Rust on 870

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freebird72

New member
I noticed the other day when cleaning my 870 express that there were a few small rust spots starting to form on the barrel. I have read this is a common thing on express 870s.

So what is the best way to get rid of this rust and keep it off?
 
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Quadpod88

New member
Go over it with Rem oil, with lots of elbow grease. Then wipe it down once a month or or after every time you go shooting(which ever is most often) with Rem oil wipes.
 
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RMcL

New member
Regarding rust and Remington 870 Express guns:

What appears to have happened on some runs of this gun was they did not get a good final neutralizing bath after that grey finish. The answer is simple. Mix Bicarbonate of Soda (baking soda) and water. Degrease the shotgun. Wipe the entire surface with the soda/water mix. This will kill any of the action. Dry the gun well with a hair dryer and oil with any good oil like Breakfree or Slip2000.
 
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SteelChickenShooter

New member
I had a lot of unexpected surface rust one morning while deer hunting with my 870. Since then I've learned to check more often than expected, and wipe it down with an oil rag more frequently than seems to be needed for some other firearms.
 
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nanewt02

New member
Heres an idea,

Id do what rmcl suggested, however, do not oil it, instead, put the barrel in some boiling water, this should convert that rust into black iron oxide (gun blue), rub with a paper towel vigorously afterwords. then put oil on it. or if you really want overkill, heat the barrel up with a blow torch being waved back and forth from a distance. do this only until the barrel is too hot to touch, and no more. then rub it with oil on and around the original rust area. have a 10 ga NEF and it did wonders, as long as the rust is minor
 
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publius

New member
The finish on the Express is crap. This is what I do with mine. Use some steel wool and a bronze toothbrush and make sure you get ALL the rust off. Completely soak it until it is just dripping with oil. Leave it on for a couple of days then wipe off excess. I always wipe it down immediately after use and do the heavy oil soak periodically.
 
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drail

Moderator
The Express finish has to be treated like Parkerizing (even though it ain't). You have to really soak it in oil until it soaks a bunch up. Use a small paint brush for this. My Express tried to rust when I first got it but it has stopped. Just keep a good coat of oil on it. I have been using Breakfree CLP for the last 10 years on it and it's staying rust free. The best thig to do with an Express though is have it Parkerized by a shop that does military rifle work. It will be the last finish you'll ever need on that gun.
 
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Virginian

New member
My advice would be to first scrub it in warm soapy water. I don't think they give them a good enough bath to remove all the bluing salts from the rough finish. Oil is not a solvent for bluing salts. Residual bluing salts will rust in a New York minute. Then dry it good, remove any rust spots with a little WD-40 and steel wool - gently here - and then re oil well with RemOil, Breakfree, G-96, or WD-40 and see how that does.
 
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Virginian

New member
Gun oils are a way overthought subject. Having used RemOil for over 20 years from Louisiana to Manitoba, I am satisfied with it. I have also used G-66 & 96, Breakfree, Browning Gun Oil, RIG, 3-in-1, and WD-40 over the years also without issue. I am not saying WD-40 is a great lubricant, but it works. It is an extremely good corrosion inhibitor.
 
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radom

New member
The sandblast finish on the express is great at trapping sweat and other nasty stuff that leads to rust. Why I shot mine with Krylon spray paint,end of issue.
 
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Mauser8mm

New member
Oil and Steel Wool

If you spray the barrel down with Rem Oil, or WD40, and rub the barrel with steel wool pretty hard, it will come off. Don't worry, if the metal is blued it isn't going to hurt it. Trust me it worked on my guns. Good luck!
 
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eastbank

New member
i soaked my expresses with oil and let them set in the sun to allow the oil to get into the pores of the metal, then wiped off the excess and coated them with frog lube,no rust in 13 days of spring turkey season. eastbank.
 
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MWalsh

New member
It's probably not that harmful to it, but after reading about a lot of people's experiences with rust on the newer 870 express models I decided against the model; mossberg 500 doesn't appear to suffer the same issue.
 
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RMcL

New member
Most of the rust concerns with the Express Finish have long since been rectified. Perchance you have one of the early Express guns see my earlier entry in this post. The proceedure works well also if you find a conventionally blued gun that continues to bleed bluing salts at metal joints.

For what its worth, the Remington 870 vent ribs in all grades are the toughest in the industry. This means a lot for a hard use field gun.

I recommend the use of synthetic gun oils such as Slip 2000.
 
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