Rust-- please help!

[pcking78]

  Hello, here's the deal. have owned a CVA buckhorn for a few years; it did the job for the GA week long muzzle season.  Well this year, I wanted to start shooting blackhorn 209.  Seeing as how the  powder wasn't compatible the the buckhorn breech plug I purchased a CVA Wolf.  First few times, shot with powerbelts, winchester 209's, etc, was having a lot of "squib shots" where the bullet would just basically fall out of the barrel. After the first session, the next day I noticed some brown residue just inside the crown.  Aw, just some plastic fouling I thought, and cleaned it right up.  Well, I shot it some more a couple days later, tighter fitting sabots and cci primers fixed the weak firing.  Well, I had read so much about this wonderful BH 209 that I figured it could go a couple days before cleaning.  Again, brown residue formed.  Well, now I'm starting to think it is rust so I cleaned it really good, oiled the barrel, and put it in the safe. That was a month ago.  Got it out last night and noticed that there is heavy rust just inside the crown again.  I cleaned it again with hoppes #9, oiled it with an even heavier oil, and bought a new silicon treated gun sock for it.  What's the deal?  Why is the crown rusting? Luckily the rust is just inside the rim, not down on the rifling yet.  Should I send the gun back to CVA?  It has never had anything other than BH 209 in it.  I don't think that is the problem, because there is not rust anywhere else on or in the barrel. What is doing this?  My crappy buckhorn fired with pyrodex didn't have rust problems this bad.  It is brand new, what should I do?

[Empty Quiver]

Have you used good hot soapy water through that barrel? I think it would be hard to get out all of the salts with a wet patch approach. I'll generally fill a washpan with HOT water and some Dawn dish soap put the nipple side in the tub and start slowly stroking with a patched jag. I'll then use some rinse water and do the same. If the water is plenty hot the barrel pretty much dries itself. I don't trust that so I warm it all up with a hair dryer. Then I put some rust preventative oil in the bore.

Hope I didn't bore you. Good luck with your troubles.

[1sourdough]

  I break M-L care down to 2 steps, that would be cleaning, then lube/protect. 1st you clean the gun, that starts with what kind of propellant you are shooting. With the earlier 777 & Pyrodex it could be a soapy water solution. When shooting B209 Hoppes #9 or similar would be the choice. After the gun is CLEAN I wipe the exterior & inside with a lightly oiled cloth and patch. The next time you load just make sure the bore & flash channel is dry by using dry patches on a cleaning rod or pipe cleaners.

    I think problems arise when a guy cleans with soapy water(or equivalent) then fails to PROTECT the metal, inside & out.

[pcking78]

  All that has been shot in it is BH 209.  So all I have cleaned it with is hoppes 9.  I thought BH 209 was supposed to be as non corrosive as regular smokeless powder, what gives?

[AlbanyCO]

Something has to be wrong. What oil are you using? I clean with hoppes #9 or shooters choice and use Breakfree CLP and have had no rust problems.

On my traditions rifle it's another story....I can oil the hell out of that gun and still get some rust in the barrel. I have always thought traditions/cva use a softer steel than TC uses. In any event, you shouldn't be having rust issues like that. I would brush the heck out of the barrel with a bronze brush, clean with smokeless solvent and run a nice oily patch or 2 down the barrel with breakfree or something similar and see what happens.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

Blackhorn209 has changed their mind about it being non corrosive. It will rust up/corrode depending on the humidity. My brother in laws Wolf did the same thing in the Bullet Guiding Muzzle.   Cleaned it spotless and the next day, white corrosion.

I used an oil soaked strip of 0000 steelwool and ran around 150 passes down the bore and then cleaned and dried it. I followed up with Ultra Bore Coat and its been perfect since.

Blackhorn recommends that you should run an oil patch down your barrel if you are going to skip cleaning for a few days. The light fouling will trap moisture and cause the problem you are having.

[pcking78]

  Well, that explains it Big Block.  That is exactly where my rust was too, around the inside of the "false" muzzle, or bullet starting muzzle, or whatever that smooth part above the rifling is called.  My guns are in my basement, so of course there was a lot of humidity.  Of course, I haven't had the same problem with any of my smokeless guns.  I keep my nicer ones in gun socks, I guess I'll invest in a sock for all of them.  I had oiled it with Rem oil after cleaning it with hoppes, this time I used 3 in 1 oil since it is a little thicker. Oh well, thanks for the tips guys, at least the rust didn't make it down to the rifling, except for a few small spots, hopefully the accuracy is ok.  I suppose most of the residue collects around the inside of the muzzle when the bullet leaves the barrel.