I am going on my first caribou hunt in late August. I really would like to hunt with my blued .280. It is a "classic" to me and I do not want to teflon the surface. Any tips on keeping the risk of rust to a minimum would be appreciated. I plan on daily maintenance on the gun but would like minimize the likelyhood of any rust.

If it's cleaned properly before-hand, a coating of wax (can't remember the recommended type) might be just the ticket.

A good autmotive paste wax works well. There are also some wax like spray on products on the market. Be sure to pull the rifle from the stock & coat all of the metal surfaces, tehn reassemble. Clean everything well when you get home.

I've suggested this 20 times, to no response. Find a good tool rust protector. Top Coat is one that I use. It is many times better than paste wax, easier to use too.

Brent

Brent, what would that be & how easily is it removed? WD40 is a good rust rpev. if applied often but what about a one shot deal?

Brent,

I did a search and came up with Bostik Top Cote.

Is this it?

http://www.woodtechtooling.com/Lubricants_-_Bostik/lubricants_-_bostik.html

Hey guys, A very long time ago I put 26 coats of Car Wax on a Blue & Synthetic M77 in 7mmRemMag. One of the Gun Rag writers recommended it, so it must work well????

Only problem is if you are hunting where you need "DEET" on you, it will cut through the Wax like a DEMOCRAT through a TAX Increase.

It had rained and was threatening rain again. Maybe 90deg and 90%RH with me on Stand wearing a Poncho. Where my left hand touched the rifle, I could see an imprint of my palm on the barrel just forward of the scope. No rust - heck it was Waxed!!!

Shot a nice 7-pointer and took it to the Cleaning Shed and then up to the Processor's. Came back and could see a slight brown haze where my DEET covered palm had been. Got it wiped down very quickly and it was OK.

Sent that rifle off for a Teflon Coat right after the Season ended. So, from my "experience" Car Wax works OK as long as you don't take the rifle - outside. If it works for you all, I'm happy for you, just doesn't work for where I hunt. Stainless and Synthetic on the other hand does quite well.

I like Bore Butter.It comes in scents if you prefur.Works great.

Jayco.

I'll second the bore butter idea. Bore butter won't harm wood finish on stock either. Stoney

Hot Core,
A trick I learned with bug dope is to put it on the back of my hand and spread it leaving your palms uncovered. Thankfully I don't have to worry about bugs during hunting season but DEET plays hell with a flyrod finish as well.

Jeff

Hey Skibum, Good tip which I'll try to be aware of in the future. Kind of difficult for me to get it on in all the places the Skeeters focus on with the back of my hand though. Ears and back of my neck always seem to draw them in. I use a lot of the Liquid DEET which sems to be a bit thicker than the Spray styles.

After the episode with the DEET & Wax I did try using some paper napkins to clean my hands. Not much luck since the DEET was hanging on well. Also noticed the "sweat drops" would carry some DEET with them. Got some of that between a barrel and a stock which was outside for about 4 days. When I eventually pulled the stock (not realizing the sweat had dripped in) I could see a streak where the sweat went. Of all places for it to hit, it went in so the "drop" was able to bridge between the bottom of the barrel and tip of the front Sling Stud. May have been more than one drop, no way to know for sure, but it did "Pit" that BLUE STEEL right there.

Thanks for the Tip.

Lacquer paint works too. Lacquer thinner to remove it later. It is ugly, but it works.

Aaron

Get some automotive grease and a paint brush. Take the action and bottom metal out the stock and coat the undersides with the grease. Reassemble and remove surplus. When you get back from hunting dry the exterior as best you can, wipe with an oily rag and punch out the bore with a lightly oiled patch followed by a couple of dry ones. Don't forget to dry the chamber with something. A rifle that won't shoot consistantly from a clean bore is a real pain in this respect.

Providing you don't get blood on it or put it in a gunslip while it is wet, any decent bluing should stand up to a day's soaking.

My 6.5x55 recently was pulled from the stock after 6 years of constant use, a lot absulutely soaking. The grease had dried but there was no rust - I merely redid it and rezeroed.

I fought a losing battle with rust on a saltwater hunt last year. I coated everyhting with Birchwood Casey SHEATH, and it still wanted to rust..

The stock was synthetic, but the metal was blue...

I still wiped everything down daily with oil, but it was futile...I was in so much salt water/air all the time, that I had a little rust regardless of what I did...

There must be a better way!

On the other hand, my buddies S/S rife suffered no problems whatsoever. Most of my rifels are stainless, but it was a grizzly hunt, so I took my 375 H&H, which is blued. Rust or no rust, it went BANG when I wanted it to...

Brent, I like the sounds of the TopCote but wondered if you knew of a retail store that carries it.

This site has an interesting topic in the FAQ section. Check out the different stuff tried for rust-proofing.

http://www.accuratereloading.com/rustest.html

There should be something there you might want to try, at least it is very applicable.
Mike.

Brownell's just put out an interesting test -- click here.

BigNate,
One place you can buy it off the shelf is Woodsmith. It is a woodworking chain and there may be one near you. Other tool outlets may sell it too.

It is not a panacea for everything always, but it sure beats paste wax.

I love that Brownell's test page - WD40 ocming in at one of the best. For a product that gets bad mouthed from here to eternity, it looks like it works pretty well too.

BTW, I use NAPA automatic transmission oil on my guns when not in use. The TopCote is what I use when on the exterior for when I'm huning the worst conditions (generally foggy wet snow).

Brent