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

[indyjohn]

I've had this 870 for a couple of decades. It has spent the majority of its life tucked in a corner of the bedroom closet. Recently, my youngest son started shooting clays with his friends. So, I installed a choked pheasant barrel on it and sent him on his way. He came home after one of many trips and set it up against the safe in the garage in the soft case I had provided to him.

After sitting there for maybe 3 weeks, I proceeded to remove it from the case to put it in the safe and discovered this!



I have NEVER seen this quick of an onset of surface rust on any of my firearms in all my life! I quizzed my son if it had rained on him the last time he had been out using it? -No.

The garage is not air conditioned but is attached to the house and can get a little warm or cold depending on the time of year. As mentioned, I have a safe out there; none of the firearms in the safe have suffered a similar fate.

Granted, during the time this gun sat in that soft case it was some of the hottest and muggiest days of the summer. But holy crap! How did it happen???

More importantly, (paging @AllenM), what is the proper chemical and proper process to restore it to its original finish???

 

[KellyinAvon]

WOW! Did he leave it in the walk-in humidor?

 

[Farmerjon]

Was it used on a hot day and his sweaty hands contributed and then stuck in a case intensified it?

 

[Creedmoor]

The gun needs oil, it looks drier than a popcorn fart.

 

[snorko]

Soft cases absorb & trap moisture, and keep it in contact with the firearm. That combined with the storage in the garage, zipped up I assume, can easily result in what happened.

I would bet some gentle elbow grease with 0000 steel wool and Ballistol or other protectant should clean it up.

 

[nipprdog]

Soft cases absorb & trap moisture, and keep it in contact with the firearm. That combined with the storage in the garage, zipped up I assume, can easily result in what happened.

I would bet some gentle elbow grease with 0000 steel wool and Ballistol or other protectant should clean it up.

yep, those cases are for transport, not storage.

 

[indyjohn]

The gun needs oil, it looks drier than a popcorn fart.

The bolt? Yes.

Soft cases absorb & trap moisture, and keep it in contact with the firearm. That combined with the storage in the garage, zipped up I assume, can easily result in what happened.

I would bet some gentle elbow grease with 0000 steel wool and Ballistol or other protectant should clean it up.

So, the finish is something Remington does with some of their "service" arms. It has what appears to me as a Parkerized finish. Which, by the way, I previously believed to be rust impervious.

 

[Tactically Fat]

The bolt? Yes.

So, the finish is something Remington does with some of their "service" arms. It has what appears to me as a Parkerized finish. Which, by the way, I previously believed to be rust impervious.

GOOD finishes applied PROPERLY by competent people working at/for competent organizations are more rust-free than others.

What we have here is, unfortunately, none of those things. It's a very very very common issue with certain eras (even now??) of 870s.

 

[Bugzilla]

From the title I thought that this would have been a much more interesting thread!

 

[92FSTech]

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.

 

[INP8riot]

Sounds like it should have been put back in the safe. Hand it back to your son and tell him it better look as good as it did (or better) than when you handed it to him the first time. Good life lesson. Borrowing something from someone means it gets returned in the same or better condition so people will lend you something in the future.

 

[gassprint1]

Lots of humidity in a garage, especially with a concrete floor.. and top that with a gun case creating a moisture trap. Had it sat out their longer, i bet the case would have started to develop mold inside and where it touched the cement floor.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

in the soft case

I haven't read through the whole thread, but I think this is your answer. With the high humidity we've had recently I could see the soft case getting "moist".

 

[Creedmoor]

The bolt? Yes.

So, the finish is something Remington does with some of their "service" arms. It has what appears to me as a Parkerized finish. Which, by the way, I previously believed to be rust impervious.

Nope, that finish is designed to hold a film of oil like parkerizing.

 

[Squirt239]

Looks like it could use some cerakote

 

[Bighoss91]

I've had this 870 for a couple of decades. It has spent the majority of its life tucked in a corner of the bedroom closet. Recently, my youngest son started shooting clays with his friends. So, I installed a choked pheasant barrel on it and sent him on his way. He came home after one of many trips and set it up against the safe in the garage in the soft case I had provided to him.

After sitting there for maybe 3 weeks, I proceeded to remove it from the case to put it in the safe and discovered this!
View attachment 374852
View attachment 374853

I have NEVER seen this quick of an onset of surface rust on any of my firearms in all my life! I quizzed my son if it had rained on him the last time he had been out using it? -No.

The garage is not air conditioned but is attached to the house and can get a little warm or cold depending on the time of year. As mentioned, I have a safe out there; none of the firearms in the safe have suffered a similar fate.

Granted, during the time this gun sat in that soft case it was some of the hottest and muggiest days of the summer. But holy crap! How did it happen???

More importantly, (paging @AllenM), what is the proper chemical and proper process to restore it to its original finish???

To me looks like a dry surface, humidity, and salt from finger prints or sweat. If you or your son are diabetic the salt concentration in your finger prints and sweat will be higher. This causing a more drastic reaction.

 

[Hookeye]

Express models were matte finish, not parkerized.
Even the earlier Special Purpose model 870s were just matte ( however the 1100sp was actually parkerized ).

Later some police and other stuff may have been parkerized.

Matte bead blast finish means stuff wont sheet easily. People miss oiling areas and sweat/ water will cling.

You can rust a gun inside and out rather quick leaving it in a case.

My 870 Express Supermag hasnt rusted, none of my old Expresses did either. But I probably sweat Remoil LOL

 

[Dog1]

My dad had a 870 that he left sitting in the corner of the garage. Four five days later it was covered in surface rust. Some of it pretty bad. I had to steel wool it down and get all the rest off of it and then I use Norrels moly resin and I ended up recoating it.

 

[INP8riot]

I had an Express 870 with a matte finish out in my insulated shop with no climate control all winter and through summer. No rust but it wasn't in a case on a shelf off the floor. Had to be the case holding the moisture and not letting it breathe.

 

[SmileDocHill]

Do you own a pool? Yeah, random question... I had some pool granulated chlorine in bags used for, well, another project. The opened bag apparently had a small hole in it and an extremely little amount leaked out in my garage and some granules fell into my tool box. Everything that wasn't hard chromed sockets had a thick layer of rust on it within a short time. (I cannot remember if it was days or a couple weeks) I've never seen anything rust that fast, thick or completely.