Rust Problem on Plains Rifle

[ringdove]

I've tried all the remedies I can read about on the forum but am still getting rust on my 50 cal. I clean with soapy(not hot) water, dry using many patches until they come out clean and dry. I then soak a patch in Ballistol and give the barrel a good coat. When I check it again in three or four days my patch shows signs of rust. I have started reoiling the inside with CLP. I have not had time to see if this cures the problem but I didn't want to use a petrolem based product I know this subject has been covered and I have read and followed all the suggestions but obviously I am doing something wrong.

 

[tg]

You don't have to be concerned about using regular gun oil or any good petro based rust preventitive, just make sure it is all wiped out befre loading and shooting.

 

[Hanz]

Your results mirror mine. I've tried using Ballistol only but always seem to get an orange tinted patch out later after the cleaning. When I use CLP after cleaning I never see a hint of orange. I always just run a few dry patched down the barrel before shooting it. So far, so good.

 

[Little Wattsy]

Im still a relative newbee but with Formula 409 for cleaning (NO water necessary) and WD-40 for oiling, with 5 differant BP guns...NO rust of any kind. Easy and Cheap. Oh...and effective.

 

[William Joy]

I use Ballistol only in all my guns, sometimes in my BP guns especially when not cleaned well, I have the same problem. However, I just use another patch with ballistol or to and problem solved..... All my guns are Rust free!
Used balistol also in Alaska for 6 weeks in extreme damp condition and no rust problem...

 

[thewho66]

Depending as to were you store the guns and the type of humidity you get. Here in IL I use a finnal patch with alcohol to get the last of the water out. Then use bore butter to coat the barrel, this works here and the humidity is high most of the time.

 

[renovato]

You might try rinsing the bore with a splash of 92% rubbing alcohol to remove any leftover moisture that the dry patches aren't reaching. That has worked well for me so far. I also use Ballistol and haven't had any rust issues, but I make sure the bore is bone dry before oiling it. Ballistol mixes with water, so I want to make sure there's none in the bore before I apply it.

 

[Zonie]

Ballistol didn't protect my guns bores either when I used it.
The humidity in Phoenix is almost non-existant and the bores were very dry before I applied the Ballistol to them.

Since having poor luck with Ballistol I've switched to Birchwood Casey Sheath or Barricade and I've never seen a rust problem since doing so.

 

[BrownBear]

In my experience in a really humid climate, you need to protect it well after a thorough cleaning and drying. If you don't then you've just got bare steel there waiting to rust.

Sounds to me like Ballistol is failing that test. Sorry to hear it.

I have the best luck really coating the bore with Bore Butter after it's well cleaned and dry. Three or four patches well smeared with it, then pump them in the bore good to make sure you don't have any bare spots down in corners of the grooves, for example.

I had rust problems (including a couple of GPRs) until I started doing that final treatment of BB. Works for me now, and sometimes a gun will sit as long as 6 months without use.

 

[Frank/Pa]

Ballistol never worked well for me either.So I went back to the way I have done it for over 20 years. Clean with Black Solve, dry, spray some WD-40 and run a patch down the barrel.

Everyone raved about Ballistol, so I thought I would try it. I guess the story is, if you find something that has worked well over the years, don't waste your money trying other stuff.

 

[Birddog6]

Well, to each his own. I have use Ballistol on all of my guns for 7-8 years & it is undoubtedly one of the best gun oil & best bore preservative I have ever used.
However, I use the Non-Aerosol in the bores..... It is much thicker & works well.

I buy the aerosol by the case & use it in the workshop on everything from air compressor internals on rebuilds to cylinder heads & etc. Spray them well, wipe off the residue, seal them up, pull them out 5 years later & they look like new inside.......

On the flintlocks I completely saturate the locks with the aerosol, wipe off the excess & put them away. No rust on Any of them in 8 years. Works for me.

