Help me save a barrel...

Nunya53 · February 15, 2010, 09:05 PM

I recently bought a Savage 110 in .270 Win from a kid at work (cheap) who didn't care for it. It has some surface rust and minor pitting on the barrel. What do you all suggest for cleaning, caring and preserving this barrel without removing any more blue than necessary?

Thanks,

Nunya

noyes · February 15, 2010, 09:27 PM

Kroil

Kroil (The Oil that Creeps) is used by the most accuracy-obsessed benchrest shooters to keep their barrels clean. Kroil creeps below the fouling in your barrel, allowing you to knock it out easily with a patch or brush. Kroil also displaces moisture, dissolves and prevents rust and can even be used as a lubricant.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tnumber=137203

DnPRK · February 15, 2010, 09:52 PM

Use four ought (0000) steel wool wetted with light gun oil. Rub the rust lightly. It will come off without scrubbing the blue off the barrel. This will not remove pits. To remove pits, you'll need to draw file the barrel.

**Unclenick** · February 16, 2010, 10:31 AM

Kroil works. PB Blaster is perhaps the best at softening rust, though it smells bad. Gunzilla will also loosen rust, but is slower to penetrate than Kroil. Whatever you use, you will want to displace it with gun oil or a rust inhibiting oil, like Birchwood Casey Sheath, or LPS-2 afterward.

Keep the surface wet with your penetrant of choice for a couple of days before you start removing rust. That will give it plenty of time to find its way under the deepest pits. Use a nylon brush or an old toothbrush to get the weakest rust loose first. Note that steel that rubs off the steel wool will rust if you don't remove it. That just takes more penetrating oil and a rag. Actually, I find the industrial strength brown paper towels do the best job of rubbing and buffing for that. You could also use a soft abrasive polish like Iosso Gunbrite or MAAS or Flitz to go after the steel and the last traces of rust.

jaguarxk120 · February 16, 2010, 10:42 AM

What about Ed's Red, good for cleaning the bore should be good for removing the rust on the outside.

ac700wildcat · February 17, 2010, 05:21 PM

Just a something I want to add to Unclenicks's suggestion of using PB Blaster to remove rust. It works very well at removing rust, but don't use it on anything that you want to keep the blueing on, it will remove the blueing. Don't ask me how I know.

kraigwy · February 17, 2010, 06:48 PM

Nothing, and I mean nothing polishes a barrel like a 1 in belt sander and a barrel spinner. Depends on how smooth you want it, start our with 320 grit and work up to 2000 grit.

Then throw the sucker in a blueing tank. You have the deepest blue you can imagine.

The belt sander alseo sharpens the lettering on the barrel.

All the guns (except a couple stainless barrels) were polished working up to 2000 grit. I bead blast the actions, then blue them, Turns out really nice.

TheShootist1894 · February 17, 2010, 09:43 PM

Spend $40-50 and get a new factory barrel used, what Caliber you need?

F. Guffey · February 17, 2010, 10:38 PM

I have sanding belts in rolls of 10, 15 and 20 ft, for a barrel that is is rusty I tare the rolls in three foot sections then tare it into to narrow strips and sand the barrel by making one loop around the barrel and polish, as the barrel cleans up, I repeat the process with a finer grit. For shallow pitted parts I use a file. Oil will aid in preventing rust, it will not heal the damage, To keep from filling the strips with dirt and degree a green Scotch brite pad can be used, then the barrel can be whipped clean then start with the strips, something like polishing a crank shaft, for polishing save the old worn strips.

F. Guffey

Magnum1854 · March 1, 2010, 02:17 AM

where rust is in clumps on the barrel or receiver, wet it with WD-40 and then roll a nickel across it back and forth in a rolling fashion. It will lusten the rust and not damage the bluing!

riverwalker76 · March 1, 2010, 10:57 AM

I bought a Thompson Center BP Rifle from a friend that was in the same condition. It's a shame how some people treat their stuff.

I used Break Free CLP and an old 45/70 casing flattened out on the end with a hammer to scrape all of the rust off of the outside of the barrel.

On the inside I plugged it with a small piece of kid's Play-Doh and faced that end down. Then I filled the barrel with Break Free and let it sit for 2 days. You wouldn't believe all of the junk that came out of that barrel.

After I was done with the Break Free CLP I polished the bore with a bore brush wrapped with 0000 steel wool. All of the rust came out, and the barrel looked shinier than new.

Be careful when using steel wool to clean rust inside a barrel. If you aren't careful you can wear down a 'low spot' in the barrel, and cause problems.

