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Posted: 5/14/2013 3:43:28 PM EDT
my friend came by with his rifle and said he needs me to show him how to take it apart and clean and this is what i find, never had one this bad how do you guys think i should tackle this???
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i'd be tempted to take it and get it media blasted and or sanded where need be then cerakote it. that's pretty bad. trash the small cheap parts and replace them.
could always start with some elbow grease though followed by a polishing wheel on a dremel and some compound. see where that gets you. |
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New stripped lower and LPK, should be ~$225. Maybe a new buffer if it cant be saved. Polish up the back of the upper receiver and bcg if needed. Done, next. :P
If you really want to salvage it, I'd sort of agree with the above it probably needs to be blasted with something... |
Strip out all the parts, if you're able. Check all the small springs and detents carefully, replace as needed. I'd be a little concerned about the buffer spring too. CLP and 0000 steel wool all the rust off and run everything in an ultrasonic parts cleaner if available. Doesn't look much pitting. Hopefully it'll run OK. Cold blue and/or aluma-black for touch up for extra protection. Re-lub and reassemble. Function check feeding and extraction. Might just look worse than it really is. Oh, be sure to give you friend a little grief too!
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he bought new unfire in nov its a del-ton rifle and he shot it late nov. 60 rounds of pmc bronze and been sitting since it was lightly oiled before he shot it, the range day was a little moist rainy but didnt get the gun wet barrel seems fine This would seem to me to likely be caused by corrosive ammo |
| Here in Florida during the summer I leave the AC on at least 12 hours a day to suck the humidity out, and then dehumidifiers inside both safes. I check them every month and everyone meets Hoppes, oil and grease at least twice a year. Some of my AK mags maybe 5-6 of them had brownish fine dust and some evidence of rust. I can imagine the rifle left practically outside, summer and winter as far as I can tell from the pics. |
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I've seen much worse, she'll clean up ok.
I hate to see stuff like that, but it happens. Fine steel wool and lube, take your time. That's surface rust, very minor pitting at most. Disassemble what you can- it looks worse than it really is. Then lube her up good, and rib your friend- show him how to take better care of a wet firearm. |
| about 3 or 4 years ago I left my gun case open one morning when I went hunting and the dew fell well needless to say I got back and the case was super damp and I did not notice and threw my 82 colt sp1 in it and locked it up. When I got home I did not have a safe at the time so i slid it under my bed (I know unsecured gun but I keep them all in a big cannon safe now). Fast forward two weeks later I go hunting again well when i pull the rifle out it is covered in rust and would not even let me pull the charging handle out. So I have my buddy grab the barrel while I jerk on the charging handle as hard as I can and the BCG slowly slides back while making this crazy horrible grinding noise. Well I release the charging handle and BCG stays stuck back along with the charging handle.So I grab my otis kit and squirt about a half a botle of CLP into it let it sit for 5 minutes and then bang the stock against a tree until the carrier moved almost all the way forward repeated this about three more times and eventually it started sliding forward kinda smoothly so I put a mag in it and do a dump. took that rifle hunting that day and when i got home most of the rust was gone so cleaning wasnt too bad. I guess the mag dump kinda blew it out. I guess the point of my novel is to say that gun and its parts are far from ruined you could probably just spray it down with WD-40 then go shoot it then clean it may be easier than cleaning a dry gun..... |
Lot's of different advice in this thread. I agree with those that say it looks much worse than it really is. Most of the lower can't rust because it is aluminum so I would gues the majority will wipe off. The BCG should be easy to clean as well as the buffer. As for the LPK you have two choices. Clean them up and hope for the best, or replace with new. Some of the small parts that can rust are small enough that it doesn't take much to affect them in a negative way. If this is nothing but a range gun I would probably clean it and go. If this is a SHTF type gun or HD, than option 2 might be a better choice. Of course there is always option 3, tell your buddy to buy a new complete lower and send the old one to me for proper burial. I will even pay the shipping, how does that sound? 
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Plus 1 It is not that bad. Quoted:
I've seen much worse, she'll clean up ok. I hate to see stuff like that, but it happens. Fine steel wool and lube, take your time. That's surface rust, very minor pitting at most. Disassemble what you can- it looks worse than it really is. Then lube her up good, and rib your friend- show him how to take better care of a wet firearm. |
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Kept in foam case, only my best guess
How is that even possible? Was it in a fire, or stored in an attic? My grandfather's Colt was stored in a bathroom closet for decades and still looked perfect when I got it, although it was filthy because he never cleaned it. |
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How is that even possible? Was it in a fire, or stored in an attic? My grandfather's Colt was stored in a bathroom closet for decades and still looked perfect when I got it, although it was filthy because he never cleaned it. Kept in foam case, only my best guess My guess also is similar. How I see it- He was shooting in wet weather and thought weapon was not wet (if barrel was hot, it'd look dry). But, with the weapon somewhat damp and owner not realizing this, puts rifle away. Only later pulling it out and seeing this rusty mess. Apparently, rifle was not heavily lubed or at least not properly lubed nor properly cared for after range trip. Moisture would migrate to coolest part of weapon and start it's cruel work. I've seen worse, but never mine. This is merely my best guess, as a likely scenario. I have seen weapons stored for decades with no ill effects, I've stored several for more than 10 years and they look fine- but I ensure they are dry (of moisture) and oiled before storage and keep them in a controlled climate. Putting a weapon into a damp enclosure, or a damp weapon in storage allows terrible things. I worked many years in my buddies gunsmithing shop- I saw worse. We salvaged most. Almost anything can be salvaged with enough time and money, some are not worth it tho. Hey OP, where are the pics? |
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I only use foam to travel, never for storage
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How is that even possible? Was it in a fire, or stored in an attic? My grandfather's Colt was stored in a bathroom closet for decades and still looked perfect when I got it, although it was filthy because he never cleaned it. Kept in foam case, only my best guess My guess also is similar. How I see it- He was shooting in wet weather and thought weapon was not wet (if barrel was hot, it'd look dry). But, with the weapon somewhat damp and owner not realizing this, puts rifle away. Only later pulling it out and seeing this rusty mess. Apparently, rifle was not heavily lubed or at least not properly lubed nor properly cared for after range trip. Moisture would migrate to coolest part of weapon and start it's cruel work. I've seen worse, but never mine. This is merely my best guess, as a likely scenario. I have seen weapons stored for decades with no ill effects, I've stored several for more than 10 years and they look fine- but I ensure they are dry (of moisture) and oiled before storage and keep them in a controlled climate. Putting a weapon into a damp enclosure, or a damp weapon in storage allows terrible things. I worked many years in my buddies gunsmithing shop- I saw worse. We salvaged most. Almost anything can be salvaged with enough time and money, some are not worth it tho. Hey OP, where are the pics? |
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Quoted: I've seen much worse, she'll clean up ok. I hate to see stuff like that, but it happens. Fine steel wool and lube, take your time. That's surface rust, very minor pitting at most. Disassemble what you can- it looks worse than it really is. Then lube her up good, and rib your friend- show him how to take better care of a wet firearm. +1 after I clean my AR with water I took a hair dryer to it. lol. |
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