The 870 surface rust issue, is it *really* as bad as I've been reading?

[natman]

Remington must have changed the way they finish the Express shotguns, because a year or so ago there was no rusting problem, at least not any worse than any other blued gun. But now......

ITT:
Are you kidding? The whole "Express guns rust at the drop of a hat" thing has been a perennial topic here for years. We need to build y'all your very own Wailing Wall.

Perhaps I was mistaken. I first noticed the complaints about a year and a half ago and assumed it must have started then.

If it's been consistent, then it must be caused by some condition that's not present in Northern California, because I've sold a LOT of 870 Expresses and never had any unusual rust problems.

 

[DHart]

Rust is a weird and fickle critter. I'm in the western Pacific Northwest which is damp in winter and can be a little humid at times in summer, but no big deal, generally. I'm fortunate to be free of rust on a wide variety of pistols, shotguns, and rifles. But I've known individuals for whom rust is a CONSTANT nemesis! Freaky, isn't it? If you start with quality finishes and take good care of your firearms, I think rust is likely to be more of a non-issue than a nemesis. Some people, however, actually have perspiration which is almost instantly corrosive to metallic objects. I played music with a bass player once who could totally ruin a brand new set of Rotosound bass strings (not cheap to buy) in a single session! I felt sorry for the poor fellow. And I pity any gun owner with such perspiration bad fortune.

 

[Al Thompson]

DHart, I'm one of "those guys"... I do have to spend more time on my blued guns. FWIW, this only happened in the last ten years or so.

As for the Express issues, have one for a swamp gun and had the same rusting problem. Probably aggravated both my sweat and being drug around in a boat in a swamp.

Flat black Krylon solved those issues. Use brake cleaner to degrease, use lots of light coats and take a brass brush to the front sight afterwards. BTW, Krylon dries quickly (hour or two) but takes a week or so to harden up.

 

[DHart]

Al... that's definitely a good, utilitarian approach to rust prevention! And it's always nice to have a gun in addition to your "nice" guns, which you don't mind sweating all over and dragging around through the swamps. Sounds like you're well set to do that now.