Ugh rust

[cleanneon98]

So I'm having a strange issue. I have a 91/30 that I shoot corrosive with, nothing out of the ordinary for these guns. After my shooting session, I clean the rifle right at the outdoor range. I use brushes, patches, 30cal metal jag, and Ballistol. I clean until the patches are relatively clean, then will go through with the brush and Ballistol and go for round 2.

Yesterday I was doing a check on all of my stuff, probably a month or so since I did the above with Mosin #1. It's a 41 Izhevsk, and to my surprise, the bore was all green. I went in with a q-tip to see if it would come loose, but no avail. I quickly took it outside and ran more brushes and patches and Ballistol and even Hoppes #9 through and put it back into its storage pouch. This is stored with the bolt open

When I went to check on Mosin #2 which is a 1932 Izhevsk Hex and when I checked on it I didn't have this problem. It was last shot 2 months ago and cleaned side by side with Mosin #1 in the exact same fashion. Mosin #2 is stored in the same closet as Mosin #1 but no bag, it just leans in the corner. Mosin #2 is stored with the bolt closed.

Why am I having this problem? Is Mosin #1 bore just permanently damaged? Do I need to get more anal cleaning it?

[soylentblue]

Green sounds like copper deposits leaching out.

[cleanneon98]

At least I think its green. I'm colorblind lol, but its definitely a very contrasting color to the rest of the barrel.

[rvgunner]

I think storing in pouch is the problem, holding moisture from air. Wrapping in cloth or using a gun case for storage is a poor choice, silicone rifle bags work well and can be had for $6.00-$10.00 from many vendors. Store as Mosin #2 if nothing else. I would also suggest a flush of water down the bores of your rifles after shooting corrosive ammo! Good luck and good shooting.

[Sgt. Rob]

I wrap my guns with beach towels. You are saying this is a bad idea?

No not at all. Be sure to keep the towels moist and it helps to pour mortons salt on the rifle as well. Then keep them in a bathroom closet and take many steamy showers. Do not check on them for at least one year.

Semper Fi, Rob

[zeebill]

Hmm you need to use the hot water as suggested or if you are total klutz like me and are afraid of burning yourself use a squirt or two of Windex on a patch and take off the front of the bolt and use the same patch to wipe down the firing pin. You can also squirt some in the front of the bolt too. Ballistol is what I use to store rifles too but I have never had anything like you describe happening. I would say the color you saw may have been off and not green and what you saw is as a result of not cleaning specifically for the corrosive ammo you use. I use the same thing as you do and I am sure many others do too.

If you are really sure that color was green get some Sweets 7.62 and use that as directed, pay strict attention to the part about not letting it set too long in the barrel or you will do damage cleaning it and it will be permanent. As far as permanent damage now from your cleaning errors, probably not as you got a good part of it out of there and it only sat for a month. Just learn from this and also don't go anal as there is such a thing as loss of accuracy from over cleaning things. That bore needs a certain amount of more or less contaminants to have it seal properly and lubricate the bullet right too. Bill

[Sgt. Rob]

Don't be such a grouch! I think my tongue in cheek answer should get the point across that keeping firearms stored in cases, towels, blankets, etc is a bad idea. Unless of course the fabric is saturated in say, cosmoline. Keep in mind that even just salt from your skin can cause rust, and humidity in the air as well. Store them in a safe or rack, not laying on carpet or fabric in a closet or under a bed. Keep them properly oiled and they will be fine. Be sure to wipe them after handling and clean properly and in a timely manner after firing.

Feel better now?

Semper Fi, Rob

[cleanneon98]

It was a light color. Like a lime/yellow/rust color. Not a dark green.

Here's a pic from when something like this happened with the same gun before.

[Sgt. Rob]

Looks like rust, not uncommon when shooting corrosive primed surplus ammo. Best to do the first cleaning with boiling water or black powder cleaning solvents to neutralize the corrosive salts, followed by a cleaning with normal gun cleaning solvents. I usually follow that first cleaning with 2 to 3 more cleanings with normal firearms cleaners over the next 2 to 3 days. Be sure to run an oiled patch through the bore prior to finishing up, leaving the bore oily. When getting ready to shoot again, run a dry patch through to remove the storage oil from the bore.

Semper Fi, Rob

[Junk Yard Dog]

Green is not rust, it is bore cleaner working on copper fouling still trapped in the bore. Orange is rust, otherwise known as iron oxide, if you use a good wet oil in the bore after cleaning with boiling water then rust is unlikely to form. WD40 and other spray can oils are not a wet oil, they dry and are not worth shit for storage, motor oil from your car is a good example of a wet oil that stays wet. As for the green fouling, it hurts nothing but copper or brass.

