Originally Posted by
Ken Cox
Gunsmiths have formerly protected steel by a process called "browning."
Browning involves twice-daily thorough wipe downs of raw steel with an oily, damp (oil and water) cloth.
Depending on the composition of the steel, with consistent wipe downs, the steel will eventuall become a stable grey or straw color and will have
SOME resistance to corrosion (but will rust, nonetheless, with neglect).
Two gun oils, Eezox and Break Free CLP, give the best corrosion protection of any commercially available oils:
http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html
You can get them at Walmart.
Truth.
I would skip the Walmart part though.