Long Term Storage

A

akinswi

New member
For Long Term storage, would any acceptable weapons grease be better to coat the bore vs an oil like ballistol, Clp etc?

I have used Rem Oil in the past and has done a fantastic job of keeping the metal parts from rusting when stored in a gun safe in a closet. I have no more rem oil but I have alot of Ballistol

The gunsafe is subject to humidity in the summer even tho room is climate control its in a bed room in my house. But the closet doesn’t get much airflow Each gun is in a breathable gun sock.

I typically have a tag on each firearm if I left oil or grease in the barrel.

Im storing mausers, nagants, Lee enfields, K31s mostly milsurps

Thanks
 
how "long term" are you talking about, and is it the kind of long term storage where you want to be able to pull the gun out, look at it (show it off??) then put it back into storage?
 
Isnt Cosmoline basically grease?
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Cosmoline is the genericized trademark for a common class of brown, wax-like petroleum-based corrosion inhibitors, typically conforming to United States Military Standard MIL-C-11796C Class 3.[1] They are viscous when freshly applied, have a slight fluorescence, and solidify over time with exposure to air. - so sayeth Wiki....

No, its not grease. IT is "grease LIKE" when applied (soft, gooey, sticky) but it has no lubricating properties, and "cures" to a hard material, its a preservative shell, totally unlike grease when cured.

Over time, grease can dry out, and become a hard material, which also acts as a protective layer because it keeps air out, but if/when this happens, its a byproduct of the grease deteriorating with age, not the intended function.

Cosmoline is intended to do this, and also has corrosion inhibiting chemicals in it. Grease does not.

Grease that has "died of old age" is sometimes mistaken for Cosmoline, because they look similar, but they are quite different materials.
 
My compliments

I typically have a tag on each firearm if I left oil or grease in the barrel.
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akinswi
My compliments, on your taking responsibility to your investment/collection that too many firearms owners do not. I no longer keep track of folks who do not. I'm sure you take this same attitude with other items you own.

1. There are a number of products that are specifically made for this application. Currently, I use a product called "Strong-Arm" and Sheild. Is also coat come comments with some military grease.

2. I also utilize a "Hot-Rod" and routinely confirm it is working.

3. I try to visit each, on a six-to-twelve-month basis and reapply protectant.

4. I forgot to add that "some" parts/assemblies, like bolts, I label and store, in nylon ankle socks, treated with silicone spray. .... :rolleyes:

Be Safe !!!
 
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Back in the late 60s or early 70s, I heard about a couple who had bought an old house in the Finger Lakes region, and during renovations, found an large, unusually heavy block of paraffin wax in an old trunk in the attic. Also in the trunk were some old letters and scraps of what had once been Civil War uniforms, They carefully melted the wax and inside was a perfectly preserved like new condition Colt cap & ball revolver.

While it would be cumbersome for rifles, I'd say if you want to preserve a gun for a LONG time, make a mold and encase it in paraffin wax.

Easier to clean up than cosmoline, I can tell you that!! :rolleyes:
 
Cosmoline or similar would be better than oil so as to lessen any migration that oil might do.
I would add a Golden Rod dehumidifier to your safe for some extra protection
 
Silica Gel Desiccant

Electronics that are manufactured in Asia are packed with small desiccant packets.
Typically a Tyvek type material. Silica gel inside is really excellent for keeping an enclosed space dry.
Larger electronics will of course have larger desiccant packs.

The Silica gel crystals can be purchased from industrial suppliers, Grainger has it. Make a container such that the crystals can breath and soak up safe moisture.
Put the packets in a 150-200 degree oven for 2 hours to drive of the moisture and regenerate the Silica Gel crystals.
I live in a very wet place W side of WA. state, I've been using Silica gel in my safe for about a decade. Zero rust issues.
Nothing works better, Silica gel crystals do not wear out, practically.
 
A bit extreme for most, but certainly your call.

Isnt Cosmoline basically grease?
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You could say that but it's application and structure is much different. In a past life, I used it to coat and protect metal parts. Then sometimes used "ocean-wrap" over the coated parts. The Cosmoline was a bark brown and smelled a little, like molasses. It was applied with a brush and left to air-dry. In a very short time, it would dry to the touch. The ocean wrap was a fabric impregnated with beeswax/???. I don't know if they still make this stuff.. ... :confused:

Both were used in protecting military and industrial fabrications, for long-tern storage. I feel that this is the kind of protection, you are looking for, even though it might seem a bit extreme. .... :rolleyes:

Be Safe !!!
 
Ocean wrap

Any good Chandlery (ships store) marine supply will have that. It is very very good protection, I don't know what all is in it, I would not use it on wood.

A salt water boat is the worst environment extant. Commercial fish boats use that wrap on hydraulic fittings. They are hardened steel and rust like mad. The wrap seals them up tight, they thus can be taken apart if need be months or years down the road. They also keep the fitting from just rusting away and failing.
Good stuff. Prolly not for guns.
 
Ocean Wrap

I would not use it on wood.
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I've seen it, on wood and as I recall, the fabric was impregnated with Bees-Wax. that was a long time ago so I really do not know what's currently available. .. :confused:

Be Safe !!!
 
It's likely fine, grease first is a good idea. If it can protect plain steel from rust in salt water?
That's pretty impressive.
 
The way firearms are best stored these days is how the military do it...VPCI bags.
These special "hard" plastic bags won't pass moisture like ordinary plastics will and they have a material that generates a vapor that drives out moisture and oxygen.
This vapor surrounds the metal and totally prevents rust for 10 years or more.

These are sold under names like Z-Corr and others.
You can buy them on eBay and Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gun+stor...orage,sporting,105&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_9_11

A major advantage other then totally preventing corrosion, is that you can take the gun out of the bag, wipe the bore out and go shooting without any messy grease removal.
This is why the military now store weapons in these bags.
 
Just a thought, If you have less than a dozen Milsurps, once a year bore strokes with the Ballistol and a wipe down will suffice for indoor storage. Plus you should review your stash at least that often.
 
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