RPR's need to be painted

[Dirty8404]

First post and all, but I had an account by this name on scout and was on the good guy list, I just read mostly. Two ears, one mouth, you get the idea.

I shot a match a few weeks ago in the rain with my RPR. After I was done, threw the rifle in the back of the truck and drove home, camped overnight and drove the rest of the way the next day. Found this when I got home. Total time wet, roughly 30 hours.

Most of it is surface, and came off with WD40 and a rag. Whatever the metal finish is, it doesn't seem to hold up very well. Have had rifles in the rain for extended periods before, hunting and deployment, and haven't seen anything like this before. My brother has a painted RPR and hasnt had issues, but he doesn't drag it around in nastiness like I do.

My question is, Aervoe rattlecan or cerakote? I really just need to keep it from rusting, coyote calling camo is a bonus.

 

[W54/XM-388]

If that's 30 hours wet, that's pretty annoying.

 

[SuperSneakySniper]

My goodness!... Well my vote goes to cerakote. Love the cerakote on my chassis, never had a rust issue but i also shoot in pretty arid conditions. If you can find an affordable applicator, or if you want to try the air cured version yourself.

 

[...]

1) dont put rifles away wet.....ever.....like literally a cant of WD40 and a rag would have prevented this.

2) just cake it in Krylon and be done......helps prevent rust, and can be removed easily with acetone and a rag.

 

[Steel+Killer]

If you were running it hard in the match do you think maybe you could have burned most of the oil off if the barrel got pretty hot.

 

[niteshooter]

Damn that sucks! Like WTGDF!
Cerakote is nice but spray paint is fast and cheap. Flip a coin. If your already shooting the piss out of it maybe just keep on and add a stainless barrel at some point. For the bolt assembly and such I think I’d lean toward cerakote.

 

[Dirty8404]

If you were running it hard in the match do you think maybe you could have burned most of the oil off if the barrel got pretty hot.

I ran 25 rds of 308, most as fast as I could work the bolt. Then again,on deployment and in the field I've sat for days with a wet M4, run hot occassionally, and never saw this. Can't carry around a can wd40 everywhere, and like I said I've dragged an M4 through far worse with no rust of any kind.

Personally leaning towards cerakote right now if i can find someone good locally.

 

[FatBoy]

Wipe it of with an oily rag and drive on. Patina on a rifle that gets used is acceptable.

FWIW, I wipe all my shit down after a wet day now. I don't pull them out of the stock though. Especially chromoly, though I have most of my field chromoly parkerized. The hell with it, unless I see water dripping out of my trigger. Then it gets a throughout pull down and clean/oiling.

edit: if you like how the M4 held up, pull the chromoly bits off and have them parked.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

That's both a surprise and a disappointment.

I will not do a 'close the door after..." line.

Oil is your friend.

Greg

 

[lash]

As much as it is easy to say, "Never put the gun in the case wet.", it also isn't always realistic. More than once or twice, I've been out shooting and it rains (Match or otherwise) and when I get to the truck it's pissing down rain and everything is wet, including the seats of the truck etc. hardly a time to be breaking things down or cleaning the rifle. Certainly, that is no time to be drying things. So my stuff gets wet and often that time is followed by a long truck ride and or other pressing things. I have experienced some minor surface rust on items on occasion. Next opportunity I have, I wipe it down with oil, spray out any remaining water with WD-40 and move on.

In truth, my experiences have never been as bad looking as what the OP posted, but I get how it can happen. The fair weather shooters that always put a cleaned and dry rifle in their bag/case are hardly good judges of realistic applications.

 

[solipsism]

Geez, that looks pretty bad for just 30 hours. Time to cerakote it a different color!