IndyGunworks
Grandmaster
This is an old mossberg 42a from early world war 2 era. I believe it was made to be sent to the british as a 22lr trainer for the enfields. The gun was put into storage w/out proper oiling and here is what it takes to get it back to 100 percent condition.
What it looked like once out of the wood
RUST
Nasty old paint on the rear sight
rust, and you can see in the background how rusty some of the screws were once they came out.
RUST
DUST
I took this picture to show general grime, and to take as a before to show what a thorough cleaning will do, including the threads of every screw/bolt that came out.
RUST
ok, now that its all apart, lets do a very complete cleaning, scrubbing, degreasing, and degriming. I have my parts washer rigged up to a foot pedal so i can have on demand solvent w/out it constantly running splashing me w/ the stuff. It also has bubblegum scent added to it to keep the shop from stinkin up.
The main stuff i used to get the rust off. 0000 steel wool and CLP
After a bit of scrubbin
These screws had to be cleaned before they would even come out.
Look at the differance of the screw on the right compared to the left, thats why my screw driver wouldnt fit. Thats after i cleaned the junk out of the screw on the right.
Got it apart.
and some more dissasembly, look at the crud under this sling swivel.
Some rust thats not just surface rust will not come up with just steel wool this is an example.
I have a 100 year old screwdriver i bought off a fellow ingo member that since the ends are so dull, it works perfect for sraping thick rust. be careful though you need a feel for it. to much and you gough the metal under neith. not enough and you remove nothing. dont slip and scratch the bluing either.
Here is the proggression of the rust from scraping to steel wool.
This is when you know its time to get a fresh piece of steel wool.
More rust that was scrape worthy, before and after.
Cleanin up the bolt.
Proggression of cleaning up the barrel.
Cleaning the crappy old paint off the rear sight to return it to original condition w/out messing up the patina.
What the once clear solvent looked like after some scrubbin.
After pictures of the trigger group once it was cleaned and reassembled, and the after picture of the forend screw once it was cleaned up.
I put some clear shoe polish on the unsealed wood inside the stocks inletting. this helps prevent it from absorbing moisture then releasing it back onto the metal causing more rust in the future.
Then EVERY square inch of metal was very generaously coated w/ rig grease and allowed to sit for around an hour.
After pictures of the grease wiped off, and the rear sight after the paint was removed and the sight relubed.
Hopefully this give you guys an insight into what it takes to clean up that old gun you inherit. Time, patience, the proper tools, and a bit of experience really helped turn this bucket of rust into a a rather fine firearm. It checked out perfectly w/ the headspace guages and while it was difficult to pick rounds up out of the mag, fired them w/out a hitch leaving a really nice looking firing pin indentation.
After all this, i hope i preserved this gun enough to make it last until at least the next generation gets it.
What it looked like once out of the wood
RUST
Nasty old paint on the rear sight
rust, and you can see in the background how rusty some of the screws were once they came out.
RUST
DUST
I took this picture to show general grime, and to take as a before to show what a thorough cleaning will do, including the threads of every screw/bolt that came out.
RUST
ok, now that its all apart, lets do a very complete cleaning, scrubbing, degreasing, and degriming. I have my parts washer rigged up to a foot pedal so i can have on demand solvent w/out it constantly running splashing me w/ the stuff. It also has bubblegum scent added to it to keep the shop from stinkin up.
The main stuff i used to get the rust off. 0000 steel wool and CLP
After a bit of scrubbin
These screws had to be cleaned before they would even come out.
Look at the differance of the screw on the right compared to the left, thats why my screw driver wouldnt fit. Thats after i cleaned the junk out of the screw on the right.
Got it apart.
and some more dissasembly, look at the crud under this sling swivel.
Some rust thats not just surface rust will not come up with just steel wool this is an example.
I have a 100 year old screwdriver i bought off a fellow ingo member that since the ends are so dull, it works perfect for sraping thick rust. be careful though you need a feel for it. to much and you gough the metal under neith. not enough and you remove nothing. dont slip and scratch the bluing either.
Here is the proggression of the rust from scraping to steel wool.
This is when you know its time to get a fresh piece of steel wool.
More rust that was scrape worthy, before and after.
Cleanin up the bolt.
Proggression of cleaning up the barrel.
Cleaning the crappy old paint off the rear sight to return it to original condition w/out messing up the patina.
What the once clear solvent looked like after some scrubbin.
After pictures of the trigger group once it was cleaned and reassembled, and the after picture of the forend screw once it was cleaned up.
I put some clear shoe polish on the unsealed wood inside the stocks inletting. this helps prevent it from absorbing moisture then releasing it back onto the metal causing more rust in the future.
Then EVERY square inch of metal was very generaously coated w/ rig grease and allowed to sit for around an hour.
After pictures of the grease wiped off, and the rear sight after the paint was removed and the sight relubed.
Hopefully this give you guys an insight into what it takes to clean up that old gun you inherit. Time, patience, the proper tools, and a bit of experience really helped turn this bucket of rust into a a rather fine firearm. It checked out perfectly w/ the headspace guages and while it was difficult to pick rounds up out of the mag, fired them w/out a hitch leaving a really nice looking firing pin indentation.
After all this, i hope i preserved this gun enough to make it last until at least the next generation gets it.
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