Barrett and Rust

[flyjets]

Here Goes

I fired my M99 2 weeks ago before leaving the Range I run a mixture of Kroil and Shooters Choice in the barrel.
Next I wipe down the Bolt and pack up for my 45 min drive home.

When home I dissemble the M99 give it a thorough cleaning and then polish the Bore with JB paste.

Last step wipe the frame down with some Kroil and put her back in the safe.

Well today my Ergo/Falcon grip arrived took the M99 out and found minor surface rust on the Bolt lugs, rear frame & last on some of the removable trigger frame.

I cleaned it all off and now sprayed it down with Hornady Case lube.

So here is the question I have my rifle in the safe with a dehumidifier and running 39% humidity.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Ian

[Darrell Shirts]

I go back to my time in the aero space world... "OILS sulfurous"... pressure and humidity,,, The product quality control is getting lax... I think you might do a simple test for sulfides in your protective lubricant.. Taste it. you will know with just a dab on your finger put to your tounge... if the rust is being caused by the lack of protection, or by sulfides in the oils you are using.. If your tounge tingles it's sufide rich..and is not good for protecting metal parts, JMO Darrell

[Shadow]

Flyjets: Darrel has a good point. I personally have never used any of the stuff you mention. BTW, Hornady Case Lube is a non-petroleum product, that contains WAX.

Anyway, I'd also suspect it's the chemicals. Or maybe..... your safe (being fireproof, I'd guess) has some chemicals in the fireproofing materials (which makes it fireproof) that are reacting with the specific chemicals you are using to clean/protect with.

I've lived in Florida for 4 years now. Humidity is always a concern, but I've never had any rust appear on any of my rifles or pistols (well, actually, the Cat's rifles and pistols).

What I do.
I don't mix chemicals. Only use a single chemical to clean bores/actions, etc. I use Butch's Bore Shine, but certainly others work just as well. I've used Hoppes, etc. also to clean - most seem to work, but I like Butch's for the bores..

After cleaning, I put on a pair of Nitrile disposal gloves, for final wipe down and assembly. I wipe down (completely) all metal surfaces with a silicon impregnated cloth. There are many varieties - all seem to work well for removing all prints/skin oil, etc.

Then (gloves still one) I assemble the particular weapon and put in safe..

Later, if I take out - just to look/check, fondle, etc. I use Nitrile gloves to handle, etc. I don't fondle the weapons with bare hands unless I'm going to shoot.

Like I said, seems to work for me, since I pretty meticilous and have never has any rust accumulate on any of the (Cat's) weapons.

Lastly, do you use an electric dehumidifier? Or one that you recharge in the oven? Or one that has the sacrificial pellets? I've found the ones with the sacrificial pellets (you pour the water out of the container, when it collects), work the best. At least that's my experience - with the kind of humidity, I have around here in Florida..

Rust is bad... you need to figure out what's specifically causing it. BTW, you certainly don't use WD-40 for anything, right? Most don't know, but WD-40 replaces moisture, meaning it collects the moisture - so where there is WD-40, there'll be rust eventually. I'd suspect some chemicals react together and actually tend to collect moisture.

Let us know how the "taste test" works.. I ain't putting any of that stuff (krap) on my tongue, but I was always curious what it tasted like.

[flyjets]

I'll have to check into the sulfides and see what I find.

It's possible the perspiration from my hands did this as well since I handled it while putting the M99 away.
Usually I do put them away with a towel after cleaning.

All the other weapons are as normal no rust so will have to see.

Shadow I am at 39% humidity inside the Safe controlled by a rechargeable device. The room the safe resides in has a dehumidifier as well.

I to use the Silicon towel to handle the weapons but lately it's been so hot I know I can possibly have got something on the M99.

Tonight I coated the entire M99 in Breakfree. that should be fine as it has never failed me in the past. The Kroil is a excellent lubricant /penetrating oil link below. I use it on all my barrels

http://www.kanolabs.com

I like the idea about the gloves makes perfect sense I need to get some.

Ian

[Yeadon]

I go back to my time in the aero space world... "OILS sulfurous"... pressure and humidity,,, The product quality control is getting lax... I think you might do a simple test for sulfides in your protective lubricant.. Taste it. you will know with just a dab on your finger put to your tounge... if the rust is being caused by the lack of protection, or by sulfides in the oils you are using.. If your tounge tingles it's sufide rich..and is not good for protecting metal parts, JMO Darrell

Thanks for the info

[Darrell Shirts]

