# Rusty gun



## Rootdigger (Jan 26, 2011)

I have my gal carry an old Tokarev with her when she walks the LGD's, we are in very remote wilderness, only humans for 36 square miles, cats and bears abound. Since we are the only non-old growth forest out here all the bears have their cubs here for the abundant food. Problem is we have got so much rain I was worried about the gun so I asked her to put it in a ziplock to keep it dry. After one day in the ziplock it was rusted so bad it looked like it had been is salt water for a year, it was shocking how bad it was. I was able to get the clip out and clean both by soaking in WD-40 and a good toothbrush scrub but next morning now some rust is already back. 

First any ideas for killing the rust on an old heavily worn military piece? Second any ideas for quick draw carrying in wet conditions of about 15+ inches per week?


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## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

I carried and shot my weapons in the rain....I just cleaned and oiled them daily.

It is pretty quick to do....takes about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the weapon.

EDIT: I forgot to add....apparently alot of people have had problems with wd-40...seems they have changed the formula and it has some water in it now and weapons will rust from it.


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## SmokeEater2 (Jan 11, 2010)

Pretty much anything that will remove all the rust will remove whatever finish remains too.

You can strip the pistol and remove the rust (and finish) with a product like Evapo-Rust,Naval Jelly rust Remover etc. and then paint it with a high temp spray paint like Header /Manifold paint or BBQ Grill paint, After it dries to the touch bake the parts in the oven at 275-300 degrees for an hour (metal parts ONLY!) and the finish will hold up well to solvents,oil and protect against rust. I've re-finished an old .303 Enfield and a FAL like this and they are still doing well after a couple of years.

You could also cold blue it with Brownell's Ophoxo-Blue or a similar product but that finish won't be as durable. Getting ALL the rust off before you refinish it is very important to limit any further damage.

Edit to add that I always have a rifle or pistol with me when I'm working around the place and they occasionally get wet from rain,sweat or one memorable occasion when I found a spot in the pond that was a lot deeper than I thought. :huh: I just keep them clean and oiled with Ballisitol and they are just fine.
I've been carrying the same old Colt SAA since 1979 and it has some finish wear but not a speck of rust.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

A freind in the navy a pilot , mariner and submariner durring his 22 years , he said their 45's would rust tight in one day or 2 days in that salt air that when he was on the sub the sargent at arms would issue a 45 at the begin of a shift of top watch then when they broght them back remove mag and shells and drop them in a pail of kerosine when he had a buket full he pulled them out and scrubbed them down again and put them back in into service so that he didn't have to clean them at every shift.
short of an oil bath and good cleaning eveyr shift not sure what to tell you 
i will tel you what he told me , he said i should have asked for a 38 he had a freind who seved with him who was issues a 38 that was chromed and got away without cleaning it a week or more at a time. neither one very fired a shot besides at the range so he said his buddy was 6 cleanings a week ahead of him in time doing other things.


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## Usingmyrights (Jan 10, 2011)

Get some really fine steel wool (IIRC mine is 4ought) and some oil. Buff the rust out. Just put a few drops of oil on the steel wool on the part that you're going to buff with.


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## jerrwhy (Jan 12, 2010)

take a look at Cerakote gun coating/finishing kits, Brownells has them. I've never used them but they have a pretty good reputation. I'm going to refinish my HD shotgun one of these days soon and that's the route that I'm going to go.


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

Well I carry a CZ-52 chambered in 7.62X25mm Tokarev cartridge as a CCW in a very wet and marine (salt water/ air) environment.. I have never had a problem with my weapon rusting up soooo badly/ so quickly..

To prevent such an occurance in the future, one should clean and oil the weapon frequently.. Do not store it in a 'plastic bag" in a high humidity. Get her a suitable shoulder holster which can be worn under rain gear.. Put aside a dedicated container with old cotton rags, and gun oil for lubricating the weapon on a daily (if possible) basis.. A "dry' weapon will rust much faster, than one that is properly lubricated.

Another preventative measure is to have the weapon 'parkerized', with a protective coating.

But since the damage is done from rust, as others have posted - use steel wool (0000) with oil to try and remove as much surface rust as possible.. 

Also disassemble the pistol to the component level) removing the firing pin, remove the barrel - recoil spring assembly from the upper slide assembly and check everything for internal rust. Disassemble the magazine to remove the magazine spring and follower, and use gun oil to coat every surface to prevent future rust. You may want to keep it lubricated (but not dripping with gun oil), to prevent a 'dry weapon' from rusting so rapidly. I have never had the heel magazine catch rust up, to the point that it would not release the magazine.

From your post, it sounds as if the weapon was not cleaned or maintained on a regular basis. A couple of minutes a day spent lubricating and cleaning will prevent this, and allow you to keep the semi-auto pistol in functioning order for years to come.


