doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Insulation and cosmoline

I bought a 1950 16ga model 12 the other day that was covered in cosmoline. The gun looks unfired and has only one tiny spot of surface rust near the ejection port. When I went to inspect the barrel I was surprised to find it stuffed from end to end with home insulation soaked in cosmoline as well. The bore is in perfect condition now that I have cleaned all the gunk out. Has anyone else come across this method of storage? Best-JB

J.B., never have seen this method you described, but an easier method I use for long term storage is to roll up a long piece of Brownell's VPI (vapor phase inhibitor) paper and slip it down the barrel. I have also wrapped new gun parts left "in the white" in it for years with no signs of rust. I always use a light coating of RIG before the paper. In our high humidity environment heah in Jawja preventing rust is a constant battle. I have never had any rust at all using this VPI paper in 20+ years.

Congratulations on the find. Stan

Cosmoline works for me. I have seen plugs made of fiberglass to stuff into the end of the barrel so as to stop the entry of foreign spiders and other corrosively pooping bugs. I have also seen many dried up insects down the gun to know that they think the second amendment applies to them as well. This happens to the mantle piece firearm anytime there is lots of live wood around.

Why the entire length of the barrel was filled - I don't know. Pushy pests?

Did you know**

Old castles in Europe had attics made of exposed wooden beams - so far so good. Now, one way to make the luxury investment last forever is to get rid of wood eating bugs... and before the age of bugs-be-gone in a spray can, it was found that tannin rich chestnut wood is naturally foul tasting to insects. The convenient side effect of this is that the roof trusses in such old constructions remain cobweb free without any perpetual dusting - unlike most other barns we know of.

Thus, for storing guns in any other type of attic or barn, the invention of cosmoline and fiberglass plugs was necessary. Seems right to me. Also, rust proof paper works great.