"Flash" rust, again

[Jay Gardner]

Yes, I know this has been discussed recently but I'm still perplexed. I have a .54 plains style rifle made in 1977 with a Douglas XX barrel. I've only owned the rifle for about 6 months and I have not shot it a lot.

After I clean the rifle I continue to get brown streaking on my patches, even days after I have cleaned the rifle with warm soapy water and patches with Cleanbore Oil and dry patches. I presume this is what is referred to as "flash" rust. I'm not so concerned with what starts it but I would like to know how to kill it, once and for all. Let's keep it simple. I have some Ballistol on the way.

Many thanks,

DG

 

[kelleyjk]

contrary to most advice here I dont screw around with bore butters and mineral oil stuff, I use good old petroleum distillates just remember to clean them out well before shooting

Ive found the oil Ive used for many years on smokeless powered weapons works great. Beeman MP5 oil marketed to air rifle shooters its a great light weight bore protectant not cheap but no more expensive the buying little 4 oz bottles of machine oil with a gun mfg brand name on the bottle.

Im using it in a rifle I bought 2nd hand that has some bore rust, its removing it a little at a time with each cleaning, doesnt let any more rust grow back, no I havent used an electron microscope to check in between all the molecules :idunno:

but after wiping my brand new Pedersoli rifle with a "browned" finish with the Beeman oil, I noticed some "brown" coming off on my cloth :shocked2: !

Im fixin to try some CorrosionX I used the aerosol version on some motorcycle chains (non O-ring) they look brand new now it removed all the light surface rust that had grown on the plates leaves a pretty heavy coating though.

 

[Tumblernotch]

Like JustJ I stay away from the bore butters and such stuff. I've been using 3 In 1 oil for 36 years and it does fine. Many on here say not to use petroleum based oils, but they were designed to lubricate and protect steel. You only need to put a light coat in the bore and at most a single dry patch will wipe it out before shooting. Like any other lube/bore protectant you don't want it to get gobbed up in the breech. The key to preventing rust is to make sure the bore is perfectly dry before applying anything. Moisture, air and salts remaining from powder residue cause the rust. Puttin oil or other protectants on top of these just hide the process.

 

[jbtusa]

I concur. After a hot bath, I always completely dry the bore and then use lots of petroleum based oil to swab the bore. Then repeat the oil swabs the next day after water cleaning to stop the flash rust. Then the only caveat is to run dry patches down the bore before shooting.

 

[JMinnerath]

Yeah, 3 in 1 oil is probably as good as any light oil around any more.
All the old gun oils must have had volatiles in them the Feds decided weren't good for toads or something, because the new ones sure don't smell the same.
The old military surplus gun oils were good too, but where I live at least we can't find the stuff anymore.
I squeezed the last few drops out of my last can a long time ago.

 

[Jay Gardner]

So, a light coat of petrolium based oil will kill the rust?

 

[Pete Gaimari]

It's not like Ballistol was invented for the muzzleloading world. It was designed for the smokeless guns which is the petroleum world. It out performs any cleaner/oil/preventative on the market right now. Everybody who compares and tests it switches to it, because it just flat out works.

Check with the smokeless world who can use any petroleum product on the market. They use Ballistol if they've tried it. The only negative views i've seen on Ballistol are from those who haven't tried it.

3in1 oil? LOL..that stuff dries up and disappears like water.

No oil is going to remove rust. If you've screwed up and have rust. Use rust remover to get rid of it. They use Ballistol to keep it from ever coming back. If you use water to clean. Then put a little Ballistol in the water to prevent rust from starting. Then when dry use straight Ballistol to keep rust from ever coming back.

Simple.

 

[paulvallandigham]

You have to rinse out the soap thoroughly, if you want to avoid rusting. Add a thorough rinse of skin-temperature water to your cleaning process, before you then dry the barrel with multiple dry patches. ONLY after the barrel is dry, and room temperature, can you apply any oil to seal off the bare steel in the bore from air and moisture.

