parked 870P effectiveness?

[gearbox]

Howdy, I was out in the rain the other day and the bag carrying my 870 Express absorbed some moisture (though not directly rained on). When I got home I found that a large area of surface rust had accumulated quickly. The surface of course had rubbed free of oil and therefore had no protection.

So I'm wondering how weather-resistant the parkerizing on an 870P is internally and externally. What are your experiences?

 

[Fred Fuller]

First you said "...my 870 Express..." and then you said "parkerizing on an 870P." If the markings on the left side of the receiver say Express, then it isn't an 870P. Lots of dealers are _calling_ the short barreled 870 Express guns "police" guns, but that isn't the case.

If you bought a new 870 Express, and have not had it parkerized yourself, then the gun you have has the factory original matte blue finish. Some Express guns seem to be far more subject to rust than the average, we have one of those here and it is a perpetual problem to keep rust free even sitting on its pegs in a hidden spot inside the house. I can't explain it, it's just a problem with that particular gun. There are several other Express guns here and none of the rest of them have that problem.

As a rule parkerizing or phosphate finishing is more effective a finish than bluing. Bluing actually is a form of rust. If you have an 870P that is parkerized, it should take more than a little moisture to make it rust so quickly.

I find that Johnson's paste wax (in the squat yellow and red can, at the supermarket) does a good job of protecting blued finishes, including matte bluing as on the Express. Some folks have also been known to use parrafin or candle wax rubbed into the finish on Express guns to protect it. And nowadays a good many people are using one or another of the spray-on finishes as well. Lots of options available, I hope you find one that works for you.

lpl/nc

 

[gearbox]

I have an 870Exp.
I want to buy an 870P.

 

[dfariswheel]

Remington says their parkerized finish as used on the genuine Police model is 60% more durable than blued finishes.

Whether you have an Express or Police model, one good method of greatly improving rust resistance is to coat it with a protective layer of wax as above, or CLP Breakfree.

CLP Breakfree is one of the very best rust preventive lubes.
To protect your gun, disassemble per the owners manual.
Get a spray can of CLP Breakfree, then SHAKE THE DICKENS out of the can to throughly mix the contents.

Spray the gun dripping wet, inside and out, and allow to soak for 30 minutes.
This will dissolve the factory lube, and allow the CLP to "soak" into the rough finish.

Wipe off the excess and put the gun back in service.

The CLP will, with use build up a protective layer of Teflon and will do an excellent job of protecting the metal.

Every time you finish using the gun, apply a bit of CLP to a patch or a clean toothbrush and apply another thin coat to restore the layer of protection.

 

[STAGE 2]

Not to dump on your post, but CLP is rather lacking as a rust preventative. If thats what your going for then something like CorrosionX or Boeshield is in order.

 

[dfariswheel]

"CLP is rather lacking as a rust preventative".

I'm sure this is shocking news to all the testers who ran rust tests in which CLP Breakfree was always in the top 2 or 3 for rust resistance.

The US military and gun owners have been using CLP Breakfree for more than 20 years, and it's proven to be one of the top lubricant/rust preventatives ever developed.

There was a recent test done in which CLP did better then CorrosionX.

I recommended CLP in this case because it's easily available, it's a good rust proofer, AND it's an excellent lubricant.

 

[CZguy]

Breakfree CLP

I agree completely with dfariswheel about breakfree.

I use it on my parkerized, beat up, used 870P, dedicated truck gun. It works like a champ.

 

[STAGE 2]

I guess we can agree to disagree, but along with other "official" lab testing here are some threads I reccommend.

http://sigforum.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/430601935/m/795108465

and

http://sigforum.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/430601935/m/361107455

Before you ask, this isn't what I make my choices on, but often times "official" tests often dont hold over into real world application.

There are threads over at TFL as well as on brownells website that echo my opinions.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/GunTech/NewsletterArchive.aspx?p=0&t=1&i=503


CLP is fine as an all around cleaner and lube, but as a rust preventative it is lacking.

 

[Gordon]

Yup you GOT to shake CLP for more than a minute and use it within 5 minutes to keep the protectorants in suspension. CLP DOES gum up after 5 years or so, even their Collector Grade CLP so now I have gone to a different system.

For complete waterproofing and a great semi auto lube I use Mad Dog Labs XF-7. Once you use it you will never go back! It has an alcohol carrier and dries after you spread it on a surface- it is not gummy but it is a wax like grease and is nontoxic. It goes into beadblasted surfaces and Parkerizing like wax and sheds water!