It's like this... Sulfides, as in gun blueing nonferous, COPPER SILVER etc... Or sulfides ferrite, like Iron... Well you can't get away from the iron, it's everywhere.. especially in FIREARMS...Go figure!... So what is done to prtect the integrity of steel... RUST THE GRAP OUT OF IT.. Yep.. Each type of steel will rust or oxidate to a specific point and then it begins to do something really neat.. IT SCABS OVER.. like a scar.. Once this occures it takes another action to destroy the integrity of the structure. Each molecular bond between the various metal compunds is nothing more than, you guessed it.. RUST... Pearlite and other metalic structres are held together by the same stuff that we think of as destructive.. Ah! Maybe you don't belive it... The blueing on your favorite piece is a product of oxidation with copper sulfate... the copper fills in all the microscopic voids RUST is a very hard matter.. it's a crystal... IRON OXIDE.. well when we apply pressuer to the two, IRON OXIDE and COPPER SULFATE, a neet thing happens... the two begin to meld... giving a very nice shiney blue surface... It is quite durable against... YOU guessed it again...RUST... The greatest secret to firearms is protecting the metal once it is formed... Some oils will react one way with one metal, and another with, well you get the picture... When I blue a part, I am only filling in voids where moisture can collect. Copper works really well for this... Gold is the best but it is expensive, and just abit of a quirky element... In that it really dosn't want to stick to anything but a crystal. That's why when you gold plate items, you need to... YOU guessed it again RUST it, not much though, just enough to give the gold a grip. Ah it is a weird world of metalurgy... Sometime you have to destroy to protect... And we didn't even get in to heat treating as a base for prtecting metals... Oh well ... Darrell

[flyjets]

Found this on the Net

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

[Darrell Shirts]

Thanks Flyjets... He really did a good test...... Darrell

[flyjets]

Here's an update

I checked the safe and found that BreakFree is working better then any previous protection I've used.

All the rust is completely gone and the M99 looks as new.

Safe still showing 39% humidity.

looks like I am going to coat all the firearms in BreakFree from now on.

Ian

[DEDMNKY]

Cool glad everything worked out for you flyjets

[Mogley2000]

So I have a question? Why is there nothing about Hoppes gun oil? Its is one of the easiest to find. Every place Ive ever been if they carry any kind of firearm carrys Hoppes. Anyone use this? I ask because its the oil and solvent ive used since I was a kid on my parents guns and ive never seen a hint of rust. Then again the Barrett's texture is not the same as say a glock or revolver. Am I missing somthing here?
God knows the military lives and breaths by CLP....so whats the difference?

[Samurai]

Good question Hoppes is good also.

[Darrell Shirts]

I was just thinking about the formula.. Hoppes works well don't get me wrong but it is the gerber baby food of cleaning solvents... It was originally made for cleaning black powder guns and what they clled new smokless powder.. not like the stuff we have today... Remember the old ball powder... hopppes worked really well for that stufff cause it could floataway the carbon.. But with nitro cellulose blends you really don't need that type of solvent. also it seame that hoppes has a tendancy to attract moisture.. Mabey it's just my Utah climate. every hour the temp and humidty goes nuts.. but the dryer the solvent the bettter in my opinion.. then a nice sulpher free oil.. If you dont have any, you can make good sulpher free oil by pouring it into a coffee filter suspended in boiling water..the sulpher and other nasty compunds stick to the filter and the oil is as good as it gets.. you can use old motor oil this way, just separate the compounds.. just like they do at the distillery or the refinery.. By the way if you are recycling your motor oil at a GREEN place they are getting you comming and going.. OIL IS OIL.. Just dfferent grades.. coffee filters folks, just get teh carbon out of the mix and 40 weight becomes twenty weight and so on it's not that the oil is bad... it's just that it has a bunch of crap in it... Take an API GRAVITY reading of used oil and new ,,, oil it'l be the same.. the only difference between GREEN oil and Black oil is CARBON... Remember folks I worked the fields for Halliburton.. an Dow... So you know and I don't expect you to take my word for it. Old motor oil when teated properly can be as good a gun oil as you could want. when you take the steps..But if you have the money just buy some goos stuff.. at least while it is still out there... Darrell

[Geo.AZ]

Sorry Guys ... In AZ we have about 10 to 20 % Humidty Almost NO RUST
Thank You Kindly. Geo.Az

p.s. you need dehumidty units in your safes.

[ct3f]

Guys,
I have been using Sentry products for years on anything I want to take good care of.
Their main products are Tuf-Glide and Tuf Cloth. Both of these are oil free lubricants with no silicone. These products are great at stopping rust and corroison. I use them on everything I have, knives, H&K uspc, milspec 5r, Rec 7 with no rust and great lubrication! A friend used to have his sig 229 start to rust after 6 hrs undercover. With a Tuf-Cloth wipe down no rust after 2 weeks! As for the AZ guys, since this is a product that is a dry lube it does not attract dust while in storage or not being used for long periods of time.
I even use Tuf-Glide on the battery terminals in my diesel truck---and there is no green fuzz on my terminals after 3 yrs.
Just wipe or spray on, let dry, and you're done. Great stuff.
http://www.sentrysolutions.com