Rusty Stock Screw

[tacshooter]

Broke the old Ultra Rifle down to Parade Rest this weekend, and found a horrible surprise! The screw that attaches the stock to the receiver was crusty with rust. I take excellent care of my guns, so this really gave me a wake up call for more thorough care. I brushed off the rust with a wire brush, then applied naval jelly. I buffed it to bare metal, then applied a liberal coating of Remington high pressure hinge grease to it. A few more years, and this could have really been a problem. I also found it to be in need of tightening. I guess it has the potential to loosen up with heavy recoil after a while. Has anyone else run across this situation.  Maybe a quick check up is in order. It might even group a little better now.

Tac............. :sniper:

[Leftoverdj]

I've never seen a stock bolt rusty enough to worry about. Specks of light surface rust, sure, but never serious rust. Shouldn't happen because the bolt is essentially sealed in an air tight container. That and needing to tighten the bolt gives rise to a guess.

That buttstock may have had excess moisture in it. Over time it would work its way out of the wood and into the hole. That's oxygen to form rust. The stock would also shrink slightly making the bolt loose. I'd give that hole a serious dose of stock sealer.

That's not a solid diagnosis. Wood can also compress over time which would cause it to become loose, but it is easy and cheap enough to seal the inside of the hole to do so on general principles.