Help with rust prevention on my friend's Browning Citori CXS

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StephDoza

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First off, thanks for taking the time to offer some advice and help with this.

My father hunted down a Citori CXS for my friend so he would be well equipped for when we go shoot sporting clays together. I personally shoot a Browning 725 and I keep it in a Negrini hard case and I have never had any rust issues. My friend does not have a hard case so he stores his shotgun in a soft zipper case after he cleans it thoroughly with CLP.

The attached image shows the rust that built up over 3 weeks of storage. He had rust in the past on this same shotgun so he ensured that it was well oiled before storage but this is still the end result.

What should he do going forward to properly store his shotgun? I personally believe he needs to protect his investment with the purchase of a good hard case such as a Negrini or a Browning fleece lined shotgun case.
 
StephDoza said:
First off, thanks for taking the time to offer some advice and help with this.

My father hunted down a Citori CXS for my friend so he would be well equipped for when we go shoot sporting clays together. I personally shoot a Browning 725 and I keep it in a Negrini hard case and I have never had any rust issues. My friend does not have a hard case so he stores his shotgun in a soft zipper case after he cleans it thoroughly with CLP.

The attached image shows the rust that built up over 3 weeks of storage. He had rust in the past on this same shotgun so he ensured that it was well oiled before storage but this is still the end result.

What should he do going forward to properly store his shotgun? I personally believe he needs to protect his investment with the purchase of a good hard case such as a Negrini or a Browning fleece lined shotgun case.
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For prevention, you can use a heavier oil and coat the gun before you get in the field, and then clean immediately upon getting home. Some people even tape their bore to keep crap out.

To clean that up try brass wool first. Oil is nice. Take the gun apart all the way, there's more rust that you can't see for sure. Complete detail strip, down to every last part. A bright light helps a lot to see what you missed. Clean really well as you go and don't spread rust around. You'll use a lot of rags. You said there was previously rust on this shotgun, your friend has probably simply not removed ALL the rust, the really fine oxide powder loves to stay in a greasy corner or in the imperfections in the metal. This gun looks like a good candidate to boil the complete barreled action to convert red to black rust, then card off with a carding wheel. You can also re-blue if it's bad enough. That process is a lot like painting and really not that hard to do at all.

It's a bad idea to keep a gun in a case. The foam holds moisture. There's also a common issue with the humid climate here in KY, your gun gets hot and humid being out in the field all day, then you bring it inside to the air conditioning and it rusts. A $200 cabinet with desiccant packs is a better way to protect your investment.
 
Not a pro, but from what my google research has told me:

Motor Oil and 0000 steel wool.

FWIW it took the rust off my shotguns I had stored in the garage for a year.
Makes wood glisten too! Not sure if good long term though. <shrug>
 
Guys, while I appreciate the feedback that's been given I am looking for answers to a different question.

I am trying to help him with rust prevention rather than removal.
 
My field guns get a wipe down with an oiled rag and stored in an inexpensive fabric shotgun bag with light padding. And they don't show any signs of rust like that in the OP photo. That seems excessive. Avoid changes in environment which can cause condensate to form and enable oxidation.
 
StephDoza said:
Guys, while I appreciate the feedback that's been given I am looking for answers to a different question.

I am trying to help him with rust prevention rather than removal.
Click to expand...
Tell him to stop storing it in a soft-shell case with the properties of a sponge. A safe with a dehumidifier and a light coat of oil is standard practice.
 
Snora said:
Tell him to stop storing it in a soft-shell case with the properties of a sponge. A safe with a dehumidifier and a light coat of oil is standard practice.
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I oil my soft or hard side foam with CLP.
I’ve never had an issue but I also never kept them stored long term longer than a month.
 
Snora said:
Tell him to stop storing it in a soft-shell case with the properties of a sponge. A safe with a dehumidifier and a light coat of oil is standard practice.
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This. Don't store in the soft case. Store in the safe after wiping down with any oil after use. Dehumidifier or AC is good to have for guns as well.

I only had a dehumidifier in the summer in the room in the cellar and never had an issue. I stored other guns in the garage in a safe and never an issue either, they would get a wipe down before summer and after use.
 
Was the gun new when purchased? Even if it’s stored in a soft bag, that doesn’t look great for a short term storage.

I agree that he needs to ditch the soft bag. If he’s determined to use it, get some Zerust pods, but he’ll need to actively monitor the gun. All of mine are in the safe with a golden rod and Zerust pods and have never had an issue. The silicon/vci sleeves work will too.
 
citoriguy said:
Was the gun new when purchased? Even if it’s stored in a soft bag, that doesn’t look great for a short term storage.

I agree that he needs to ditch the soft bag. If he’s determined to use it, get some Zerust pods, but he’ll need to actively monitor the gun. All of mine are in the safe with a golden rod and Zerust pods and have never had an issue. The silicon/vci sleeves work will too.
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Practically new when purchased. The guy who owned it previously never fired a full flat of shells through it.
 
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