What the hell happened here (rhetorical)? And what do I do about it (genuine)?

[bwframe]

yep, those cases are for transport, not storage.

This right here ^^^.

Sadly, years ago I learned that the hard way also.

 

[VinceU1]

I use one of this socks, they are coated with silicone and go a long way towards helping your gun NOT rust.
socks on Amazon

 

[BigMoose]

The finish Remington used during this period is especially prone to doing this.
Google Remington Finish Rust.. and be amazed at what comes up.

Towards the end, it got so bad that new guns were rusting before being sold..

Im shocked no one really has brought this up. We had some 870s at a Scout camp for shotgun merit badge, we had to dunk in oil to keep them from getting all sorts of rusty patches...

Its not a true Parkerized finish (Like the military does). Gun people call it the Express finish. Remington cheaped out, and it rusts if you look even cross eyed at it.

Seriously, the amount of rust complaints of the Remington finish is pretty obvious.

 

[BigMoose]

870s, at least the newer "Express" models, have a parkerized finish. Parkerizing provides a matte, rough surface, and resists rust by trapping oil in the pores of the metal. The caveat to that is, you need to oil it! The outside of the gun needs to be wiped down with an oil cloth to provide a nice thin film across the entire surface.

We have a bunch of them at work that look like that because they live in the racks in the cars, and guys don't take them out and periodically wipe them down. And once the oil dries out, it'll rust very quickly. I left my personal gun in my truck toolbox overnight one time and when I took it out it looked a lot like yours. It cleaned up just fine, though, and was a good reminder to keep it oiled.

Yours doesn't look too far gone. Like others have suggested, get some fine steel wool or a bronze brush (I prefer a brush because it won't leave little metal particles behind, which will eventually rust, taking you right back to where to started), oil it, and give that thing a good rub down. Then wipe it off and hopefully it'll look like new. Then just keep it oiled.

ETA: also, don't ever store guns in a soft case, even overnight. Those things hold moisture, and will quickly rust any unprotected metal inside of them.

Its a cheap facsimile, whatever Remington used. Guns of this age are infamous for finish rust.

 

[92FSTech]

Its a cheap facsimile, whatever Remington used. Guns of this age are infamous for finish rust.

It's definitely not the best finish but it works just fine if you keep them oiled. After that first incident when I learned from my mistake, mine has never done it again. Neither has the one in my squad car.

 

[BigMoose]

It's definitely not the best finish but it works just fine if you keep them oiled. After that first incident when I learned from my mistake, mine has never done it again. Neither has the one in my squad car.

Yeah its true if you slather them in oil.. we had it worse, we had to use the things daily for shotgun merit badge all summer then keep them in a shed. We had synthetic stocks so we literally dumped whatever lubricant oil we could find on them. (not WD40 mind you). But we could get these giant buckets of some sort of lubricant donated to us. We dunked one end in, and they the other LOL.

 

[snapping turtle]

The finish Remington used during this period is especially prone to doing this.
Google Remington Finish Rust.. and be amazed at what comes up.

Towards the end, it got so bad that new guns were rusting before being sold..

Its not a true Parkerized finish

Express finish. Remington cheaped out,

At deer camp one year we could watch an 870 express rust while standing around the fire. We nick named the gun “Rusty” . He shot a very nice 10 point buck with it at a good distance with buckhammer slugs. It misted and light rained all weekend and Monday morning when he scored.
He used that gun for years afterward (till he switched to 30/30) but he had it finished in a burnt copper color. We still call it rusty. He still has it but Remington did send him 20 shells sling and a hat along with a shipping box to send it back. It never went back.

 

[BigMoose]

At deer camp one year we could watch an 870 express rust while standing around the fire. We nick named the gun “Rusty” . He shot a very nice 10 point buck with it at a good distance with buckhammer slugs. It misted and light rained all weekend and Monday morning when he scored.
He used that gun for years afterward (till he switched to 30/30) but he had it finished in a burnt copper color. We still call it rusty. He still has it but Remington did send him 20 shells sling and a hat along with a shipping box to send it back. It never went back.

That sounds about right. Honestly, if you don't want to fight rust all the time.. Cerakote it.

 

[indyjohn]

UPDATE:

A good friend of mine saw this post and called to give me an education on this finish. He explained, as many of you have pointed out, this is NOT a Parkerized finish, and does NOT stand up to moisture well at all.

Welp, here we are. As Leadeye will attest, Distilled White Vinegar is great at drawing rust off metal. So, I applied a paper towel soak to the receiver and barrel breach to see what I could get off.



And, this is what I got. Took the rust AND the finish down to the white. No brush or steel wool necessary.


So, Cerakote, here I come!

 

[Robert Richardson]

It's called being lazy. Thats why everything comes out of the gun bags and at least wiped down after it gets home. A Rig-Rag is all you need for a quick wipe down. Also why I don't let the kids use my guns.

 

[Hawkeye7br]

Interior moisture isn't limited to soft side cases. Humidity infiltrates all air spaces, that's why we all have desiccant packs in our household (controlled climate) gun safes.

A hard case with foam liner will absorb humidity if left open on a humid day. Upon returning home on a humid day and unpacking guns, I will leave my hard side cases wide open in our den for a couple days to absorb the lower household humidity.

 

[Creedmoor]

It's called being lazy. Thats why everything comes out of the gun bags and at least wiped down after it gets home. A Rig-Rag is all you need for a quick wipe down. Also why I don't let the kids use my guns.

You want clean and oiled guns? Have two sons a that are/were Infantry Marines. LOL

One doesn't hear Rig-Rag very often anymore. Is it still a chunk of hair on sheep skin?

 

[Robert Richardson]

Yup, still works also.

 

[BigMoose]

It's called being lazy. Thats why everything comes out of the gun bags and at least wiped down after it gets home. A Rig-Rag is all you need for a quick wipe down. Also why I don't let the kids use my guns.

In the guys kids defense, he does have an Albi here, the Remington express finish is horrifically bad. I know.. you have to have the things swimming in oil to prevent rust.

 

[Cavman]

UPDATE:

A good friend of mine saw this post and called to give me an education on this finish. He explained, as many of you have pointed out, this is NOT a Parkerized finish, and does NOT stand up to moisture well at all.

Welp, here we are. As Leadeye will attest, Distilled White Vinegar is great at drawing rust off metal. So, I applied a paper towel soak to the receiver and barrel breach to see what I could get off.
View attachment 375233
View attachment 375234

And, this is what I got. Took the rust AND the finish down to the white. No brush or steel wool necessary.
View attachment 375235

So, Cerakote, here I come!

What color ya gonna do? Maybe a camo finish?

 

[indyjohn]

UPDATE 2:

FIXED!


Cerakote courtesy of AllenM. Crappy pictures don't do it justice, I was in a hurry to get it reassembled and posted up.

I am really happy with the job and how it turned out. It looks so much better in person and without my fingerprints.