Author Topic: SPS and 870 Express finish, how prone to rust? (Read 1642 times)

ba_50 · « **on:** February 22, 2008, 12:39:59 AM »

I'm considering a LH SPS varmint rifle when they are available. How prone to rust is the finish on these firearms? If I am hunting in the rain or get condensation from the cold on the underside of the action, will it needed to be taken apart to dry and oiled? If they made LH .243 varmint VLS, I would pay the extra for a wood stock and better finish, but they don't.

mountainview · « **Reply #1 on:** February 22, 2008, 07:29:11 PM »

BA,
I don't own an SPS (would not mind having one though) but my son and I do have 3 of the 870 Express shotties. Granted we don't routinely carry these in inclement weather but I have had one for 5 years and it looks as good as when I took it out of the box. I have seen others that were rusty but this was attributable to the minimal or lack of care that they were given.

With any gun I have, as soon as I get out of the field on a damp day, I wipe the metal down with a silicon or dry cloth I carry in the case. and as soon as I get home I apply a light coating of Hoppes Oil. So far this has worked for my 870 Express shotguns as well which have yet to show signs of rust. I see no reason why it would not work on an SPS. The "painted" finish is more prone to rust but should not be an issue if basic gun care practices are religiously followed.

sniperVLS · « **Reply #2 on:** February 23, 2008, 02:02:38 AM »

I have an 870 Express from '87(or whatever year they were introduced) and it looks New. I have been in all kinds of weather, granted I wipe it down with rem-oil asap but other than that, no extra care has been taken.

The SPS should be no different.

corbanzo · « **Reply #3 on:** February 25, 2008, 06:56:23 AM »

The only spots my 870 have on it are where I have scraped off the finish on accident. A little WD and a bronze brush take care of that quick....

ba_50 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 27, 2008, 01:34:14 AM »

Thanks fellas, don't guess I'll worry about it. Hope they get those leftys out sooner than Fall.

ihookem · « **Reply #5 on:** April 29, 2008, 03:56:49 PM »

I bought a Remington sps .243 and had it out in a bit of snow Saturday. I put it away until Tuesday night and it was full of rust. A new gun should not rust like that, especially a 460 dollar gun. My son had a new Harrington & Richards single shot that cost 216 dollars new and on the same day I had mine out and no rust at all. Seems to me Remington went darn cheap on their steel or finish . I can't believe this. I don't think I will buy a "Rustington" gun again.

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #6 on:** April 29, 2008, 04:34:18 PM »

When you put your gun away how did you do it? Did you put a wet gun in a case where moisture could not escape? Did you even try to dry it off. Did you dry it off and oil it? I would suspect the first thing I brought up. If that is the case then of course it will rust. Dale

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #7 on:** April 29, 2008, 04:36:33 PM »

Was your sons gun left out in the open where it could air dry? Dale

sniperVLS · « **Reply #8 on:** April 30, 2008, 07:56:07 AM »

So no wiping down was done at all I assume. Can't say I've ever put away a damp gun before, I always wipe them down with rem-oil, even if just to remove fingerprints. I hit the range almost every weekend during the winter and my sps got snowed on a lot, but always wiped it down as soon as I got home. Price of the rifle isn't a concern of mine, cheap or expensive, it gets cared for.

Rustington.......that made me chuckle

woodchukhntr · « **Reply #9 on:** April 30, 2008, 08:32:22 AM »

I had left a Ruger #3 in a soft case in the cellar for an extended period of time one summer after using and cleaning it. When I took it out, there were actually droplets of water on it, but since I wiped it down with LPS1 before putting it in the case, the water just wiped off without leaving any rust.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #10 on:** April 30, 2008, 08:34:41 AM »

if the SPS is like the 700 ADL it will rust . had 2 got rid of them cause they were high maintenance !
I have 2 870's with the black oxide finish and they have a habit of rusting also . one has a permanent rust color now , fritz won't take it off .

ihookem · « **Reply #11 on:** April 30, 2008, 09:39:25 AM »

I didn't wipe it down for two days. My sons gun still did not get wiped down but no problem. Both were new guns. It was in a case too. I have a Rem. 700 adl and it doesn't rust anything like my new sps but the adl has oil on it. I think my sps rifle was dry and not oiled right from the factory, that's why it rusted so fast. . Anyway, I have almost all the rust off and it's oiled so I am sure it won't happen with oil on it. I just never saw a gun rust so fast as that. It must have never been oiled from the factory. Later, ihookem.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #12 on:** May 01, 2008, 01:17:27 AM »

Ours rust anytime we hunt with high humidity , we oil them but some hunting we do oil smell will give you away .
Keep in mind Va. is a high humidity area even in winter .

ihookem · « **Reply #13 on:** May 01, 2008, 11:39:58 AM »

Hey, maybe Remington is ahead of the game, rust is their new scent block! I bet you are right Shootall I wouldn't want too much oil on the stand in front of spooky deer. Sometimes deer just spook and it has to be something.

charles p · « **Reply #14 on:** May 01, 2008, 03:18:38 PM »

I wipe my shotguns and rifles about once per year. I never put one in a case. I have a dedicated gun closet in my home and it has the faint aroma of break free. That's all I use on firearms. Seems to work for me. Most of my firearms are made by Remington.

