CVA .32 Squirrel with rusty bore / rifling

[COTNTOP]

I use Kroil, JB bore Paste and red Scotchbrite on a bronze brush then let her rip.

 

[doubleset]

There is no bluing in your bore.
If your bore looks "dark" that's part of the corrosion.

LD

Yup. Evaporust is magic. And why would you want bluing in your bore even if you could get it to stay there?

 

[harleynut]

New to BP...looking to remove rust from the bore of an '83 CVA .32 Squirrel that I just bought. Recommendations?

I use industrial strenght white vinegar does a fantastic job with the rust

 

[doubleset]

I use industrial strenght white vinegar does a fantastic job with the rust

Does quite a job on bluing too, doesn't it?

 

[alandsal]

For a final mirror finish in any bore take your jag with a piece of flannel and some
Simichrome metal polish you know the pink
stuff , rod the bore back and forth 30 plus
times if the flannel turns black you know it’s
Working , then with a clean flannel and presto a new bore . Works for me .

 

[harleynut]

Does quite a job on bluing too, doesn't it?

Doesnt affect the blueing at all i use it in motorcycle gas tanks and small engine tanks that have massive amounts of rust in them might take a 2-3 days but it definitely does the trick

 

[doubleset]

Doesnt affect the blueing at all i use it in motorcycle gas tanks and small engine tanks that have massive amounts of rust in them might take a 2-3 days but it definitely does the trick

White vinegar is a strong acid, and you should easily be able to find a large number of reports of its effect on bluing by searching for "bluing affected by vinegar". In fact, it is often used specifically to remove bluing from gun parts. None of the motorcycle tanks I ever worked on were blued on their interiors. Vinegar can be very effective in removing moderate rust deposits, but it is much slower and less effective (also less expensive) than Evaporust.

 

[stephenprops1]

The factory made Squirrel rifles were blued inside and out.Regular hot tank blueing. I have a 32 CVA and it's that way. I also have a 36 CVA Squirrel kit rifle with no blueing. That being said by the time all the rust is gone from the inside,there will not be much blueing inside. No matter as many of our guns are in the white inside and no trouble.

You must make a choice - rust and bluing or no rust and no bluing. --- Choose wisely, Grasshopper.

 

[stephenprops1]

Doesnt affect the blueing at all i use it in motorcycle gas tanks and small engine tanks that have massive amounts of rust in them might take a 2-3 days but it definitely does the trick

I have used Evaporust and it always destroyed any bluing. --- No big deal. I just reblued it as part of the restoration.

 

[Dale Lilly]

White vinegar is a strong acid, and you should easily be able to find a large number of reports of its effect on bluing by searching for "bluing affected by vinegar". In fact, it is often used specifically to remove bluing from gun parts. None of the motorcycle tanks I ever worked on were blued on their interiors. Vinegar can be very effective in removing moderate rust deposits, but it is much slower and less effective (also less expensive) than Evaporust.

I use white vinegar exclusively to remove bluing before browning. Dale

 

[babstooge]

my 45 cal was sooo bad I couldn't start the ramrod. smaller jag scotch brite ,hoppys, and a lot of elbow grease .barrel isn't perfect but 40 yds 2in groups. I think a perfect barrel is great but, if it isn't perfect and shoots consistent groups that's what you're after

 

[doubleset]

... smaller jag ...

An often overlooked and simple problem. When I first got my Traditions Crockett rifle, loading and cleaning required substantial strength on the ramrod. It took me a while to realize that the major problem was that the diameter of the cleaning jag was just a bit to big for my barrel (the .32s tend to vary more than others, apparently). After a couple of sessions of putting the jag in my drill press and filing/sanding down the perimeter of the jag, I had no more of those problems. It wasn't a barrel problem at all. It was a jag size problem.

I DID (as I usually do) lap the barrel since it did seem a bit rough to me. I use a couple of different grits of non-embedding abrasive (in these cases, made for steel) for that. This made a difference in how the patches looked after shooting and also eliminated any remaining rough feeling while loading or cleaning.

