Care of Remington "nylon" parts.

[SGW42]

Decided to help my dad clean his guns this Sunday. He has a few rifles that he has kept zipped up in a case under his bed for many years. Now that he's retired, he wants to take them out and shoot them again.

The gun in question is a Remington 600 in .35 Remington. The metal was very well oiled and was without rust, the wood looks great, but the "nylon" plastic vent rib along the top is in sad shape. Cracks have begun to develop where it is screwed to the barrel and under the sights. The plastic itself appears not black, but slightly brown. Running a damp towel over it turns it black momentarily, before it practically appears to "drink" up the moisture like a sponge. It's pretty weird. Trigger guard is not cracked but exhibits the same aging.

We haven't taken it off the gun or otherwise fooled with it. Is there a chemical or something that it should be treated with to make it less brittle? I have older Remingtons with the same type of plastic trim parts. I notice pictures of vintage 600s with nice clean new looking ribs. What's the trick to keeping them nice?

 

[Broncoxlt]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/54...c-ventilated-rib-remington-600-aluminum-black

 

[dfariswheel]

I don't know of much of anything that can restore age damaged plastics.
Usually, once they start to go, that's that.

You might try applying some Armor-All and letting it soak, but that will probably be cosmetic at best.

 

[rcmodel]

Yep.

Once it goes, it is gone.

The plastic rib was one of Remingtons worse ideas at the time.
Most all of them warp, crack, or break eventually.

Your best bet for a long term fix is the aluminum replacement rib Broncoxlt linked too in post #2.

rc

 

[SGW42]

We were able to take the gun out today. It was terrific. I bought a new box of LEVERevolution in .35 Rem, but the 45-year-old Winchester Power Point he had stored with the gun shot just as well! At 100 yards and an original Redfield Wideview it was shooting about MOA. Many compliments at the range as it looked like nothing else and the both of us "kept it all in the black."

I was afraid the vent rib would break and fly off, but it held on fine.

 

[Pacsd]

Take this experieince as a "lesson learned". Not to critisize dad but that was probably the worst way to store a gun for any extended period of time. When done, clean them and give a light coat of light weight oil, put em in a gun case.

 

[TurtlePhish]

When done, clean them and give a light coat of light weight oil, put em in a gun case.

*safe/cabinet. Unless it's some special kind of case, a lot of the foam in most hard cases reacts over time with oils, solvents, and finishes, and leaves marks or discoloration. I can see oddly-colored spots on bluing after just a week in a Plano hard case (cheap, I know, but it's an example). Keeping it in a good safe or cabinet lets it get airflow, as well as minimizing contact between parts of the gun and other objects.

 

[Mobuck]

I would certainly desist in "wiping the plastic with a damp towel". Where do you think that moisture is going? If absorbed by the plastic, it's going to be wicked into contact with the barrel. The synthetic ribs and usually, the floorplate also had problems. Typical result is breakage or warping or at the very least, oxidation leaving a chalky appearance.