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Posted: 12/21/2004 1:06:04 AM EDT
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I just discovered the buffer spring and inside of stock tube is badly rusted with orange flaky rust. This is the ar I carry in the mountains and it gets wet quite often. Almost every weekend. I clp/break free wiped the spring down and the inside of the tube as best i could but i'm short on time and can't get all of it out and off. If i leave this rifle in the safe with my other firearms for a week or so til i have more time, will/can the rust spread to the other firearms even though they are lubed, clean and rust free at the moment??? Any suggestions for what i can do to the inside of the tube and spring so that they won't rust so easily in the future? Spray paint them? Parkerize them? Grease them? I carry this rifle in the mountain every week and i try to do the least amount of cleaning after each trip as possible. Most of the time i throw it in a corner for a day or so before i get around to putting it away til next week's trip. I'm sure the rust i discovered tonite has probably been in there for quite a few weeks now. Only reason i found it was because there was rust on the bolt carrier after i charged it. Thanks, Aloha StoneTemple |
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Just like the high humidity states on the mainland, your going to have problems with rusting if you don't keep the parts lubed to prevent surface oxidation of the parts. Rust in not like leapers, so you don’t need to ship the rifle off to Molokai. But if you putting a wet rifle in the safe, then as it dries out (at least to the humidity levels of the surrounding air), the extra moisture can condensate on the other rifles/ exposed metals surfaces in the safe that are not protected with a light coat of oil/lube. There are a few types of packet desiccant that you can buy to pull the moisture out of the safe, but considering the amount of common moisture here on the islands, you would be better off with an electric type. Just remember, this will pull the moisture out of the safe’s air, but you still need to dry off/lube the rifle before storing them to prevent the steel from oxidizing (from moisture/salt in the air) to begin with. |
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I think the buffer tube is aluminum, so it's prolly the spring that's rusting. Coat that buffer spring with a healthy shellacking of grease and you should be good to go. When you get back from the mountains, shower that bad boy in WD (RB style :D). Just remember to clean it before your next outing. :D |
| Rust is not caused by a germ it doesn't spread. When you get a chance clean the gun and get rid of the rust and then use a grease type lube for those areas. If you can find it Rusty Duck makes some good stuff they have a polymer grease (its in a blue aersol can) that they recomend for fishing reels out board motors etc. that would be perfect for your needs. I've used it for a long time with great results. |
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Thanks for all the feedback guys. I shoulda worded my question a little better. But yeh, the germ comment is what i was lookin for. I was thinking more along the lines of mold or something. I was worried if i put the rusty rifle in the safe even though it wasn't wet it might "spread" to the other firearms. I'm not lazy, it's just the last thing i wanna do after hiking 6 miles in the mountains and often times packing out 50 to 100 lbs of pork is go home and clean a rifle. Besides, i have to go out with my ol lady every saturday nite after those long days. Because of all the aluminum i haven't had much of a problem. It just seems to be that spring that caught me off guard. Thanks again, Stone |
Stone...Rust won't migrate from a rusty gun to a non-rusty. They will however proliferate! Once the safe door is closed, unGodly things occur. I put a Colt 1911 in my safe with a Colt Mustang. A few months later, I found...a Colt Pony!!! I'm now trying to figure out who/what sired my three North American 22's. Triplets!!!  
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