long term firearm storage.

[AcceptableUserName]

I have some guns I have no desire to shoot. They're great guns in perfect working order, they just don't get a lot of use. I'd like to store them long term...without having to clean them regularly. Is there techniques such as the use of cosmoline and wrapping to protect them in the extreme long term (5+ years)?

 

[Grassman]

Seems like a lot of trouble, just a clean gun properly lubricated in your house should suffice. I have had mine in my gun cabinet for way longer than that and they are just as good as the day I locked em up.

 

[Working Man]

As Grassman stated, cleaned and lubed should keep just fine. I'd throw
some sort of dry pack in with them and check every so often for replace or
redry as directed. That is what I have done with mine and have had no issue
so far.

 

[moooose102]

i stored my fathers sweet 16 for around 20 years. i coated all metal surfaces with STP oil treatment. there was absouloutly no rust anywhere on it (that was not already there, he used to duck hunt with it) when i took it out from storage. it took a while to get it cleaned up well enough to shoot again. but a few hours of cleaning is well worth it to me. fwiw, i did put a patch inside the chamber to absorb excess stp that drifted down the barrel through the years. it was pretty well saturated by the time i was done. but you could still see the stp layer in the barrel. good stuff!

 

[maskedman504]

If you have a well:

1-get a PVC pipe your gun will fit into
2- pack the gun in the PVC with grease
3- bury the gun next to (read: adjacent) the well

That way when they come with the metal detectors they will overlook it.

 

[Travis Bickle]

I have some guns I have no desire to shoot. They're great guns in perfect working order, they just don't get a lot of use. I'd like to store them long term...without having to clean them regularly.

You don't have to clean them regularly. Just make sure they're clean and lubed before putting them away and run a lube-soaked patch down the bore two or three times a year, and you're good to go. Come to think of it, probably not even that's necessary, if you only shoot non-corrosive ammo. New guns are test fired at the factory and then sometimes sit around for years in warehouses and gun store gun cases before ever being cleaned again.

 

[LtShortcut]

A WWI water cooled machinegun was found in the wall of a barn a few years ago.

It was in working condition.

It had been wrapped in several layers of grease coated newspaper.

 

[tackleberi]

I have a particular metal object, especially rust prone (made from chromoly), that I have stored for several years with no problems. In order to "preserve" it, I first cleaned it as best I could, then wiped it down completely with a product called "Breakfree Collector", made by the same people who make Breakfree CLP. I then slid the item into a KleenBore "Inhibitor" VCI bag, and sealed it up. In over 6 years, not a speck of rust has appeared.

 

[win71]

I have a S&W model 19 commemorative I bought new sometime around 1977-78. It is still in the taped shipping box. I do cut the tape and check it every 4 or 5 years and wipe it down with an oiled rag then tape the flaps of the cardboard box shut. It still looks brand new. It's been in a safe since 1981.

 

[xbox360]

I seen guns stored for 3-6 years just as they are. some dust on it afterwards.

 

[natman]

I recommend Break Free Collector oil. It is easy to apply and remove and has a slight waxiness that keeps it in place.

http://www.break-free.com/?location=/products/index.asp

Also excellent is LPS3. I have had very good results with this keeping off rust under extreme conditions. I used Collector on some guns I recently stored because it is easier to apply and remove.

http://www.lpslabs.com/product_pg/corrosion_pg/LPS3.html

These bags are great. Get the 6 mil bags, they will protect the guns from handling better than the thinner ones. If you need a lot of bags ask about a quantity discount.

http://www.polygunbag.com/gunbags.html

 

[DeepSouth]

A WWI water cooled machinegun was found in the wall of a barn a few years ago.

It was in working condition.

It had been wrapped in several layers of grease coated newspaper.

Now why can't I run up on something like that in one of my barns. Some folks got all the luck.

 

[Hk91-762mm]

I too have the storage delema,Im in a place in life where I cant access my guns easy-[appartment] and I have to store them untill I can move from NY stinking state,
I took card board boxes that would hold several guns -I cleaned every gun and greased the bore oiled the outside and wrapped them in heavy shipping paper wrap that was oiled with ATF and then wrapped them in cloth to cussion them for moving.and stored them away..I figure the atf on the paper will act as a vapor barrier keeing them rust free I stored tem in an unheated attic'..