Long term storage

[Afy]

I currently havent been shooting blackpowder much.
And was just wondering if it was same to store the pistols for 6 months + with just a liberal coat of olive oil? Or should I cover them with automotive grease or something.

 

[sundance44s]

I`ve always used WD40 for long term keeping ....never had a rust problem with any of my guns rusting and I live in the humid South . When I oil after shooting and know I`ll be shooting again within the month I use olive oil . The WD40 displaces moisture and the olive oil doesn`t .

 

[Voodoochile]

Olive Oil will go rancid in a little over a month so for long term storage that would not be the best protectant.

A nice coat of Bore Butter in the chambers & barrels bore would be OK & something like Ballistol or Rem Oil would be good for the action but for a good long term storage as long as you remember to clean out the chambers & bore prior to shooting I would suggest Ballistol or Rem Oil in there as well.

 

[mykeal]

Olive oil, or any vegetable oil, is not for long term storage. Ballistol, Rem Oil, Butch's Bore Shine, Bore Butter, Hoppe's No. 9 Plus, etc. are all good products. I don't personally like WD-40 - it does protect against rust but I've also had it dry out, leaving a fairly dirty film. However, others have not had the problem, so i may just have been 'blessed'.

 

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

If you're not going to shoot them for a long time, take them apart and coat all metal parts heavily with vaseline. The vaseline will not hurt the wood either. I have done this with a rifle and 2 revolvers and left them wrapped and buried in a cheap sleeping bag with a cheap Wal-Mart tarp wrapped around the entire thing. The weapons, balls, caps still in their containers and unopened, 777 in it's original 'bottle', waterproofed matches, a couple of good fixed blade hunting knives and sharpening steel (coated good with vaseline) and stone, cleaning gear for the weapons, and a few other odds and ends, and left it all buried for over 4 years up in the Yukon while I was off doing something for Uncle Sam. When I dug it up from it's approx. 4 feet depth, everything still worked perfectly. It take's a little while to wipe the vaseline off but everything was in perfect order....

 

[scrat]

I bet it was a chore to clean. but thats a really good way to preserve it.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Rig Gun Grease. It worked for our grandfathers 60 years ago, it'll work for you too.

 

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Hi Scrat...I will have my wind generator fully mounted and hooked to the battery bank around the 10th of this coming August. From then on I will be online practically all the time.
Yeah, it was hard to clean. Well, not hard, just time consuming but by God it worked.
Scrat, I have to sign off of here in a few moments. Gasoline cost's a lot these days!!
If you see Bigbadgun on here please tell him I said hello and that in August or Sept. I will have some more business for him.
I got bored and shot my Dragoon First Model this morning, First time I'vd ever shot it. Loaded it with 42 grains of 777. [3fff] Of course I used .457 balls. I just shot one full cylinder. I hate to waste ammo. It shot real good but I could tell it was not the Walker. I had an empty baked bean can that held about a quart I guess. The wind blow's hard up here so I filled it with water to hold it down. I moved off about 30 yards and turned, drew and fired. I tore the living hell out of that can. It was spinning and kicking around but I got all 6 shots into it in about 7 or 8 seconds. That's not too bad. I could have beat that time a little with my Walker but that's still pretty good for an old man like me, first time firing the piece and all.
(by the way, I don't consider myself some sort of gunfighter or fast draw expert or anything like that)
Well, when I get on line good in August I will post some photos from here. Some of the guys may enjoy seeing them, I don't know.
I sure am glad to be back up here. Room to breathe and all if you know what I mean. I don't like it down there. Too crowded, too many people, too dirty, too many fools making too many rules.
Well, later Scrat....

 

[scrat]

Take Care G.o.c

 

[Rachen]

I sure am glad to be back up here. Room to breathe and all if you know what I mean. I don't like it down there. Too crowded, too many people, too dirty, too many fools making too many rules.

G.O.C. Were you in New York City? Your description is perhaps the most accurate description of NYC I have ever heard.

Anyways, I use Birchwood Casey SHEATH with all of my guns. They keep very well, and they use a special rust preventing formula in their products.

 

[lv2tinker]

Afy, Take the wooden grips off and clean it with Break Free spray Cleaner or Brake Cleaner. When it is dry, spray the entire gun with Break Free CLP. Reassemble and wipe off excess oil. Guaranteed, NO rusting. When you want to shoot it again, clean the bore & cylinder with a good bore cleaner or alcohol.

 

[dannyboyster]

I am going to be assigned overseas for at least 1 year, which means that I would have to leave my handguns at home. I live in a tropical climate with temperatures reaching 37 degrees and 85% humidity during the worst times of the year.

I've read the suggestions above and I would just like to get feedback on this idea:

Would it be okay to take down the handgun, put it in a ziplock bag (still taken down), apply very generous amounts of a lubricant such as Break Free CLP to the gun and then seal the bag and then store the bag inside a safe? Would this work?

thanks

 

[PeashooterJoe]

Midway has VCI (Volatile-Vapor Corrision Inhibitor)pistol gun socks, I have used the VCI paper for storage up to 3 years and no rust.
Check around the Machine shops. if you don't want to buy in bulk.
I would not put it a zip lock bag, I've had parts to rust that was treated in a plastic bag.
I Clean then use BC Sheath and then store in VCI paper. For what its worth I live 80 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. PeashooterJoe..

 

[sundance44s]

I live in the humid south and never keep my guns inclosed in gun cases or bags or anything such that the air doesn`t move ...I do have one of these in my gunsafe and never have any rust even on guns that are just there never used http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/purchase/products-found.jsp?_requestid=28525 worth the 24 bucks.

 

[Afy]

I have sprayed WD 40 liberally and have just placed them on a shelf, inside my cabinet.

 

[Omnivore]

Is it possible to store a gun for six months without firing it? I don't think I've ever made it that long.

 

[Zeke/PA]

+1 on thr R.I.G. gun grease suggestion.
It's the only thing that we've used in the family for years.
I wipe my guns after each use with a sheep skin impregnated with R.I.G..
Zeke