Barrels bending without proper storage

[OneEternalRound]

I have this paranoia that if I don't store my guns properly the barrels will bend and they'll be rendered inaccurate. My mother in law told me a story of how her father used to keep his rifles under his bed and after years of doing so gravity caused the barrels to slightly bend and they were very inaccurate.

Is there any real cause for concern or am I just a guy obsessing about his guns?

 

[Justin]

No cause for concern, unless you store your guns with weights hanging off the end of the muzzle.

That said, there is a tiny kernel of truth in your worry, but only under very certain circumstances.

It's possible to temporarily change the point of impact of a rifle by putting pressure on the barrel; for instance when shooting from a position that involves slinging up (if the sling swivel is mounted directly to the barrel) or in a situation where you're resting the barrel on something to take a shot.

Doing so can change the point of impact enough to spoil your shot, especially with lightweight barrels. However, I've never heard of this kind of pressure causing a permanent deformation in the barrel.

 

[back40]

sounds like a bunk story to me.

being stored improperly and the stock warps and ruins accuracy?...sure. but the barrel bending under it's own weight?....nah.

 

[OneEternalRound]

Thank you guys so much for resting my concerns. I really appreciate.

 

[Art Eatman]

I've used a rifle rack across the back cab window of my pickup. Rifle supported at pistol grip and barrel. Hundreds of miles of travel on bumpy jeep trails. Never a problem.

Gotta admit, this is a new Old Wives' Tale.

 

[Odd Job]

Not even Uri Geller's gun barrels will bend, it's not going to be a problem.

 

[Captcurt]

More than liikely the gun under the bed never had a patch pushed thru it. You would not believe how many guns never get cleaned properly.

 

[Milkmaster]

Maybe it was beneath the matress and him laying on top of the matress and other activities in the bed caused the barrel to become bent in some way. I would not think you would see any problem with conventional storage methods.

 

[Bush Pilot]

I've used a rifle rack across the back cab window of my pickup. Rifle supported at pistol grip and barrel. Hundreds of miles of travel on bumpy jeep trails. Never a problem.

Gotta admit, this is a new Old Wives' Tale.

Aren't gun racks standard equipment on pick-ups in Texas? I know they are here in Idaho and Montana. BTW, they are not standard equipment if you're from California and drive a $50,000 4x4, you wouldn't know a dirt road from a parking lot.

 

[OneEternalRound]

Thank you guys. I sleep easy now

 

[Vern Humphrey]

No truth to this, whatsoever.

However, you may notice pictures of M1 tanks that show a little box, about the size of a package of cigarettes on the muzzle. That's the muzzle sensor. The sun beating down on the top of the barrel heats it and can cause uneven expansion -- called "tube droop." The muzzle sensor allows the tube droop to be measured and fed into the fire control computer.

So don't leave your guns lying out in the sun on hot days.

 

[aka108]

I know gravity has some effect. When I was 20 I was 6' 2" tall. I'm 77 now and at least a inch shorter.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

And you were stored at night in a horizontal position, right?

 

[mahansm]

Back to basic metallurgy. Steel permanently deforms after it has been strained past its yield point. If it hasn't gotten that far, it returns to its original shape. It takes a lot of force to bend a rifle barrel such that it won't return to its original shape. This permanent deformation is not time dependent; forces straining the metal below the yield point over time will not cause deformation.

The other phenomenon of interest is creep; this is the steady deformation of a metal under stress. However, as a rule, creep does not occur when the metal is at less than 1/2 of its melting point temperature in degrees (Kelvin/Rankine) referenced to absolute zero. Creep is not a factor in steel at temperatures that an average human can survive.

 

[Jackal]

Remember: Gravity is the only thing holding you down.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I think grandpa just got old and shaky

 

[The_Guy]

Not even Uri Geller's gun barrels will bend, it's not going to be a problem.

Ha! That's great

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Gravity is not just a good idea. It's the LAW.

 

[fletcher]

The other phenomenon of interest is creep; this is the steady deformation of a metal under stress. However, as a rule, creep does not occur when the metal is at less than 1/2 of its melting point temperature in degrees (Kelvin/Rankine) referenced to absolute zero. Creep is not a factor in steel at temperatures that an average human can survive.

This. There is nothing at all to worry about.

 

[W L Johnson]

I have this paranoia that if I don't store my guns properly the barrels will bend and they'll be rendered inaccurate.

Maybe if you lived on Jupiter. But then you would have other more important things to worry about.

 

[Hacker15E]

I know gravity has some effect. When I was 20 I was 6' 2" tall. I'm 77 now and at least a inch shorter.

I will be sure to take that into consideration the next time I am storing my firearms that are made of human flesh and bone.

 

[Art Eatman]

E. Nuff.