Few topics can bring a grown man to tears like a shooter seeing rust on his beloved gun. The above picture is enough to make most of us squirm uncomfortably. Rust occurs from moisture and oxygen sitting on metal causing it to oxidize. If you carry your gun daily, it’s about twice as likely to rust. Let’s take a look at some things we can do to prevent the evil villain of rust.

Maintaining the Best environment for your guns

To begin, make sure that you keep track of the humidity and temperature in your safe. This can be done by purchasing a thermo-hygrometer. These tools can be purchased very easily for under $50 and will give you a consistent idea of the temperature and humidity in your safe.

Remember that metal not only rusts but your wood stocks can shrink and expand with humidity and temperature as well which is yet another reason to measure your temperature and humidity constantly!

The NRA National Firearms Museum recommends storing your guns at a constant 70 degrees and 50-55% humidity. This is not an exact science so be sure to keep right around there and check your meter often.

Mitigating High Humidity

For those of us that live in a humid climate (such as Florida for example), a dehumidifier rod can heat your safe so that the temperature inside is hotter than outside which prevents condensation. If you get the one we linked you to from Amazon, that dehumidifier rod comes in a variety of sizes to fit your personal safe.

Another great idea for your safe are desiccant dehumidifiers. These are sort of like the Silica Gel packs that come in your new shoebox that say “Don’t eat”. Desiccant dehumidifiers are fantastic because they are reusable and can be dried out in the oven when they change colors from absorbing the moisture around it. There are many options available for desiccant dehumidifiers and they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes to fit your size safe.

A desiccant dehumidifier cartridge. PC: Walmart

Can You remove rust from guns?

Let’s face it. Sometimes rust happens no matter what you do to prevent it. The bad news? It’s too late. Throw it away and start over. Just kidding Hunter Biden, don’t throw a gun away - that’s dumb. Luckily you can bring this gun back to life with the right materials and some elbow grease.

Make sure to use the correct abrasive material so you don’t ruin the finish of the gun such as bronze wool, steel wool or nylon brushes. Saturate the material in a gun cleaning solution then scrub until the rust is no longer there. Note that you'll have to treat the metal and store it properly so that the rust doesn't come back. 

This hurts me on a personal level. PC: Concealed Nation

What is the best gun rust remover?

There are a lot of gun cleaners on the market that can help cut through rust and many of them do a great job to be honest! Here are a few of our favorites that we have used with excellent results over the years:

• WD-40 300045 Specialist Rust Remover Soak - Non-toxic and will dissolve rust with minimal scrubbing. Great for very heavy rust on your gun. Restores back to the original bare metal and costs less than $25!

• Birchwood Casey Bore Scrubber - Safe on bluing but will require a bit of scrubbing. Reasonably priced at less than $10 depending on the size of the bottle.

• WD-40 - The oldest and still a great option. Can be found just about anywhere cheaply. Spray your gun parts down, let them soak and then scrub to remove the rust.

WD-40 300045 Specialist Rust Remover Soak.

Can you clean rust off a gun with WD40?

As mentioned above, WD40 is a great choice for removing rust off your gun. Most shooters always keep a can of this around and you probably should too. Simply spray your gun down and let the WD40 soak in for about 24 hours then wipe it down and spray more to let it soak longer.

While WD40 is recommended and will work, the WD40 300045 Specialist Rust Remover Soak is a great choice for heavy rust on a gun. Fill up a container with this stuff and place your gun parts into it for 24 hours and watch it literally dissolve the rust down to bare metal. To be clear we're using this to remove rust; not to clean, lube or maintain any of our firearms.

PC: Rustconverters.net

Keep Your Guns Cleaned and Well-Maintained with Modulus Arms

Once your gun is free of rust and lubed up give her a quick wipe with a gun wax. Find a wax that is specific to guns or can be used on steel, aluminum and wood. Having a simple coat of wax on your gun adds another protective barrier that makes it harder for rust to develop. We hope this helped you protect your guns and save some rusty ones. No gun left behind is our thoughts on the matter, but if the gun is beyond repair? Check out our unique AR15 lowers and consider building your own gun today!