I just bought a Ruger M77 MKII 270Win, with a Zytel Stock. As you know, this rifle has a stainless barrel and action.

There are a few rust freckles on the barrel and I was wondering if I could remove them with steel wool without leaving a "ghost ring" like it does on a blued rifle; if not, what is the best method for removal?

When I visited the Ruger factory in Newport, New Hampshire years ago I watched intently as a repairman used a maroon Scotch Brite pad to remove scratches from a stainless Model 77 barrel. He then blended in the finish to match the rest of the gun. It looked pretty close to me... It should work on rust freckles too. Mel Chung

0000 steel wool dry, no oil, should do the trick. You can also bead blast all the metal to look brand new.

soft cloth and flitz polish works well in many rust situations. works with 0000 steel wool also but on a blued rifle this combo will remove blueing.

I have removed quite a bit of rust freckling from blued firearms over the years with 0000 steel wool and Rem Oil without noticeably harming the blueing. My kids and grandkids live on the coastal plain of south Texas (a very humid climate) and most of them have had at least one experience with light rust forming on firearms that were improperly stored, or rode hard and put up wet. Fortunately, (unlike me) they are good at single trial learning.

I have heard that you should avoid steel wool on stainless finishes. The argument goes that the steel wool leaves a tiny amount of steel behind and that is more susceptible to rust than the stainless.

As for me I have used an oiled scotchbrite pad with success.

If the rifle rusted I would give a good look at the non-stainless parts like the mag box, while you have it out.

I'm going to try the Scotch Brite pads, simply because I've never tried this method before.

Thanks for all the input.

Scoth Brite does a downright decent job, more often than not it's just right. If it's not perfect, then start with 400 grit sandpaper and go up until your "polishing" matches the polishing of the rest of the gun.

Scotchbrite leaves a very nice finish but you have to do the whole thing to have it blend in.

There is an easier alternative.

I used to have a bead blasted stainless .410 Snakecharmer that I used to shoot halibut. It was subjected to saltwater and frequently it would get rust spots. What I used to remove the rust was CLR or Limeaway. Just wipe it on, wipe it off, and rinse with water. It removes the rust and it's mild enough to not etch the stainless or alter the finish.

I cleaned the rust off it many times using this method and it would always look as good as new.

I appreciate the advice on the CLR and Limeaway.