What am I looking at here?

[SupaRice]

So I have been hunting in Texas for about a week straight in the rain. For much of the time it was torrential downpour. We hunted day and night, so we were out in the weather a lot. This is what happens to your gun in that much rain.



So I broke the gun down for a deep clean, since I've not really done that on it before. This gun probably has a total of 80 rounds down the barrel. And after cleaning what was a filthy bore, I noticed these areas that look like pitting or something. What is this, rust damage?





Those are two different spots BTW, on opposite sides of the barrel about the same distance down the barrel from each other, near the chamber side.

If it matters, the gun was spot on for several 100yd-150yd shots during the trip. Although that was on paper at a bench, I put down animals with it right where I was aiming.

Edited October 28, 2015 by SupaRice

[VERO1]

It looks like a lead build up to me. What kind of bullet were you shooting?

[SupaRice]

Hornady SST 150gr

I think it looks more like a depression with the naked eye, hard to photograph though

[SupaRice]

Maybe so... might be my mind playing tricks on me. Just, I checked the bore before loading it down there to be sure it was clear and I don't recall seeing it. Maybe I'll just soak in solvent and re-clean tomorrow.

[Omega]

Get a bore brush with some hoppes down the barrel and keep checking. If it reduces it then its buildup, which is what it looks like. But that rifle is going to to need some TLC, maybe even a ceracoat job. Once rust starts its hard to keep it at bay, I had to completely strip my 303 due to the same thing, but at the time there was no ceracoat so I browned it.

[peejman]

Are you certain it wasn't there before?

 

The top bore picture looks like build-up, probably lead or copper.  Harder to tell in the 2nd pic.  But I'd do as Omega suggests and let it soak and work on it with a brush to see what changes. 

 

As for the rest of it.  I'd soak the whole thing in some oil, gently remove the surface rust, warm it up and let it sit with a light coat of oil for a while to see if the corrosion continues.  If not, it's probably fine.  If so, I'd do that a couple more times before resorting to something like cerakote. 

[Wardor]

For the exterior of the gun, 0000 steel wool soaked with CLP will clean it up.  The inside is much harder to tell what is going on, but as others suggested, I'd get a good solvent or J-B bore cleaning compound (which I like) and as large of a patch as you can get through the bore and see what comes of it.  I don't think the rain did whatever is inside of the bore.

[East_TN_Patriot]

I think it looks like copper or lead buildup, but I could be wrong.  I would find it really hard to believe that a bore would rust and pit to that degree from just one week exposure to rain.

[Dolomite_supafly]

If you, or anyone else, is expecting damp conditions soak your gun down with WD40 Corrosion Specialist. It is the best for situations like this. It is also the #1 finisher in a two month long study involving ~60 other gun protectant products. I tried it and immediately went out and bought a bunch more.

 

As far as what is in the bore I seriously doubt the pit was from a week of wet weather. That looks like a manufacturing defect or possible corrosion from previously that was never caught.

 

The best possible fix for the outside is some 000 steel wool and some WD40. Soak the steel wool with WD40 then lightly go over the rusty areas. Slowly apply more pressure with the wool until you get rid of most of the rust. You will not be able to remove all signs of the rust but it will be a lot better.

 

Before I worried too much about the bore I would shoot it to see if accuracy is unacceptable. I have seen some pretty nasty bores that actually shot very well.

[peejman]

If you, or anyone else, is expecting damp conditions soak your gun down with WD40 Corrosion Specialist. It is the best for situations like this. It is also the #1 finisher in a two month long study involving ~60 other gun protectant products. I tried it and immediately went out and bought a bunch more.

 

As far as what is in the bore I seriously doubt the pit was from a week of wet weather. That looks like a manufacturing defect or possible corrosion from previously that was never caught.

 

The best possible fix for the outside is some 000 steel wool and some WD40. Soak the steel wool with WD40 then lightly go over the rusty areas. Slowly apply more pressure with the wool until you get rid of most of the rust. You will not be able to remove all signs of the rust but it will be a lot better.

 

Before I worried too much about the bore I would shoot it to see if accuracy is unacceptable. I have seen some pretty nasty bores that actually shot very well.

 

 

Good point here.  Shoot it and see how it performs.  More barrels get buggered by obsessive cleaning than excessive shooting. 

[SupaRice]

Yeah, you're on to it.... I shot all week with the bore filthy and made clean kills with it and was on target out to 200yds. So I think whatever it is isn't affecting accuracy.

 

I plan on soaking it in solvent this weekend to see if it's deposit. 

[Garufa]

Maybe one of them Hornanday bewlitts melted in your barrel.

[TNWNGR]

I'm pretty much in agreement that you've got some build up in the bore, soak it, use a good bore brush and check it again. As to the WD-40 Corrosion Specialist product Dolomite mentions I haven't tried it out yet. I have however, had excellent results with a good heavy paste car wax finish on the degreased metal surfaces of several firearms. It even works on parkerized finish surfaces as it effectively fills in the textured surface and crevices of the treated metal.