RaySendero · « **Reply #15 on:** May 02, 2008, 02:54:33 PM »

My son has hunted with an 870 express 3" magnum for the last 10 years. The finish does not like rain! W/o any protection it will literally rust while your watching! My shinny blued 11-87 doesn't rust near as fast! We now both use gunslick or wd40 before a possible wet hunt.

kevthebassman · « **Reply #16 on:** May 02, 2008, 03:27:38 PM »

The 870 Express finish will most certainly rust. One weekend in early March my cuz and I went down and tried to do some hog hunting. I was carrying a Marlin and he had my 870. After a long day of trudging through the rain, we decided to pack it in. When we got back to the truck in the pouring rain, I wiped my Marlin down as best I could with a dry towel and did the same to the 870, then put them in their cases and went home.

The guns didn't get wiped down until the next afternoon. When I took the Marlin out of it's case, there were some very light specks of surface rust that disappeared quickly with a touch of break free and steel wool. When I took the 870 out, I was shocked at how bad the rust looked. At the time I thought that their finish was rust-proof, but now I know better. Steel wool and break free took care of it, but it looked pretty bad when I first saw it.

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #17 on:** May 02, 2008, 03:37:26 PM »

This past deer hunting season I spent hours in pouring down rain with my SPS Varmint. I did wipe it down before I put it in the case and headed home. I had a couple hour travel home and when I got there I went to bed for a while because I did not sleep much the night before. When I got up and after I got something to eat. I cleaned and oiled my rifle. I never saw a lick of rust. ( PERIOD ) If you do not take care of them after they get even a little wet they will rust no matter who made them. Dale

1marty · « **Reply #18 on:** May 02, 2008, 03:50:37 PM »

I don't get this rusting stuff-first you shouldn't store a gun in a case any gun will rust-I keep mine in a safe-after shooting or hunting I wipe the gun down with some gun oil and during the year I'll take my guns out and wipe them down with gun oil and run a oil patch through through if I haven't shot in 6 months.
If you take a little time out to take care of your firearm they'll never "rust".

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #19 on:** May 02, 2008, 05:55:27 PM »

Quote from: 1marty on May 02, 2008, 03:50:37 PM

I don't get this rusting stuff-first you shouldn't store a gun in a case any gun will rust-I keep mine in a safe-after shooting or hunting I wipe the gun down with some gun oil and during the year I'll take my guns out and wipe them down with gun oil and run a oil patch through through if I haven't shot in 6 months.
If you take a little time out to take care of your firearm they'll never "rust".

Agreed Dale

RaySendero · « **Reply #20 on:** May 04, 2008, 06:01:10 AM »

Quote from: DALESCARPENTRY on May 02, 2008, 05:55:27 PM

Quote from: 1marty on May 02, 2008, 03:50:37 PM
I don't get this rusting stuff-first you shouldn't store a gun in a case any gun will rust-I keep mine in a safe-after shooting or hunting I wipe the gun down with some gun oil and during the year I'll take my guns out and wipe them down with gun oil and run a oil patch through through if I haven't shot in 6 months.
If you take a little time out to take care of your firearm they'll never "rust".
Agreed Dale

ba_50,

I can't compare the finish between my son's 10 yr old 870 Express and a new SPS - Neither he or I have any experience with the SPS. I do have experience with the rusting tendency between the 870 Express and my 11-87.

That 870 finish will rust when wet and it has nothing to do with the "care of the firearm" - As it will rust BEFORE you can wipe it down and BEFORE you put it in a case!

Hopefully, the finish on the current SPSs are better now than that 10 yr old 870. If you go ahead get the SPS and find this isn't the case, then your recourse will be pretreating the finish like we have to do.

mjbgalt · « **Reply #21 on:** May 04, 2008, 06:30:22 AM »

i take VERY good care of my guns. however i have had 2 of those remington finishes you guys refer to. i don't know if it's rust or what but it did seem to get this discolored copper-tint to it over time. they definitely were not abused and got cleaned MORE often because of the finish. i don't know what remington uses but i really really hate that finish. i don't mind powder coating but whatever they use is just horrid.

however it DOES hold a finish well, and when I had an ADL with that finish I used rustoleum toprotect it and it came out looking GREAT. Graybeard suggested it and it looked nice and worked very well.

-Matt