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Posted: 5/7/2014 5:09:39 PM EDT
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I have a Winchester Model 94 Legacy, it was the first rifle I bought for myself and it means a lot to me. Its in my safe with my other guns, none of which have any rust on them. The 94 just keeps getting spots of rust on it though and the thing is damn near covered in oil. If I touch it at all I wipe it down with oil or a gun wipe, and put it back in the safe by holding it with the oily rag or gun wipe. None of my other guns are touching it. I have a silica bag in the upper part of my safe where the pistols are and an Eva-Dry moisture collector in the bottom where the rifles are and the 94 is sitting just next to it. They stay pretty dry, I only have to recharge the eva-dry every 6 months or so.
The worst part is a few years back before I had my safe I had the 94 in a silicone gun sock inside a copper/plastic sleeve and inside a plastic gun box. I pulled it out of there to look at it and oil it (I had not messed with it in months) and it had pits on the outside barrel. I havent shot it since then as I want to take it to a gunsmith to get his opinion on weather its even safe to shoot anymore. Whats happening? Why is this thing a rust magnet? 
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It could be a few things:
Sometime in it's past it was handled by sweaty hands and not wiped down for awhile, that gave the salts in persperatioon time to set up and do it's dirt It may have been out in the damp, and same thing It may have been wiped down after use but not oiled or protected, same thing It may have been polished from the factory, then handled before blueing without being degreased, same thing After it's blueing it was not properly neutralized and polished, leaving some traces of blueing salts behind, same thing but somewhere in it's past it got contaminated and as saying goes 'Rust never sleeps' Blueing is a form of rust, not the oxidation we think of (red rust) but a naturally protective rusting process, that, if kept oiled or protected will continue to protect the underlying metal, but once destructive rust starts, you will never stop it. The only cure is to have it completely polished down, the pits and all and reblued. Not saying you did any of the above, but we are all young and we all like to think we've always taken excellent care of our guns, but we are forgetful and lazy at times. Also there are those out there who are refered to as 'salt people' thier sweat will just take the blueing off a gun if they are allowed to handle it. I have a cousin who is like that, if he handles a gun, it's going to rust. I think he secretes hydrochloric acid. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that is what you are looking at. RD |
| I've got my Dad's early 70's prod. mod. 94 and it's receiver is covered in small rust spots. I know my Dad drug it thru the woods many times and probably didn't wipe it down often and never kept it in a climate controlled area, but none of my rust spots appear to be from fingerprints or scratches. They're evenly scattered across the receiver but no where else on the rifle. I wonder if it was an issue in manufacturing? I've had it for years and the rust is only on the surface, since i've had it it gets oiled regularly & stored properly and it's not gotten worse, so there doesn't seem to be any danger in it rusting away. |
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Quoted:
I've got my Dad's early 70's prod. mod. 94 and it's receiver is covered in small rust spots. I know my Dad drug it thru the woods many times and probably didn't wipe it down often and never kept it in a climate controlled area, but none of my rust spots appear to be from fingerprints or scratches. They're evenly scattered across the receiver but no where else on the rifle. I wonder if it was an issue in manufacturing? I've had it for years and the rust is only on the surface, since i've had it it gets oiled regularly & stored properly and it's not gotten worse, so there doesn't seem to be any danger in it rusting away. Seen alot of them like that, all post '64. They went back to machined recievers in '82 iirc. Yours is cast (which won't take bluing) wth a very thin electro plated coating of iron (which will take bluing) THey tend to flake and pit off, and discolor. Good luck trying to reblue it, I never could on any of them. |
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OP-
From what you have described, it sounds like at one point this gun was exposed to salt or a corrosive environment. It can be something as simple as a hard hunt with the metal coming into contact with sweat and blood or being cleaned with something inappropriate like household bleach. Gun oils and solvents will not remove this contamination. They will only trap it against the metal and spread it around. Try this; Buy a product called Ballistol. Mix with about 80% distilled water. Wash (scrub) the whole rifle in this solution. You should remove the wood as there may be active rust hidden under the wood. If you cannot or do not wish to remove the wood be careful not to let the solution soak in. I would run the solution through the action and the mag tube if you suspect these areas are contaminated. After really washing everything, rinse with a clean solution of the same mix and wipe dry. You can use compressed air to dry the nooks and crannies. The wonderful thing about this mix is that any remaining water will remain emulsified with the oil and will not cause metal to rust. It will simply evaporate, leaving a thin film of the Ballistol. Allow it all air dry for about a week and look for any new corrosion. If it looks good, CLP as usual and check it from time to time. A thin coat of pure Ballistol is good for storage but there are better lubricants for shooting. I have had very good results with the above method on cleaning guns after shooting corrosive primed ammunition or blackpowder. I have also used it on gun that have been exposed to salt water or have been submerged. Good stuff! 
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