Cleaning or restoring old shotgun

[mtnrider]

I have my great grand Dad's old shotgun and looking to clean it up a little bit. Has some slight surface corrosion and discoloration. Can anyone recommend any products that would clean it up a little or is this at the point of need a professional to look at it?

[ray1970]

Personally, I would leave it alone. Age usually gives firearms a nice "patina". Sometimes removing that patina does nothing but hurt the value of the piece.

But, if you insist on spiffing it up a bit, I'd recommend taking it to a professional and having it refinished.

[Wulf202]

Personally, I would leave it alone. Age usually gives firearms a nice "patina". Sometimes removing that patina does nothing but hurt the value of the piece.

this

If you look around, burt recommends atf and denim.

[paddywagon]

You definitely want to look at the value of the shotgun first. Some guns you will ruin the value if you try to restore them. If it is a sentimental thing then it is certainly worth it. ATF and demim works well. Another one that i use is 000 steel wool and a good gun oil. It will not remove the patina but does remove the crud and surface rust. As far as stocks are concerned, if there is varnish on them I use a good paint and varnish remover (I prefer the really thick kind). Afterwards I let them dry and then move on to lifting dings, dents and gouges. This can be done with a wet ash cloth and a steam iron. I find unless it is a really big gouge, I can remove the vast majority of dings and dents. After that I sand starting with 80g and go all the way to 600g making sure you take all the scratches out. Then once again I use 00 or 000 steel wool. Once looking good, numerous coats of either Tung oil or Linseed oil. My preference is linseed.

[mtnrider]

Thanks guys. It is of great sentimental value to me and I do like the patina on it. Was just thinking of cleaning it up a bit and make sure I take care of it properly. IT has been handed down through several generations and I want to continue the tradition and keep it in good shape.

[earplug]

Apply CLP. Repeat. Don't let the wood get soaked.

[BPTactical]

No steel wool or scotchbrite, too abrasive and it will take what is left right off. I wouldn't even do the denim.
Just put some CLP or fine oil like a 3 in 1 on a soft cloth and wipe the metal down. Just a guess but it looks as if the original finish was browned.
Just preserve what is there.
Just go with boiled linseed on the stock, tung oil has hardeners in it that the original finish was unlikely to have. Wipe the stock down with a lightly damp rag and let it air dry for a few hours. The put a drop or two of linseed oil on the stock and rub it in with the heel of your hand.
Is that an old Greener?

[mtnrider]

No steel wool or scotchbrite, too abrasive and it will take what is left right off. I wouldn't even do the denim.
Just put some CLP or fine oil like a 3 in 1 on a soft cloth and wipe the metal down. Just a guess but it looks as if the original finish was browned.
Just preserve what is there.
Is that an old Greener?

I wouldn't dream of steel wool or scotchbrite! I'll just stick with the CLP and soft cloth. Thanks pretty much what I have been doing to it.

It's a J.P. Moore & son. Not sure of the exact date but he produced under that name from 1859-1864