Surface rust on rem 700

[VTbluegrass]

Any of the phosphate finish blues will do that. Remington may be the worst. Under the stock may be even uglier. On my guns with the rough finishes I had one ceracoated and dipped before selling, my Benelli M2 has Birdsong Teflon, my sps 223 was only a range gun and spot would just appear on it before I sold it.
I now use Renaissance wax on anything not painted, coated, etc. not certain how it would perform on this rough finishes.
I rattle canned my 700 almost 5 years ago and it's holding up great. I stripped it down to white metal before I painted and I used the Rustoleum Satin Black Grill paint on the metal. Looks dang good.

 

[VinceMule]

It is NOT a Remington thing, the technique used to get the rust is Key.

 

[xsn10s]

I've seen it before. IMO I think it has more to do with how acidic each individual's sweat or oils are. My brother's sweat eats off blueing quickly if the firearm isn't well oiled. I don't have that issue. But when in a humid of wet environment I quickly oil any firearm. The Army and being stationed in the South taught me that.

 

[marksman1941]

Any of the phosphate finish blues will do that. Remington may be the worst. Under the stock may be even uglier. On my guns with the rough finishes I had one ceracoated and dipped before selling, my Benelli M2 has Birdsong Teflon, my sps 223 was only a range gun and spot would just appear on it before I sold it.
I now use Renaissance wax on anything not painted, coated, etc. not certain how it would perform on this rough finishes.
I rattle canned my 700 almost 5 years ago and it's holding up great. I stripped it down to white metal before I painted and I used the Rustoleum Satin Black Grill paint on the metal. Looks dang good.

Thankfully under the stock had barely any. A splash in the recoil lug (not sure how water ever made it there) but thats it.

I'd consider sweat like other posters have said, but this rifle just sat in the rain for 20 minutes. No sweat, I didn't touch the action aside from the bolt to chamber a round. Otherwise it rode on a sling out to a knoll, then sat on the ground next to me for a bit, then was slung heading back to the truck.

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

The process starts quickly when enclosed in high moisture.
In one week it had to be blasted and cerakoted. It probably began overnight.

In the early 70's and left my 410 outside overnight and was covered in surface rust the next morning.
My dad didn't think that was ok!!!

Hope your Dad set you straight. lol

Any of the phosphate finish blues will do that. Remington may be the worst. Under the stock may be even uglier. On my guns with the rough finishes I had one ceracoated and dipped before selling, my Benelli M2 has Birdsong Teflon, my sps 223 was only a range gun and spot would just appear on it before I sold it.
I now use Renaissance wax on anything not painted, coated, etc. not certain how it would perform on this rough finishes.
I rattle canned my 700 almost 5 years ago and it's holding up great. I stripped it down to white metal before I painted and I used the Rustoleum Satin Black Grill paint on the metal. Looks dang good.

Got some pics ?

 

[Chokoloskee Joe]

Big 45 Frontier Pad will remove any surface rust without damaging the finish. I would then wax the barreled action with Renaissance Wax. Protects much better than any oil.

 

[bballard]

Pick your favorite color ceracoat and apply to all metal surfaces.....never worry about it again...

 

[xsn10s]

Thankfully under the stock had barely any. A splash in the recoil lug (not sure how water ever made it there) but thats it.

I'd consider sweat like other posters have said, but this rifle just sat in the rain for 20 minutes. No sweat, I didn't touch the action aside from the bolt to chamber a round. Otherwise it rode on a sling out to a knoll, then sat on the ground next to me for a bit, then was slung heading back to the truck.

I'd consider the case having some kind of contaminate in it that could of accelerated the rust. In the future you could try using carnuba wax on your firearms prior to a hunt. I did this with my rifles when I went to Alaska. Plenty of rain in a humid environment. Wiped down the rifles each day when I got back to camp. Re-oiled and re-taped the bores. re-oiled the exterior and carried on.

 

[FullCurl8]

I could see being wet and cased for a full week turning something orange. That's a long time to oxidize. the few hours this one took is what surprised me so much.

Never case a gun that's remotely damp, or any steel at all. If you want to make a rifle much more water resistant, take stock and optics of, heat gun metal and coat in oil, the heat allows pours to open a bit and absorb the oil. Doesn't make it SEAL approved but real close.

 

[VTbluegrass]

Hope your Dad set you straight. lol

Got some pics ?

This is "Mojo" my old 700 in 270. Swapped out the bar top finish ADL wood stock for a nearly free plastic ADL stock. Rustoleum on the metal and my custom oak leaf Rustoleum on the stock. I did apply two coats of satin rattlecan clearcoat to the whole thing. This is season 5. It would freckle rust in high humidity before, not an issue now.

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

This is "Mojo" my old 700 in 270. Swapped out the bar top finish ADL wood stock for a nearly free plastic ADL stock. Rustoleum on the metal and my custom oak leaf Rustoleum on the stock. I did apply two coats of satin rattlecan clearcoat to the whole thing. This is season 5. It would freckle rust in high humidity before, not an issue now.

That did come out really nice.

 

[Tim Sharp]

This is a relatively new (probably last 8 years or so) Remington 700 that I recently picked up used. It shoots incredibly well. I took it hunting yesterday and it spent 20 minutes in the rain, and then sat in its case for about 5 hours afterwards before I got home. I have never seen so much surface rust so fast, or from such little exposure. Is this just an example of Remington metal quality? Or do we have some gnarly rain in my parts? My 60's era BSA majestic got soaked for 7 hours the same day and cased for the ride home and was clean as a whistle upon uncasing.

I think the Remington quality is similar to any other mass produced factory rifle. Oxidation occurs on carbon steel when the environmental conditions are right (temperature and humidity). Your 700 will clean up easy. As others have mentioned, remove barrelled action from the stock and lightly buff with 0000 steel wool soaked in a light lubricant (i use WD-40 or Kroil). Buff in the direction of the original grain of metal. Rinse with brake clean, and wipe down with a preservation (i.e., CLP or Eezox). After hunting in the rain, I would towel off the gun and open the action and floor plate before the trip home. I generally will leave out the case to for better air circulation.

 

[Roughrice]

Hope your Dad set you straight. lol

Got some pics ?

Oh he rightly did!!!
Never happened again!!

 

[Nimrodmar10]

As others have said, the satin finish on most hunting guns will let moisture seep into the pores of the metal and allow rust to form if there isn't an adequate coating of oil. It's fairly easy to remove if you do it right. Do NOT use regular steel wool, as it will remove the blueing. Buy some stainless-steel steel wool from Brownells. With that and some WD-40, the rust will come off and the bluing won't be harmed.
Never put a wet firearm in a case with any type of absorbent lining. It will cause it to rust quickly and holds the moisture in.