doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Overnight rust in the barrel

Bobby, my experience is the same as yours. I have never seen a firearm rusted by salt water or rain as described here, even from being left a day or two before cleaning.

Maybe climate has something to do with it. My buddy's Browning 5 worked perfectly and the bore was slick after he put in shell and and fired it after six months submerged in six fathoms of salt water.

I never heard of "rainy day" guns until joining this forum.

Here in the UK, we don't have the high temperatures, but we do have plenty of humidity!
After use, a quick clean at a minimum (proper clean can come later).

Quick clean consists of a push through with a bit of tissue (or a patch or piece of 4x2) to remove loose fouling/residue, followed by a few strokes of a Payne Gallwey pattern brush with a few drops of a suitable bore cleaner. I use Youngs 303, though the type is not important but it MUST be a cleaner for gun barrels - as these contain suitable neutralisation for the powder residue and solvents to dissolve stubborn residue.

This can be left overnight to 'work' and either the cleaning finished the next day, or a tissue pushed through and the gun used again.

If you do this, the gun will not rust and will be kept in good condition - and its not a lot of effort.

WD40 is a water displacer - a job it does well, but not a solvent cleaner and never a good lubricant.

Keith,
How do you use the Thompson Center Natural Lube 1000 in a modern gun? As a coating after a thorough cleaning, right after shooting or when?
Thanks,
Jeff

Jeff, I shoot black powder rifle and use Natural Lube 1000 to not only lubricate my bullets but to coat the barrel after a thorough cleaning. It has a consistency like butter and a low melting point. My suggestion is just gently melt some and smear it on a patch, then run it through after cleaning. That's what is do with my T.C. rifle and the barrel is just as clean and bright as the day I got it.

I always wondered what the purpose of those white cotton shell type chamber inserts was for. So you lube them up with oil and then place them in your gun when it sits for a while?

I suggest a Tico Tool. Have one for use only immediately after shooting. I have one sprayed lightly with Breakfree I run into the tubes. Then, I hook on the swab saturated with rust inhibitor and pull it through the tubes. It's too easy, and will prevent any rust until you can do a more thorough cleaning.

Regards
Ken

Hi Oskar
I have had a look in an old book I have which lists problems with gun barrels and likely cures some sound very strange to us modern folk but the ones I have tried in the past do work, there origins are mostly from the Brit Victorian era.
I found this which is listed as �Patch rusting in gun barrels� this can be treated by soaking a cotton rag with Phosphoric Acid and swabbing out the bore after cleaning and removing any residual oil. I have not used this method because I have never had the problem but it seems it may work and worth a try.

Jeff, what J.R.B. said. Just wipe a very thin coat on clean dry metal. I also use it on the exterior of guns and find it does a very good job of preventing rust. I have no idea how it would stack up in one of those long term corrosion protection tests, but it has worked well for me. It is a non-petroleum based lubricant, and the literature that came with it when it first came on the market claimed that the severe corrosion problems associated with black powder really weren't that bad until petroleum based lubes became commonplace after Edwin Drake struck oil in the first drilled well. I can't confirm that, but it sure fixed the after-rust problems I had with black powder guns. In a rifle's bore, it works on the same principle as the seasoning on a cast iron skillet which is why you no longer should clean the bore with solvents or detergents. I would bet one ingredient is anise oil because you can smell it. I was apprehensive the the scent might spook deer, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. On the other hand, I haven't killed any record book bucks yet either.

Tico tools are the trick for a quick initial cleaning of loose residue in the bores. Have used them for many years. I just wish I knew of an easy way to clean them after they get so black and nasty.

SRH

Anyone consider blaming the steel itself? My nephew had a merkel 147 that would rust overnight NO MATTER WHAT HE TRIED. He had it honed from light pitting and sold it with a somewhat guilty conscience. You can't give him a merkel now, but it probably was a bad batch of steel one way or another. If it was environmental, why didn't his other many guns exibit some reaction? Steve