Have an old shotgun in great shape with some patina from the years. Outside of a good oil, what could be done to prevent rust, especially under the long trigger guard (English stock). Right now I remove it and let it dry after hunting in the wet or drizzle. Any way to "seal" it, so to speak.

I have used Breakfree for over 20 years and have had no issues at all. I have also seen a very rigorous test report with salt water spray where Eezox came out on top with Breakfree also doing well.

I also like to use a bit of grease mixed with Breakfree for the pars in the action - under the barrel, action, trigger guard, magazine etc. Once in a while I take the gun out of the action and check for any grit from hunting trips or any moisture.

Years ago I had some Shell Ensis oil which I painted on the underside of all my firearms where they fit into the stock. This reddish thin oil hardens and provided good protection to the metal work. Care is needed not to get it into any parts that need to move e.g. triggers etc as it gums them up.

Years ago while hunting where there had been a lot of volcanic dust and seeing red rust forming during the day I started looking for solutions.
Initially, used stuff called LPS3. Bolt action rifle. Removed stock and put a coat of LPS3 on all the metal that was not a moving part of the rifle. Did not spray it on but used cotton swabs. It drys to a sticky waxy coating. Never had any problems with parts that were in the stock rusting after that.
Later, I started to use wax. Works fine on the bolt actions AND works well on my sxs and O/U shotguns. I carefully wax all parts that meet with wood, trigger guards, actions and barrels. No rust. Not so sure it works as well as the LPS3 but I won't put that on my shotguns. I still try to get them as dry as possible and back to room temperature after exposure to rain or snow before normal cleaning

quote:

Originally posted by dian1:
Years ago while hunting where there had been a lot of volcanic dust and seeing red rust forming during the day I started looking for solutions.
Initially, used stuff called LPS3. Bolt action rifle. Removed stock and put a coat of LPS3 on all the metal that was not a moving part of the rifle. Did not spray it on but used cotton swabs. It drys to a sticky waxy coating. Never had any problems with parts that were in the stock rusting after that.
Later, I started to use wax. Works fine on the bolt actions AND works well on my sxs and O/U shotguns. I carefully wax all parts that meet with wood, trigger guards, actions and barrels. No rust. Not so sure it works as well as the LPS3 but I won't put that on my shotguns. I still try to get them as dry as possible and back to room temperature after exposure to rain or snow before normal cleaning

Any paste wax with carnuba in it is very good. I like Johnsons Floor Wax.

Johnson's Paste Wax is good, but Renaissance Wax is great.

Before applying wax I seperate the barreled action and stock, clean all old oil and dirt from the metal, then use a propane torch to warm the metal slightly. You will see the metal sweat from moisture being driven out of the pores. While the metal is still warm apply the wax. Buff it with paper towels or a cotton rag. I always apply two coats.

quote:

Originally posted by Craftsman:
Before applying wax I seperate the barreled action and stock, clean all old oil and dirt from the metal, then use a propane torch to warm the metal slightly. You will see the metal sweat from moisture being driven out of the pores. While the metal is still warm apply the wax. Buff it with paper towels or a cotton rag. I always apply two coats.

I think you will find the sweating you see on metal when applying a gas torch is moisture condensing from the burning gas on the cold metal same as moisture collects on the inside of cold windows when using a gas heater in a building. Propane, LPG, etc, all produce water when burned. When the metal heats up enough the water does not condense. It is not sweating of water contained in the pores of the metal.

Despite these finer details applying wax to warmed metal will allow it to penetrate into the pores of the metal.

Years ago "Rifle" or "Handloader" did a test to see what worked the best for rust prevention. RIG was head and shoulders above anything else. There may be newer and better items out but the results with RIG were impressive.
I've used it ever since when putting any of my guns in long-term storage and never had a speck of the nasty red stuff.

In bad weather I like Johnsons wax or any good quality wax...For daily use I still use WD-40 and don't tell me it doesn't work, that's rumor and nada mas!

For storage bores and outside metal get a good coating or RIG..It still works believe it or not.

Good advice there, I can only concur.

Sometimes ( if I sleep bad ;-)), I wonder, if today´s environment issues will produce products, which are worse than those trusted for a long, long time.

IIRC Hoppe´s # 9 was reintroduced lately, didn´t test the new product until now.

Hermann

I have done a lot of hunting and using guns in wet weather. I also kept several guns in the trunk of my work car, every day for 23 years. I have never had any rust problems.

I used either RIG Grease, or BreakFree.

RIG if you prefer a grease, Boeshield or CorrosionX if you prefer aerosol products.

