I was wiping down a couple of rifles yesterday and I noticed some flaking away of the blue where deer and bear blood had contacted the barrels. Does blood do this? or would it be something else?just a few little tiny spots and I could see the blood or what looked like it on the bbl. can't seem to get it off.

Blood will rust blued steel in a heart beat, I feel it`s as bad as salt water. I don`t know about the flaking, it could have appeared to flake and just been the rust comeing off the barrel when you wiped.

I'm a retired investigator with 16 years experience in all sorts of human to human mayhem. First had experience; blood is as corrosive as acid on blued steel. I remember a nice Colt Python in a puddle of blood next to a suicde for a few days ate to hell. Off hand, I'd say it the salt in the blood. It does a job on them.

.358

The above replies are correct. Most body fluids are .9% Na (sodium chloride, aka salt) and pH neutral (or very close to it) except for stomach (acid) and bile (alkaline).

Human blood and animal blood are chemically similar, and both will rust metal much more quickly than water. People have different salt content in perspiration. That's why some seem to cause rusty finger prints whenever they touch a firearm.

Roger

Some milsurp rifles are advertised as having "blood pitting" on them.

I wonder if blood causing rust is due in part to the hemoglobin which is a chelate containing iron.

Blood is basically salt water and it will rust the hell out of a gun. You may as well dip your rifle in the ocean.

If I got it on a gun, I would wash it off with water immediately, dry thoroughly, then re-oil.

If none of the above available at the time, at least wipe it away as best you could...then do the rest when you get home.

Also true for blood from birds, have some marks on the barrels of my shotgun from pigon and geese... If you for instance get a small stain on the steel while carrying the birds and don't notice you will have a mark in no time.

/Martin

Hey Carl, Blood will also " etch " Stainless. I always carry an old Target Grade 357Mag Security-Six 6" Ruger when Tracking Deer just in case I accidentally get into a "Snake Dancing" situation (snake-stomping for you Pilgrims).

I was dragging Deer one weekend for a few folks and apparently got some blood on my right palm. Then I must have rested that hand on the Ruger's grip and a bit got between the Backstrap and Grips. Not real sure how long it had been in there, but it " etched " the Stainless where it had been.

Yes indeed, Blood is tough stuff on firearms.

I am one of those people with severely salty sweat, I can just pass my hand over your rifle and it will start to rust, and that is only a slight exageration. I am constantly wiping my guns down while at the range.

Red

A little off topic, but I used to carry my Colt Walker replica wrapped in a towel. I once put it in the back of the car along with a brown paper bag full of peaches. It shifted and the barrel pressed against the peaches, mashing one and causing juice to soak through. In just an hour or so, the peach juice made a little cluster of deep pits that remains to this day. I restored the blue around it with some cold blue, but there was nothing to be done for the pits. Peach pitting.

It will f-up car paint also. The cars at work have big spots all over the hoods from the drunks.