Gunsmithing Rust inside the barrel?

[InTheFace]

A friend of mine has a rifle, stock Rem. barrel in 270 wsm. If you look down the barrel about 1/8" down the barrel is some rust looking stuff, which I presume rust. It is on only two of the ridges of the rifling, the rust spots are about 1/8" - 1/4" at max, closer to 1/8. The rest of the barrel is perfect. He tried to remove it by cleaning it real good.

Do you think that it will affect the shots? If there a way to remove it? What do you think caused it?//

 

[former naval person]

Re: Rust inside the barrel?

If not deep, and not on the crown, not much affect. May increase fouling in that area if real rough. Some Rem Clean may help remove it. Is it chrome moly or stainless? How does he carry the rifle in the truck...muzzle down on the carpet? That is Mississippi's way of destroying accuracy. A little mud inside the bore will rust the best of them. Could be a dirt dauber built a nest in there. Seen that.

 

[InTheFace]

Re: Rust inside the barrel?

not on the crown

 

[flyboy]

Re: Rust inside the barrel?

Worst case, have that much of the barrel cut off and recrowned.

 

[Jerry m]

Re: Rust inside the barrel?

Shoot it! Then decide if the effect is worth the remedy.

 

[oldgrayone]

Re: Rust inside the barrel?

Spray some Kroil on it and let it sit for a while, then take a bronze brush to it. If it is still there shoot it and see what happens.

 

[cozmacozmy]

Re: Rust inside the barrel?

Are you sure it's rust and not just copper?

 

[USMCj]

Re: Rust inside the barrel?

+1 on it being copper! Clan the bore with Butches and it will be gone.

 

[Hummer]

Re: Rust inside the barrel?

If it is still there after shooting chances are it is copper fouling which may not hurt anything. About the only way to tell is completely defoul it of copper and shoot it. Then clean it with normal bore cleaner that only removes the carbon and shoot it again same range, ammo etc and see which has best group. If it shoots better with copper then leave it in.
Fr. Frog has some very interesting home made bore cleaning and copper removing info at http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm
I can personally attest to Ed's Red and Humpy's White. Humpy's white is basically same as Sweet's except it is about 1/25th the price.

With the Humpy's I put sloppy wet patch down bore for a few passes which takes out the carbon. Then I follow with another sloppy wet patch and store the rifle muzzle down on a paper towel and watch the area it contacts turn blue from the copper dissolving and running out the muzzle. If the fouling is real heavy it may take two of three sloppy patch sessions to get it all. I have a 6.5 TCU and the copper build up was massive. Took about 8 sessions but the groups cut in half and the recoil was severely diminished ! ! ! Copper can help you and copper can ruin you. You just gotta figure out which way it is. Custom lapped barrels I find don't mind so much copper but then again I see some that looks like they were rifled with a mill bastard file and a brick.

Those barrels scrape copper off in buckets ! ! !

I leave it in for 15 minutes and check it. You can make a two gallons of Humpys for about $8.00.