Rusty Stainless Montana Rifle

[Wyatt Smith]

I’ve seen stainless knives and guns rust, but never pipe fittings or bolts. I do know the bolts are not as strong as standard steel bolts. However a grade 8 bolt will be rusted into our spayer pump in a month while a stainless bolt will not appear to be rusted at all, and come out very easily. The same goes for pipe fittings. After a few months black steel fittings will be unusable, galvanized will make it a little longer. Stainless you never worry about again.
Just my observations.

 

[mdwest]

I know nothing about bolts or fittings.. but I’m going to bet really high quality ones are probably subjected to some sort of “finish” like a tenifer specifically so they can withstand elements and exposure for years without rusting...

 

[Jeff 907]

A reaction would seem plausible, but it’s only this rifle. There are plenty of other stainless/blued buddies along side him in the safe. I use a Tikka T3 for salty hunts on Kodiak and Prince William Sound islands and it shows very little rust. The main rust is on the Talley mount screws and the Leupold magnification Allen screw. I just oil them and it seems to be kept under control.
Its going to the smith for a thorough look. And I’ll try some of the advice that’s been given on this thread. Thanks everyone.

 

[Von S.]

On all the stainless firearms I've built I never had any rust...... not a one.

Try giving all stainless parts in a nitric acid solution for about 20 minutes tops.

It's called passivation.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Wyatt, I believe you will find that stainless steel pipe and fittings are usually made of 300 series of stainless. They use it because of the caustic liquids flowing through it which would erode any other steel quickly. They are likely passivated to eliminate all the surface irons so they don’t contaminate what ever is flowing through them. At least this is a requirement in the food industry.

 

[Certus]

316, are not suitable choices for parts such as barrels and receivers because they are not heat-treatable and difficult to machine

Ain’t that the truth. The plate in particular can be a real bear.

Work with stainless weekly as a machinist, the 300’s are p*icks but sure do last. There was a C-Drill plug out where all the guys go to take a leak, 12 months of being peed on with no corossion (316).

 

[bruce moulds]

when testing bedding you can use a magnetic clamp on the barrel to hold the indicator against the stock forend.
the magnetic clamps work very well on stainless barrels.
this suggests that the barrels are more of a semi stainless in terms of rusting.
i have stainless barrels that have showed a bit of rust on the outside if not maintained.
it is common knowledge that stainless firearms require protection of some kind.
there is a bore solvent recommended to leave in the barrel.
when i did this in a broughton stainless barrel, the inside turned black due to some type of corrosion.
treat so called stainless guns like blued ones and they will never rust.
it is said that stainless in contact with normal steel will rust.
bruce.

 

[thriller]

Wow sorry to see that good luck

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Gentlemen, a little known fact is that under certain conditions Stainless Steel will rust faster than Carbon Steels. That is why stainless is not used as a through hull fitting on any boat or ship. Stainless steel isn't impervious to water and subsequent rusting.

I've installed hundreds of stainless through hulls. They don't have the the shelf life brass does though.

 

[WAB]

I used to run a boat out of Valdez. We did a lot of bear hunting running our zodiac to shore. Stainless rifles will get surface rust in one day in that environment. I think they get it faster than blued rifles. I had Gary Junk of Arctic Gunworks arctic coat (high end cerakote) my stainless guns. This is the ultimate solution for a tough environment but don’t forget to take care of the bore!

As to the OP’s rifle, was it stored in a water tight case? It really looks like it was stored in something that wouldn’t breath. This is a sure formula for disaster, particularly in a damp environment like AK.

 

[Jeff 907]

This rifle has never even seen rain. It stays in the safe unless It’s headed to Birchwood range then soft case.

 

[WAB]

This rifle has never even seen rain. It stays in the safe unless It’s headed to Birchwood range then soft case.

Crazy, hard to understand how that could happen! I hope you get it sorted. I would definitely consider one of the cerakote technologies. Gary Junk in Fairbanks is outstanding.

 

[AES]

I am looking at a small screen but are you sure that is not just grease and cleaning agent getting nasty? Lightly flitz it then report back.