 

[stephenprops1]

An often overlooked and simple problem. When I first got my Traditions Crockett rifle, loading and cleaning required substantial strength on the ramrod. It took me a while to realize that the major problem was that the diameter of the cleaning jag was just a bit to big for my barrel (the .32s tend to vary more than others, apparently). After a couple of sessions of putting the jag in my drill press and filing/sanding down the perimeter of the jag, I had no more of those problems. It wasn't a barrel problem at all. It was a jag size problem.

I DID (as I usually do) lap the barrel since it did seem a bit rough to me. I use a couple of different grits of non-embedding abrasive (in these cases, made for steel) for that. This made a difference in how the patches looked after shooting and also eliminated any remaining rough feeling while loading or cleaning.

What to you recommend for lapping a barrel? I have a new, Pedersoli, Hawken style 45 caliber, rifled barrel. I'm working on breaking it in. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[SDSmlf]

What to you recommend for lapping a barrel? I have a new, Pedersoli, Hawken style 45 caliber, rifled barrel. I'm working on breaking it in. Any help would be appreciated.

Think you need to slow down with with the idea of lapping your new barrel to break it in. Rather an extreme process and requires removing the breech to be done correctly, no matter what many of the ‘experts’ claim. As far as breaking in your barrel, just shooting it a few hundred times is a proven ‘traditional’ method. Plus you get the added benefit of getting familiar with your new gun. If your particular gun has sharp/rough edges left in the bore from the manufacturing process that are damaging your patches (don’t forget to check the muzzle crown for sharp edges that need cleaning up) or causing difficulty loading, you may want to speed things up a bit, and there are many ways to polish and smooth a bore up. Here is a @duelist1954 video showing the process he used on a difficult to load GPR.

I have used a similar method with Scotch-Brite for some time, but Mike explains his very well. I started doing it after speaking to Don Getz (Getz Barrel) years ago before he passed, and he recommended using the green (600 grit) Scotch-Brite for smoothing up barrels that were cutting patches. Said it wouldn’t hurt the barrel.

 

[doubleset]

What to you recommend for lapping a barrel? I have a new, Pedersoli, Hawken style 45 caliber, rifled barrel. I'm working on breaking it in. Any help would be appreciated.

First, I don't think of this as "lapping" so much as "polishing" because I'm not actually lapping one dimensioned surface to another. But that may be a fine point.

What I use is Timesaver lapping compounds. I'm sure various other similar products would work as well. For polishing the interiors of my barrels I use the green label (for steel, iron, etc. -- "hard metals"). Generally I start with "Fine" and finish with "Very Fine", but sometimes will start with "Medium" and then go to Fine/Very Fine. These are dry powders and you just mix the powder with some oil (doesn't matter too much what oil you use, but I typically use synthetic of one sort or another) into a paste, apply the paste to your tool, and go at it.

I just rub the paste into a cleaning patch and used my ramrod and cleaning jag to do maybe 20 up/down strokes, clean it, and go to the finer grade, and then clean that out. If for some reason I feel that wasn't enough, I'll repeat the process. It's not exactly scientific. It really helped with my Lyman GPR tearing up patches. With the Crockett, it never tore patches, but the polishing made a difference in the friction of patches and barrel in both cleaning and loading.

When you're done, you need to clean the barrel thoroughly. And cleaning it two or three times won't hurt. Even with non-embedding compounds, some stuff will tend to get left behind. With the non-embedding stuff you don't really have to worry, but it's a matter of thoroughness. Be sure you also clean it out of your breech (and patent breech if you have one!!), and whatever channels there are between your barrel and nipple or flash hole or whatever.

If you do this, you won't be removing any significant amount of metal from your bore (or probably any noticeable or measurable amount). The grits are just too fine for that. But it will smooth down any rough or sharp edges, and that's all you want and should expect.

I don't pretend to be an expert on this, but this has worked repeatedly for me, and I've also used the Timesaver yellow compounds (for brass, and other soft metals) to do things like lap tuning slides on my tubas and trombones. I ended up with them by buying them inintentionally in a bunch of tools at an auction about 20 years ago at an old textile company around here when all of those were going out of business in NC. It took me years to actually use any of the Timesaver stuff, but I discovered it has a huge reputation in the industry and was sure glad I had it when I needed it. They do seem to work faster and better than the JB stuff, although I've used that as well and it's great for very fine work.

