doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Long term storage - Best products?

I am looking at storing about 15 guns for 3-4 years. I was wondering what would be the best products to put on them before storing? What would be the best cushining material to go between the guns?

I will probably be in a position to visit them once a year to change out any dessicants.

My current thought is to store them broken down, tightly packed together (with cushioning material between), coated in an appropriate "cosmoline" type product. My thought is to place some sort of desicant in the box/crate with the guns and store in a climate controlled environment.

Any experience with long term storage such as this?

Oganza,
I don't think your storage is a tough requirement. One big deal is to keep them in a relatively dry environment. You might give some consideration to putting them in polyethylene tube bags (purged with dry nitrogen if you pack them in a humid environment) after you've put protectant on them. I think if you put them in sealed bags to keep out humidity, any of the common products like RIG, LPS 3, or your favorite gun oil would work well beyond 3-4 yrs. Don't get carried away with oils or greases...remember, you are not putting anything on the innards and you expect them to survive undamaged, right?

I'd simply put some RIG on a patch and run it in all the bores and wipe on the outside of the metal, bag and purge and put them in padded crates.

I remember a story on this forum from a few years ago about a number of very fine guns that had been stored wrapped in burlap bags and placed in a chicken coop for many years. Found by a nice shepherd named Tolly, I believe...Geo

I would give them a very good cleaning, apply a good coating of clenzoil and wrap them in VPI Paper.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I just didn't want to give myself two years of clean-up and rebluing work when I returned.

On another forum, David Kennedy, former curator of the Cody Firearms Museum, stated that they apply a coat of microcrystalline Wax to all their firearms and, in his experience, suggested that this was the best thing they had found for their purposes. I imagine heavy coats of grease don't display well. The two waxes are Renaissance Wax and Conservator's Wax. I use Conservator's Wax for all my old firearms, applied to both the metal and the wood. I've been using it for over a year now and it has completely stopped the occasional spot of surface rust that would sometimes appear during a humid summer in spite of the oiled metal.

Postoak,
The only thing I'd worry about is the compatibility of the VPI chemical with whatever stock finishes are on the guns. But, I also don't have any reason to beleive they are not compatible either. Just a concern.

Hmmm, Geo, I remember the shepherd Tolly and the jape he played on us all here, Was it not bill Manns, ther author of the prank? It was brilliant!

Oh my! You mean that wasn't for real? Bummer. I guess I shoulda known with the story beginning on April 1st and all. High grade Elsies, I think I remember...Geo

EEzox no good for this?