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Hello forum, I have recently purchased this Colt demilled BMR receiver from an auction. Its darn rusty on the inside and pretty pitted, as you can see from the close up of the markings. The charging handle more or less holds the rear end on. My question to the forum is what to do about the rust. I have soaked it in WD40 and cleaned that off with contact cleaner then covered it in gun oil. I'm not sure that will keep it from rusting further. I want to try and preserve it as best I can but I'm afraid the rust will just keep advancing. So I would think my choices would be to keep it oiled as is or go the other extreme and clean it with some sort of rust cleaning solution and have it reblued for protection. I know to some that is sacrilege and should be left alone. BUT it is rusting and needs protection. When I received it, it looks like something was done to the outside as the pits are clean but the inside was left alone. At the moment I'm leaning toward do nothing to it, just keep it oiled. Any thoughts? Thanks. Why bother with this? Because i'm a history nerd and enjoy these these things. I want it protected and not forgotten.

Hello all, I have been working on a project recently and I need your help! I'm trying to reach those of you who own unaltered, unmodified, from the factory original rifles. Yes, I realize that will be very few of you. The number of people who own a BAR are slim and those of you that own original models are even fewer. I have thrown together a data sheet (similar to the M1 Garand data sheets) for those of you lucky enough to own one. My goal is to use the data collected for study and for publication. This is fairly crude in its construction but it gets the job done. I feel that most of what it asks for does not need explained or expanded on but I'm sure there will be questions. The program I used won't let me correct anything either so it is what it is. I can always create another form if needed. Please fill in the appropriate information and just email what you found. It doesn't have to be all the information but more is better obviously. I understand not wanting to report serial numbers. And that's fine, please just X out the last 2 or 3 numbers. I probably left out something important from the form but I'll tackle that down the road. Feel free to use it for insurance purposes or your own records. This should be a fill-in style PDF that you can save. If you have questions or concerns email me at browningsurvey@gmail.com. Thank you for your time and consideration. Tristan p.s. I'm sure some of you will wonder who I am. In short I'm just a BAR enthusiast. I've been working on this project for a few years but lost heart last year due to covid. My profession is in healthcare and I just felt pretty stressed and very blah. SOME archives/museums have opened up again and I felt I could complete my work. Although I am in reality lacking quite a lot. My interest renewed, I hope to be finished by spring but it's not set in stone. No, I do not have a publisher, I will not go to any until I have something completed...or at least as near as can be completed. BARDatasheetfinal.pdf

Hello all, I have been researching the history of the BAR for a while now and have been gathered information on part markings, manufacturer differences, etc. However, the only way I will be able to gather some information is if I can study the actual firearms. Given that this task is very time consuming and costly I was wondering if my fellow BAR enthusiasts would be willing to participate in a study. This is a great way to show off your baby and further our knowledge base. Basically, what I would like are pictures of any part markings, piece marks, proof stamps, and part pictures in general. Obviously, original and non-rebuilds are preferred but a marking is a marking and will gladly study anything that comes my way. Much like the M1 Garand, these parts changed over time with different numbers and manufacturer differences and I would love to put this information together. PM with questions and we can get the ball rolling. I have seen a few great photos on this forum already but I will not use them without permission. Thank you in advance.