Use a good oil, like Ballistol, for this purpose.

I currently have Ballistol in the barrel of my rifle, where I am testing its long-term efficacy. So far, its exceeded all my expectations.

I DO USE Natural Lube 1000, the predecessor to Bore Butter, in my gun( usually), but I put a lot of it on a cleaning patch, to make sure it gets down into the corners of all the grooves in my barrel. And, I work the barrel over several times, flipping over the patch, to make sure enough lube gets into those grooves. I rotate my lubed patch at the muzzle so that the portion of the patch that went into the grooves, now rides on the lands, and vice versa. Attention to detail eliminates the flash rust. Yes, I learned this the hard way, through persistence.

I like the idea that wax will help coat the steel, and hold the oil against the steel regardless what what attitude I use in which to store the barrel( gun). I have used the wax/oil combination to protect the outside of my barrels, and other metals on the stock from rusting during storage to very good effect. :hatsoff:

Personally, I believe that using Beeswax with a vegetable oil, or highly processed mineral oil( no petroleum distillates), makes a better Lube and metal protector, than using Paraffin wax and oil, as is the case in "Bore Butter". I can't prove it, but I believe the enzymes in Beeswax, which make a natural anti-septic, help keep moisture from reaching the metal, and the wax acts as a sealer, and helps keeps the oil from evaporating. :hmm:

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Haven't you seen Ballistol when it sets up? It looks like a light vasoline.


I find it hard to believe that guys try and come up with their own concoctions when Ballistol has been working perfect for 100 years.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I have ballistol in my rifle right now, and its been there for more than a year. About once a year, I put another cleaning patch, with some more ballistol on it, down the barrel. It doesn't feel as sticky as vasoline does, to me.

Ballistol was designed primarily to remove or neutralize the mercury from the old primers used before and during WWII. Any other "properties" it has are shared with common mineral oil, you can buy in any drugstore. Since you don't find mercury in BP shooting, and we have not had mercury used in modern primers since the late '40s, I don't see how its "perfect" for use in MLers, anymore than other products may be. Mix it with beeswax, and Now you are talking something. :thumbsup:

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Some are stubborn.


I never said it was sticky like vasoline. Reread.

 

[Tumblernotch]

3in1 oil? LOL..that stuff dries up and disappears like water.

:bull:

 

[Pete Gaimari]

3in1 oil? LOL..that stuff dries up and disappears like water.

:bull:

You're in denial. :rotf:

It can't even keep a door hinge from squeaking.

 

[Tumblernotch]

3in1 oil? LOL..that stuff dries up and disappears like water.

:bull:

You're in denial. :rotf:

Nah, don't think so. If it did I would've quit using it years ago. :grin:

And it's all I ever use to oil my hinges with. :grin:

 

[Pete Gaimari]

3in1 oil? LOL..that stuff dries up and disappears like water.

:bull:

You're in denial. :rotf:

Nah, don't think so. If it did I would've quit using it years ago. :grin:

You should have. :idunno:

 

[jbwilliams3]

Paul's advice is good.

When I first started out, I used hot water and a little soap. Even when rinsing the soap completely and drying the bore I found flash rust- I finally found out that it was due to using hot water. Even using warm water can cause flash rust. For whatever reason, some people do not experience this when using hot water. Once I started using tepid or even cold water, I did not experience flash rusting anymore.

 

[Tumblernotch]

3in1 oil? LOL..that stuff dries up and disappears like water.

:bull:

You're in denial. :rotf:

Nah, don't think so. If it did I would've quit using it years ago. :grin:

You should have. :idunno:

And pray tell me why old wise one? :bow:

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I probably won't get away with posting this link.

Here's some other opinions that agree with me about 3in1.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=465220

 

[JMinnerath]

Link don't work Pete.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I know. You can't put a link to another forum here.

Just copy/paste to your address.


I'm going to get so busted for this.