I have just purchased a push feed winchester featherweight in 6.5x55. The gun is as new (less than 40 shots according to original owner) but was put away with a dirty bore and sat for 16 years. upon cleaning the first patches came our rusty . the bore is ok, but on one side of the throat for about one inch there is some noticible rust that wont clean up with hoppes or kroil. I dont know how this will affect accuracy or other problems there may be. Should I return the gun or will it be OK. I have looked for years for a 6.5 so am reluctant to return. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Search for rust removers and check with Brownell's for a solution to your problem make up some Edds Red cleaner for rust removal.

If it was offered as having a good bore I would return it or negotiate a sizable discount.
I have one of those rifles and I don't think they are that rare. I offered mine for sale here about a year ago and no one was interested.

quote:

Originally posted by bbell:
I have just purchased a push feed winchester featherweight in 6.5x55. The gun is as new (less than 40 shots according to original owner) but was put away with a dirty bore and sat for 16 years. upon cleaning the first patches came our rusty . the bore is ok, but on one side of the throat for about one inch there is some noticible rust that wont clean up with hoppes or kroil. I dont know how this will affect accuracy or other problems there may be. Should I return the gun or will it be OK. I have looked for years for a 6.5 so am reluctant to return. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I've seen some pretty amazing groups from heavily rusted and damaged bores. Find someone with a bore scope to eyeball it for you. See if the owner will let you try it at the range with the option to return it if it does not perform to your satisfaction. Or, return it and keep looking.

I'm confused. A "throat" is usually less than 1/4" in length and yet you have an inch of rust? It sounds like you have an inch of bore that is rusty including, possibly, the throat. If so, you can probably get the rust out with some vigourous scrubbing and a mild abrasive like J-B but you will probably ruin the throat in the process. Rusty or pitted bores will often shoot quite well but a pitted or rusty throat is a nuther thing altogether.

JMHO

Ray

I would carefully clean it with Naval Jelly on a long cotton swab and then inspect it.

Actually, scratch that. I would take it back first and discuss it with whomever you purchased it from. If you have a bad throat there is a good chance that this gun has been already shot and found it would not hit the broad side of a barn, and then put on the market.

So me, I would take it back and as mentioned see if you can get something knocked off the price but at the least develop the understanding that after you clean it, if it still does not shoot they will take it back.

Then bring it home and use Naval Jelly on it. I would remove the stock and lower metal, and use masking tape on most everything exposed as the Naval Jelly will remove bluing too. Actually, it will discolor it in an instant so make sure you protect everything except the bore.

Then, after cleaning if it still doesn't shoot at least you can return it.

If you had the opportunity to inspect the gun before you purchased it, then I think you should forget about returning the gun. Of course you could still try to return it, but unless you didn't get a chance to look at the gun beforehand or the seller mislead you somehow, then I think it would be unfair to try to return it.