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I purchased Browning X-Bolt Stainless Steel Stalker in 308 Win that is less than a year old and has never been fired. I finally found some 308 Win ammo, so tomorrow I was going to a range. I did some bore cleaning and lubing, and upon a very careful inspection, I noticed two thin about 1/8 in long rust patches inside the bore at the muzzle area (tried to take a pic, but the position is such that I can get the spots to show up in the pictures). How much should I worry about these patches? Could they affect accuracy and create serious issues in the future? Can one send the rifle to Browning to have the barrel replaced for free? I could arrange with co-worker to send it back if Browning would take care of the issue under warranty. My model was assembled in Japan, and it seems that the rust issue is not uncommon with the rifles assembled in Browning's Japan factory. Has anyone experienced a similar issue? The rifle was purchased in June 2020 new, and was sitting unused in its box. Any advice would be appreciated.

Dan
 
I had a similar problem with a Pedersoli lever gun that appears to have two levels of gun bluing. It sat new in box for over a year in a safe full of other rifles and desiccants throughout the safe, it was the only rifle to acquire some surface rust. Perdersoli DID NOT care to help.

Run a lubed patch through the bore and scrub it with a bristle brush. Shoot it, clean it, store it, and if it happens again, call Browning.
 
How was the accuracy of your Pedersoli?
I spent two hours with brash and was able to slightly remove the rust, but the rust is still there. I will see how the shooting goes. My friend borrowed me a pro stand with clamps, so I will be able to perform a perfect test for accuracy at 100 yards (our range is only up to 100 yards, but that is the best distance to start with, at least until I confirm if the rifle is accurate). I am getting a little bit concerned because someone else just sent me message (through Browning forum) and told me that his brand new x-bolt stalker was rusty from day one, he took it back to the dealer and got another one, and that one started rusting few months later (I have no way to know if the guy is telling the truth or making things up). Here is a pic of one of the two rust spots. There might be more deep inside, but I have no way to see them without a scope camera (should borrow one from a friend who does colonoscopies).

X-Bolt.jpg
 
That's just some surface rust, not anything to get too twerked about. It's less buildup than you would get from copper fouling. Spray some WD40 down the barrel and run a brush chased by some patches. Simply shooting it would likely scrub it off as well.

If this is a common thing, keep it oiled while stored and perhaps a silicone plug or cap on the muzzle to keep the moisture out.
 
That's just some surface rust, not anything to get too twerked about. It's less buildup than you would get from copper fouling. Spray some WD40 down the barrel and run a brush chased by some patches. Simply shooting it would likely scrub it off as well.

If this is a common thing, keep it oiled while stored and perhaps a silicone plug or cap on the muzzle to keep the moisture out.
Thanks for the advice. I am heading to a gun store to get a stainless steel brush in 308 size and will do some more bore cleaning after a range shooting this afternoon. I did nylon-brash cleaning last night and that removed about 50% of the rust. The rifle was sitting this winter in a storage unit and we got high humidity in Seattle in the winter (rain, rain and more rain). My co-worker who sold me the rifle told me that he never cleaned, lubed or did anything with the rifle (I have no reason not to believe him). Hopefully, the accuracy is not affected. What I was surprised is that the bolt/receiver were completely dry and I couldn't see any traces of grease or oil. Bore also was dry and the first patch that I passed through was clean and dry, no signs of any thin oil. Shouldn't manufacturers lube guns for storage (including bore) before bringing them to market? Some rifles might spend years before being sold. The main idea of lubing guns is to prevent rust.
 
Do not use a stainless brush in the bore as you are likely to do more damage than good. Stick to a bronze brush and or some jb bore past and patches. Also airflow is your friend for keeping more rust from forming so do not plug bore in storage as suggested. A patch with oil run down bore and stored in a safe with a golden rod is all that is needed to keep rust at bay.
 
Do not use a stainless brush in the bore as you are likely to do more damage than good. Stick to a bronze brush and or some jb bore past and patches. Also airflow is your friend for keeping more rust from forming so do not plug bore in storage as suggested. A patch with oil run down bore and stored in a safe with a golden rod is all that is needed to keep rust at bay.

Typically this is correct, except when there is a lot of humidity like we get here on the wrong side of the mountains. I had rust in my tikka barrel, keeping it oiled and capped did the trick when nothing else such as a goldenrod and desiccant worked.

A +1 on the brass brush, do not use a stainless one.
 
Typically this is correct, except when there is a lot of humidity like we get here on the wrong side of the mountains. I had rust in my tikka barrel, keeping it oiled and capped did the trick when nothing else such as a goldenrod and desiccant worked.

A +1 on the brass brush, do not use a stainless one.
I live on the wet side of the Cascades and have been successfully storing firearms rust free in safes with a goldenrod for 40 years. I even had one in an unheated garage for 6 months with no issue. There must have been some extenuated circumstances for it to have failed for you. Just goes to show there is rarely just one solution.
 
