I recently purchased a Remington Model 700 Varminter. Price was good and gun shoots well - after restocking and adjusting the trigger. The barrel and action are all finished in a black, matte finish. The barrel and bolt handle rust easily. Also, I dipped the bolt face in a carbon cleaner to clean up the face and it completely removed the finish to a point below the lugs (my bad). Now I can expect this area to especially rust and it also looks funny.

Does anyone have a suggestion for resurfacing the metal on this rifle to give it a more durable protection. I like the matte finish and the color - just not the functionality.

Many thanks

I personally have had good luck with a "cold blue" pen. Don't remember the name, but it matched the matte color of my Savage perfectly.