Rusty bore

[barebackjack]

I was looking at some used T/C's, a renegade and another model I forget the name. They looked great from the outside but both had a nice orange coat of fine rust in the bore. What are the consequences of this? How long must this persist before pitting starts? Will a pitted bore still shoot allright? And, is there anything you can do short of re-boring to fix it?

I can get them at a cheap price, but if theres any threat of them being to far gone, or a spendy repair, Id rather not.

Thanks

Boone

 

[Landngroove]

If you are really interested in these ML's, Maybe the current owner would let you clean the bore. If it just fine surface rust, it should clean up, with a bore cleaner such as Shooters Choice, some patches, and a bronze brush, of the correct caliber. After cleaning, take a nickel plated .357 mag., or .38 special case, and drop it into the bore. Shine a flashlight into the bore, and it will reflect off the case head to reveal the condition of the bore. You should now be able to see if there is any pitting in the barrel. If no pitting, you should have a decent shooting barrel. I have bought several used barrels, with light surface rust, and after cleaning, they shoot fine.

 

[jtmattison]

I'd want to give them a good cleaning and then inspect the bore. A little surface rust may not be bad. I know a few guys who have bought guns with pitted bores and they shoot fine.
Without being able to give them a really good inspection, I wouldn't buy them.

HD

 

[Slake]

I've picked up some Traditions and CVA's from folks that didn't use them or want them. I got them so cheap I didn't really care what the bore condition was and I'm happy to say they all cleaned up well. I had a little key chain light that I dropped down into one to inspect it. I use Hoppes gun oil and a brush to get the rust out and then detergents to clean all the oil residue after. They all shoot fine. One gun I bought that an old fella kept up on the wall was very rusty and even that one cleaned up well.

 

[davy]

It is surprizing how some pitted bores shoot after all the abuse they take!

Davy

 

[roundball]

It is surprizing how some pitted bores shoot after all the abuse they take!

Davy

Glad you posted that and I couldn't agree more...has to be another one of those old sayings that's been repeated for scores of years without any personal knowledge :shake:

I've personally shot a badly pitted TC caplock and was shocked that it was still perfectly accurate...so another old wives tale bit the dust that day.
:thumbsup:

 

[Forster]

Traditions makes a small bore light for muzzle loaders that you can drop down the barrel. Around $8.00. Jim

 

[nchawkeye]

Its impossible for us to be able to tell how these guns might shoot...could go either way...you discribed a light coat...if so I bet they would be ok...I would take a jag and patch and run down the bore...see if it hangs up, it might get a few more bucks knocked off in buying, when you show the guy all the rust in the bore....

I had a buddy that let his son in law use his CVA Hawken one year, when he got it back it also had a light coat of rust in bore...He bought it to me...I took it to my shop, plugged the nipple with a tooth pick and filled the bore with vinegar....left it standing for 2 days, flushed it out, dried, oiled and did it again...after drying and oiling a second time I took it out and shot it...It was fine....I had read about the vinegar soak in MuzzleBlasts...kinda made it worth the subscription price...

If you like them, I'd buy them, try them by just cleaning them up, if that doesn't work try the vinegar soak or lap the bore...

 

[BS]

It is surprizing how some pitted bores shoot after all the abuse they take!

Davy

My brother has one of the nasty looking, pitted bores, that still shoots a roundball quite well. :shocked2:

 

[RedFeather]

I like that nickle plated cartridge tip. Thanks for passing it on. :hatsoff:

On the vinegar, someone posted here a while back that he was advised to soak his Renegade barrel in hot vinegar water. Said it took the blue right off. I'ld make sure it stayed in the bore, just to be safe.

 

[davy]

My brother has one of the nasty looking, pitted bores, that still shoots a roundball quite well. :shocked2:

I had one that I inherited from a friend that looked like the craters on the moon's surface that shot alot better than it should have by the way it looked!

I suspicion many of the old timers had guns that they used quite effectively back in the day, that were in this shape or worser! :grin:

Davy

 

[manyirons]

Theres also tha Navel Jelly clean up fer corrosion, just swab her full, let set for fifteen minutes and water clean as usual.

 

[CrackStock]

Shoot them a very low offer and understand that you are taking a calculated risk of needing to purchase a Green Mountain drop in replacement barrel. You may still have a good shooter for under $200.

CS