Protecting metal under the wood?

[Birddog1911]

So I understand that, particularly with pinned barrels, it's not a good practice to remove the barrels with every cleaning. But how do you protect the metal? My first used purchase clearly showed me that the previous owner did not take any steps to protect the barrel, or the trigger group.

I was wondering if it was a good idea to go a little heavier with a good gun oil, or perhaps something else? Now that I have a Kibler on order, I want to treat it right, not to mention my others.

 

[Carney Pace]

A hard wax such as Johnson's paste wax or a good wax for floors.
Remove barrel and apply to barrel channel, barrel, and same for lock mortice.
I also use it on the barrel pins and or wedges when they are replaced.
After replacing barrel work wax into where the barrel and stock meet . Have hunted in many snow atorms and have had no rust on barrel or lock.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I rub the barrels with a rag and oil, then a good coating of beeswax on the wood

 

[R Ellis]

I use Rig grease on underside of barrel and wax on wood will keep grease from getting into wood

 

[bubba.50]

As mentioned, a good coat of paste-wax works(don't polish or rub it off, just apply and leave it). I've also known of people to apply a coat of varnish to the underside of their barrels.

 

[leadhoarder]

Did they use shellac back in the day?

 

[JohnBHM]

My son picked up an 1861 Springfield a few years back for next to nothing because the pawn shop thought it was completely covered in rust. My son gave it to me to see if I could clean it up a little. To the best of my knowledge it had been coated with linseed oil to protect it. Over the years it had hardened to almost stone. I completely disassembled and carefully removed the crust and found one of the nicest examples I have seen. I had remembered my grandfather having me coat all his garden tools in linseed oil to protect them.

 

[hanshi]

I also use Johnson paste wax on the wood and the underside of the barrel. I remove the barrel every two or three years to refresh if it's needed. I've also used Rig grease and frequently use True oil on the inlets and barrel channel.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I coat the underside with Vaseline. This has been working great for decades.

 

[John Spartan]

Timely post. Just finished a Bess kit that I’ll be shooting for the first time this weekend.
Somewhat related: I did wax the channel and applied RIG to the underside of the barrel. I have no objection to removing the barrel for a cleaning though.
With a pinned barrel I don’t think you can hurt it by taking it off TOO OFTEN can you?

 

[garypl]

Timely post. Just finished a Bess kit that I’ll be shooting for the first time this weekend.
Somewhat related: I did wax the channel and applied RIG to the underside of the barrel. I have no objection to removing the barrel for a cleaning though.
With a pinned barrel I don’t think you can hurt it by taking it off TOO OFTEN can you?

Possible to chip out small pieces of the stock or enlarge the holes in the stock if you aren’t careful but otherwise I don’t see what else can happen. Personally I only remove the pinned barrels on my rifles once every 2-3 years unless it gets really wet in the rain.

I always seal the wood under the barrel with a good varnish or lacquer and wax the bottom and sides of the barrel, then after reinstalling the barrel I rub a beeswax/lanolin mixture along the top edge of the stock to better seal the edges.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Timely post. Just finished a Bess kit that I’ll be shooting for the first time this weekend.
Somewhat related: I did wax the channel and applied RIG to the underside of the barrel. I have no objection to removing the barrel for a cleaning though.
With a pinned barrel I don’t think you can hurt it by taking it off TOO OFTEN can you?

Too often can be once is you are not careful. My flint longrifle is stocked with very beautiful and highly figured curly maple. The one time I removed the barrel I was amazed at how light the rest of the gun was and how highly vulnerable the stock was to breakage without the barrel being pinned in. Not wanting to risk severe damage, in nearly 50 years I never removed the barrel again. I do remember using wax on the underside of the barrel before reinstalling. If the rifle should get extremely wet, like from being out in the rain, be sure to let it air dry for a day or more before shutting up in a safe or cabinet.

 

[tenngun]

Middlesex village arms contracts with India and makes smoothbores many that are unusual compared to Discriminating General, Loyalist, Veteran Arms.
I never did any business with Middlesex so have nothing to say about them.
Indian repos vs Italian has been kicked around ad nauseum
However Middlesex has some interesting stories to tell.
They bought an officers fusil and took it apart to copy. The gun had been shortened in the past, and the ramrod pipes randomly moved so is now uneven. The gun converted from flint to percussion via drum. The lock was lost
The barrel was brown and only decorative. feature was bands at the breach.
They pulled the barrel and found…. A clean blue bottom. Original barrel had been blued, just via neglect had browned on the exposed.
Inspite of neglect the underside had stayed pretty pristine
I bet it was waxed when finished and hadn’t been out of the wood till Middlesex dissembled it

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Too often can be once if you are not careful ...

Well said!

Since I have it for boat use and it protects against saltwater even when compromised up to 1/3rd the voue with saltwater, I use OMC/Bombardier's Triple Guard marine blue-colored waterproof synthetic grease. It is a somewhat hard to smear grease, but it stays where put. ZERO issues over 20-years doing so ...

Now I do make sure my barrel channels are oiled/varnished well before any grease use though.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

I glass bedded mine in. The seal between the barrel and wood is air tight.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

I use Laurel Mountain Forge Permalyn sealer on my barrel channel and lock mortise, under the butt plate, nose cap etc., anywhere there could be wood exposed to moisture. I figure it can't hurt to seal it a bit. Wax on the bottom of the barrel can't hurt either. My recent build I used BLO,Beeswax,Turp mixture and coated the inside recesses. Why not? IMHO

 

[Fitzhugh Williams]

I take a block of beeswax, the kind vendors sell at reenactments, and rub down the underside of the barrel. When I remove the barrel after much use, the beeswax is still covering it and there is no rust. This beeswax is also the same stuff they use for candles.

 

[Coinneach]

I coat the underside with Vaseline. This has been working great for decades.

I've used a Marine grade grease, and never lifted a barrel after that.

 

[Widows Son]

I've used a Marine grade grease, and never lifted a barrel after that.

Me too. If you can find some, water pump grease is great.

There is a good article on the Research Press website about the care and feeding of Enfield muskets that mention grease under barrel.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

I never remove pinned barrels from stocks, and never will. Totally unneeded.