Powdered Rust? Help!

[Drame22]

Hello everyone,

I went shooting with my Mosins a few weeks ago, I cleaned them like normal and put them away. When I pulled them out today, the metal was almost completely covered in what looks like powdered rust. How did this happen?

My cleaning steps:

Boiling water down the barrel, patches.
Bore solvent, patches.
Oil, patches. Then a final patch with oil on it.


Am I doing something wrong? Did I not dry the pieces enough? I'm scared, please help! I couldn't live with myself if I were responsible for wrecking these beautiful guns.

It's not on the wood, which I assume means it is rust. I'm also new to guns so if anyone notices me doing anything wrong, please tell me!



I've wiped it off, but the fact that they went away clean and came back out dirty worries me. I also store them in a set of old school lockers, would these be letting moisture or something in to the guns? I don't have a gun safe yet, unfortunately, but I have a basement room, it's never damp or humid, almost always around 60 degrees and dry.


Cheers,
Drame22


EDIT: It's also all over the bayonets!? What IS this stuff?

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[dracozny]

might not seem humid but basements are almost always humid to some degree at least 40%, the lockers don't provide any sort of barrier either. use an old fridge that has a good seal would be better. a 5 gallon bucket of descant would help if the fridge is not an option.

 

[Jamie6.5]

What kind of oil?

 

[biggie24420]

So it sounds like you were shooting corrosive ammo. Personally I've shot corrosive ammo and I try to avoid it as much as possible. I saw your post in another section and I had recommended BALLISTOL.

You can take Ballistol and mix it with water and wash out your gun with that. Then you can dry it and go over it with just the Ballistol to lube and protect. Some people use Windex with ammonia in it, and based on my research Ballistol is better because I don't think the ammonia has much to do with anything (correct me if I am wrong, but have proof). When you apply Ballistol on rust, it foams up and cleans it right up. I have an AK and I get that powder surface rust on it and I just go over it with Ballistol and it cleans it right up and prevents the rust from coming back for a while.

I buy my Ballistol from eBay or Amazon.... give it a try and I am sure you will like it a lot. Just go on YouTube and research the stuff. One of the best all purpose cleaner/lube. It does have a funky smell so use it in a well ventilated area if it bothers you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j6_-UUUEek

 

[TCOV]

You should probably run some patches through the bore the next day after cleaning and check every few days until it shows clean. The corrosive stuff just doesn't seem to come out with one cleaning. Don't wait weeks. I made the same mistake with a nice Finnish Mosin. I now treat all surplus Mosin ammo as corrosive no matter what I'm told when I get it. Try to pick up commercial ammo when I can. I think with your storage conditions you are ok if you check them once in a while. Wipe the bayonet and oil it.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

I would immediately move your guns to a temperature controlled part of the house. The air in the basement is moist and air temperatures will change more quickly than metal temperatures, which will cause moisture to condense on the metal when the air is warmer than the metal. The corrosive ammo is another issue entirely, but meantime, get your guns out of the basement. Even a cheap safe or locker bolted into a closet (avoid any exterior walls) would help keep your guns from deteriorating.

 

[drew]

I would immediately move your guns to a temperature controlled part of the house. The air in the basement is moist and air temperatures will change more quickly than metal temperatures, which will cause moisture to condense on the metal when the air is warmer than the metal. The corrosive ammo is another issue entirely, but meantime, get your guns out of the basement. Even a cheap safe or locker bolted into a closet (avoid any exterior walls) would help keep your guns from deteriorating.

I agree. Also try putting some other steel down there. See if it rusts quickly.