But you should listen to other advice that (reasonable) people give you as well.

 

[Ninering62]

my 45 cal was sooo bad I couldn't start the ramrod. smaller jag scotch brite ,hoppys, and a lot of elbow grease .barrel isn't perfect but 40 yds 2in groups. I think a perfect barrel is great but, if it isn't perfect and shoots consistent groups that's what you're after

WOW! If I had a gun that shot 2" groups at 40yds I'd never use it for anything other than beating in fence posts with. If I couldn't shoot any better than 2" groups at 40yds, I'd quit shooting.

 

[doubleset]

WOW! If I had a gun that shot 2" groups at 40yds I'd never use it for anything other than beating in fence posts with. If I couldn't shoot any better than 2" groups at 40yds, I'd quit shooting.

Yeah, man!! If I don't shoot sub-MOA groups with a BP rifle at 50 yds, offhand, I know I've had a bad day and just want to throw it in the pond!!

 

[Troll]

Who knew that BP shooters had such subtle senses of humor! I just need my wife to shoot better than "the competition" and this'll be her first BP rifle. From the recommendations, I'm heading down the "do least harm" route, with elbow grease, brush, solvent to get the surface rust out. Then tight jag with 0000 and oil and see what that looks like. Studying up on Kroil and bore paste, and weighing the vinegar / Evaporust option. Not emotionally prepared for the lapping stuff yet. But not ready to use the barrel for the many tomato plants we have, which may motivate this barrel to heal itself.

Slightly unrelated, but nice add-on about the jag size problem. Just got a super jag for my T/C .50 Hawken and couldn't get the dang stick out without mechanical help on my first pass with the cleaning patch. Could really feel the fouling down at the breech. Fortunately my range rod has a T-handle.

Since I'm new to all this, thanks to all for their experiences and recommendations and wit. "Free Speech" includes More Speech, and I've really enjoyed the threads on this forum.

 

[Ninering62]

Who knew that BP shooters had such subtle senses of humor! I just need my wife to shoot better than "the competition" and this'll be her first BP rifle. From the recommendations, I'm heading down the "do least harm" route, with elbow grease, brush, solvent to get the surface rust out. Then tight jag with 0000 and oil and see what that looks like. Studying up on Kroil and bore paste, and weighing the vinegar / Evaporust option. Not emotionally prepared for the lapping stuff yet. But not ready to use the barrel for the many tomato plants we have, which may motivate this barrel to heal itself.

Slightly unrelated, but nice add-on about the jag size problem. Just got a super jag for my T/C .50 Hawken and couldn't get the dang stick out without mechanical help on my first pass with the cleaning patch. Could really feel the fouling down at the breech. Fortunately my range rod has a T-handle.

Since I'm new to all this, thanks to all for their experiences and recommendations and wit. "Free Speech" includes More Speech, and I've really enjoyed the threads on this forum.

Well life sucks if ya can't take it with a grain of salt & a sense of humor.

 

[Grenadier1758]

...

Slightly unrelated, but nice add-on about the jag size problem. Just got a super jag for my T/C .50 Hawken and couldn't get the dang stick out without mechanical help on my first pass with the cleaning patch. Could really feel the fouling down at the breech. Fortunately my range rod has a T-handle.

Since I'm new to all this, thanks to all for their experiences and recommendations and wit. "Free Speech" includes More Speech, and I've really enjoyed the threads on this forum.

I am sure you know that the T/C "Hawken" has a chambered breech that is smaller than the bore diameter. If your super Jag for the T/C is if two diameters and the chambered breech hasn't been brushed out previously, I'm surprised that you didn't get it stuck to the point that we would get another 10 to 15 page set of comments to help you remove it. You must have read some of those stuck jag threads and heeded the best of the advice offered.

Now get back to work on the 32 caliber squirrel rifle.