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## beachcomber (Dec 2, 2008)

i live in a rain forest here and carry a tok in a in a iwb holster .also google eds red


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## Rootdigger (Jan 26, 2011)

radiofish said:


> From your post, it sounds as if the weapon was not cleaned or maintained on a regular basis. A couple of minutes a day spent lubricating and cleaning will prevent this, and allow you to keep the semi-auto pistol in functioning order for years to come.


To the contrary, it was well cleaned and oiled the day we put it in the ziplock (to one posters note, it was oiled with a brand new can of WD-40). You know the weather I am talking about as it was purchased at Grundman's in Rio Smell. Being the youngest in a VERY large family I have cleaned every gun there is since age 6, so this really tripped me out, I felt stupid for even asking, but thanks all, I did get a few new tricks.


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

Rootdigger - I have used WD-40 in the barrel when firing corrosive ammunition to neutralize the corrosive reside from mil-surp ammunition, until I can field strip my weapon and clean/ lubricate it properly. But it is not a replacement for 'gun-oil', as far as a protective coating to prevent surface corrosion/ rust. 

I don't get 15 inches of rain in a week up in Northern Humboldt - sounds as if you are out near the Panther Gap/ Honeydew/ Mattole area, with that much rainfall..

Yup I know where Grundman's Sporting Goods is at on the South end of Rio Dell (Real Dull) near the bridge across the Eel River going to Scotia. I pop in there once in a while, when I am down Fortuna way for my doctor appointments..


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## derm (Aug 6, 2009)

Not that this helps, but against cats and bears I would be packing alot more heat than that cartridge.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Electrolytic-Rust-Removal-aka-Magic/

something like this may be an idea for a way to remove rust , more reseach to deturmin it's safty


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## Win07_351 (Dec 7, 2008)

I lay parts out in a cookie sheet and spray them with Break-Free and let them soak over night. The next day I remove the excess along with any crud. The Break Free cleans and oils the parts nicely that way.


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## megafatcat (Jun 30, 2009)

Have you fired the pistol since? Magazine lips and feed ramps do not like rust.
+1 on 0000 steel wool and a light oil, gently! Any carry weapon should get a wipe down daily and a cleaning weekly. A good mechanic will do that to his wrenches, they have no moving parts and he will not die if they malfunction.
I will look up and post the recipe for Ed's Red, cheap home mixed gun cleaner/preservative.


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

derm said:


> Not that this helps, but against cats and bears I would be packing alot more heat than that cartridge.


I was thinking while down in town, I would completely strip down that pistol to the components, if there was that much rust from one day in a zip-loc bag with WD-40.. 










The 7.62X25mm Tokarev cartridge is powerful enough, that I feel comfortable on using it against a Black Bear or Mountain Lion up here.. I refer to my CZ-52's as my pocket rifles. I could tote around a .45 a.c.p., or a .357 magnum, but I likes my Commie weapons. I got a bunch of them at wholesale, when they were dirt cheap years ago.

Here is a link to some of the specs on the muzzle velocity and muzzle energy of the standard FMJ 85 grain projectile in ft. pounds per square inch.

http://www.brassfetcher.com/762x25mmJHPs.html

http://www.brassfetcher.com/762x25mm.html

In their testing, the projectile went through the ballistic gel, backstop, and into several inches into dense sand behind that.

Plus if you miss at close range, one can always set them on fire or singe them, from the burning powder..










Edited to add, those that want to use a spray lubricant, Remington has Rem-Oil in a spray can. I saw it at CVS in Arcata on my way home this afternoon.


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## megafatcat (Jun 30, 2009)

Ed's Red
Dextron II Transmision fluid
K 1 Kerosene
Mineral Spirits
Acetone
1 qt each gives a cheap gallon of gun cleaner. The acetone can be reduced or even eliminated, it just works slower. The Acetone is needed for shotguns, because of the plastic fouling.


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## freeholdfarms (Aug 10, 2007)

Stainless steel "steel wool" will remove the rust and leave the finish.


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## Rootdigger (Jan 26, 2011)

Wow, lots of great info, RF, that diagram is golden. I have no problem with that round for cats or bears either, its a rifle in your hand, but the main thing is portability and the size of her hand. It's for when she is walking the dogs, 2 70lb labs that have been chasing the cats and bears on this property for 6 years and 2 120lb Pyrenees you can hear 5 miles away. It is more for if there is a tangle between the dogs and an animal. The logic I am going by is if there is a tangle there is as much a chance hitting a dog by accident and a FMJ would pass through the dog with as little damage as possible...its more a thing of I want to do as little damage as possible rather than giving her the 9mm with some shredder rounds. With that many dogs around and no access to a vet I think I am thinking strait. She was animal control so I trust her to keep her head based on the stories she has told me and in one busy weekend she had to personally euthanize 800 animals so she can detach from emotion and we have gone through the above over and over and its what she wants too. I'd appreciate thoughts on that though if you disagree. 

