Rossi Rifleman

I’m looking for suggestions on protecting blued steel. I’ve always had pretty good luck with Vaseline and recently have been using Renaissance wax. The wax let me down recently when I let my R92 go overnight without cleaning.

I've generally used automotive paste wax when clean.
Oil or cleaning fluid will cut it.
IF it gets wet, Remove wet furniture and wipe the gun down and let it dry, buff well and reapply wax to the exterior.

Nothing prevents operator error.

I use EEZOX. Its a brand of rust preventative that does wonderfully well in the humid environment that I live in. Wax products always run the risk of getting corrosives or condensation under them and in essence sealing poblems in. EEZOX used correctly as the label states will keep blued guns looking nice for decades. Of course you can't leave any gun overnight wet and dirty and expect there to be no rust of corrosion. EEZOX will keep it to a bear minimum for the longest of any product I have ever seen.

dionesius3 wrote:I use EEZOX. Its a brand of rust preventative that does wonderfully well in the humid environment that I live in. Wax products always run the risk of getting corrosives or condensation under them and in essence sealing poblems in. EEZOX used correctly as the label states will keep blued guns looking nice for decades. Of course you can't leave any gun overnight wet and dirty and expect there to be no rust of corrosion. EEZOX will keep it to a bear minimum for the longest of any product I have ever seen.

Several years ago I did a frame-out rebuild of a reproduction 1860 revolver, including refitting an arbor. I polished the barrels & cylinders bright early on in the project. The components were stored over a year indoors, in a damp environment. The reason for this abuse was to test a corrosion inhibitor I had just purchased. After a wet fall, snowy winter and wet spring, only the faintest brown freckling appeared and it was easily removed by 0000 steel wool. I now use it on anything made of carbon steel which will see use in a wet environment.



https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/WD_300035

Everyone has their own experiences.
The WD-40 Specialist above claims to be non-drying lubricant for use in high humidity environments. Sounds like an improvement over the original for use on mechanisms.

As I understand it WD-40 was designed as a MDL (Moisture Displacement Lubricant) used on spacecraft during the move to the launch site to prevent moisture from corroding static metallic joints and was marketed for other things after one of the engineers or techs used it on other applications.

My limited experience is that the standard WD-40 works as a lubricant for a limited time until it doesn't and then it attracts dirt and starts squeaking and eventually dries out turning to glue.

IF you are going for long term storage, then go ahead and use WD-40 or any of the other MDL spray applications. IF on the other hand you intend to USE the firearm with the MDL product in place long term then good luck. The stuff has a tendency to get EVERYWHERE in the action, which is good in a protectant application. Problem is that it has a tendency to dry out into a glue like varnish that prevents parts from moving. So IF you plan on getting it the heck out of the action before you need to use the weapon, just like cosmoline or like RIG or the pine tar that the Russians used on their weapons then you may be on the right track. Be prepared to spend the same kind of time and effort you would use with cosmoline. environmental factors may factor in on how fast it dries out but I've seen the same sorts of effect both here in the dry desert and in the humid southeast.

In one particular example, When I purchased a used Remington 270 I was initially unable to remove the bolt from the gun. The gun was probably operable but I wanted to take it down and make certain the innards of the trigger assembly and the bolt were clean and lubed appropriately. It turned out that the bolt release was WD-40 varnished in place. Even though you pressed on it to the point of bending the release up to the trigger guard it would not allow the bolt to be removed. It wasn't until the part was smacked with a screwdriver used as a punch to break the varnish that the gun could be disassembled. I had to soak various parts in solvent to get the varnish out including the trigger mechanism.

As near as I can figure the MDL lube sold under both the Hoppes brand and that sold under the Lyman label for use on firearms a couple decades back were both very darned close to the standard WD-40 in a much smaller container at a much higher price. Right down to the same exact smell.

The only thing regular WD40 has in common with Corrosion Inhibitor is the brand.

Our Armories at Camp Horno and Margarita had storage designated for personal weapons storage during deployment. Every time we'd load out, I'd just detail clean my pistols (2 Ruger single actions) and my Rem 660, and then wipe every part down (wearing those medical gloves I'd "borrow" from Doc B), reassemble, and lock them up. The wipe down was with those "cleaner/preservative wipes" from Birchwood Casey or Shooters Choice that I'd get at the MCX Sporting Goods there at Pendleton. When I'd get back, usually 13 months later, my blued pistols and rifle were as clean and shiny as when I'd left them.
NOTE: STAY AWAY from the "SILICONE" cloth types. I remember a couple of really "POed" Marines who came back to fingerprints permanently etched into their gun's barrel because of that.