Cleaning and managing handgun collection.

[el Godfather]

Dear THR:
I would like to know how do you manage your cleaning routine of your collection. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to accumlate an expensive gun collection of over 100 items ranging from a simple Walther PPS to rare automatic machine pistols, etc.

However, in professional acivities I have become quite busy. Any private time left is fairly taken up by my daughter and son. Needless to say that guns are being neglected and I dont shoot as much as I used to for the same reason.

What is your advice on how to proceed?

Any advice of cleaning routine?
How to lubricate if an item is not to be cleaned for a while but I dont want to get my hand dirty every time i want to look at it or show it to some one?

Should i consider selling and keeping 3 or 4 guns? However, some items I know for I wont be able to buy again if i sell them.

Rusting is also a big concern.

Thank you

 

[jhco50]

Polish them with auto polish such as 2000 washes. Polish everything, inside and out including the grips. You may need a toothbrush to clean the tight areas afterward. This will stop rust in it's tracts and will last until you clean it.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Wow, keeping 100 guns from rusting could be a problem.

I highly suggest buying a good rust inhibitor and be sure to be generous with it. (Birchwood Casey Sheath, Boeshield T-9, Break Free CLP and G96 are a few) Then make sure you buy desiccant and place it in your safe. Rust requires oxygen and moisture so if you remove the moisture, not rust. There are also dehumidifiers which are very small and specifically made for use in a gun safe. There are a few ways to start but I'm sure there are more and others will list them soon.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I am blessed with a sizeable collection. I simply keep them oiled and stored in a climate controlled environment. I have guns that may not get attention for a year...never had a rust issue.

 

[forindooruseonly]

I've got a sizeable collection as well, we keep them in safes equipped with both Golden Rods and desiccant.

How to lubricate if an item is not to be cleaned for a while but I dont want to get my hand dirty every time i want to look at it or show it to some one?

We place a nice layer of RIG grease on the metal of each gun, and then place them in the safe. It does make for a greasy hand if you pull them out, but we just handle them with a rag at first. I can't abide rust, so having a greasy gun is a small price to pay. I hear of people using waxes, but I've never gone that route.

Don't open the safe when there is lots of humidity in the air, or when there is going to be a large temperature swing between the temperature in the safe and the outside air. We've been storing hundreds of guns this way for decades, and have never had a problem.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

A 10 buck hygrometer inside the safe or other gun storage area is a great way to take the guessing games out of humidity levels.

 

[berettaprofessor]

A 10 buck hygrometer inside the safe or other gun storage area is a great way to take the guessing games out of humidity levels.

Good in theory, but I doubt anyone knows the magic level of humidity that is dangerous, because the rust depends on temperature and other factors as well as humidity. I've never seen my safe, with dessicants, get below a humidity of 35, but the basement temp is <70 at all times and I've seen absolutely no rust. Of course, I live in the middle of the continent so I don't worry about salt spray or hurricanes.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

You should not see rust at anything below 50%....Trying to go do dry can lead to stock cracks.

FWIW, I have lots of steel goods stored in my dehumidified basement. I keep the humidity in the mid-40's and in 20 years, I haven't seen a speck of rust.

 

[tarosean]

I have guns I havent touched in years. I only clean the ones that I shoot regularly..

 

[Teachu2]

It would be helpful if you would give some particulars about your climate.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

You should not see rust at anything below 50%....Trying to go do dry can lead to stock cracks.

We're normally well under 50% humidity all year where I live - with periods of time approaching 2%. Low humidity itself is not the problem it is swings in humidty from high to lower than normal. Once the wood acclimates to it's surroundings it won't crack.

I looked at some wood in my shop last week with a moisture meter and all of it was under 6%.

 

[HankB]

There are three basic ways I know of to prevent corrosion of a home gun collection:

1. Coatings. This broad category includes everything from things like hard chrome plating to wax to lubricants & grease. I've used BreakFree CLP and Corrosion-X with good results, and I understand EEZOX is also good. RIG and Cosmoline also work well, but are messier and not much fun to clean off when you want to shoot the gun.

