Unexpected rust on shotgun, what to do?

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Optical Serenity

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Well, my 870 got water on it somehow while in my trunk, and of course I didn't find it until it was too late.

Here is the damage, scary:

870a.jpg


Should I attempt to fix it or just buy a new 870? Would that be cheaper?
 
Well the good news is that it shouldn't hurt function . It appears to be a cosmetic problem only.

Two things one can do I suppose, first is to clean it well and apply a coat of spray on finish - look at what is available from Brownell's for example. Some camo spray on might just do the trick , and look pretty good.

The second thing is reblue ,and although it would be more costly than spray on , the Express is a sandblasted metal that is then blued. Therefore the prep work to re-blue would be a simple sand blasting and then hot blue dip - the cost of that should be much less than having a polished blue done because the prep work is minimul .
 
I would see what some Blue Wonder Gun Cleaner and a 000 brass wool would do. If that does not work, find someone to bead blast it, then parkerize. It's your shotgun, make it more important to you by fixing it.
 
A month ago I had a similar occurence with a sawed-off Ithaca Model 37 that I keep in my trunk. I have known for years that YOU SHOULD NOT STORE A GUN IN A CLOSED GUN CASE (I know I'm shouting....I'm trying to make a point). Well, I did, thinking that there is NO moisture in the trunk of my car. I even took it out every couple of months and rubbed in down with an oily rag. Well, this time I took it out and it was COVERED with rust...a real disappointment. I rubbed in down with Blue Wonder and 0000 steel wool (as previously suggested) and got the rust off OK....the old gun was still pitted but not harmed. It is still in the trunk, but NOT in a case...it lays in the open air. Thank God it was just a junker with a sawed-off barrel and not one of my good guns. I learned my lesson....do not EVER store a gun in a gun case.:cuss:
 
Go down to walmart or the hardware store and get some Krylon flat black camo paint. Clean the reciever of ALL oil with brake cleaner, then wipe down with alcohol. Paint the outside of the gun only and then put another coat on it. Oil the insides, assemble, and live happily ever after.

The Express rusts at the drop of a hat, the paint cures that. There is no reason to replace your shotgun, especially not a trunk gun.
 
Good idea! Krylon paint it is...Thanks!

Another idea was to disassemble it and soak it for a few days in BreakFree, then use a real rough copper brush and go at it...

I'll have to take good before and after pictures.
 
Well, it certainly looks, uh, salty.:rolleyes:

I would disassemble as far as you are able, bead blast if you can, otherwise scrub the dog snot out of it with steel wool and oil.

Once you have it as clean as you can, either paint it (barbecue/stove paint is cheap and works pretty good), or better yet, use one of the various gun coatings available from Brownells.

None of this is any different than what the above gentlemen mentioned, but I will add that without aggressive treatment (bead blast for example), it will be pretty difficult to get a good finish again. Even after scrubbing and bead blasting, you may well see pitting.

If you neutralize the rust, you can always just let it go as is and keep it well lubed. Sometimes a "salty" gun is pretty neat looking.

Tips for next time. Don't store in your trunk. If you must, check every day or so, rust starts FAST. Last, consider giving the whole thing a real good coat of paste wax to help avoid such accidents in the future.
 
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