Gun Restoration, Hunters i need help.?

Question

I got a gun from my grandpa, and i pulled it out of its sleeve, just to find it full of rust. My question is whats the best way to get the rust out. I heard dw 40 and steel wool brush. Is this what i should do or do anyone of you have any other ideas.

Answer 1

I'm not trying to be evasive, but the answer depends on how severe the rust is, and the quality of the firearm we are talking about.

Obviously, I'm not going to tell you to get the WD-40 and a wire brush to a high value collectable.

If it is a rare and valuable collectable, and the rest is severe, i.e. more than just surface rusting, spray it downn with CLP and contact a reputable gunsmith or a well-known firearms restoration service to discuss options.

If it is just an ordinary working rifle, remove the barrel and action from the stock.  Soak the metal parts in CLP or Breakfree, and using 0000 steel wool, very gently work on the rust, use short strokes or circular motion.  If you don't have CLP or Breadfree, you can use WD-40.

If the bore is very rusty, and does not clean up shiny, you might want to find a gunsmith with bore scope  to inspect the bore for defects.  Depending on the caliber, velocity and bore condition some rifle still shoot well with pitted bores, and some do not.

Clean, wipe dry and then lightly oil all moving parts.  Don't drown things in oil, just a few squirts of RemOil will do the trick.  Too much oil can be as bad as not enough.  Too much oil can attract dust and crud, solidifying into a thick viscous gunk that can prevent your rifle from working properly.

After you've gotten the gun clean and rust free, clean off the CLP, Breakfree, or WD-40 with a few sprays of Gun Scrubber or Carburetor Cleaner.  Then lightly oil the rifle inside and out.

Invest in a silicon cloth to wipe down the exterior from time to time, and throw that rust producing "sleeve" in the trash.  If you absolutely must keep the rifle cased, buy an item called a Gunny Sock to put the rifle in before casing.  The Gunny Sock is impregnated with rust inhibitors to prevent rust during storage.

Good Luck.

Doc

Answer 2

What Doc said, also...  Make sure it is unloaded.  Spray WD-40 generously over all the metal parts.  If you are able to do so, remove the grips.  Wrap it in an old, clean, dry T-shirt for about three or four days.  Remove & wipe off all the excess WD-40.  This should allow you to determine if the rust has done any serious damage (deep pits).  For stubborn rust 'scribble' the spots with a soft-lead #2 pencil and then 'erase.'  This should make even the most stubborn rust flake right off.  Once this is done and all the excess WD-40 is wiped off, determine if it works.  Open and close the action.  Rotate the cylinder.  Everything works smoothly?  Decide what you want to do with it.  Use a silicon cloth (available from any sporting goods or gun store) to wipe down after handling.  This will help keep the rust from returning.  If you think you have a rare or collectible revolver, have it appraised for insurance purposes but do not re-finish.  Any re-bluing or re-finishing will erode the collector's value.  Before you attempt to shoot it make sure there are no obstructions in the cylinder or barrel or better yet, have a competent gunsmith check it out first.

Good luck.

H

Answer 3

Have to agree with Doc on this one, get some very fine steel or brass wool and some light oil. Apply a liberal coat of oil and gently start working the rust off the gun. Don't even bother with WD-40 it's a good water dispersant and thats about it.

Answer 4

Buy a gun cleaning kit the have a special rod and oil with them to prevent further rusting and also they have a steel wool attachment that takes out the rust.

Sorry to hear about that.

Answer 5

I agree with Doc, except I like the Scotch Brite pads, they tend to scratch less but still get the rust off.

Answer 6

If it is light surface rust, it is not hard to remove.  To remove the rust, you need to get some (0000) steel wool and some oil.  Which oil you use is not all that important.  Some people prefer WD-40 and others will just use plain old motor oil.  Apply oil to your steel wool and gently rub the rusty area of your gun until the rust is removed.  Occasionally, wipe the area clean to see how you are progressing.  If you need to remove more rust, just aplly some more oil and go at it again until you have all of the rust removed.  Then you can either take the gun and have it hot blued by a gunsmith or you can touch it up with one of the many cold blueing products.  The hot blue is a much better bluing but is pretty expensive and unless the gun is a really good one, it might cost more than the gun is worth.

If the surface is pitted by the rust, there isn't much you can do to make it look new again.  You can only remove the rust using steel wool and oil as I explained above.  You may have to resort to using a bronze brush to remove any heavy rust or even something like Naval Jelly to get it off.  You must get it all off  before doing any kind of bluing.  Take your time and do a good job that you will be proud of and will make your grandpa proud of you.

Answer 7

Fine surface rust, can be removed by rubbing w/ auto polishing compound & rags

You may get away w/ it & not damage the bluing..... too much.

If  there is any pitting of the metal would still go easy but maybe up the game & use very fine bronze wool.

Could also use a fine ink eraser & oil , which will help  remove deeper rust but will take the bluing off.

The proper cleaning kit w/ bronze brush  & cloth patches will clean the bore .

Would soak the action w/ light oil or  WD & scrub w/ an old plastic toothbrush .

The WD40 is good to flush the crud out .

The gun will not look brand new but   will shoot just fine.

Have had some sucess power buffing the old bluing &  minor pitting off & used "cold"  bluing to refinish ,

Not at all bad if totally degreased & kept surgically clean when re-bluing.

Keep the gun clean & lightly oiled for storage in a new clean case.

Going that route & taking it easy will not cause further damage if you try it yourself , but it would be better to have a gunsmith have a look first.

Gramps gun is a nice thing to have.

Best regards