Brown residue when wiping off barrel

[7075-T7]

Forgive me if this is a silly question, I'm new to rifles. I just recently purchased a Weatherby V2 with a polished blue barrel and when cleaning it the first time, I noticed that when wiping the barrel down with oil, there was a light brown stain on the towel I was using. I figured it was grease from the factory, so I degreased it with MC25 and I lightly coated it with TW25B grease.

Took it shooting, (26 rounds in an hour) and when I got around to cleaning it, I noticed that when wiping down the outside of the barrel with an oiled towel, I still am getting a light brown stain. The barrel still looked polished and dark. Is this rust, or something else common with new blued firearms?

 

[303tom]

You got me on that one................

 

[beatledog7]

What you got the first time was probably factory anti-rust coating, a form of grease. So you degreased it. Good so far. Then you coated it with grease. So what you got the next time was the grease you put on it. Keep coating it in grease, keep getting grease off when you wipe it down.

 

[7075-T7]

The TW25B grease is white.

 

[helotaxi]

Well, since bluing is rust of a type...

You're picking up rust. Even blued metal will develop a very light surface rust the instant that it is exposed to the air. It won't hurt anything. If you leave a very light coat of oil on the metal it will keep it from being a problem, though you're going to get some brown every time you wipe it down.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Where do you store it? Anything with a grease or oil coating in the atmosphere is going to have dust adhering to the lubricant coating. Try wiping the outside with some CLP or a silicone based protectant or store it in a gun sock. I wouldn't worry too much about the residue on the rag.

 

[beatledog7]

The grease is white, but the stuff it attracts is not. helotaxi may be right about bluing and surface rust, but I've not had that issue when wiping down my blued rifles.

I still think your grease coating is a potential contributor as stuff in the air gets attached to the grease and then appears on your oiled towel.

 

[adelbridge]

I have seen plenty of new guns with surface rust and it is nothing to worry about. Guns are shipped by UPS and Fedex and if they go from a cold warehouse to a warm gun shop they will pick up condensation. Pretty much every new gun I bought that comes in a factory Styrofoam shell has had the white foam covered in rust. Your gun will be fine, wipe it down with whatever oil you have on hand and it will last you a lifetime. If you are worried I once rescued a 870 wingmaster covered in about 30% surface rust with some raised rust spots. I worked it over with 0000 steel wool and WD-40 and it took off all the rust and it still looks presentable without any return of rust years later.

 

[dfariswheel]

This is probably oxidized new bluing.

It's not uncommon for a new blue finish to have a little oxidization of the bluing that will wipe off as a brown stain.

To help remove this and to make the finish shine more, clean the grease off and apply a light coat of CLP Breakfree.
The Breakfree will lift the oxidized bluing off and this will bring out the shine more.
I recommend keeping CLP on it for a few months and gently wiping with a clean patch with CLP on it once a week or so.
This will protect the gun and remove the oxidized blue.

Some custom gunsmiths get brighter bluing by bluing the gun and putting it in a tank of warm oil.
Several times a day for a week, the parts are pulled out and gently wiped with an oil soaked clean patch.
This removes the oxidized bluing and makes the gun much shinier. The patches will have a brown stain that over the week gets lighter and lighter as the oxide is removed.

Using CLP as a coating can also clean older blued guns of any oxidized bluing that's built up over the years.

 

[kimbernut]

Brown staining

Break free CLP and a strip of white T shirt knit shoe shine buffing on the entire barrel and receiver until the brown staining stops has worked wonders on several rifles and shotguns for me. On some firearms the white knit will need to be changed for a new strip several times before the staining quits. Occasionally you'll need to do this procedure over again at a later date but usually one time thoroughly will take care of the problem.
CLP and OOOO steel wool will do it too and I have used it as well but I feel the knit is a bit less abrasive.

 

[zeke]

am of opinion dfariswheel nailed it. Unfortunately in this day in age alot of factorys are not time sourced for an adequate oil bath on new blued firearms.

Might want to be aware of it when cleaning the bore also.

 

[oneounceload]

Brown staining is rust - pure and simple - use a good oil when you wipe it down

 

[7075-T7]

Thanks dfariswheel, kimbernut, and zeke. I'll try wiping it down every day with paper towels soaked in oil and wait till the brown stains stop. Does it have to be CLP by name? I think I have some, but I was using FP-10 last night to wipe off the new coat of MC2500 oil I wiped it down with the day before.

Thanks again.

 

[W.E.G.]

Even WD40 will work as a solvent to remove residues.

Once you are satisfied that the surface is clean, you might consider coating it with a paste wax to block oxygen from reacting with the bluing. The NRA museum uses RENAISSANCE Microcrystalline WAX.
See http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...o-crystalline-wax-cleaner-polish-prod236.aspx