
This shotgun has the appearance of having been "freshened" I think is the term in UK (it was imported to the U.S. in 2021). Obviously, they either missed the corrosion completely and decided to leave 100 year old varnish on the barrels, or (as the more sinister side of me) thinks, some addtional finish was applied which masked some defects.
All that aside, any opinions on what, if anything I might wish to coat the barrels with? It will see the field next season and I don't wish to want to leave it home because the weather isn't perfect.
