Help with rust

overlordofwar · November 30, 2005, 02:20 AM

I just got my Remington 1100 out for bird season last week and noticed a serious problem. My dad has had it stored in a closet he has in his shop [which is not the best place for it obviously], and it has developed a large amount of small rust spots around the chamber on both sides. He had a similar problem with his M77 Ruger which his cousin took care of for him. I unfortunatly live an hour away and don't have the time to take it down and wait for it to get cleaned up. I'm hoping someone might be able to give me some ideas on how to take care of this without hurting the finish any more htan it already has been.

The spots of rust are more like small specs that run from the but stock all the way up to the foregrip and wrap around both sides of the chamber. The bolt, trigger and barrel appear to be fine [no rust]. The internals also appear to be rust free due to a good cleaning before it was put away after last season.

If I remember correctly my dad and I both had this problem with our 1100's a few years back which dad corrected using steel wool. I'm somewhat afraid to do that in this case because there is a pair of streaks that look like they might have been caused by the wool rubing the blueing off of the gun but I could be mistaken. If there is anyone out there with a good idea please let me know, any help would be greatly appreciated.

mtnboomer · November 30, 2005, 03:16 AM

Sounds like you carry your gun by the reciever. It's the skin oils and salts that cause this rusting. Spray the metal with a good aerosol penetrating oil and let set for a few days, this will help loosen the rust from the pores of the steel. Be sure to keep the metal wet with oil. Then take 0000 steel wool soaked in gun oil or 3-in-1 oil and lightly scrub the metal. Do not stay in one place too long as it can remove the bluing. Once all the rust is removed, spray with degreaser to remove all the dirty oil and rust flakes. Oil the metal well with gun oil and let set for a while. Wipe of the excess oil but leave a light film. After using the gun, clean it inside and out, wipe the surface with a light coat of gun oil and store in a dry place.

overlordofwar · November 30, 2005, 04:52 AM

mtnboomer, I don't carry the gun by the reciever, but I believe you have a point about the skin's oils and salts. I usually handle the gun by holding the reciever when loading, unloading, and cleaning so I do agree that the rusting got started that way. Thanks for the advice, I will give it a try.

Dfariswheel · November 30, 2005, 08:54 PM

Even the 000 steel wool and oil trick still damages the bluing.

The old gunsmith method is to apply a coat of penetrating fluid like Kroil or a good bore solvent, and let soak overnight.

Next day, apply more fluid, then use a brass "toothbrush" to scrub the rusty areas.

The brass removes the rust without attacking the bluing.

For more crusty rust spots, use a home-made scraper made of brass.
A cartridge case with the mouth squashed flat works well.

After scrubbing, use bore solvent to clean off any brass residue.

The rust will be gone, the blue will be intact, but there will be tiny pits and missing blue where the rust was.

November 30, 2005, 02:20 AM	#1
overlordofwar Senior Member Join Date: April 9, 2005 Location: Alma, KS Posts: 102	Help with rust I just got my Remington 1100 out for bird season last week and noticed a serious problem. My dad has had it stored in a closet he has in his shop [which is not the best place for it obviously], and it has developed a large amount of small rust spots around the chamber on both sides. He had a similar problem with his M77 Ruger which his cousin took care of for him. I unfortunatly live an hour away and don't have the time to take it down and wait for it to get cleaned up. I'm hoping someone might be able to give me some ideas on how to take care of this without hurting the finish any more htan it already has been. The spots of rust are more like small specs that run from the but stock all the way up to the foregrip and wrap around both sides of the chamber. The bolt, trigger and barrel appear to be fine [no rust]. The internals also appear to be rust free due to a good cleaning before it was put away after last season. If I remember correctly my dad and I both had this problem with our 1100's a few years back which dad corrected using steel wool. I'm somewhat afraid to do that in this case because there is a pair of streaks that look like they might have been caused by the wool rubing the blueing off of the gun but I could be mistaken. If there is anyone out there with a good idea please let me know, any help would be greatly appreciated.

November 30, 2005, 03:16 AM	#2
mtnboomer Senior Member Join Date: July 9, 2004 Location: Oklahoma by birth. America by the grace of God. Posts: 635	Sounds like you carry your gun by the reciever. It's the skin oils and salts that cause this rusting. Spray the metal with a good aerosol penetrating oil and let set for a few days, this will help loosen the rust from the pores of the steel. Be sure to keep the metal wet with oil. Then take 0000 steel wool soaked in gun oil or 3-in-1 oil and lightly scrub the metal. Do not stay in one place too long as it can remove the bluing. Once all the rust is removed, spray with degreaser to remove all the dirty oil and rust flakes. Oil the metal well with gun oil and let set for a while. Wipe of the excess oil but leave a light film. After using the gun, clean it inside and out, wipe the surface with a light coat of gun oil and store in a dry place. __________________ Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati (If all else fails - play dead!) Support the Second Amendment. Join the NRA > http://www.nra.org < Oklahoma State & Big 12 - #1 GO POKES!!!!!

November 30, 2005, 04:52 AM	#3
overlordofwar Senior Member Join Date: April 9, 2005 Location: Alma, KS Posts: 102	mtnboomer, I don't carry the gun by the reciever, but I believe you have a point about the skin's oils and salts. I usually handle the gun by holding the reciever when loading, unloading, and cleaning so I do agree that the rusting got started that way. Thanks for the advice, I will give it a try.

November 30, 2005, 08:54 PM	#4
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Even the 000 steel wool and oil trick still damages the bluing. The old gunsmith method is to apply a coat of penetrating fluid like Kroil or a good bore solvent, and let soak overnight. Next day, apply more fluid, then use a brass "toothbrush" to scrub the rusty areas. The brass removes the rust without attacking the bluing. For more crusty rust spots, use a home-made scraper made of brass. A cartridge case with the mouth squashed flat works well. After scrubbing, use bore solvent to clean off any brass residue. The rust will be gone, the blue will be intact, but there will be tiny pits and missing blue where the rust was.