Best way to remove rust/clean a ugly barrel

[SeaRun1]

Hello all,

I bought a 45 caliber Thompson Hawken off of Gunbroker. I will not be buying another gun again without insisting on bore pictures. I accepted a written response that it was good.

Well after a lengthy fight to remove a rusty nipple as well as a few hours on an ugly bore I still have some questions.

It looks like most of the bore is pretty clean but the muzzle still looks a bit rusty and dirty. I used the JB compound and mirror polishing pastes as well as Hoppes 9. What else can I do to clean up this barrel?

Sometimes the patches would get stuck at the bottom and even hold onto the cleaning rod to the point I needed help getting it off. Is this because it is pitted up from a charge left in it?

I am new to the closed breech style guns only having in lines for the last ten years. Thanks for your help.

SR1

 

[Steve Wagner]

Spin some #0000 steel wool around a 44 or 45 cal brush the length of the brush until you get a snug, consistent fit in the bore. Work it up and down the bore but do not fight the rifling. Let it follow it, in and out each time, and keep changing the position slightly after you exit the bore and re-enter. Work back and forth on the rough spots until you get a consistent glide throughout the bore. I put a generous amount of Break Free on the wool while doing this. Use a cleaner you like. Others will recommend a good rust remover and that is probably sound advice as well. I just had a barrel where I did what I describe and it worked well but I have not had to use a rust remover. But it sounds like you may need one. Especially if a load was left to corrode in the breach at one time. You may need a breach scraper down there. Not sure, but others w more experience w that part will let you know. The experts will be along shortly w lots of great help. They may say I am wrong and that's ok. They may be right, but I know the #0000 wool won't harm your barrel. And of course, make sure it is not still loaded. I'm pretty sure you did, but I don't want to get scolded for not mentioning that. Lots of hair trigger safety gurus around here. SW

 

[SDSmlf]

First option would be to return the barrel for a refund or receive good discount on the purchase price. If not, might try negative feedback. Good luck with that.

If the bore is as you say, and you want to attempt to salvage it, remove the nipple and plug the nipple hole with a 1/4-28 screw wrapped in Teflon tape or coated in thread sealant. Securely clamp the barrel pointing muzzle up and using a funnel fill the bore with a rust dissolving fluid like EvapoRust and let it sit for a day or so. Just be careful not to get any fluid on the barrel’s bluing, as it will remove it just like rust. Once the active rust is removed, you can evaluate the bore to determine the next steps.

Honestly, from your description, I would just pass go and move to a rebore if I couldn’t get a refund. School of hard knocks lesson learned.

 

[waarp8nt]

https://feeds.brownells.com/aspx/learn/learndetail.aspx?lid=12621
^^^ I've used the above method a time or two. You will not believe the amount of crud to come out of a moderately rusty barrel. The fancy stainless steel wool can be bought at Walmart or Menards.

 

[azmntman]

1-8 mollasses and water. Soak 2-3 days. Rust gone like magic. Last Gallon I bought was $4.00 at the feed store. WILL DAMAGE BLUING so be carefull.

 

[Okie Hog]

Steel wool, JB paste and other abrasive stuff is time consuming and often non productive.

See instructions for using Evapo Rust in post 3.

 

[Bad Karma]

Evaporust. It will also remove bluing but nothing else is as safe and effective as this stuff.

 

[chorizo]

If it removes your bluing in areas, depending on what your current bluing looks like, I have used Brownells Oxypho blue in gel to restore the bluing. Get medium to fine steel wool, and lather the gel on the barrel and rub. Keep adding and rubbing until you get the color and "depth" of bluing you desire.

I have spilled some on the outside of a barrel I was working on. Once you are done with removing rust, sand the area lightly with crocus cloth then blue as stated above. Hard to tell where the spot is afterwards

 

[SeaRun1]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Will Evaporust damage the barrel any further?

I will not be getting a refund so have to at least try to get it shooting. I am coming from centerfires and in lines so am used to seeing shiny bores. Maybe it is not as bad as I make it out to be. Will try Evaporust and also the metal wool and/or red scouring pads as I saw on a YouTube video. Then shoot. Crossing the fingers and yes definitely lesson learned even as an aging dog.

SR1

 

[Saxtonyoung]

Evaporust will not remove metal if that's what your asking.

 

[SeaRun1]

Good to know. Will find some locally. Thanks all. Will report back.

SR1

 

[SDSmlf]

Will Evaporust damage the barrel any further?

No. EvapoRust will just remove and kill active rust. But as mentioned a few times in this thread, it will remove bluing if you are the least bit careless with the stuff.

Good to know. Will find some locally. Thanks all. Will report back.

SR1

Places like Lowes, at least around here, have EvapoRust on the shelf.

 

[LongWalker]

Auto parts stores are another good source for Evaporust and similar products. Don't get conned into getting naval jelly--that isn't what you want.

 

[Indy Durtdigger]

If you use Evapo-Rust make sure to degrease the bore really well. It's water based and does not do well with oils. Also smearing a generous amount of grease on the externals can help mitigate any bluing damage if it gets somewhere you don't want it. I've used the heck out of that stuff over the years. Sometimes it takes a few wire brush and resoak cycles if the rust it thick and crusty or deep but it works as advertised.