Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Help!! Pre-64s are rusted......

As I had anticipated, I came back from Christmas vacation with two pre-64 Model 70s, a .375 H&H and a Featherweight .270 caliber. They been used only for big-game hunting ocassionally, and therefore fired very few times. But they had been stored for years in a damp basement, without care the past few years. There was lots of rust on the outside surfaces of the barrels. It was so deep that the metal is pitted. I used my Dremel tool with a rubber burnisher to get the rust (bluing and all) off down to the pitting, and oiled them good. The .270 looks like it has the measles, or something worse. It is enough to make a gun-lover cry.<P>The bore of both rifles had obviously been well-oiled, and the bores look perfect. Likewise, there is no rust visible on the actions. So the rifles should both operate and shoot perfectly.<P>But they look horrible.<P>I am not sure where to go from here. On one extreme, I could oil them up good and hunt with them. On the other extreme, I could pour a potfull of money into total refinishing, McMillian stocks, etc.<P>Being realistic dollarwise, what would YOU do if you had these rifles?<P>------------------<BR><BR><I><B>Critr</B></I><BR> <A HREF="http://www.SaguaroSafaris.com" TARGET=_blank>www.SaguaroSafaris.com</A>

How much money you got? <BR>Seriously and with out looking I think I'd just polish the bbl on the 270 my self and cold blue it. If I wanted and had the scratch for it I'd send the metal off and have it polished and reblued.<BR>BCR<P>------------------<BR>A 45 BEATS 4 ACES EVERYTIME

I have never done any cold bluing. How does it compare in looks and durability to a hot job?<P>------------------<BR><BR><I><B>Critr</B></I><BR> <A HREF="http://www.SaguaroSafaris.com" TARGET=_blank>www.SaguaroSafaris.com</A>

Take your barreled reciever to a quality machine shop and have a real machinist take just a little off of the surface of the barrel. He would use crocus cloth. You can do a half-way decent job of blueing with kits you can buy in most gun shops. If you only want the barreled reciever bued I am sure that most blueing establishments will give you a decent price of polishing and bluing these parts only.

I agree.

Don't despair - a good quality rust bluing job will run about $110-$130 dollars. Find a good gunsmith, who specializes in rust bluing and your Winchesters will look almost original. I just got the buttplate to my M-71 Winchester back from my gunsmith and it is great, almost coal black, cost $20.00. He is getting ready to do my friends M12 pump; it has some pitting in the barrel - let the smith take it down, don't do it yourself. Odessa

Critr the profesional finish as folks are telling you is the best way for sure no argument from me.<BR>Now that said and to answer your question. If you want to do it yourself you can if you are just doing the bbl. Get the finest emery paper you can find and use it like a shoe shine rag. Fininsh it off with crocus cloth.<BR>Brownells makes the best cold blue I've ever used. Stuff is called TricopanM or something like that. Follow directions. You can pretty well match up your bbl. color to your action. It will last about 2/3 of what a good hot blue job will. Cost you maybe twenty bucks if you don't count your time.<BR>BCR<P>------------------<BR>A 45 BEATS 4 ACES EVERYTIME<p>[This message has been edited by Boggy Creek Ranger (edited February 11, 2001).]

Critr,<BR>Hey bud,when you refinish a pre-64 you lose all collector value.If they are as bad as you say than you have shooters anyway.<BR>Let's figure on several issues seeing as how they are shooters.<BR>Cold blue sucks for rust prevention compared to hot salt blue.<BR>Bluing sucks compared to parkerizing,and is way behind Kalgard.<BR>Next comes polymer finishes that will set you back hundreds of dollars.<BR>For the money a good Kal-gard finish is hard to beat even if it is ugly.<BR>If you just want a good blue job look into Williams sight company.They do outstanding work and aren't too expensive.<BR>Also consider selling the rifles or using them for custom projects.Custom Rifles on pre-64 actions bring prices similar to pre-64 originals.<BR>The .375 has me drooling all over the keyboard.<BR>Good luck to ya!<BR>E4E

I think you are right, E4E. I checked into refurbishing by <A HREF="http://www.winchester-restorations.com/index.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.winchester-restorations.com/index.html</A> and they want $200 to do the wood, and about $500 to do the metal. That would have them so near original that it would probably be hard to tell anything had ever been done, but is just not worth it to a hunter (me). So I want a reasonable solution for a hunting gun, not for a collectable. <P>I never expect to make it to Alaska or Africa, and have such a small chance of being drawn for elk, that I did not intend to keep the .375 H&H. E-mail me.........<P>------------------<BR><BR><I><B>Critr</B></I><BR> <A HREF="http://www.SaguaroSafaris.com" TARGET=_blank>www.SaguaroSafaris.com</A>

Contact Phil at Glenrock Bluing. He did a slide for a 1911 that turned out great! He specializes in restoring pre-64 model 70's and I thought his prices were pretty fair. In the near future, I am sending him a pre 64 .338 that was "hunted hard" in Alaska. His site is <A HREF="http://www.gunbluing.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.gunbluing.com</A>

Critr, if E4E doesn't take that .375, give me a call and I will take it off your hands. I had one a while back I wish I hadn't gotten rid of. Besides, I might need it next time I make it to Africa- about 2 years if everything goes alright. -Sheister

Critr,<BR>A good blue job and a stock refinish can be had for much less.Williams will do a hunter grade finish for around a C-note,and stock refinishing should be less than a hundred bucks.However it will kill all "original" value on the rifle.It will be just a nice looking shooter.<BR>As to the .375H&H,I can't do anything with it now,I am up to my dupa in projects and others rifles currently,and<BR>Sheister needs a toy to keep him out of trouble!If you wish to part with the beast he would be the one to talk to.<BR>Thank you for giving me dibs though!<BR>E4E

Thanks guys, for all the input. Not sure which route I'll take, but you have given me enough to explore my options.<P>One question, E4E, what is a Kal-gard finish?<P>------------------<BR><BR><I><B>Critr</B></I><BR> <A HREF="http://www.SaguaroSafaris.com" TARGET=_blank>www.SaguaroSafaris.com</A>

Odessa,<BR>You can't get a "real" rust blue for $130.00 anywhere, more like $300.00...A good hot blue runs about $125.00...<P>You may as well take them to a gunsmith and have him bead blast the action and polish the rest to 400 grit and hot blue them..The collector value has been ruined, but they are still excellent hunting rifles and will look nice when finished...<P>I"m sorry I do not recommend a machinest unless he is a gun nut and gun smith also...whoever does the work needs to know the nature of the rifle and how it supposed to look, and thats a qualified gunsmith....<P>------------------<BR>Ray Atkinson<BR>atkinsonhunting.com<BR>208-326-4120

My turn, -- I have several pre 64s and have seen many at the gun shows, to reblue always cuts the letteing and is spotted by any knowledgable gun man. If you intend to shoot the 270 have it coated and have a great hunting rifle for you and family for many years. The 375 H&H sell just as is, don't put more money in it, let the new owner do what he wants, have him pay your price if he want's it. They pull a premium in that caliber, any gun man knows this. -- no

Need One, what do you mean by "have it coated"?