February 15, 2010, 09:05 PM	#1
Nunya53 Senior Member Join Date: December 19, 2006 Location: Sherwood, AR Posts: 207	Help me save a barrel... I recently bought a Savage 110 in .270 Win from a kid at work (cheap) who didn't care for it. It has some surface rust and minor pitting on the barrel. What do you all suggest for cleaning, caring and preserving this barrel without removing any more blue than necessary? Thanks, Nunya

February 16, 2010, 10:31 AM	#4
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	Kroil works. PB Blaster is perhaps the best at softening rust, though it smells bad. Gunzilla will also loosen rust, but is slower to penetrate than Kroil. Whatever you use, you will want to displace it with gun oil or a rust inhibiting oil, like Birchwood Casey Sheath, or LPS-2 afterward. Keep the surface wet with your penetrant of choice for a couple of days before you start removing rust. That will give it plenty of time to find its way under the deepest pits. Use a nylon brush or an old toothbrush to get the weakest rust loose first. Note that steel that rubs off the steel wool will rust if you don't remove it. That just takes more penetrating oil and a rag. Actually, I find the industrial strength brown paper towels do the best job of rubbing and buffing for that. You could also use a soft abrasive polish like Iosso Gunbrite or MAAS or Flitz to go after the steel and the last traces of rust. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle Last edited by Unclenick; February 16, 2010 at 10:37 AM.

February 17, 2010, 06:48 PM	#7
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,061	Nothing, and I mean nothing polishes a barrel like a 1 in belt sander and a barrel spinner. Depends on how smooth you want it, start our with 320 grit and work up to 2000 grit. Then throw the sucker in a blueing tank. You have the deepest blue you can imagine. The belt sander alseo sharpens the lettering on the barrel. All the guns (except a couple stainless barrels) were polished working up to 2000 grit. I bead blast the actions, then blue them, Turns out really nice. __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

February 17, 2010, 09:43 PM	#8
TheShootist1894 Senior Member Join Date: May 24, 2007 Location: Putnam County Ohio Posts: 324	Spend $40-50 and get a new factory barrel used, what Caliber you need? __________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Sturm Ruger-Bolt & High End Single Shot Rifles: Remington-Shotguns: Smith & Wesson-DA Revolvers: Sturm Ruger-SA Revolvers: Marlin/NEF/H&R-Best BANG for your Buck!! Quality + Accuracy + Value =

March 1, 2010, 02:17 AM	#10
Magnum1854 Junior Member Join Date: September 30, 2007 Posts: 1	rust where rust is in clumps on the barrel or receiver, wet it with WD-40 and then roll a nickel across it back and forth in a rolling fashion. It will lusten the rust and not damage the bluing!

February 15, 2010, 09:27 PM	#2
noyes Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2008 Posts: 1,032	Kroil Kroil (The Oil that Creeps) is used by the most accuracy-obsessed benchrest shooters to keep their barrels clean. Kroil creeps below the fouling in your barrel, allowing you to knock it out easily with a patch or brush. Kroil also displaces moisture, dissolves and prevents rust and can even be used as a lubricant. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tnumber=137203

February 15, 2010, 09:52 PM	#3
DnPRK Senior Member Join Date: August 24, 2001 Location: LC, Ca Posts: 1,917	Use four ought (0000) steel wool wetted with light gun oil. Rub the rust lightly. It will come off without scrubbing the blue off the barrel. This will not remove pits. To remove pits, you'll need to draw file the barrel.

February 16, 2010, 10:42 AM	#5
jaguarxk120 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,620	What about Ed's Red, good for cleaning the bore should be good for removing the rust on the outside.

February 17, 2010, 05:21 PM	#6
ac700wildcat Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2008 Location: ND Posts: 239	Just a something I want to add to Unclenicks's suggestion of using PB Blaster to remove rust. It works very well at removing rust, but don't use it on anything that you want to keep the blueing on, it will remove the blueing. Don't ask me how I know.

February 17, 2010, 10:38 PM	#9
F. Guffey Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2008 Posts: 7,249	I have sanding belts in rolls of 10, 15 and 20 ft, for a barrel that is is rusty I tare the rolls in three foot sections then tare it into to narrow strips and sand the barrel by making one loop around the barrel and polish, as the barrel cleans up, I repeat the process with a finer grit. For shallow pitted parts I use a file. Oil will aid in preventing rust, it will not heal the damage, To keep from filling the strips with dirt and degree a green Scotch brite pad can be used, then the barrel can be whipped clean then start with the strips, something like polishing a crank shaft, for polishing save the old worn strips. F. Guffey

March 1, 2010, 10:57 AM	#11
riverwalker76 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 993	I bought a Thompson Center BP Rifle from a friend that was in the same condition. It's a shame how some people treat their stuff. I used Break Free CLP and an old 45/70 casing flattened out on the end with a hammer to scrape all of the rust off of the outside of the barrel. On the inside I plugged it with a small piece of kid's Play-Doh and faced that end down. Then I filled the barrel with Break Free and let it sit for 2 days. You wouldn't believe all of the junk that came out of that barrel. After I was done with the Break Free CLP I polished the bore with a bore brush wrapped with 0000 steel wool. All of the rust came out, and the barrel looked shinier than new. Be careful when using steel wool to clean rust inside a barrel. If you aren't careful you can wear down a 'low spot' in the barrel, and cause problems.