Move firearms from museum to storage - advice needed

I would not be concerned about opening the action on anything.
If it is loaded, it will be unloaded after you open the action and check the chamber.
It cannot fire after you have started to open the action.
Just keep your fingers away from the trigger the whole time.

Then, if there is a tube magazine, continue cycling the action to insure there are no more cartridges in the magazine.

Then, carefully lower the hammer to rest.
Do Not Snap it, or Dry-Fire it!
On any old firearm!

There are a few guns that can't be opened with the hammer at full cock.
You will have to carefully lower the hammer to release the action lock.


Muzzle loaders could be checked by blowing through the nipple.
If you can blow air through it, it isn't loaded.

You can also use a cleaning rod down the barrel and see if it can be inserted all the way to the breech plug.
If it can't, there is 'something' in there, be it a load, or a mud dauber nest?

The biggest concern I have is how the firearms will be 'secured' against theft while in storage?

rc

If it were me (and I used to handle a variety of weapons that my Department had impounded -in every sort of condition....) I'd bring in a bullet trap (an old garbage can half filled with sand if you have nothing else) for the weapons that you're not able to make safe... and simply drop the hammer on anything you can't clear properly while holding it where it's safe to discharge. Even if the weapon appears clear after dropping the hammer to clear it.... if it doesn't fire, I'd still treat it as a loaded weapon until you can have an expert verify that it's clear and safe.

There may be a local black powder or antique weapons group or club that might be able to assist you as well... I'll be interested in whatever you come up with and how it works out for you so please post up when you've completed your move. Hope this helps.

Having a part fail causing the hammer to fall is a much lower risk than somebody handling a gun and PULLING THE TRIGGER.

For breechloaders like an 1873, I would work the action to check the chamber and ease the hammer down.
Unload if found to be loaded, of course.

For muzzleloaders, I would check the chamber with a ramrod and check the nipple or pan for priming. Unloading a muzzleloader is a more tedious operation but I think it should be done for safe storage. At a minimum get the hammer down on an uncapped nipple or unprimed pan.

There was one old time gunsmith who simply stuck a hot wire in the flashhole or drum of a muzzleloader. If it was loaded to start with, it got unloaded immediately. Not recommended these days.


Agree with lemay to do it over a clearing barrel.

i would guess the vast majority of them are actually hammer fired, you could simply put a pencil or other soft object between the actual hammer and striking surface to prevent a potential discharge.

I am a retired museum curator and armorer. I would relax all springs, by de-cocking or holding he trigger back while releasing the firing mechanism. ALL muzzle loading firearms should be assumed to be loaded. Inserting a stiff rod down the bore and checking its depth against the muzzle-to-breech plug face measurement will let you know if there is a charge still in it. If you are unfamiliar with the individual firearm, I can probably help you determine where the breech plug face is if you can take good pictures.

Generally, I have used "Renaissance Wax" on the clean exterior of firearms to prevent oxidation. Use cotton gloves when handling so as to not leave finger-prints to cause discoloration or rust. I have found "Balistol" to be a good bore treatment that helps neutralize old powder fouling acids. It also reduces galvanic corrosion from dissimilar metals like brass and iron.

PM me if you are unsure of how to proceed--

I don't intend to sound condesending but, if you were very familiar with firearms, this would not be an issue. Since no one there seems to be, go to an established gun store and ask for a volunteer. You'll get one. In any case, the first rule is ALWAYS check the chamber and magazine on any firearm that is handed to you. ALWAYS. This includes gun store clerks and Santa Claus. Good luck.

Dinosaur1

That actually did sound pretty condescending, but I understand the sentiment.

The issue here is not in having a passing familiarity with firearms or a solid handle on the safe rules of gun handling and storage.

The issue is "how do I clear a firearm I've never handled; that NO one has probably handled; in 100 years", without breaking anything in the process.

Unfamiliar actions, etc, all add up to making that task somewhat nerve wracking; especially when you're messing around with stuff that does not belong to you.

I was thrown in to a similar situation after my Uncle's untimely death in 2011 (fatal negligent discharge). I had the responsibility thrust on me to go with the sheriff when the house was unsealed (treated as a homicide crime scene for 48 hours); and find / clear / catalog / transport all of his firearms to storage.

Most of the firearms I had expert or passing familiarity with and were easy to clear. Right up until I ran across a black powder revolver.

NEVER had handled one of those before and didn't know the first thing about it. I knew the wax plugging the end of the cylinder holes meant it was charged and loaded; no caps on the nipples, but it was charged on all cylinders.

So I had to learn something new.

Texas Shooter 59 is having to do that times X number of firearms designs that he's never handled before. On some of those old guns, if you don't do things RIGHT, you'll damage them; either functionally or cosmetically.

That is what WE are here for.
Unless the guns are being evicted on a tight time schedule, the safe thing to do would be to post pictures and descriptions for somebody familiar with each type to make a recommendation on.

