Ruger & salt wood?
I've got a ruger #1 (liberty model - 1976) and haven't used it for quite a while. When I checked it I found pitting (and very deep pitting in places) on the barrel and numerous other places the metal contacts the wood. The gun has been well cared for (I thought ...) and was put up properly. I've owned it since new and this happened a couple years ago.
Did Ruger get some of the same "salt" wood that Browning got? What do you do to prevent further corrosion?
Thanks
Did Ruger get some of the same "salt" wood that Browning got? What do you do to prevent further corrosion?
Thanks
0
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Did you store it in a cloth or "fleece" lined gun case?
Occasionally these absorb and retain moisture and cause the problems you describe.0 -
Plain lamb fleece guncases have been known to damage guns stored in them.
Another possibility is that nylon can absorb (adsorb)salt and cause rust and pitting on steel in contact with it.
This has happened when nylon ropes used in marine rigging were sold as surplus and damaged expensive equipment.
If the gun had been stored in a nylon sleeve or case this may be the problem. Imported fabric may have been dunked or subject to salt atmosphere.0 -
Ive not heard of any other NO.1s or any Model haveing this problem.Try some Break Free CLP and see if that helps any,Ive found it amazeing as to what it can do.
Best!!!
Rugster
Toujours Pret0 -
After dealing with the rust I suggest silicone impregnated gun socks.
"LIFE IS NOT A JOURNEY TO THE GRAVE WITH THE INTENTION OF ARIVING SAFELY IN ONE PRETTY AND WELL PRESERVED PIECE, BUT, TO SKID ACROSS THE LINE BROADSIDE, THOUGHRLY USED UP, WORN OUT, LEAKING OIL, SHOUTING GERONIMO!!"0 -
Sounds like it was put away wet or stored in a gun case or a place without a constant temperature. Moisture, likely from condensation, collected along the metal/wood meeting line, or under the stock, and it rusted. Regular oiling would have prevented this or storing it in a warm dry location. 0 -
RE SALT WOOD ON RUGER, HAD (HAVE STILL) EARLY RUGER 77 THAT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM BUT THIS WAS WITHIN 2 YEARS OF PURCHASE. SENT IT BACK TO RUGER AND THEY POLISHED IT OUT AND REBLUED (CAUGHT WITH LITTLE DAMAGE). THE RESTOCKED IT AND HAVE TODAY WITH NEVER A REPEAT. THIS WAS DURING THE TIME WHEN BROWNING HAD SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH SALT. DON'T KNOW OF A TIE-IN BUT DEFINITELY SAME AS BROWNING AS I SAW SEVERAL OF THEIR PROBLEMS. BUYERS AT SHOWS WERE PULLING WOOD BEFORE THEY WOULD TAKE A BROWNING ON TRADE. THIS WAS SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THE '76 MODELS THOUGH????
TOM B0 -
The salt was not only a Browning problem. Ruger and the goverment M14's had salt problems too. 0 -
I had a Browning T-Bolt 22 that was affected by salt wood (11/16/02 post on this forum) and was told by Browning to remove and inspect the buttscrews. From the outside they looked brand new, however, upon removing one I found the threads had severely corroded away, a pile of brown powder actually came out of the hole. A word of caution, CAREFULLY try to remove the buttscrews. If they don't feel like they want to break free when you first try to remove them, they might be so severely corroded that the screw won't want to turn in the wood and may snap off, or may remove so much material that a larger screw might need to be used as a replacement. I was lucky. 0 -
Thanks to fellow member bbq05 for the following information that refers to salt wood and Ruger (and an easy copy & paste):
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Salt wood resulted from a process used on Brownings to speed up the curing time of wood...the salt would draw out the moisture and speed up the drying process, unfortunately the salt residue remained in the wood grain and caused metal corrosion where the metal and wood made contact. This was not a Browning problem, but a supplier problem.
About 1965, a large wood supplier sent wood not only to Browning for FN's use but also to Bishop, Fajen, Winchester, Ruger and to the US Military for M-14 stocks. This company was drying their walnut using granulated salt, by covering the wood with salt and placing it in quonset huts.
The wood dried so quickly that the workers said they could actually see a steady drip of moisture coming from the wood. The wood was already cut into the appropriate size planks and no one thought that any salt residue would remain on or in the wood after final shaping, sanding, and finshing.The US Government stopped using walnut for the M-14 rifles and went to other types of wood because properly cured wood was so scarce at the time.
In Brownings case, the problem first showed up starting in 1966 and ends on their guns about 1973. Superposes and T-Bolts made between 1967-1973 should be looked at; Safari, Medallion or Olympian made between 1967-1976; and any A5's 2,000,000 edition Commemoratives should be looked at.
Inspect any place the metal touches the wood. Take out the butt plate screws and look them over carefully. If you find no rust, the gun is probably OK. Sometimes you can test the wood with silver nitrate. Place a drop or two on a hidden spot on the wood, if it bubbles you have a problem
(From "Browning Sporting Arms of Distincction" by Matt Eastman)
Browning procrastinated in signing the wood contract it Europe because there was a price spike. BA thought it was a ploy and put off the purchase knowing there was plenty of cheap California wood available if needed. By the time the European wood deal fell through the California wood was gone.
The only figured wood available was planks bought in California but sent to South America for furniture. BA was trapped and had to take it. *That's* where the salt curing was being done but BA missed it being a problem.
BA *tried* to sell some to TRW for M-14 stocks but Claro walnut failed the physical test and was never used. Bishop, Fajen, the so-called Warsaw (MO) pact, bought some and sold it in semi-inlets.
BA nearly went broke from the fiasco. A serious tax problem about the same time almost put them under and as a result they lost the FN connection and were forced to Japan and Portugal for guns and parts.
1968 was the "1964" of Browning Arms. That's why round knob, long-tang, (RKLT) Brownings are more desirable.
If a Browning has French walnut stocks it can't be salt wood. All Claro, especially the higher grades, is suspect.
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the place i work stores furniture wood (mostly alder).
on land storage we have an extensive spray system that involves sea water(can you say salt?).
it prevents rot & checking of the wood. i just wonder if this may have happened in this case? just a thought
barto
the hard stuff we do right away - the impossible takes a little longer0
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