Not this time of year but far and away the biggest danger is Mexican dope growers, they have discovered camps withing a mile of my place with animal heads on sticks to warn people away and other grizzly stuff. Last year they pinned me against my gate with gunfire during harvest. When I called the sheriff and he asked where I was (2 hours from the nearest sub-station manned by 1 guy and after dark) he actually laughed and said as much as "good luck", so we are pretty much on our own and I know from experience that FMJ round will go through trees and other obstacles and touch the other side quite effectively. God, I hope a gun control person is reading this...


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## sandc (Apr 26, 2010)

I am also a big fan of the CZ-52 and the 7.62x25 cartridge. I also have a few subguns that I bought as kits and rebuilt as legal semis in the cartridge not to mention an ar upper.

I have worked over wet guns before with a quick spray of oil, wrap in paper towels and cover the whole thing with rice overnight.


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

Rootdigger - the 7.62X25mm Tokarev FMJ ammunition will pass thru and thru most of what it hits, at warp speed.. I do carry extra magazines, and some of my CCW rounds are Hollow Points.. Using steel cored FMJ mil-surplus ammunition, one could probably disable a vehicle engine easier, than if using a 9mm parabellum cartridge.

I am above Arcata way up on top of Fickle Hill. We don't have the Cartel grower problems here - rather the HSU kiddies with their guerilla gardens on someone else's private property..

I know all about trespassers and the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office. Do a search with my screen name on August 1, 2010 when two of my neighbors and myself, held several trespassers at gunpoint - or in my case bayonet point. 

I was able to get a couple of Sheriff's Deputies to respond up here, by telling the dispatcher "I am a Marine, and have the suspects at bayonet point." It only took a 40 minute response time, from their main office in Eureka. That is a long time to have several hopped up kiddies detained, and have them constantly trying to talk their way out of their stupid criminal actions. 

It took a couple of tries, but we got our worthless County D.A. to finally bring criminal charges against them. Along with the additional charges of selling 'white dope' on the Arcata Plaza, from when they were arrested 3 days later for sales of drugs - after they were arrested up here.


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## silverbackMP (Dec 4, 2005)

Usingmyrights said:


> Get some really fine steel wool (IIRC mine is 4ought) and some oil. Buff the rust out. Just put a few drops of oil on the steel wool on the part that you're going to buff with.


+1 That is one of the correct methods--beats trying to strip it and use stove paint or junk cold blue.


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## tgmr05 (Aug 27, 2007)

WD 40 is not the best lubricant, much less protectant, for firearms. There is a product called Barricade, used to be Sheath, that works fairly well as a protectant, if you are to be in a damp environment. You would need a gun oil to lube the pistol, too. Maybe CLP, Rem-oil, or some other good oil. You might even try grease to lube the rails, instead of an oil, as you are basically going over the pistol nearly every day, soaking it in oil leads to oil running off it, and onto you. 

You may be surpised to learn that carnuba wax, or any non-abrasive wax can be used on blued firearms, too. You obviously do not wax the entire pistol, but hit the outer portions and any parts that may see water, and you will see the water bead up and run off, just like automobiles. It is a common practice for those who have highly polished deep blue finishes and photos....


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## derm (Aug 6, 2009)

radiofish said:


> I was thinking while down in town, I would completely strip down that pistol to the components, if there was that much rust from one day in a zip-loc bag with WD-40..
> 
> 
> 
> ...




AIM surplus has M57's in right now. This cartridge intrigued me enough into ordering one to try. Need to find a source of inexpensive surplus ammo for it now.


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## beachcomber (Dec 2, 2008)

i like my yugo, but the added on safety was causing problems and is a common problem with these .i took mine out ,works like its intended. nothing but the 50's polish surplus left out there now.the 80's yugo and romanian shot well.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

You can fight all you want, but sooner or later weapons out in the weather are going to rust. The most diligent cleaning is but a holding action against the forces of nature.

My advice? Buy a couple of those $100-$150 military rifles of Russian/German origin and use those for those long walkabouts in the rain. I've got a couple of rifles I bought just for the hard weather conditions. I'll keep them in good condition as long as I can, but when they wear out I won't cry about it. They aren't large investments.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Some of the gun shops around here carry re-bluing kits for about $32. I've not used one so have no idea how easy/hard they are to use. I've been told that it's hard to do and easy to make a mistake. One of the shops does the job for less than $50. If you aren't comfortable doing the job yourself, it's probably worth the investment to look around and find someone to do a professional job for you.


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## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

I bought my many 'spam cans' of 7.62X25mm Tokarev at the sportsman's guide a while back - long before the price hikes during the 2008 elections..

I happen to like the CZ-52 - compared to the TT-33 or other Soviet-Bloc pistols that are chambered in that caliber.

Ernie - my beater 'ranch rifle' is a 1954 Romanian issue Mosin-Nagant M-44 carbine in 7.62X54mm Russian. I keep my Russian (Soviet) issued 1945 ones out of the weather.. The attached folding spike bayonet is very handy, for intimidating trespassers.

The do-it-yourself home gun bluing kits are difficult to use, if one has not done it before.


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