Newbie question.

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Soapthecommy

Soapthecommy

Member
Dec 1, 2020
197
3
South, Lebanon
Since I'm a complete novice I just went to the hunting store or whatever it's called. Bought some pellets, .22 cal. Excite spike from H&N. Anyways not the issue. Since I don't know how to store my rifle to prevent rust. I asked the store for something that would help keep the exterior barrel and metal all rust free. He gave me some Ab80 spray which I bought since it is cheap but is it actually a good thing to wipe my gun with after every session? Will it prevent rust buildup while in storage? Will it harm the wood work? And what's the best way to store a rifle? since we'll, i don't have a rifle case or sleeve. Can I just put it in a cotton cloth wrap?





Finally, are the pellets I got any good? 
 
Pellets - H&N is a good pellet brand. As for will they work well in your rifle - only testing will provide the answer. You will find that there will be a few pellets that work very well in your rifle and some that don't shoot well at all. Each rifle has its own personality that way.

As for rifle storage: I wouldn't wipe it down with oil after each use. Periodically, you can spray some on a cloth (lightly) and then lightly wipe it. A product called Ballistol is the best thing there is IMHO. Most people new to airguns or firearms sometimes tend to over-oil -- it doesn't take much. Keeping the rifle in a cloth sleeve or even wrapped as you mentioned is good. Depending on your humidity and weather conditions, keeping a rifle in an zip-up case over a long duration can cause moisture build-up and rust.

This is what works for me - everyone has their own ideas about storage, etc. based on their own experience.
 
Upvote 0
Thanks Ron! I tried getting ballistol today actually but Apparantly no one has it here. Getting it online however seems to be impossible due to shipping difficulties. I assume it's normal to see some sort of rust color after wiping it periodically is that correct?
Click to expand...

If you bought the gun new And Kept it wipe down,There shouldn’t be any rust on it. Not even a little bit of surface rust. Although when I first went through my apprenticeship in machining I worked with a guy that every piece of metal he touched would start rusting before the end of the day. He was the only one that was like that in the whole shop. There must’ve been a lot of acid in his sweat or something. It’s just a habit for me to use a lightly oiled rag And give it a quick wipe down. Mostly on all the metal surfaces.I’ve been doing it every since I was a kid with all my guns. And if I bought them new, none of them ever rusted.
 
Upvote 0
Hi. AB80 appears to be a product intended to compete with WD40. If they are similar, AB80 may leave a sticky residue when it dries. Keeping a gun rust free in a humid environment is difficult. Most of the rust problems I have had have been in the hidden areas inside a wood stock. I now seal the inside of wood stocks with a thinned varnish, and coat those hidden metal areas with a rust preventative grease. For the exposed metal, I use a silicone impregnated cloth. Before the silicone based products were available, I just moistened a rag with "gun oil" and kept that in a plastic bag between uses.

Yes you should wipe down all exposed metal after each use. No you should not store in a cotton wrap because cotton absorbs moisture from the air. Wool is supposed to be OK, but just placing it exposed on an open gun rack might be the best thing to do if you can't create a humidity controlled cabinet of some kind.
 
Upvote 0
Thanks Ron! I tried getting ballistol today actually but Apparantly no one has it here. Getting it online however seems to be impossible due to shipping difficulties. I assume it's normal to see some sort of rust color after wiping it periodically is that correct?
Click to expand...

Well - hopefully not. If that's the case, I'd wipe it more often. If you can't get Ballistol any kind of light oil like sewing machine oil or oil specifically made for firearms like Remoil would work too. Just don't soak it - its messy on metal and too much oil will soften the stock over an extended time.
 
Upvote 0
WD40 is basically kerosene with a smelling agent added and sucks as a rust preventative or lubricant. I have a machine shop and for years have had problems with rust on my machines. I have tried everything and while some slowed the process none prevented rust. One day a friend of mine put me onto a product that he swore prevented rust completely. Naturally, I was skeptical as I tried almost everything but gave it a try. Well, I was absolutely amazed. The bare metal stays bright and shiny even from acids from hands in touching it. Never had any rust since. 

The ironic part is that the product contains a simple chemical "Lanolin". The name of the product I am referring to "Fluid Film". It comes in a thin gel in a can the can be wiped on or in a spray can where it is more liquid.

In addition, it is a good lubricant. I have a digital height gauge where the measuring head slides on a metal rail. If the measuring head sticks at all when sliding it I get measuring errors due to it moving too quickly when it breaks free. Here again, I tried all kinds of lubricants. They would work fine when I put them on but when I would go to use the height gauge a month or so later it would be sticky again. I tried the Fluid Film on it and even if I don't use the gauge for months it still slides smoothly.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu