Oil or grease in the bore?

[emilianoksa]

I always remove the bolt from my bolt action rifles before storage.

This is because I store them upright and with a thin film of oil in the barrel. I remove the bolt to eliminate the possibility of seepage of oil into the firing pin channel.

Is there any reason why I should not put a thin smear of grease or a waxy rust preventative in the bore instead, so that I wouldn't need to remove the bolt for storage?

 

[highorder]

What is your climate like, and how long will they be in storage between uses?

 

[emilianoksa]

Hot and humid in the summer, which, being in the southern hemisphere, is starting now. Cool and quite damp in the winter, because Lima is on the coast.

My rifles don't get used as often as my handguns. It's not unusual for them to be left in the cabinet for two or three months at a time.

My shotgun rarely gets used at all.

 

[Kimber45acp]

Putting grease in the bore would give yourself a major pain in the neck to clean out. Use an oil that doesn't dry out such as full synthetic motor oil instead of grease if you're going to leave the gun sitting for many months. If the bore is chromed, you really don't even need to do that.

 

[Sunray]

Oil for short term storage(2 or 3 months is short). Grease for long term. Either one will have to be cleaned out before shooting anyway.
"...seepage of oil into the firing pin channel..." Not really an issue. Getting oil on a wood stock might be.

 

[TX1911fan]

Store them barrel down . . . problem solved. I store mine this way to keep the oil from getting in the stock.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Oil? In the stock? Muzzle down? Just how much oil are you leaving in and on the gun? I store my rifles muzzle up for months on end and haven't had any oil seepage or migration to the wood. Of course I run the bore with a damp (oil) patch about once every two months or so. And I don't saturate the operating mechanism with oil either.

As long as you take reasonable care of your rifles and check them every month or two using a quality gun oil of your choosing you will be just fine. If you plan to leave them unattended for a year or so, use grease...

 

[wally]

Is Lima hotter and more humid than Houston? No A/C or Heat in your storage area?

If not just use a good protecterent like CLP or RIG to coat all the metal, let it dry a few minutes, then wipe off -- nothing to drip. A little can of silica gel desiccant in the storage cabinet will help too.

I've guns that have sat at the back of the safe for 5-10 years untouched, no rust, I know, because I finally got around to re-coating them last year.

I did the every few months thing initially 25+ years ago, but the intervals have grown steadily longer to the point that is not something I worry about anymore.

--wally.

 

[Patriotme]

I have a .308 that I only shoot about once a year. Other guns make the rotation regularly but I'm just not that fond of this Mossberg SSI. It gets shot, cleaned and put in the safe. No problems. Of course it's climate controlled in my den.

 

[DAVIDSDIVAD]

I usually put the tiniest layer of that red shiny gun goop from Berryhill's place in the bore of my 1911 to prevent rust.

 

[Beelzy]

Don't store the bolts separately from the guns. Leave the action open if you must, but try
not to use too much oil in the bore and you won't have issues.

It's a bummer when I see bolts for sale because the rifles got separated from them during
a move, or storage.

 

[545days]

As a milsurp collector with 100+ in the collection, I have weapons that I have not fired in many years (or at all in a few cases.) Earlier this year I decided to go through the entire collection, and clean them all. Please note all had been cleaned before they were put away. Some had not been touched in 15 years, and the majority had not been touched in 5. Storage is inside a climate controlled home.

Over the years, I have used different preservatives to prevent rust: Remoil, 3 in 1 oil, Breakfree CLP, a mix of mineral oil and beeswax, Johnson's past wax, ATF, Mobil 1, and RIG.

None of the good condition guns had any rust, and the old pitted antiques had no active rust in the pits. I saw no difference in those stored with any of the above preservatives. Remember these are guns stored between 5 and 15 years.

P.S - I shoot corrosive ammo as well, and none of the milsurps that I shoot corrosive ammo through had any issues either. When shooting corrosive ammo, I typically use hot water followed by dry patches and WD40 at the range, followed up with Hoppes and wiping down the bolt when I get home. Currently, I use RIG on metal and beeswax softened with mineral oil on wood for storage. I use Breakfree CLP on frequently fired guns.

Edit: To address the OP, I store both muzzle up and down to pack em in the safes. I leave bolts in, but open so that I maximize storage. I have never had a problem with oil dripping down into the stock. I use a thin film, not a thick layer.

 

[emilianoksa]

Thank you for all your help.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

A light film of oil or the various grease-like preservatives is OK for long term storage, but clean it out before shooting.