Metal does not get saturated with water, non permeable, hot air can and will hold a higher percentage of moisture so when cold or cooler steel gets in contact with hotter/warmer air the moisture from the warmer air will condensate on the metal. Just blow some air at your cold windows, did the moisture come from the glass or your breathe. If you see condensation you either dry it or use a rust inhibitor that will displace moisture such

WD40 read for yourself
http://lifehacker.com/5891936/...ould-i-not-use-wd-40
cr-c 3-36 is considered the best water displacing easily available chemical with the lowest draw backs
www.crcindustries.com/files/3-36%20Brochure.pdf

Now anytime you spray something onto something you run the risk of collecting debris that may cause problems so be aware of this

Also water displacing chemicals are generally very thin viscosity and there fore keep them away from loaded ammo powder or primers since any contamination can and will effect performance..I was always told to stay away from wd-40 because of this but I would treat any equivalent product the same...keep your ammo dry

Big problem with hunting is in cold weather bringing a gun indoors the out doors causes the condensation which could freeze and cause a firing pin to hang up or a bolt to freeze shut, solution keep it in the cold. Many Muzzle loaders fail to fire due to this.

I use the crc on long term storage and paste wax Johnson in particular during the hunting seasons

Again from my experience

Hermann, So, how do you like the new #9? I continue to use it but have been using mostly Wipe-Out with good success lately.

quote:

Originally posted by eagle27:

quote:

Originally posted by Craftsman:
Before applying wax I seperate the barreled action and stock, clean all old oil and dirt from the metal, then use a propane torch to warm the metal slightly. You will see the metal sweat from moisture being driven out of the pores. While the metal is still warm apply the wax. Buff it with paper towels or a cotton rag. I always apply two coats.

I think you will find the sweating you see on metal when applying a gas torch is moisture condensing from the burning gas on the cold metal same as moisture collects on the inside of cold windows when using a gas heater in a building. Propane, LPG, etc, all produce water when burned. When the metal heats up enough the water does not condense. It is not sweating of water contained in the pores of the metal.

Exactly what I thought when I read that.

I still have a small amount of the old # 9 ... will test soon!

Anybody tried it already?

Hermann

quote:

Originally posted by Evan K.:
Johnson's Paste Wax is good, but Renaissance Wax is great.

I'll second the "RENAISSANCE WAX".
http://www.restorationproduct.com/renwaxinfo.html

After joining a " Reel Repair Forum ", I have started using "Yamalube Marine Grease ", instead of " RIG Grease ", for all of my Firearms & Reels

The guys swear by " Yamaha Marine Grease ", for all of the internal moving parts, Gears, Bearings, etc.
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=1505.0

Yamaha Marine Grease
http://www.amazon.com/Yamalube...Yamaha+Marine+Grease

Almost any good oil will prevent rust..proper maintenance is the real answer, rust and neglect and lazy shooters are the culprit,,I just keep and eye on my guns, play with them a lot and give a coat of whatever from time to time. mostly WD-40, and hunting in blizzard weather in my home state of Idaho calls for a waxing on occasion or just pulling out that horrible plastic stocked, stainless steel, boatpaddle Ruger, its weather proof for all practical purposes..I keep it hid in the closet so nobody sees it..

I now use WD40 Specialist Corrosion Inhibitor or Frog Lube after reading an experiment conducted by someone with too much time on his hands ....

Some have apparently had good results with Renaissance Wax. I used this last year on safari and was disappointed. We had no rain to content with, but we had long days of tracking and sweating. Despite nightly wipe-downs with Rem Oil and reapplication of the wax every 3-4 days, we still experienced discoloration on the coin finish of our doubles. Maybe it's fine for storage, but I'm not impressed with its corrosion resistance (or Rem Oil for that matter) under actual hunting conditions.

I know this contradicts all that's holy and I hesitate to mention it but here goes:

I have hunted in some real rough conditions without oil or anything short of bacon grease handy and I opted not to use that, might draw unwelcome critters ..

I wiped the gun down with a clean rag at the end of each day without the use of any chemical...It works as well as anything as far as I could tell...careful maintenance seems to be the answer to all rust ills..I have had the same good results with a dry boresnake. I also noticed a day or two of neglect might allow the start of rust.

I found this true in Idaho elk camp with two feet of snow and in Tanzania with hot weather and humid conditions..also keep the guns out of a hot tent as any quick change of temp can cause moisture to form and rust to follow. not to mention fog up scopes in some cases.

Under hunting conditions oil or especially grease collects dust and grit, all of which may be more of a problem than rust...I know the inuit of Alaska remove all oil from guns and warm parts of the metal, depending on the gun, over a fire every morning to dry possible collected moisture..I recall several instances wherein my hunters had to damn near cook their bolts to get them to work after all the oil and moisture in them froze. Its not at all uncommon for hunters to over oil their guns..

My personal practice in late season elk, sheep or goat camp in cold inclimate weather is to degrease my guns with carbon tech them boil the bolts in very hot scalding water and dry it in the oven, prior to the hunt. I wipe them off and use no oil at all, and use a clean boresnake in camp..I do keep a small bottle of oil and some 0000 steel wool handy just in case, but have only needed it once in Tanzania on the face of my double rifle, and it was just extra insurance and I caught it early on with no damage to the rifle.

Just some thoughts for whatever it's worth.