Surface Rust and Pitting - Traveling with Rifles and Moisture Management

[MRodrigues1991]

Hey everyone,

Just got back from a 2 week trip in South Africa. Utilized a Pelican Vault 2 gun case that I really couldn't speak more highly about on quality and protection it provided.

However I did travel the second week without opening the case and due to what I believe was simply some moisture in the air that was locked in, I had quite a bit of surface rust across my rifles when I opened the case on my return to the U.S. The worst of it was on the faces of my lever action and a bit on barrels of both guns. I cleaned down the rifles, re-oiled them and the pitting on the lever action is quite severe with minor pitting on the barrel of the other rifle.

Anyone have any experience with moisture management when traveling with guns in sealed cases for some time? A lot of this falls on me on not being diligent of oiling the rifles during the trip, lesson learned, however any tips for future travel to avoid this again?

Also any reputable gun smiths in the Dallas TX area you guys recommend to take a look and see if refinishing is an option? Will try and get some pictures up later.

-Mike

 

[dchum]

You already know the answer
Like you said - just oil the gun before you put it a case

 

[mdwest]

I havent done it in a while, but I used to throw a couple of boveda controlled humidity packs in my hard cases when I knew firearms would be locked in them for a period of time. These are the same passive humidity control packs that are used in cigar humidors. If the humidity in an enclosed environment exceeds the packs rating, it absorbs the excess humidity. If the humidity in the enclosed environment is less than the packs rating, it releases humidity.

Size 60 For Most Humidors

No more mess of using sponges, gels, or beads. Automatically maintains the right RH for cigars. Preserves flavor, aroma, character. Protects cigars for months.

store.bovedainc.com

Doesnt matter if its 110 degrees and 5% humidity outside.. or 38 degrees at 90% relative humidity.. the enclosed environment will stabilize at 69% humidity in a short period of time...

 

[Certus]

You already know the answer
Like you said - just oil the gun before you put it a case

What I do also. Oily hands, oily cloth. Before they go away for storage oil over all metal and don’t touch metal after oiling. If I do I wipe that section with oily cloth again. Had rifles sit for up to 5 years without retouching and no rust.
Using G96

 

[coreydb]

Oil, oil, oil. I also throw in a couple bags of dry rice in child's socks. Great vesicant.

 

[Caveman]

For prevention, I use Birchwood Casey Barricade. If you are looking for a good way to remove minor surface pitting, try bronze wool coated in rem oil.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Any gun case with foam will help rust form. This goes with me in the case.

 

[WellThatsNotRight]

Renaissance Wax the whole gun outside of the stock after a good cleaning. Balistol wipes packed with the rifle to wipe down after the hunt. Cheap desiccant packets sprinkled like confetti throughout the case before closing case for extended period. I microwave them prior to leaving and then seal them in a ziplock. Small obstructions in the case can prevent even humidity control if you use any single device.

I avoid silicone (though it does an excellent job) because if it gets into the wood on an oil finish stock it is a pita to get out if you ever want to refinish or touch up the finish.

 

[jbirdwell]

I agree with the Renaissance Wax. On rifles with wood stocks I rub it in and buff all the metal and wood and have yet to have a problem. A tin will last you forever.

 

[Tango]

I also slip my long guns into one of the rust inhibiting stretchy sleeves after I wipe it down with Barricade/oil. Then they go into a soft case inside the Pelican. Never an issue.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-silicone-treated-gun-sock

 

[ryno111]

+1 for the dessicant packs (for moisture mgmt) and oil.

 

[Tango]

For prevention, I use Birchwood Casey Barricade. If you are looking for a good way to remove minor surface pitting, try bronze wool coated in rem oil.

The Birchwood Casey Barricade is fantastic stuff. Used to live in OR and hunted sea ducks-geese on the coast 3 months/year. Coated the shotguns with Barricade and never an issue with rust.

