Rusty Appearance on new 111

[Savage 111]

I have a brand new Savage 111. To the naked eye, under normal light, the bluing looks okay.

However, when I took some pictures of the receiver, trigger group, and barrel, the flash revealed what looks like RUST all over the entire firearm. The trigger group and barrel nut look like they're completely covered in rust.

When I look at the firearm with a flashlight, I likewise see the same thing.

A lot of it I'm able to kind of buff off with a rag and oil but not in many areas such as the grooves in the nut and nooks and crannies around the trigger etc. The bluing also seems to have runs and many horrible faults visible with a flashlight or when a picture is taken.

I've never seen anything like this in any other firearm. I just checked my Vanguard, T3, marlin, Remington and don't see anything like this.

Is my firearm defective or is this normal for Savage Arms?

What can I do about it?

Again, most of what you see buffed right off. It's almost like it's a by-product of the bluing process that was never finished off properly...very disappointing.

Remember, without flashlight or camera flash, this appears black.

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/1204/img1796hd.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/560/img1796hd.jpg/)

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[fgw_in_fla]

I've noticed something similar on my 30.06 but, not as extreme as yours looks. I believe mine is from getting it too hot a few times. It gets worse as you get closer to the chamber. I give mine a light oiling on a regular basis. Dampen a clean cloth with good, quality oil & rub it in. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so & buff it out by hand. I've noticed it helps my situation. If yours is new or sort of new, I think a call to the factory would be in order...
I take mine out of the stock to make sure it's completely coated.
Good luck with it & let us know how you make out.
Frank

[wbm]

What I am seeing in the pic is not normal. I had a new Savage and some of the parts were that way. The rear baffle for example was half "brown blue" and half black/blue. Savage replaced the parts. Give Savage a call.

[Savage 111]

Like I said, this is the condition fresh out of the box. You can't see it without a flashlight or camera flash though. It appears completely black.

Most of it did buff off. It's not rust I don't believe, it seems to be a result of the bluing process which they never removed at the factory.

Unfortunately, I live in Canada and dealing with Savage for Warranty repairs is a bit of a hassle.

Here's how it looks now. As you can see, that stuff came right off with a bit of buffing. It still remains where I can't reach with a cloth. It's like they never finished the bluing process...

Is this anything to be worried about?

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/6754/img1806g.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/841/img1806g.jpg/)

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[fgw_in_fla]

Like any other problem or situation, if it can get worse, it will. I'm not sure what you can use to arrest the process but, as I said earlier, the action / reciever & barrell (where they connect) on mine look similar to yours, just not as bad. I oil it once every 2 to 3 months with gun oil let it sit then, thououghly wipe it all off. Buff where necessary. It helps mine from getting any worse. You might as well call Savage anyway... It's worth the time on their dime. Use the toll free.
Good luck with it.

[davemuzz]

I've had instances where I've purchased a T\C Contender frame or barrel that had what appeared to be bad surface rust. The "fix" to this was to put a very heavy coating of Kroil oil on it and let it soak in for 24 hours. Then take a terrycloth rag and scrub or polish the heck out of it. Kroil is a great product and will do wonders with surface rust. Even with what appears to be deep surface rust.

The only thing left on the frame and barrels are deep pits that nothing can fix. But the gun looks 99% better and if I were to sell it now, the buyer would not consider it a "beat up" or abused gun.

FWIW

Dave

[sharpshooter]

What you are seeing is a dirty residue from the bluing bath. It's nothing to lose sleep over, as it can be scrubbed off. Sometimes a simple buff isn't enough and you might have to get more aggressive. Use some WD-40 and #0000 steel wool. In the tight spots such as the grooves in the barrel nut, use a tooth brush.