2. VPI - Vapor Phase Inhibitor. These are usually paper or cardboard treated with a chemical that slowly emits vapors that prevent corrosion of nearby metals in a closed case; if you've ever wondered about the paper a new S&W comes wrapped in - that's it. Both Brownell's and Midway sell these products, and there are industrial suppliers as well. I use these in my reloading die boxes (stored in an unheated garage) and they do the trick. The downside is that they don't last forever, and have to be periodically replaced.

3. Humiditiy control. A Goldenrod heater in a gun safe keeps the interior a couple of degrees warmer than ambient and prevents condensation - but it IS an electrical device. I prefer silica gel; I keep a couple of cans in my gun safe and haven't had a rust problem yet. The downside is that every couple of months I have to "bake" the silica gel cans in the oven to drive off the absorbed moisture.

I have been fortunate enough to accumulate an expensive gun collection of over 100 items ranging from a simple Walther PPS to rare automatic machine pistols, etc.

I've got a sizeable collection as well, we keep them in safes equipped with both Golden Rods and desiccant. . . . We've been storing hundreds of guns this way for decades, and have never had a problem.

I thought I had a nice collection . . . but I'm way, Way, WAY short of this. I guess I have some catching up to do!

 

[RugerBob]

Thats alot. What size safe or room? Humidity bad in your area? Them silica gel packs that are larger work well and are cheap if bought direct from mfg. Can be heated in stove to reuse once a year. I have older milsurps that have not been shot in the last 5 years. Humidity here is about 55% winter to 75-78% summer in my basement in Maine. I run a dehumidifier in summer. Keep it on low to stay around 65%.
On the ones I hardly used I clean them good when I get them. swab the bores twice a year and use cotton gloves that have oil on them to remove and replace in storage. Wiping them down in the process. My oil of choice is wd-40. Been using on all my guns for over a decade. Use my cowboy guns for 1000s of rounds a year with no issue. Just my 2 cents.

 

[el Godfather]

I store them in room. Humidity during summer is high.

Thank you everyone for advices.

 

[orionengnr]

Eezox.
http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html
http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

 

[forindooruseonly]

I guess I have some catching up to do!

Ha, Well with three generations contributing, we've got a lot of years of accumulating under our collective belt. Shooting and collecting is definitely a family trait around here. We're raising generation number 4 right now.

 

[el Godfather]

How effective or ineffective is the WD-40?

 

[StrawHat]

Get a good preservative wax, something like Rennaissance Wax. I have used it for many years and noit had problems. I put it on the ones I do not routinely fire or handle.

http://www.restorationproduct.com/renwaxinfo.html

Be careful if you buy auto waxes or similar products. Many of them contain a grit that will damage the bluing. Avoid products labeled as cleaners and waxes, unless they are also non-abrasive.

 

[sgt127]

I have guns I haven't touched in years. Everything is given a liberal dose of Rustpruf gun oil, Ballistol or another high quality oil that thickens a little when it dries. They are loosely wrapped in wax paper and either in their original boxes, gun cases or hanging. They are in a gun safe with a Golden rod in a climate controlled room (its a spare room, so it's not quite as warm in the winter or cool in the summer as the rest of the house)

Do not let them rest on fabric, leather, carpet, cloth or foam rubber.

I've never had a rust issue.

 

[loose noose]

elgodfather, I definitely would not recommend WD-40 for preservation of firearms, I've used CLP for years on all my guns along with a Golden Rod in both of my gun vaults and, I occasionally wipe them down with a silicon rag. The WD-40 will eventually harden into a brownish crud if left on them for an extended period of time.

 

[JohnKSa]

I store them in room.

I'd sell enough of your firearms to finance the purchase of a good quality gun safe. That should ease your maintenance in two ways:

1. Fewer guns to maintain.
2. The ones you retain will be less subject to potentially damaging issues like dust, spills, falling over or having things fall on them.

Plus, you get the additional advantge of more security and options to control the humidity and temperature of the inside of the safe, if you decide to do so.

 

[CLP]

https://www.zcorrproducts.com