Cleaning rust off an old gun.

[Chapman88SR5]

I recently acquired my grandpa's old pheasant shooter. Not sure what year it is but its a JC Higgins 12ga. Holds three shells, bolt action. Anyways, the stock is in pretty good shape but the barrel is rusty. There are no holes, barely even and pitting. Just surface rust. What would you guys suggest? Just sanding and painting? Hers a couple pictures...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/popsiclestick1/DSC00040.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/popsiclestick1/DSC00041.jpg[/IMG
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/popsiclestick1/DSC00042.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/popsiclestick1/DSC00044.jpg

[fustercluck]

First things first, what does the bore look like? Is it clean and shiney?

[Chapman88SR5]

Good point. I wish I could take a picture of it but it looks pretty good to me. No rust. Just dusty. Needs a good cleaning.

[fustercluck]

Attend to he bore first. If it is in good condition, then move to cosmetics. The finish you select will determine the rust abatement proceedures. Is this gun a restoration project?

[Chapman88SR5]

Yes it is mainly a restoration but I want to be able to shoot it also.

[fustercluck]

So I would consider having it blued professionally. DIY painted barrels rarely last and can actually create more opportunity for rust to form in the future.

[Chapman88SR5]

Considering that I just want it to look good and last (dont really care if its not a 100% perfect resto), hows powdercoating?

[reggie 00]

It shouldn't be that much to have it blued by a smith.
My gunsmith doesn't charge that much. They would be able to quickly remove the rust and prep the surface and dip it.

You can get your own stuff from Midway,brownells, etc, but i think its worth the extra dollars to have it done by a smith. Avoids the mess,done right, and gets the gun looked over for safety reasons.

[Chapman88SR5]

Sounds good to me. Now I gotta find mr.smith around here.

[fustercluck]

I've seen gun parts powder coated before. That is a fine finish which will endure most any solvent and heat index you expose it to. However, the cost to do it might be a bit more than to have it blued. I'll bet if you were so inclined and capable, you could shoot a two stage automotive finish on it. You might be cheaper for materials and given the appropriate equipment, you could git 'er dun in the garage in an afternoon. Imagine a burnished gold leaf imbeded in a few coats of clear cut and buffed. Now that would be some arsenal bling!

[Chapman88SR5]

Now that sounds cool. This gun however, I cant remove the barrel from the trigger assembly and everything. Could be a trick to paint.

[oly884]

My choice would be bluing it first. You'd run into similar issues with powder coating as you would painting. Though it'd be left to someone else to get the powder coating right.

Also, you might want to read this:

http://forum.doityourself.com/firearms-weapons/267765-j-c-higgins-12-ga.html

[Chapman88SR5]

Wonder if mines covered still =)

[Chapman88SR5]

Its really hard to read but I believe mine is a 583.10 which was not under the recall. However, considering how hard it is to read it could be a 583.18 or 19 which were covered.

[CJM]

Home blue works ok if you put on sevearal coats.

Go to brownells.com and look up their alumahyde products. Its a spray paint that you either bake on (version 1) or spray on and let dry (version 2). It is a tough as nails epoxy based finish and so far I havent had a lick of rust or been able to get it off with anything intentionally or unintentionally. The cans only cost a few bucks and you can do it all yourself at home.

[Chapman88SR5]

Awesome, I may go that route. I will take more detailed pictures, I may need some help dis-assembling it. I will have someone a little more experienced put it back together.

[CJM]

It worked really nice for me, I used the bake on and fortunately it fit inside the oven.

[Chapman88SR5]

I doubt this barrel will fit in the oven =). This thing is long. The dry on kind sounds like it will work pretty good.

[CJM]

I sprayed some magazines with it and my friend went to a fighting gun class (he trains civvy contracter for IRAQ and other conflicts), the finish didnt een scratch really and they beat thier stuff in mud, rocks, water, etc.

Or you could find a buddy who has a pizza oven lol..

[Chapman88SR5]

Alright here are some pics. I am thinking about just doing the bluing my self and taking it to a gun smith to reassemble.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/popsiclestick1/DSC00054.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/popsiclestick1/DSC00053.jpg

[CJM]

I still say some time with a wire brush in a drill or grinder would do it wonders and the spray on finish should work excellent.

[Chapman88SR5]

Thats what I plan on doing but Ill take it to a smith for the reassembly

[CJM]

Probably a smart choice in your case.

Good luck with it dude, let us know how it turns out!

[Chapman88SR5]

I could put it back together but theres just something cool and reassuring about having a gun smith do it.

Ill be sure to post the finished pics!

[oly884]

In the event you do take it to a smith, you might want to print out that recall page just to give him a heads up about using loctite on a few of those screws.

[Chapman88SR5]

Good idea.

[Chapman88SR5]

Just for kicks I called the local Gander MT and they said about $175 to blast it and dip it.

For $20 I can get the Alumahyde stuff.

[CJM]

Well blasting it will remove everything easier but i like doing stuff myself.