Thread: Rust in the barrel.

Hi guys,
I have a Tikka T3 lite 223 rifle, and have had it now for about 18 months.
It is a stainless steel barrel.
Today I am going shooting so I was mopping out the oil from the barrel before I went.
I noticed an orangy discoloration on the patches when cleaning the barrel.
I had a look with a torch from the crown side and could see some orange on about 4 or 5 groves in the barrel.
I am guessing this is rust, but a little shocked as I oily the barrel after almost every shoot, I have forgot a few times.
The rifle is kept in the gun cabinet always, with a throw away dehumidifier.
And of course it is a stainless steel barrel. I know a stainless can get rust but is much harder.

Anyone got any advise and could this be something else other than rust?

If it is rust what do I do now?

Soak the bore in a light oil or CRC, WD40, etc for a few hours then go to it with a bronze brush. Make sure that the brush goes completely through the barrel before changing direction as 'stainless' barrels are quite soft. So long as the rust is not within 100mm of the muzzle you should not have any problems with accuracy. 'Stainless' barrels need just as much care as any other. I much prefer chrome-moly barrels which are harder and last longer (subject to proper care).

Jackangus could this orange you see down the muzzle be copper streaking from the bullets?
If so this is not uncommon and is not a problem untill it affects accuracy and then it is. A good copper solvent will remove it.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Jackangus could this orange you see down the muzzle be copper streaking from the bullets?
If so this is not uncommon and is not a problem untill it affects accuracy and then it is. A good copper solvent will remove it.

Yeah. It (copper) looks orange on the lands. Its no big deal. You will know when you use a solvent because the rag will come out blue if its copper.

If its rust, take it to the dump. There will be a special bin with TIKKAS written on the side Nah, it will come out with a brush if you have kept it oiled as you say.

If it is copper I wouldn't expect it to come out on the patch orange.
Get a hygrometer to monitor how damp it is exactly in your safe. And I would recommend not using oil for rust preventive use something like eezox.
If your storing the rifle upright in a safe beware the likes of oil can run from the muzzle leaving no protection.
It seems common to find rust just inside the muzzle on 2nd hand rifles brought from trade me. Iv heard others say this as well as my own findings.

Interesting point, how does trademe get the rust in there?

Originally Posted by Gibo

Interesting point, how does trademe get the rust in there?

Well trade me us just the most common place to buy a 2nd hand rifle.

But you knew that's what I ment aye smart ass!

Will give the rifle a good clean tonight once the kids are in bed. Will let you guys know if any blue comes out in the patches.

Cheers for the help fellas.

Just cleaned with copper solvent, no blue or green color was seen. Just a lot of black.
Can I use kroil solvent in the barrel to let the rifle sit in the cabinet?

Was really hoping to see some color when I cleaned the barrel.

Kroil is a penetrating oil not a solvent and should be fine to leave in the barrel indefinitely.
It should loosen any rust left in there too.
I wouldnt stress about it it will probably still shoot just fine I have had/used barrels with noticeable rust pitting in them that still shot well.

me to my 788 222 has rust pitting an a small area about half way down the barrel doest affect the accuracy at all i think it would be the most accurate center fire i own

Where is your safe located? If it's next to a retaining wall you might be getting damp through that way.

Originally Posted by Dead is better

Where is your safe located? If it's next to a retaining wall you might be getting damp through that way.

No. just in the garage.

Guys, can I use kroil to lube my barrel for storage?
There are quite a few people saying on another forum that it contains ammonia and will damage barrels if you leave it too long.

Originally Posted by Jackangus

Guys, can I use kroil to lube my barrel for storage?
There are quite a few people saying on another forum that it contains ammonia and will damage barrels if you leave it too long.

Kroil is not a good metal preservative. The best I've found are Frog Lube and Corrosion X HD but there are quite a few others that will do the job. Pays to check your barrel once a month if you're not using it and recoat the bore if necessary. For real long, unattended storage a grease is preferable to a light oil.