Question: How to do long-term gun storage?

3242 Views 5 Replies 5 Participants Last post by LIProgun, Jul 26, 2004

Lucien

Discussion Starter · Jul 18, 2004

I am preparing some firearms for long-term storage. This may be for a five-year or more length of time. It’s an assortment: AR15, pump shotgun, semi-auto pistol and revolver, blue and stainless steel finishes, wood and synthetic stocks.

I plan to use Break-Free CLP applied to the bore on a soaked cleaning patch. Then, I plan to put a thin coat of Break-Free CLP everywhere else. The firearms will be wrapped in butcher paper and then to prevent direct contact with Brownell's Gun Wrap Paper (which produces a rust inhibiting vapor for long-term storage) and placed in Brownell's Triple Tough Premium Storage Bags along with the Gun Wrap Paper. The storage bag will then be pressed to minimize the air in the bag and heat sealed for an airtight storage. Then the bags will be placed in a cardboard box in a garage, with crumpled newspaper cushioning the bags from each other, for a long time.

A number of people have advised me to use RIG – Rust Inhibiting Grease – but I’m reluctant because of the difficulty to remove RIG after long-term storage. It would seem to require a total disassembly of the gun and a lot of work to get things back in order.

I tried Eezox, which leaves a dry, slightly blotchy residue. As an external coating, I like that it’s dry where Break-Free CLP leaves an oil residue. However, it seems like a poor product for coating the bore, where I’d prefer to have an oil residue remain.

I’m also wondering if I should put a fresh package of desiccant in the sealed plastic bag.

I have been unable to find any storage solutions recommended by credible sources and the above process is what I've come up with – along with my rambling thoughts about alternatives.

Anybody have comments?

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TScottW99

· #2 · Jul 18, 2004

I have been using Eezox and like it. (granted no long term storage) I have been reading about a new product, Bullfrog, and plan on giving it a try.

I was reading through some reports on rust inhibitors and it seems Bullfrog did very well. Here is where I found the reports on the differn't brands.... http://www.cortecvci.com/Publications/Reports/reports.php

Here is the report on Bullfrog itself.... http://www.cortecvci.com/Publications/Reports/powerboat-article/Powerboat.pdf

Think I'm going to order some and try it.

EDITED TO ADD:

I just found there home page... http://www.bull-frog.com/

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csmkersh

· #3 · Jul 18, 2004

Lucien, this isn't exactly what you asked for, but it may help. Rob did a Consumer's Report on rust prevention that you might find helpful.

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Mad Ogre

· #4 · Jul 18, 2004

Breakfree has something called "Collector". It's just for this purpose.

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LIProgun

· #5 · Jul 19, 2004

Lucien, it sounds like any of the better rust preventative products (e.g., BreakFree CLP, Eezox, FP-10, etc.) will be suitable for you considering the way you intend to wrap and cover the firearms during storage. However, I would still opt for something like a light but uniform coating of the RIG grease under the wrapping paper. I don't think it should be too difficult to remove, but then again I'm a milsurp rifle collector, and I'm used to cleaning rifles caked inside and out with decades-old (sometimes hardened) cosmoline.

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LIProgun

· #6 · Jul 26, 2004

FYI...

I just came across this article from Brownell's:

CLEANING CLINIC: Knowing The Limits Of Rust Preventives
By: Steve Schmidt

No real surprises here. As noted above, RIG and cosmoline are about the best for long-term storage IMO.

Testing motor oil was interesting, though the results are not surprising to me. Judging by the frequent posts I see on gun boards, there are lots of people using motor oil on guns. It may be adequate for some gun applications, and certainly is comparatively inexpensive. However, there are far better choices considering lubricity, corrosion protection, affinity for dirt, etc.

While the author correctly concludes that "the properties and limitations of different rust preventives vary dramatically," he seems reluctant to identify any product as a poor rust preventative. [Hey, he's in the business of selling this stuff.] Fortunately, the pictures of the test plates tell the story fairly well.

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