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Posted: 3/3/2011 6:02:19 PM EDT
| Last month I took my SCAR 16s for it's first outdoor shoot. After a hundred rounds and some fun in the snow I put rifle back in my case and forgot about it. I didn't think to clean it after such a low round count, but the other day I decide to give it a once over. I noticed some disturbing marks. The compensator had blue marks as well as parts of the front sight and gas regulator. Also there is a significant mark on the front sight where the finish has been removed. I don't know what caused any of this. I was shooting Lake City M193 and the front sight was folded down for the majority of the time. Is the mark wear and tear? What about the strange blue marks? Rust? Corrosion from moisture? I oil the weapon before taking it out for my session. What could have caused this? |
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Quoted:
Last month I took my SCAR 16s for it's first outdoor shoot. After a hundred rounds and some fun in the snow I put rifle back in my case and forgot about it. I didn't think to clean it after such a low round count, but the other day I decide to give it a once over. I noticed some disturbing marks. The compensator had blue marks as well as parts of the front sight and gas regulator. Also there is a significant mark on the front sight where the finish has been removed. I don't know what caused any of this. I was shooting Lake City M193 and the front sight was folded down for the majority of the time. Is the mark wear and tear? What about the strange blue marks? Rust? Corrosion from moisture? I oil the weapon before taking it out for my session. What could have caused this? I once left an 870 in the case for about 10 days after my brother took it out and shot it. When I took it out, there was spotted rust all over the entire gun. They had been shooting it in the snow. Luckily all of it cleaned off pretty nicely, but it was a lesson to never leave guns in the case for very long - they're only for transporting. My guess would be a light rust. |
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Blue is just copper. Have you ever cleaned a rifle using copper remover? Don't worry about it
Of course the finish will be worn off the front sight. When folded the front sight is on top of the gas port so the gas will shoot out of the gas port and blast the finish right off. |
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Quoted:
The blueish-green stuff is copper residue from the bullet jackets that has oxidized (think Statue of Liberty...). Should come off with solvent and a srub brush. As for the wear marks, I have no idea. A photo may help. Stephen This, and if you leave a rifle without any corrosion protection in humidity, it will rust. AR, AK, or SCAR. |
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Quoted:
The blueish-green stuff is copper residue from the bullet jackets that has oxidized (think Statue of Liberty...). Should come off with solvent and a srub brush. As for the wear marks, I have no idea. A photo may help. Stephen This But I would really like to see a picture. |
| The areas the OP mention are common locations of residue after shooting my SCAR, especally if the front sight is collapsed. They can be resiliant but have always cleaned up nicely with a brush. Without pictures it is tough to determine if the same areas are affected. |
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Quoted: Adds character, I leave my SCAR filthy. My front sight has copper residue all over it as well. +1 If you want to get rid of the copper very quickly, use foaming bore cleaner. I don't have the super secret squirrel cleaning kit for the SCAR, so I am lazy and just hose down the gas regulator area with foaming bore cleaner to get rid of the copper and powder residue. But otherwise, the dirt and dings add character to the SCAR. It's a combat assault rifle designed for Asscrackistan, not an ivory pearl gripped 1911 designated as a museum piece. |
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Storing a rifle in a carry case is not a good idea, it will lead to rust quite often. I work in a pawn shop and most of the rifles or shotguns that people bring in with rust on them, are from being stored in a carry case.
Best to store them in a safe with a few silica bags in there for moisture control. |
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I'm a bit of a clean freak. Clean uniform, clean equipment, clean house, clean car, etc.....I rarely clean my weapons unless I'm about to put them away for a while or they're too dirty. I would say people that obsessively clean their guns don't enjoy them or enjoy using them enough.
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Cold metal is always going to sweat when you introduce it to a warm and humid envoronment. When enclosed in a rifle case it will hold the condensation on the metal and it will rust. When shooting in the winter, ALWAYS remove your weapons from the cases when you bring them in. They will still sweat a little but at least you can wipe them down until they come to room temp. Think of this in terms of a cold beer outside on a hot humid day... Same effect.
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Quoted: why the hell would you put away a beautiful and expessive rifle like the scar away without cleanning it after snow exposure is beyond me dude. sell me you scar i'll take proper care of her. Probably because a rifle like the scar should not need to be babied every time it is touched like a high-polished weatherby hunting rifle. From the sounds of it, the OP was not abusing it at all. If I had a SCAR, I'd probably rarely clean it except for a quick wipe of the bolt face, feed ramps, and chamber. Treat it like a truck. The shiney ones are no good.
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Quoted:
Quoted:
The blueish-green stuff is copper residue from the bullet jackets that has oxidized (think Statue of Liberty...). Should come off with solvent and a srub brush. As for the wear marks, I have no idea. A photo may help. Stephen This But I would really like to see a picture. had some copper residue on the end of my AR: 
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I work with the Navy and fire both the SCAR Heavy and Light on the range whenever I get. I have mixed emotions about them.....mainly the adjustable cheek rest.....
They are accurate, but I am used to my M4 style rifle. BUT, if you want to prevent real corrosion, full field strip you SCAR, to include removing the barrel. Warm all the metal parts like bolt group and barrel assembly. Once the parts are warm.....use gloves to prevent burns to your hands........add TW25B to the exterior of all metal parts, but leave lube off gas piston/end of bolt carrier assembly. It will absorb to some degree into the metal when warm. Appy it evenly and wipe off any excess. Set parts aside until they cool. Lube interior of receiver and trigger group metal parts to include springs not too much on springs. Reassemble and function test. This is what the SEAL Teams use on their SCARS and some have been exposed to sea water and have not rusted. I will try and find some pictures showing barrels that were fired excessively on full auto/very rapid fire semi and left to cool........they look like they were left iin salt water for months............even after a day at the range. TW25b seems to be some of the best to prevent rust. Firing residue is best handled with a brass bristke brush and solvent. Don't store your weapon in a Pelican style case since the open cell foam removes any lube and promotes rust. Cheers |
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