 

[John J]

Put a dab of Kroil on the rust spot. Let it soak for a few then gently rub the spot with 0000 steel wool. That's what was recommended to me by members here a while back. Worked well. It will leave a bare unfinished spot but my wife was ok with the few shiny spots.

 

[Sika98k]

I havent done it in a while, but I used to throw a couple of boveda controlled humidity packs in my hard cases when I knew firearms would be locked in them for a period of time. These are the same passive humidity control packs that are used in cigar humidors. If the humidity in an enclosed environment exceeds the packs rating, it absorbs the excess humidity. If the humidity in the enclosed environment is less than the packs rating, it releases humidity.

Size 60 For Most Humidors

No more mess of using sponges, gels, or beads. Automatically maintains the right RH for cigars. Preserves flavor, aroma, character. Protects cigars for months.

store.bovedainc.com

Doesnt matter if its 110 degrees and 5% humidity outside.. or 38 degrees at 90% relative humidity.. the enclosed environment will stabilize at 69% humidity in a short period of time...

Dave, I’m off to Germany on Thursday hopefully. I was going to dip into my humidor for a few for the weekend. Now I have even more reason to do so. Nice bit of information. Thanks.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I use 3-in1 oil to coat my rifle metal (exterior). Heavy enough to stay put during heavy use in the field. Most "gun oils" disappear in short order.

Keep in mind rifle cases are ascending to 30K feet in unheated plane baggage hold where temps are freezing, then unloaded into a toasty warm terminal. Condensation is a given. Metal needs to be well oiled. I would suggest putting rifles in a soft case inside the hard case. That should slow down temperature change enough to avoid a lot (but not all!) of condensation on metal. Unwrap guns as soon as you get home and wipe them down again.

 

[mdwest]

Dave, I’m off to Germany on Thursday hopefully. I was going to dip into my humidor for a few for the weekend. Now I have even more reason to do so. Nice bit of information. Thanks.

Boveda doesnt want you to know this... but.. they are rechargeable/re-useable.. Ive been using some of the same packs for 15+ years..

Typically here in N TX, the RH is a little lower than 69%.. and my desktop humidor doesnt have a perfect seal.. so the pack is constantly releasing a little bit of humidity.. after about 7-8 months it dries out..

If you put the dried out pack into a completely sealed container like a piece of tupperware, with a shot glass half filled with distilled water, over the course of a couple of weeks the boveda will absorb all of the excess humidity inside that container, and re-hydrate the pack.. it will be good to go for another 7-8 months (or however long they last in your particular environment)..

Most guys dont realize they are rechargeable, and end up throwing their bovedas out whenever they dry out or whenever they become saturated from absorbing too much moisture..

 

[375Fox]

I haven’t had the problem during travel but some of my well used guns that have some pitting get scrubbed with steel wool and Vaseline before going into the gun safe. The steel wool scrubs off the light surface rust and the Vaseline lasts a lot longer than gun oil.

 

[RLL]

Agree with all comments above. I use a Z-Rust capsule in my case. Works well in the safe for about 2 years.

 

[RR 314]

I have used Big 45 Machine Gun Oil for quite a while and have never had any issues. I also use the renaissance wax on wood surfaces, but prefer to utilize the machine gun oil on metal.

 

[deewayne2003]

@MRodrigues1991

FYI if you are sweating and handling the rifle your putting salt onto the gun as well so not surprising.

1. Get desiccant packs that absorb moisture and have one in the pelican; I keep mine in a cloth/non air tight bag along with my Balistol wipe packets, ear plugs & mini tool set.

2. Get some of the silicone gun socks and before traveling turn them inside out and lightly spray the exposed surface with Balistol. Then put the rifles in the socks whenever it goes in the hard case.

This has worked for me by keeping a protective coating on the gun every time it’s put away for more than 24hrs and the desiccant taking the moisture out of the case.

In Zim this July I also got in a good routine with the PH, every evening when we put the guns up for the night we’d open a Balistol pack and wipe down both my .470 & his .458 Lott.

One packet takes up zero room of a day pack and will do several rifles and it makes keeping a daily routine easy.