Rust spots

[Racer X]

Has anyone used a "Big 45 Frontier Metal Cleaner"? Claims to remove rust with no harm to the blue. Supposed to be made of a special alloy that is harder than rust but softer than bluing. It looks like a corse Brillo pad but it is magnetic. Got one but haven't used it.

yes, they are fantastic. Some people with a very bad leading problem will remove a strand or two and wrap it into a brass or bronze bore brush and it will really get the lead out, but it is still softer than the steel of the barrel. Same for a corroded bore. You can scrub the rust out but not chew up what is left of the rifling.

I don't know the alloy of stainless they use, but it was specifically chosen to do what it does.

I first heard about them over on the RimfireCentral forum, where they do the strand in the bore brush trick. Remington Thunderbolts are notorious for leading barrels in just a few dozen shots. No idea why it happens to some, but not others. I've seen pictures of the lead actually flowing out over the crown.

 

[Marksman]

Frontier Big .45 Metal Cleaning Pad is what I use, I was presented with a M/10 that had laid in a holster in an attic for more than 30 years. As you can imagine it was a mess of rust, I felt certain that it would need a reblue. That is until I used the Frontier Big .45 pad with Kroil on the gun, it removed every bit of the rust without any damage to the blue whatsoever. I was amazed and the customer was more than happy with the job it did.

 

[TJm15.38]

Kroil or Ballistol may do a very good job for you. A word of warning the Kroil smells. There are other more aggressive methods but those would be a good place to start.

Kroil does smell, but my wife thinks Ballistol does too. (The only gun cleaner she says doesn't smell is Hoppes #9). I'll put in a plug for Ballistol, because it is a non-petrolium based oil that won't hurt your hands when used on a cloth for rubbing. Kroil is better at penetrating to loosen a screw or a bolt, but I think Ballistol is great at mitigating surface rust on tools, knives and guns.

 

[Marksman]

Birchwood Casey Sheath, now called Barricade is excellent for rust prevention.