I purchased 30 minutes ago a bronze brush and will use that one after I get back from a shooting range. When I use brushes, I am very careful how I use them. I use coated one-piece long rod, I pass it without any brash from the front (I also attach a rubber protecting piece in the front, so the road never gets in contact with muzzle), I then screw in a brush and then pull it back just in the direction on projectiles. I never move any brushes through my bores in both directions. I was thought to clean Mausers this way by my late father. Most of the times I clean my bores with bore snakes, but bore snakes don't perfectly clean, so about 200-300 rounds I use a one-piece rod with brush and patches. I am heading now to take the first shots with my X-bolt and I am very excited about it. I have never had a scope on my rifle, so I will have first to spend time zeroing-in the scope. I did a rough zeroing at 50 YD without any shots to minimize ammo spending.
 
How was the accuracy of your Pedersoli?
I spent two hours with brash and was able to slightly remove the rust, but the rust is still there. I will see how the shooting goes. My friend borrowed me a pro stand with clamps, so I will be able to perform a perfect test for accuracy at 100 yards (our range is only up to 100 yards, but that is the best distance to start with, at least until I confirm if the rifle is accurate). I am getting a little bit concerned because someone else just sent me message (through Browning forum) and told me that his brand new x-bolt stalker was rusty from day one, he took it back to the dealer and got another one, and that one started rusting few months later (I have no way to know if the guy is telling the truth or making things up). Here is a pic of one of the two rust spots. There might be more deep inside, but I have no way to see them without a scope camera (should borrow one from a friend who does colonoscopies).

View attachment 838875
I never shot the Pedersoli, still NIB with cosmetic blem. It is a 45-70. Admittedly, the spot rust was on the outside of the barrel, none inside. Dealers should not lose money on a new gun from disitributer as they can send it back as faulty, then it may go back to the factory.
 
I never shot the Pedersoli, still NIB with cosmetic blem. It is a 45-70. Admittedly, the spot rust was on the outside of the barrel, none inside. Dealers should not lose money on a new gun from distributor as they can send it back as faulty, then it may go back to the factory.
 
That's just some surface rust, not anything to get too twerked about. It's less buildup than you would get from copper fouling. Spray some WD40 down the barrel and run a brush chased by some patches. Simply shooting it would likely scrub it off as well.

If this is a common thing, keep it oiled while stored and perhaps a silicone plug or cap on the muzzle to keep the moisture out.
That seems like too much work for a hunting rifle, and stainless, too. It is a hunting rifle! I baby my guns a bit, but nothing like that.
 
I purchased 30 minutes ago a bronze brush and will use that one after I get back from a shooting range. When I use brushes, I am very careful how I use them. I use coated one-piece long rod, I pass it without any brash from the front (I also attach a rubber protecting piece in the front, so the road never gets in contact with muzzle), I then screw in a brush and then pull it back just in the direction on projectiles. I never move any brushes through my bores in both directions. I was thought to clean Mausers this way by my late father. Most of the times I clean my bores with bore snakes, but bore snakes don't perfectly clean, so about 200-300 rounds I use a one-piece rod with brush and patches. I am heading now to take the first shots with my X-bolt and I am very excited about it. I have never had a scope on my rifle, so I will have first to spend time zeroing-in the scope. I did a rough zeroing at 50 YD without any shots to minimize ammo spending.
I used to level the rifle on a table, remove the bolt, place an orange square in the distance and look through the bore and try to line the scope to the target - worked well in my poor:) uni days as it does now in my richer days.
 
Here I am back from the range. My overall impression is I love the rifle with a minor negative. I was shooting 100 yards from sitting position. At first I used my friends support to zero the scope. I did have a rough time zeroing as the scope was far off and first 2 rounds did not hit the target (16" x 16"), but eventually I was able to zero well and get 3 shots within 1in. I then placed small targets and started shooting, First two shots bullseye, but then 3rd was off about 3in and the 4th was off about 5in. I was convinced my eye got tired as my vision is not that good. I relaxed for few minutes (range target posting break) and went back shooting. I took 4 shots and not one hit target. I also noticed that scope is not clear to my eye anymore the target looked blurry (double or even triple vision). Then I realized the scope base came all loose and scope was wobbling. The scope was not installed properly. I stopped shoooting for the day with this rifle and went to pop some rounds with my revolver. I will re-install the scope and will tighten all the bolts (I need to look into the manual to see if they need to be under a specific torque, or just usual cross-tight). I will have to zero the scope again. I am impressed by rifle action. I was using Federal American Eagle 7.62x51 ammo and loading and extraction was superb. Not a single cartridge that got jammed or had any hick-ups. What I was not impressed with was the magazine. The magazine slightly wobbles, but that does not seem to have any impact. If a metal magazine for X-Bolt ever comes out, I will buy one. Magazine feels very cheaply made, but luckily the are under $50 and easy to buy from many sources, so it is not a big deal. I am looking forward for the next range session this coming weekend (I am at the range almost every weekend). Meantime, I will now clean the bore with the new brush and also do a nice cleaning inside receiver and perform bolt cleaning.
 
The co-worker that sold me the gun told me that a gun shop where he purchased both the rifle and scope installed the scope. If that is the case, they did not do a good job. At the range, I got somewhat contradictories advises from two old-school rifle guys (both former Vietnam vets). One advised to apply blue loctite and the other said not to apply it. If I need a torque wrench, I might trade some empty shells for someone to torque scope bolts on my rifle. I will see what the scope manual says.
 

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