Unfortunately, not everyone who works at a gun store is all that knowledable and trust worthy.
Find an old guy who is familiar with old guns to safely check them out for you.
You would be more likely to find them at a shooting club than a retail store.
There's lots of us around.

My advice is similar to Curator's. Decocking is simply a matter of holding the hammer, pulling the trigger, and holding the trigger back while lowering the hammer. Very easy.

With regard to checking muzzle-loaders, get a ramrod. Push to the bottom of the barrel. Note how far down it goes (I adjust my hand so my thumbnail is on the muzzle). Remove rod, lay against the barrel so that the muzzle-mark on the rod is at the muzzle. If the rod goes to the touchhole or close to the nipple, the gun is unloaded. If there's about an inch of barrel, the gun is loaded.

I'll add one thing that others haven't yet. I would not do all these weapons in one session. Doing a certain number per day will get them done in time. You indicate there is some time yet before the actual move. Start now, at one end of the displays and methodically work your way to the opposite end.

Trying to do mass quantities of an unfamiliar thing at once will usually result in a mistake. You don't want that mistake to be when handling the one firearm that was loaded.

I'll add that a bore light will be a necessity. on all the breechloaders, open action, verify magazine is empty, stick your finger in the chamber to verify no cartridge is present, then stick the bore light into the open action to look for oddities like stuck cases, broken cases, improper ammunition stuck up the chamber throat, and all manner of other sundry conditions that happen when nobody has handled an item for nearly (or more than) a century.

If these are going in to long term storage, I know you'd researched wax as a surface protectorate but also consider a long term oil for moving components of actions.

Your normal cleaning kit isn't going to suffice.

When I pack away guns for "who knows how long" I'll use a much thicker collectors oil.

They claim good life, but marketing aside, I can personally vouche for this stuff being 100% effective and viable for 5 years in >50% relative humidity. (How long I've had guns coated in it; and before this year I had no humidity control in my safe; zero problems)

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/82...-gun-storage-preservative-gun-oil-4-oz-liquid

(Note that it takes me about half a bottle to do a DSHK heavy machinegun...smaller guns it goes a lot further though lol)

I unloaded one of my model BP cannons once by blowing compressed air into the touch-hole. Don't know how that would work with nipple-and-cap firearms, though, especially one with a long barrel. Should be relatively easy to do with a revolver cylinder, I would guess, except for the balls being pretty tight in the chambers.

And of course when I did it I ended up with loose black powder all over the place after the mild "pop" when the load (wads and powder only) was ejected. Eighty PSI, as I recall.

I should have done it over some wet toweling or something.

Might work with some of your BP guns, might not. Don't know, but at least it seems relatively safe to try. Anyone else done this with an actual firearm, as opposed to my 1/2" bore model salute cannon?

Terry

There are devices using co2 cartridges that do just that.
For when ball or bullet gets loaded without powder.

^ Huh. Didn't know about that. It's been a long time since I used King Black in a period firearm.

A cursory search revealed that Thompson-Center makes one:

http://www.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_remove_a_bullet_from_a_black_powder_rifle

And CO2 cartridges, with an internal pressure around 900 PSI, ought to eject the charge with some authority.

For ~$60.00, maybe the museum ought to go for one.

No real experience in this except for my cannon*, but thinking about it later, I thought it might have been a good idea to inject water in the cannon beforehand, or for period pieces, soak it in through the nipple hole. A routine cleaning after that should remove any stuff left in the barrel, as well as provide "archival" protection to the bore or chambers. I'm sure the Thompson folks have good instructions in that regard.

But that's all theoretical... never did it, myself.

Terry

*Which I had loaded up for the next salute, but it started to rain, so the cannon was left in a loaded state. I didn't like that idea so much.

Bring a bucket of sand, and use it as your "safe" point for the muzzle.

Check the magazines

Check the chambers

Slowly, lower the hammers manually

Sorry if if some of you felt condescended on. I have kids, grandkids, a wife and two dogs, all of whom can run a computer better than I can. Some days the condescention around me is so thick I can't see the sun. But I digress. Tex's second paragraph just set off a few alarm bells is all. Is Tex familiar as in my Dad had a .22 or was Tex a range officer at Bragg. Familiar is big territory. Tex is a nice person I'm sure but is there anyone reading who doesn't know how to work a lever gun? I refered Tex to an estabished gun store. That means they don't sell tennis shoes or tires and have been in business years. Talk to the owner, explain the situation. I'll bet that if he/she would not volunteer to take a look at some museum pieces they know someone who would. Would any of you turn it down? If Tex stays at the museum this may occur again and it will be good knowledge to have.

Keep in mind too, though mechanically fine, some may have lubricants the consistency of dry pine sap. Sears, disconnectors and the like have the potential to stick.