Ah no, never use steel wool dry. It will remove rust and but also mar the bluing. Always with oil. Use 0000 steel wool only.
For spots only the tip of a fired cartridge case will remove rust, along with a bit of oil.
Have refurbished many old rifles using 4 naught steel wool and oil and have never damaged the patIna.
If rust is more deep seated a more invasive removal method is needed maybe back to the white and then a refinish be it blueing cerakote or whatever.
As far as "stainless" goes people confuse the stainless used in barrels etc for true stainless 316.
Bookmarks