New to me 22.

[ravelode]

FIL has macular degeneration. Gave me his last rifle, a Remington 521T. The bore is good but all the outside is rusted as is was stored in a damp basement inside a soft case. Looking forward to ground squirrel season.

[badwolf]

Try rubbing the metal with 0000 steel wool and gun oil. Removes light rust without harming the finish.

[schutzen-jager]

for the rust, try putting the parts in boiling water, let dry + then rub with extra fine steel wool - if that does not work to your satisfaction try Van's bluing - the 521 is the least produced of any of the 5 teen series - only 67,000 produced between 1947 +1968 - they were designed to be an entry level target rifle with sporting capabilities. - been shooting, collecting, rebuilding, + using them for over 6 decades - i still have the one given to me for 10th birthday in 1956 [ sorry i did not keep original packaging ] - i have one that is far more accurate then any of my 513 matchmasters - enjoy it, they can be habit forming -

[uscra112]

I've had some success using kitchen "scrubby sponges" and oil. Although if you can manage it, boiling it first would be best. Don't use hard water.

[johniv]

You’re gonna love that 521.

[GregLaROCHE]

Go easy with the steel wool if there is any bluing left.

[georgerkahn]

FIL has macular degeneration. Gave me his last rifle, a Remington 521T. The bore is good but all the outside is rusted as is was stored in a damp basement inside a soft case. Looking forward to ground squirrel season.

I'm very happy for you! Albeit I have a few "new, 'good'" .22 rifles, I keep going back to my (long deceased) great uncle Vincent's 521T Bolt Action Target Rifle! It is incredibly accurate; seems to shoot well with whatever brand or type of .22 you load into it; and seems to be of just the right weight and balance.
You are, indeed, a lucky man to receive such a great rifle from your wife's dad! I hope you will have many years of enjoyment shooting it!
geo

PS: While other posts recommend great solutions vis your rust -- my 101% wholehearted plan -- if the rifle was mine -- would be to get a can of G96; Spray some on plain-Jane paper towels, wipe on all metal/rusty areas, let sit maybe three or four minutes, and rub the rust off. If there are any real deep rust spots, I'd rub these with the end of a (date is important!!!) pre-1980 U S penny. I have had a few rusty arms through the years, and G-96 and the penny -- have never failed me!
geo

[pietro]

.

K.I.S.S. principle:

Big 45 Frontier metal cleaner ($6) & oil will remove rust w/o effecting any finish under the rust.

Anyone can order direct from the manufacturer: https://www.big45metalcleaner.com/

[shooterg]

I think 1980 and 81 are OK too - lol . 97.5% zinc started in 1982 . For some reason I save the old ones, got half a bucket full !

[schutzen-jager]

I think 1980 and 81 are OK too - lol . 97.5% zinc started in 1982 . For some reason I save the old ones, got half a bucket full !

wrong thread ?

[racepres]

wrong thread ?

Nope...the old pennies are very good for removing rust...and BTW excel at melted shoe onto Chrome Motorcycle Exhaust

[RickinTN]

Use brass or bronze wool if you are going to use a pad. Steel wool will remove the bluing.
Rick

[racepres]

Use brass or bronze wool if you are going to use a pad. Steel wool will remove the bluing.
Rick

I have used a ton of 4 ought steel wool on numerous firearms.. I generally use WD-40 with it.. Haven't lost any Blue yet...Maybe I'm not Aggressive enough

[Der Gebirgsjager]

The 4-0 steel wool is the important part, and what particular solvent less so. I usually use kerosene.

DG

[racepres]

The 4-0 steel wool is the important part, and what particular solvent less so. I usually use kerosene.

DG

So Very True... I use WD-40 because it is despised, and I get it Cheap...works just fine for a couple of things I use it for..

[uscra112]

WD-40 is mostly Stoddard Solvent. Buy that in bulk and it'll be even cheaper.

[georgerkahn]

Nope...the old pennies are very good for removing rust...and BTW excel at melted shoe onto Chrome Motorcycle Exhaust

A neato YouTube video showing technique -- gentleman de-rusted a scattergun with some 3-in-1 oil (I still prefer G96 ) and... a copper penny:
https://www.outdoorhub.com/how-to/20...using-a-penny/
geo

[uscra112]

On the strength of the posts above, I ordered up a can of G96 and two pads of the Big 45 stuff.

This morning they got a workout. Opened one of the cabinets I rarely look into, and.....rust. Happily not much, and not on any of my real treasures, but heartrending nonetheless.

Operational report is that G96 and the pads made short work of it - no blued surfaces suffered, and all is well again. (These are all but one old Stevens and Hopkins & Allen single shots, so a mite of "patina" is forgivable. Actually they're already mostly patina, except the Krag. It wasn't bad, and cleaned up so's you'd never know.) Only criticism of the pads is that they don't get into tight crevices, but a bronze toothbrush handled that.

I'm a believer, esp. regarding the Big 45 pads.

[oldhenry]

You’re gonna love that 521.

+1 ^^^

[Tokarev]

I usually go at a rusted piece, with a paper towel: first with a dry one, then with an oil-soaked. Repeat it a couple times and see what I got. Quite often, it becomes a shiny blued piece right then.
Powdery, fine brown rust on the blued surface can be deceiving. It looks awful but removes quite easily, without need for more radical approaches.