I like a dripping wet action on my serious guns and flush them frequently with a lab pipette nalgene bottle full of Marvel Mystery oil. If you do this once or twice a day you can swim with the gun or use it to shovel sand and it's gonna work and not rust.You wipe the excess with a rag and it is not a 'greasy' feel as the oil is too thin.However some people don't like 'wet' look! I DIG it!

 

[asknight]

I'm with Stage 2. Breakfree CLP is a general purpose cleaner/lubricant/preservative. Not a rust prevention solution, nor a rust proofer.

For rust prevention, WD-40 beats Breakfree hands down. I tend to stick with waxes for rust resistance of Remington's sensitive matte finishes while out hunting in the elements and haven't had a spec of patina show up yet.

Here with the 75-100% humidity has been a real long term test, IMO.

 

[DBR]

"Eezox" is the best rust preventative by far. I have been using it for about 15 years. I have also done industrial type salt spray tests against CLP, Corrosion X, and several oils. None come close in the corrosion dept.

The main reason is that it is 1.3 times heavier than water so water doesn't float it off the surface. It is particularly effective on phosphated surfaces. Do a Google search for sources. You will not be disappointed.

There are some other aerospace lubes that are excellant if you want to pay $50.00 per ounce.

 

[DBR]

Gordon,

You would have to use "Marvel Mystery Oil" several times a day. It is a good penetrant. It is a lousy lubricant/corrosion inhibitor. If you want the glossy look try "Armour All".

Wet look Marvel Mystery oil is also very likely to contaminate and deactivate primers. You end up with a shiny gun that won't fire. Probably OK for Kali.

 

[DBR]

Breakfree brand CLP is actually one of the better corrosion inhibitors - better than FP10, Rem oil, WD40, Corrosion X, virtually all "gun oils", most consumer preservatives and a better than average lubricant. You haven't had to "shake the bottle" since about 2003. It was a requirement for their MIL Spec # that it did not contain any particulates.

Eezox is still measurabley better as a preservative and lubricant. CLP is better as a penetrant.

 

[STAGE 2]

Breakfree brand CLP is actually one of the better corrosion inhibitors - better than FP10, Rem oil, WD40, Corrosion X, virtually all "gun oils"

Click on the brownells link I posted above and see how much "better" breakfree performed than wd-40 and boeshield. Eezox on the other hand does extremely well at preventing rust, as does corrosionX.

Things like rem oil and fp 10 were primarily developed as lubes so I'm inclined to think that any rust preventative qualities that they have are incidental as opposed to intentional.

CLP is a jack of all trades and it is great at what it was intended for, but it is not the best by any means. There are FAR better cleaners, FAR better lubes and FAR better protectants. CLP was designed for the military as an all in one which makes sense as soldiers shouldn't have to carry more than one thing to clean their weapons.

The same argument doesn't necesssarily apply to the resident gunowner who can have access to a multitude of cleaners.

I'm not a spokesman for any product and I do have a bottle of CLP on my shelf. CLP will probably will be good enough for most gun owners and their uses. However to say that CLP is an excellent rust preventative is like saying a honda accord performs just as well as a ferarri when all you've done is drive them to the store and back.

 

[DBR]

STAGE 2

My representations re Breakfree CLP vs corrosion are based on my own quasi-scientific tests. 5% salt spray, 70-80 degrees F, freshly bead blasted 1010-1020 mild steel (allowed to normalize for 24hr after blasting). Samples were at 45 degrees to spray. Clearly wash off was a factor as it is in the real world. This is a more severe test than ASME. I was trying to induce failure in a short time.

Breakfree CLP out performed the other samples except Eezox and Boeshield. Published tests done by others have produced similar results. CLP has also demonstrated above average results as a lubricant. Obviously there are better products for a particular application. I think Breakfree CLP (which is not the same as military CLP) is an acceptable general use product.

I am not trying to promote CLP to answer the original question regarding corrosion protection. I will however defend Eezox as an excellant and adequate all purpose product for average use with exceptional performance in the nonexotic, multi-use corrosion application.

I should have added: other products, FP10, Miltec, Rem Oil and almost all others claim corrosion protection as one of their attributes and even show tests to support the claims. I cannot find any evidence to support these claims using my admittedly crude but realistic tests. Most are better than nothing but not better than Mobil 1 motor oil. In fact most a considerably worse.