I just bought a 100 year-old gun. What should I do to clean it up?

[Magno]

It's an 1898 Springfield Krag, manufactured in 1901.

Now before anyone says "DON'T TOUCH IT", the thing is not even close to original. It's a rifle model that has been hacked down to a carbine, the stock has been cut, there is a tape wrap around the cracked butt and many other things. I happened to like the character and history it showed, so I picked it up. It's no collector's treasure, it's a hard-used family gun.

However, I want to shoot this thing. So before doing so, I wouldn't mind cleaning it up a bit.

Currently it is in sound order, with a nice smooth action, crisp magazine and good trigger pull.
BUT. There is a pretty heavy patina covering the entire gun. There are some rust spots on the inside of the receiver. Oh, and the barrel is pretty badly pitted. Oh well, I still want to try her out

What should I do to clean this sucker up?

I'm not looking for a bright and shiny restoration here (I like the character the gun displays as is), but I just want to make her a little more presentable and not so...shoddy looking.

So far I've tried some dry steel wool on the buttplate and didn't notice much change. I also wiped the whole gun down with a damp rag and promptly dried it off.

Any tricks? Any tips?

Wish me luck

 

[Fleet]

Try some OOOO steel wool (anything else will leave scratches), combined with WD-40.

 

[BADUNAME30]

Use Flitz along with that 0000 and she'll clean right up.
If you do it 'gingerly' you won't remove the original finish.
Flitz can be bot at any auto parts store.

 

[rcmodel]

See this:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=633232&highlight=1890

rc

 

[jkpq45]

Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish--will take rust and even out the finish a bit but it's a very mild abrasive and leaves patina.

 

[Cosmoline]

There is rust and there is rust. If you're dealing with light specs then flour sack and CLP plus eblow grease will get rid of it without damaging anything.

The Krag is a smokeless rifle so there's really no reason to be concerned about hurting the steel with standard cleaners like M pro and clp. The wood finish can be damaged though so you might want to remove the wood if that's a concern before extensive overhauls.

Is the barrel pitting inside or out? I would do a pretty good scrub of the bore to be sure it's still safe. Sometimes deep pits hide under layers of copper, so do a copper removal session.

The one spot of potentially serious danger is the lug. If there's ANY sign of pitting or fatigue on it I would never shoot it. The action was strong and steel excellent. Ordinarily there's no danger provided you stay within the proper load parameters. But your mention of PITTING makes me nervous. You really don't want a pitted lug or recess.

 

[Kp321]

I picked up a cleaning pad at a show that looks like a stainless steel Chore Girl scrub pad. I use that pad and Kroil brand penetrating oil on the exterior of rusted guns. Won't harm the remaining blue. For rusted bores, take a bore brush and wrap it with steel wool and soak it with Kroil. Takes lots of elbow grease but will clean the bore. Kroil can be purchased from Brownells or Midway or possibly from a local industrial supply.

 

[Magno]

Great suggestions, guys. Thanks! I have lots of new techniques to try out. Keep them coming!

As far as the lug, it's clean. In fact the entire bolt and receiver is merely lightly dusted with patina with virtually no damage. That's the real reason I even went for the rifle. The action rocks.

The barrel on the other hand...

 

[Magno]

Perhaps I should mention that the gun is browned, not blued.

Does this change anything?

 

[rcmodel]

It may be brown now, but it was blue when it was new.

As was the rusty old Winchester I posted about the clean-up on in post #4.

Did you open that thread and read it??

rc

 

[Magno]

Yes I did - in fact, I ordered a fine wire carding wheel online and can't wait to try it.

I had read elsewhere online about a "browning" process being used at this time period as an alternative to bluing. That's what I assumed this gun had. I'm no expert, though...

 

[rcmodel]

Well, this ones not exactly as good as they say it is.

But it is the original blue, or whats left of it.
http://bellandcorbettoutfitters.com/Krag_US_1898_Rifle.html

Bluing is black iron oxide, or rust.
Old bluing turns to red iron oxide, or brown rust over the years unless constantly cared for.

rc

 

[jibbliez]

Well, this ones not exactly as good as they say it is.

But it is the original blue, or whats left of it.
http://bellandcorbettoutfitters.com/...898_Rifle.html

Bluing is black iron oxide, or rust.
Old bluing turns to red iron oxide, or brown rust over the years unless constantly cared for.

rc

Too high maintenance for me but still a 'beaut, nice pic.

 

[W.E.G.]

Please don't "polish" all the patina off that gun.

It earned is appearance over many long years.

Remove any corrosive residues from the cracks and crannies, and save that blasted "carding wheel" for your lawn mower.