Can't stop the bore rust

[Habu]

Bill Knight's suggestion for similar fouling was to clean with turpentine or mineral spirits.  Might be worth a try.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I cannot see how distilled water can make any difference.  If you are not getting the barrel completely dry, it is going to rust.  Distilled water is still water.  I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this.

[HighUintas]

Yes Taylor I understand what you mean. However a bit of wetness left by distilled water shouldn't cause rust as badly as mineral or chlorine laden water.

I don't think what I'm seeing now is from it being left a little wet after cleaning. If it is rust, it seems it's flash rust for some reason but it's not left on the steel surface.

The patch to remove the oil before shooting had no orange and there was no rust in the bore before shooting when checking with the scope. After washing the barrel (double patch washing this time and boy was it tight) I immediately double patch dried it and the patch was orange. The cleaning patch was just black, not orange. It is either something to do with the mink oil, or the oil I use for rust prevention, or I'm getting a small amount of flash rust after washing for whatever reason.

[Daryl]

I've been using tepid or cold tap water since about 1976, or so and have never had any rusting from or with it, no matter what I used for lube.
Your 'deal' is anomalous to me.

[PAhunter]

 Flash rust happens....fact of life. cold water let it sit in the barrel for a few, dump out then run a patch or two till there clean. oil with motor oil. I never had rust using this process. Store your rifle muzzle down and stay away from bore butter. my patch lube is 40% bees wax and 60% Crisco. This might help. Good luck.

[SouthernStyle]

Ive shot for 60 years, and I don't think much of WD40. The finest anti rust gun oil I have used is G96. That stuff coats and gets into pores and micro scratches better than any general purpose oil. It will stop any rust in your bore.

[Daryl]

Whether you can get by with WD40 or not, depends on your humidity.
Perhaps another way of saying this, is your humidity determines your requirements for an anti-rust agent.
Since we've never had any problem, except for those guys trying Ballistol (rusted their guns) as an after cleaning & drying oil,
none of us up here (Av. Humidity 50%) have had ANY rust after using WD40 for the same thing - after cleaning and drying.
Thus, I would suggest anyone who lives in an area with higher average humidity than 50%, should use a 'proper' rust preventative.

[Clark Badgett]

Whether you can get by with WD40 or not, depends on your humidity.
Perhaps another way of saying this, is your humidity determines your requirements for an anti-rust agent.
Since we've never had any problem, except for those guys trying Ballistol (rusted their guns) as an after cleaning & drying oil,
none of us up here (Av. Humidity 50%) have had ANY rust after using WD40 for the same thing - after cleaning and drying.
Thus, I would suggest anyone who lives in an area with higher average humidity than 50%, should use a 'proper' rust preventative.

I’ve never had a single metal object rust with Ballistol, whether tools kept in a non climate controlled work place or my gun safe in my non climate controlled garage here at home. I can guarantee the humidity in Kentucky, Indiana and Oklahoma is for real.

[Daryl]

2 guys here did, with Ballistol. Taylor thought maybe the Ballistol he got from the guide and outfitter might have been contaminated, so
buddy Ron bought a brand new bottle of it and used it one evening after cleaning and drying his ML. It was rusty in the morning & it wasn't
THAT humid as it was at Hefley Creek.
I have seen in print many times Clark, exactly what you are saying, however Taylor's and Ron's experience speaks volumes to me.  When you
think about it, is or can a water soluble oil, even remotely be considered a rust preventative? It certainly will not keep moisture off the barrel
if it mixes with water.
That brings up the question, is there a Ballistol that is not soluble with water?

[Clark Badgett]

Daryl, all Ballistol is water emulsifiing. As are many quality machining coolants. In fact, about 99% of all gun oils are made from mineral oil, as are many trusted greases. Just what ingredient in Ballistol would cause rust in approximately 1 out of every 10,000 users guns?

[Daryl]

Don't know Clark.  I am assuming, for both of these fellows, there was a humidity spike (I think it was raining all night for Taylor and his rifle was hanging in the T-Pee.
Ron's was in the box of his truck. Neither got water on them, but both were rusted in the morning.
I am aware that machine cooling oils are water soluble. That is the reason I would never try one to keep water off the steel.
Even WD40 works better than that. I've been using just that, since 1976 or so. Before that, it was G96 or that synthetic developed for the US Army in Viet Nam - the name escapes me.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Clark:  I don't thing it is an ingredient in the Ballistol that CAUSED the rusting...it was the moisture in the air which the Ballistol did nothing to protect against.

[Daryl]

Good catch, Taylor. I missed Clark's thinking I had said the Ballistol itself had CAUSED the rusting.

[Scota4570]

I would not use Ballistol as a serious rust  preventative.  OR, any light oils for that matter.  I also never use animal fats or "natural" anything.  I do not risk my guns to historical correctness. 

As far as possible water left in the bore there is a certain way to get rid of it.  Dry alcohol.   Use fuel line treatment that removes water as a bore rinse.  HEET and ISO-HEET are 100% alcohol that are sold in auto parts store.  I poke a little hole in the foil and it dispenses nicely.  I pour in about half an ounce and tilt the barrel to work it on all surfaces.  I then pour it out and patch dry.  You will have a squeaky clean and dry bore after that. 

Then use a real deal rust preventer.  I like LPS-3.  Fluid film, RIG, Boeshield are all excellent.   There are others of course.  Use grease not a light oil. 

When I clean a rifle for storage I do the above.  I have never had any rust.  The rinse and grease scheme maybe overkill but will give a good base line. 

IF the bore has been etched a little by the rust consider polishing it.  Micro rust pits attract more rust.  Flitz and Semichrome will leave it gleaming. A highly polished surface is less likely to rust.  Maybe start with that. 

[Daryl]

I did a test some time ago, using various polishing compounds and found Flitz and AutoSov to be about identical in producing a shine, that was not
measurable with my mic, which runs to .0001". I 'ran' it on one spot on a mild steel shaft for about 4 minutes with each solvent, on a narrow patch,
replenishing the polish often. Nice polish from both, but not measurable as to removed material.
I was able to remove a measurable amount of metal using various 'loading rod' materials, from stainless steel to fiberglass which was pretty much
like a rat-tailed file, with only 40 strokes - about .006" to .008"IIRC. Mind you, the pressure area was only 1/4" wide.
A hickory rod from one of my rifles, just polished the surface - no measurable wear. Something on the order of .001" to .002" was removed using a stainless rod, but .0000" with drill rod
as well as nylon.
Of course, this is another subject.