One thing I notice allot of guys have problems with on lots of rust inhibitors, it is not the inhibitor, IMHO it is they Hot Water they are cleaning with. As soon as the hot water evaporates the metal flash rusts....... Think not ? Take a piece of clean metal & clean it real good with hot soapy water, then rinse it in hot water, take it out & let it dry & put it under a microscope. It starts rusting immediately.
:hmm:

I did my own test on metal outside with about 7 dif lubes. The overall best one I tried was Rig.
I just don't like using a grease all the time & plus it is very expensive.

I know. I know. I know..... You have been using hot water for 30 years with good success. That is fine. You do it your way & have success, and nothing wrong with that.

Some guys plug the vent with a toothpick & slosh water in the bore, dump it out, swab with a oiled patch & call that cleaned. That is OK, it is their rifle.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I suspect the differences in experience with any product has more to do with how each individual applies and uses the product, than with any given characteristic of the product.

I have used Bore Butter for years without rust problems. I am not trying Ballistol in one gun to compare its performance with others that still have BB in them. So, far, the Ballistol is working for me. BUT,- and its a big " BUT"- I meticulously DRY the inside of the barrel with multiple cleaning patches before I put either BB or Ballistol down the barrel.

Sometimes we just can't communicate the meaning of words like "dry", or phrases like " use lots of Bore Butter " by words alone. I have run into this problem many times, when good friends, who have been shooting for years, watch me cleaning guns, before or after shooting them, and ask me what I am doing, or why I am doing it. What I consider enough BB to protect my barrel often is a lot more than what others think.

And, it explains why they get rust in their barrels. :shocked2: :thumbsup:

 

[Birddog6]

Lots of times I see guys run a few wet patches own the bore, then a few dry ones & they say it is clean...... Well, it may be clean to them but not to me. Same thing on dry.

Also, I swab my bores At Least 2 more days with a well oiled patch after cleaning it. Is it necessary ? To me it is.....

 

[rafterob]

Rust in Phoenix???? :rotf: -sorry my whole family lives out there.

 

[Mulebrain]

I use Olive Oil, for darn near everything. I have no complaints!

It amazes the money spent on products, only to find the results are lackluster :shake:

I live in one of the most humid climates in the country. I have a barrel on my back porch rusting naturally. I did coat the bore with Olive Oil, and not rust in there after 4 months in 80+ humidity!

 

[jtmattison]

All I have ever put on my BP guns is Rem-Oil and I have never, ever, had a speck of rust, even after some of my lesser used rifles have sat for a year or longer.

I clean with soapy water, dry with patches and air compressor, oil heavily, blow/wipe off excess oil, assemble and store.

HD

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I think that cleaning the bore and wiping the gun down a couple of days after you first clean the gun is one of the most important things to do. Another thing is the definition of hot water--to some it means nearly boiling--and that's too hot. If you can't comfortably hold your hand in it it is way too hot. Warm is better and cold will do just fine. I wipe the outside down with an oily rag or a silicon impregnated cloth and swab the bore with patch lube--renewed occasionally if the gun isn't used for a while.
Despite my Nom de Guerre, there ain't no rust on my frizzens!

 

[renovato]

I have had good luck with Ballistol, but I only trust it for short term protection. If the gun will be put away for a while, it gets a coat of CorrosionX. I have a hard time trusting an oil that mixes with water, but it hasn't let me down yet. I live in a rather dry climate except in the middle of rainy season, but we use swamp coolers here and that keeps indoor humidity in the 80-90% range most of the time.

 

[Old40Rod]

Switch WD-40 for the Ballistol in your process, followed immediately with BreakFree CLP rather than waiting. Works for me and its easy for you to try.

Swab the barrel out with a few alcohol soaked patches before shooting.

 

[Joe Wolf]

WD-40: WD stands for water dispersal. It's not a lubricant or a rust preventer by design.

I clean a barrel with a solvent I make by the gallon with water, household ammonia, dishwashing liquid and alcohol.

Then I run an alcohol patch and let the bore dry.

Then I use Wonder Lube in the bore and on all exposed ferrous metal. It smells like Bore Butter. I suspect they are the same concoction: beeswax and olive oil. A clue: ants love it!

Different strokes (of the wiping stick) for different folks.