Storing a new gun long term

[SamT1]

I bought my boys a present. They won’t be able to use them for 10+ years. Do I leave them in the plastic in the back of the safe? Clean and oil? Socks?
My safe has a golden rod in it and is inside the house.

 

[milemaker13]

I went thru this same issue with a .22 pistol I got for my boy. Some said leave factory packaged, some said quickly clean and some said function test (shoot) then thoroughly clean , preserve and store.

That way you can identify problems and get them fixed while still under warranty.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I have some NIB handguns in their factory boxes. The oldest being 44 years. I have a couple of new long guns that I took out of their boxes and put in socks. I keep them all in a climate controlled safe. I wipe them down with a good oil every 6 to 12 months. I don't think they need that. I do it just to fondle the guns a bit.

 

[hdwhit]

Sam T1 wrote:
They won’t be able to use them for 10+ years.

I had already had most of my guns for 10 years or more when I came down with a nurological condition that kept me from them for nearly 20 years. No special precautions were taken; one day I was fine and the next day I was being told to "consult an attorney well-versed in estate planning" so my guns were stored for 20 years in a safe in a closet in my house with no dehumidifiers or anything like that in the condition they were in when last I had handled them.

My regular cleaning routine (after cleaning the bore) was to throughly oil all the metal parts on the gun with Sears Roebuck and Co. Household Oil (their version of 3-in-1). Previously, some parts that were inaccessible (like under difficult to remove handguards) had been given a light coat of lithium grease. But that's all. Clean it according to the user's manual, oil it down well and put it in the safe. No plastic wrapping, no gun sock, no exotic preservatives. That was all it took for all of my guns to go through 20 years in a safe with no rust or other deterioration.

 

[milemaker13]

Hey, so... What did you get them anyhow? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[SamT1]

Hey, so... What did you get them anyhow? Inquiring minds want to know!

Just some basic “modern sporting rifles” I figured it was time since prices are low.
They had some Christmas and birthday money and by the time they are 18 that $400 would have been worth $100 or less at least this way they have something that should follow inflation. I guess I invested it for them.
I hope 12-15 years from now they can buy them self a better one, but that’s no guarantee.