[Joeinthehills]

I use Ed's Red w/ 10 % industrial strength ammonia for copper deposits, and do NOT leave it in the bore, but remove it after 30 minutes or so and punch it out and use Ed's Red regular, punch it and then oil it.

This was the procedure for National Match shooters back in the '20's & 30's with their '03's who were using USGI ammo w/ corrosive ammo way back then.

I've pulled out green patches that the rifles hadn't been shot in 40 years, and did not show any signs of barrel deterioration aka pitting.

Weapons can be stored in any configuration straight up, horizontal, etc., But should never be covered with anything IMHO, except oil, grease or cosmoline.

[desdem12]

You should never store rifles in pouches or bags. It will collect moisture and rust them fast. Also the green is copper so use some copper cleaner to get it out along with the other cleaning.

[wingspar]

At least I think its green. I'm colorblind lol, but its definitely a very contrasting color to the rest of the barrel.

Maybe have someone else look at it or post a photo if you can... Ok, nevermind. I thought someone else posted that photo. Keyboard in mouth again.

[Sgt. Rob]

He did. It looks like rust.

Semper Fi, Rob

It was a light color. Like a lime/yellow/rust color. Not a dark green.

Here's a pic from when something like this happened with the same gun before.

[wingspar]

He did. It looks like rust.

Semper Fi, Rob

Oops. I missed that the photo was posted by him. Yep, that’s rust. Fixin my last post.

[WeldonHunter]

It was mentioned before but the most important things to remember to do is remove the salts from shooting corrosively primed ammo with hot or preferably boiling water and do your regular cleaning routine with the last part being swabbing the bore with a liberal coating of a good gun oil. Mine hang on racks on the wall and I can see a bead of oil dripping out of the bores from time to time I use that much. I use Break Free CLP but there's a lot of good oils you can use. The bore as well as the outside of the rifle needs to have a good coating of oil to keep air and ambient moisture (humidity) from the metal. This is a very comprehensive way to achieve a rifle that is clean and can be stored with no problems. Click This ------> http://www.russian-mosin-nagant-forum.c ... =66&t=6932

[cleanneon98]

So how do I proceed? This isn't the first time this has happened. I didn't shoot it for a year or so once and it was the same stuff but much more. Rifle still shoots a good grouping however even after sitting rusty for a year and being brushed and patched out and shot, was getting an inch at 25 yards just working my way up. Just frustrating that it's there and keeps coming back.

Is ballistol a good oil to run down the bore? I use it to lube my glocks. Like that it isn't as runny as other stuff and tends to stay put better in my experience. Is ballistol good for an after the range cleaner? That's all I've been using lately cause I got a big bottle non aerosol.

[WeldonHunter]

So how do I proceed? This isn't the first time this has happened. I didn't shoot it for a year or so once and it was the same stuff but much more. Rifle still shoots a good grouping however even after sitting rusty for a year and being brushed and patched out and shot, was getting an inch at 25 yards just working my way up. Just frustrating that it's there and keeps coming back.

Is ballistol a good oil to run down the bore? I use it to lube my glocks. Like that it isn't as runny as other stuff and tends to stay put better in my experience. Is ballistol good for an after the range cleaner? That's all I've been using lately cause I got a big bottle non aerosol.

I'm not familiar with it (I've never used it personally) but a lot of guys here use it and swear by it. I can only tell you what my experience is with what I've used. The first question is are you using it and nothing else to clean after shooting corrosively primed ammo? If you read that link I posted before it gives you the cleaning procedure in detail. If you follow that you shouldn't have a problem. The first and most important thing is to remove the salts left behind by corrosive ammo and water, preferably hot water, is the way to do that. The clean as described in the post. Sometimes it helps to shoot the rifle and clean it while it's hot from shooting it.

[zeebill]

Ballistol is an oil not a cleaner. It has a certain amount of natural detergency as any oil will have but it is an oil not a cleaner. After you use a cleaner and brush on the bore then use Ballistol or any other good gun oil for a storage preparation. You are missing the salts removal process in what you are saying to us. You need to use the hot water or Windex or something like that before the oil to store it. That is why the rust keeps coming back! Watch the thread someone gave you here and follow one of the above processes to remove the salts from corrosive ammo. Bill

[cleanneon98]

Weird because I clean all of my guns with the Ballistol and don't have bore problems with anything else.

Would keeping a few packets of Silica gel in the storage pouch help?