Free For All Friday 8-1-2014: Rust and rifle calibers.
I get asked quite often when I’m going to put out more videos. I think an update at this point is probably warranted. It comes down to two things: time and quality. With time, it just comes down to a complete and utter lack of it. I work two jobs as it is and making the videos takes an incredibly long time. It really comes down to a choice of either keep up with the blog’s updating schedule or make videos. This brings me to the quality thing. I have a very particular vision for the videos in my head. While I’m happy with the videos that have been posted so far (although I’ve considered re-doing a few of the earlier ones with the better equipment I have now), they’re still not where I’d ultimately like them to be. I mean, if you all didn’t mind a bunch of quickly thrown together vids with little coherence or uniqueness, thats fine but there wouldn’t be much to differentiate myself from the loads of incoherent and indistinguishable videos on YouTube already. With that being said, I don’t want to release more videos if I can’t put enough time into them to make them the quality that you deserve. As soon as my schedule clears up, I’ll be back to them because I really do enjoy making them.
Hope that clears things up a bit. We’ve got two questions this week!
I’ve recently noticed a very small patch of surface rust forming on my Remington 870 express’s receiver. This is my home defense gun so other than the trips to the range with it (which are fewer and farther between than I’d like them to be) it sits safely and protected in a nylon gun bag away from any moisture. I was really shocked to see the rust so I started looking online and I found a lot of things saying this model is apparently very prone to rusting easily? There was a plethora of “fixes” to prevent this, all very different. What is your preferred measures? Also, how would I remove the rust that’s already formed? -Corey M.
I’d make the “guns have two enemies” joke to start out with but I think I used that joke already. Seeing one of your beloved firearms getting surface rust is heartbreaking. It’s not the end of the world, though…well…at least not if you catch it early enough. The first thing to do is get the rust off of there as soon as possible. Depending on the finish of the gun, a light brass bristle brush or some super fine brass wool will take care of it. Use it just enough to get rid of the rust and try not to overdo it. You don’t want to start digging into the finish or the metal more than you absolutely have to. I know I’ve said that multiple ways in the last three sentences but it’s an important thing.
If the rust has really started pitting the metal, you may need to send it off to be refinished. That kind of work is best left to professionals, sadly, so you’re probably not going to see a guide for that on the site. Would be fun to try, though.
But I digress. Once the rust is gone, now we move on to prevention. First off, storing in the nylon case isn’t always the best idea, especially if you live in a humid area. The fabric will absorb moisture and then hold it right up against the gun which, due to the contact and enclosed area, will rust a gun far faster than just leaving it sitting in a corner somewhere. A good protectant will do wonders to prevent most corrosion so keeping a good coating of something like FrogLube or Ballistol on the gun is very important as it will provide a barrier to moisture. Ideally, changing the storage method is the best way to go but, if you absolutely must store it in a nylon bag, I’d recommend storing one of those silica bags in the case as well. Those little ones you get inside shipments won’t be enough. Look for the ones that are made specifically for gun safes.
I was thinking about getting a hunting rifle. I was looking at a .308 or a 30-06. I was leaning to the .308 but someone told me that the 30-06 would be a better choice due the wide range of grain size ammo. You could hunt anything with a 30-06 by changing the weight of the bullet. What do you think? thanks as always! -Skylar R.
Hey look! A Year of the Rifle related question! Thanks for giving me the opportunity to plug! Size wise, both rounds are perfectly suited for animals up to Elk but I’d recommend something larger if you’re planning on going after moose, big game in Africa or Cthulhu. The general consensus seems to be that the 30-06 has more options available when handloading because, from what I can tell, most factory loads on the 30-06 are a bit on the conservative side. One thing to really consider, however, is the rifle itself that will be shooting said caliber. Most 30-06 rifles tend to be on the heavier side and carrying that heavy rifle and ammo out into the wilderness will get old fast. You can get very accurate .308 rifles with a short action which makes it very easy to transport.
Another thing to consider is, of course, ammo prices. A quick glance at ammo prices show 30-06 at about $0.55-$0.60 a round while .308 is running around the $0.40-$0.50 range. While it doesn’t seem like much in the grand scheme of things, you’re still going to be able to buy more .308 ammo for the same money and that will let you practice more before you head out.
Beyond those factors, the actual performance of the 30-06 and the .308 is close enough that it all comes down to the shooter’s ability. If it were my money, I’d go with a .308 which, oddly enough, is the caliber I chose for my Year of the Rifle rifle. Just sayin’….
Thanks for the questions!
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