2 weeks and the enfield cried help me. lol

[phishisgroovin]

so, after two solid weeks of living outside packing my trusty ole Enfield, it cried for help.

I was out in rain, snow and driving rain & snow. wet weather the whole time and one day last week i noticed weird spots on the barrel, I took the rifle inside the trailer for a fast rubdown with oil.
That was a friggin mistake lol!
The sight glasses in the scope fogged instantly, and i was packing fishseekers Winchester mod 88 threafter.
seems as if my enfield didnt like the change in weather any.

Well anyways, when i got home the other day i tore the enfield down for a after hunt cleaning, under the wood was horrible, rusted up alot.
I cleaned it up and am now waiting for some cold blue to wipe the bare areas that showed face. seems weird i oiled the heck out of this rifle prior to hunting and thought i did everything right.

What do you guys use under the wood to prevent rust from forming?

[phishisgroovin]

I also had to rub the stock with 350 grit and emery cloth to apply a new coat of 50/50 mineral spirits and Verathane. she looks great again.
i was wanting to do this anyways for a long time to remove the runs in the finish and a few blemishes anyhow, couldnt find a better time than now while i have it apart for upkeep.

[Elk-aholic]

For under the stock use something that wont wash off so easy in the rain I use Thompson's Bore butter it's almost like a grease it wont wash off in the heavy rain. I use a aerosol can of Rem oil for all other exterior finishes.

[phishisgroovin]

i picked up a stock wax mixture at the gun shop.
I will be looking at Home Depot for Johnsons paste wax later on though. same stuff.

its like butter and lasts a long time. I still cant believe all that oil evaporated in two weeks, thats crazy.

[Huntbear]

The oil did not evaporate.  The stock absorbed it.  How good of a bluing job is on the rifle?  It should not have rusted up that bad.  Also, if it is surface rust.  Take an old brass casing, crush the mouth of the case flat in a vise, and scape the rust off.  It will NOT take off the bluing, just the rust.  Then wipe with a good gun cleaner, to remove brass coloring, then oil. 

If the stock is getting that messed up, it may be warping/swelling when that wet, and it may affect accuracy.  You may want to look into a synthetic stock. 

[phishisgroovin]

The rifle's bluing looked great before heading out hunting, it a sporterized Eddystone Enfield made in the 30's. I tore the whole rifle down and into a milllion pieces after the hunts this year. It was first time in the woods for probably over 40 years for it.
The bluing under the chamber was flaked off, so i headed to the gunshop to get some cold blue.
Yesterday i refinished the spots and any other blemish i seen.

the stock had warped from storage over the last 30-40 years but i (when i took it apart) refinished it and got it back to not touching the barrel at all. Looks great now.
I shimmed the forward lug of the reciever so the barrel also sits a tad bit higher in the stock as well. now it can breathe alot better.
I am certain i shouldnt have issues like this again, live and learn.

a Synthetic stock would be nice, but on a m-1917 Enfield it just wouldnt look right.

[Huntbear]

Now I understand the rust.  Cold bluing is great for small touch up spots, like a screw head or something.  However, if you want it to not rust as bad or not at all, get a hot bath for it.  It costs about $100.  Or if you like have it parkerized.