storing metal guns in engine oil

[tercel89]

I have heard lots of storing of the soldiers in the middle east storing older rifles and pistols in engine oil . Sometimes in used engine oil . Supposedly these things were pulled out of the oil several years later and cleaned and they were like new . Any of you guys heard this ? I 'd like to hear about this and how these older guns last so long in old oil . I know it is simple logic : oil protects metal : but its neat to hear about it from soldiers who were over there and seen it .

 

[OilyPablo]

New motor oil would be fine. I would be leery of used oil, especially well used, toxic, TBN depleted, oxidized old oil. It might keep condensing moisture and atmospheric O2 away, but still, oil is cheap. Save the used oil for the neighbor's yard or the wetlands......OK bad joke......

 

[powell&hyde]

Brand new motor oil ok, used motor oil NOPE.

 

[Shadow 7D]

been used on hundreds of millions of AKs and they are still going strong.

 

[DavidMS]

What about Balistol?

Wipe the gun down and then store it in a bag like this:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/BAG-198

I though all those Com Block weapons were stored in Cosmoline. That can be best removed with mineral spirits AFAK.

That is not to say don't use new motor oil, but there are better products out there.

 

[481]

The trick to stopping rust is to prevent oxygen from reaching the surface of the metal. Motor oil creates a physical barrier that stops oxygen from reaching the steel as long as the pistol or rifle remains immersed in the oil.

No O2, no rust.

 

[Roadking Rider]

New oil should work fine, but I would not use used contaminated oil. JMHO

 

[AlexanderA]

I would think long-term immersion in oil would damage wooden, plastic, or rubberized parts. You'd have to carefully strip all such parts and store them separately. Then the problem would be finding all the parts so as to re-assemble the weapon.

Springfield Armory did some experiments in the 1950's on the best way to store the leftover WWII guns that were being held in reserve. They found it was most effective (although expensive) to put them, assembled with accessories, in aluminum cannisters that had the air pumped out to create a vacuum.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Whole, it's the best, just the metal, oil is great.

 

[tercel89]

Oh I am not gonna store any, I was just trying to hear more stories of guys that may have been over seas and saw how the guns were stored in oil .
I would love to have one of the early AK's that may have been soaked in oil for years and years .

 

[303tom]

I store chains in used motor oil & they come out looking brand new every time.................

 

[45_auto]

I've been storing all my motors in used motor oil (or I guess it would be more correct to say that I store my used motor oil in my motors) for over 50 years now. Never seen any corrosion at all on any internal parts if they have to be taken apart.

 

[General Geoff]

immersion in any petroleum distillate (including motor oil, new or used) will prevent oxidation of metal parts in guns indefinitely.

 

[Onward Allusion]

New motor oil, sure. IIRC, used motor oil can contain acidic compounds. Like someone said. Rust is oxidation and requires oxygen. For handguns, this can be fixed quite easily. Toss it into a ziplock vacuum bag and pump all the air out. Toss that into a regular ziplock bag and you have good protection for the end of the world.

 

[scottbird]

regular motor oil will brak down the bond of the blueing causing bear metal to show. also it will cause the wooden stocks to swell, may not swell a lot but could be enough to play with accuracy. Cosmoline is the genericized trademark for a generic class of rust preventives, typically conforming to MIL-C-11796C Class 3, that are a brown colored wax-like mass; have a slight fluorescence; and have a petroleum-like odor and taste (as detected when working with it).

Chemically, cosmoline is a homogeneous mixture of oily and waxy long-chain, non-polar hydrocarbons. It is always brown in color, but can differ in viscosity and shear strength.

this is why cosmoline is used instead of motor oil. motor oil has to many detergents in it, and causes a reaction that removes the blueing.

 

[Grassman]

I hear you get more years out of synthetic oil.

 

[barnbwt]

Wouldn't a drum (or other large bath) of oil actually accumulate water over time? Even oil can hold a little disolved moisture, and any liquid would quickly settle to the bottom in a pool. A sealed drum would seem pretty immune, though (and a great SHTF one-stop-shop solution )

Not to mention, used engine oil is pretty nasty stuff--very carcinogenic and caustic on skin after much exposure. Everything from pyrolytics to benzene in there; I like my pancreas too much to go bobbing for rifles

The oiled butcher-bag/burlap method seems like the best of both worlds; protection from oxygen/moisture, and easy accessibility of arms. Cosmoline is probably still the best "solution" to a problem better served by a modicum of regular maintenance

TCB

 

[OilyPablo]

I don't think anyone was proposing putting wood stocks in engine oil!

 

[paintballdude902]

when i left for the air force i wasnt sure how long it would be before i was able to come home and collect my guns...

i wiped them down with 20-50 motor oil and then put them in the silicone impregnated cloth bags. a year later there was no rust just a lot of thick oil like when i left them.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Just don't oil up your ammo...

 

[TrickyDick]

I always thought about dipping a cheap WASR in motor oil, then Saran wrapping it to be buried in a tube with vacuum packed ammo, JIC for if SHTF.

 

[tarosean]

I have heard lots of storing of the soldiers in the middle east storing older rifles and pistols in engine oil .

I spend a lot of time in the middle east. Unless your near the coast I don't see how corrosion is an issue. Sand blasting, sand fines/dust on the other hand is a factor not sure if you would need oil to combat this thou.

 

[chris in va]

I imagine they don't because it would be absurdly heavy and prone to leaks, especially if dropped. Cosmo just coats the gun and won't drip off under normal conditions.