Unused Long Gun Storage

[einherjarvalk]

I'm sure we've all got one or two long guns that we only shoot once in a blue moon (read: less than once a year). How do you store them? I've read a lot of people saying to use heavy grease or cosmoline, but it seems somewhat unnecessary for modern designs.

For context, I've got what I consider an investment-grade AK build. I take exceptionally good care of it to the point of trying to only ever handle it with nitrile gloves on to avoid oil transfer or scratching of the wood. Exposed metal is hit with Barricade and/or CLP, moving parts and rails were given a coating of CLP or TW-25B grease. I haven't shot it since I got it a year ago, and I'm not sure when or if I will. I got to thinking about whether or not I need to give it another rust-preventative light oil coating last night, but now that I think about it, it really shouldn't need it, should it? The barrel is chrome-lined, the bolt and BCG still have the original paint that kept it rust-free for the 34 years it sat around in a completed gun and as a parts kit, and the receiver has Barricade or TW-25B on any bare metal, with the rest covered in a modern moly-resin finish.

Every other long gun I have usually gets a relube or is used and cleaned at least once a year. I feel like I may be overthinking this, but I'm curious to know how other people store and maintain their non-use rifles.

[Matt Helm]

Good luck in finding some old stock "SHEATH" by Birchwood Casey. A very similar composition of oils is the same Company's "BARRICADE" . I think Barricade is just as good ,for protection against rust &. Corrosion .( not in the Amazon Jungle) Talking about northern America & occasional rain exposure.

I read someone's test results showed 1 or 2 other space age products were a little better after salt spray.
Barricade is the only good one out of the three ...that I could find in a local sporting goods store.

[Casual Friday]

I'm sure we've all got one or two long guns that we only shoot once in a blue moon (read: less than once a year). How do you store them? I've read a lot of people saying to use heavy grease or cosmoline, but it seems somewhat unnecessary for modern designs.

For context, I've got what I consider an investment-grade AK build. I take exceptionally good care of it to the point of trying to only ever handle it with nitrile gloves on to avoid oil transfer or scratching of the wood. Exposed metal is hit with Barricade and/or CLP, moving parts and rails were given a coating of CLP or TW-25B grease. I haven't shot it since I got it a year ago, and I'm not sure when or if I will. I got to thinking about whether or not I need to give it another rust-preventative light oil coating last night, but now that I think about it, it really shouldn't need it, should it? The barrel is chrome-lined, the bolt and BCG still have the original paint that kept it rust-free for the 34 years it sat around in a completed gun and as a parts kit, and the receiver has Barricade or TW-25B on any bare metal, with the rest covered in a modern moly-resin finish.

Every other long gun I have usually gets a relube or is used and cleaned at least once a year. I feel like I may be overthinking this, but I'm curious to know how other people store and maintain their non-use rifles.

I don't want to sound like I'm trying to burst your bubble, but if it's a true collector/investment AK, the moly resin finish will hurt it's value. If it's built on a US receiver, you may as well shoot it as much as you'd like. AK collectors are a curmudgeonly bunch.

I'd say what you're doing is fine to protect it. I don't buy gun lubes. I use white lithium grease and it works very well. A $7.99 tube at an auto parts store will probably last you 5-10 years.

[einherjarvalk]

I don't want to sound like I'm trying to burst your bubble, but if it's a true collector/investment AK, the moly resin finish will hurt it's value. If it's built on a US receiver, you may as well shoot it as much as you'd like. AK collectors are a curmudgeonly bunch.

I'd say what you're doing is fine to protect it. I don't buy gun lubes. I use white lithium grease and it works very well. A $7.99 tube at an auto parts store will probably last you 5-10 years.

Re: collectibility, it's a mixed bag. It's an unissued 1983 Izzy parts kit built on a period-matched David Riggs/74u LLC receiver. It's not as "collectible" as, say, a factory Polytech Legend, but the rare occasions I've seen a similar parts kit pop up have been with pricetags north of $1K, and complete rifles with less period-accurate receivers double that.

If nothing else, I do want to make sure I take the utmost care of it since it's essentially the culmination of a years-long research project into Afghanistan-era AKs that I did to make sure I cloned it as well as possible (there's simultaneously a shocking amount of info on the minor variations and a shocking dearth of easily accessible info about said variations). If what I'm doing is as good as I can get it short of putting it in a climate contolled museum box, I'm satisfied.

[Odin Bravo One]

I use this for my investment grade firearms:

The curator at the national museum says its good enough for their sparse collection, I’m certain it will suffice for what I’ve got.

I’ve not seen an investment grade AK..... curious what one looks like.

[einherjarvalk]

I've dropped some photos in the long guns thread if you're interested.

How is the Renaissance Wax applied? I've heard it brought up a few times in passing, but I'm not sure if there's a special application method necessary or if it just paints on in a thin coat.

[TGS]

I've never had a problem with leaving them in the safe and wiping them down with whatever oil I have on hand every year or two.

That goes for my modern guns or my M1878 Swiss Vetterli.

[Odin Bravo One]

Using a soft micro fiber cloth, apply it all surfaces, and wipe off excess.

I also require anyone touching the investment grade arms to wear cotton gloves so as not to leave fingerprints or residue. Then a quick wipe down before it goes back on the shelf. I give all of those guns a once over inspection every few months, and wipe them clean and re-apply the wax annually. In addition to all of that, they are kept in a climate controlled room at 68 degrees F, and 60% humidity.

In discussions with the curator at the national museum, he pointed out that consistency in climate is as important as the climate itself. Obviously leaving your guns in a lock box in the Central African rainforest is far from ideal. But even in s climate controlled space, you’re not looking for any extremes, and their studies have shown that 65-70 degrees and 65-70 % humidity to be ideal.

[BillSWPA]

Using a soft micro fiber cloth, apply it all surfaces, and wipe off excess.

I also require anyone touching the investment grade arms to wear cotton gloves so as not to leave fingerprints or residue. Then a quick wipe down before it goes back on the shelf. I give all of those guns a once over inspection every few months, and wipe them clean and re-apply the wax annually. In addition to all of that, they are kept in a climate controlled room at 68 degrees F, and 60% humidity.

In discussions with the curator at the national museum, he pointed out that consistency in climate is as important as the climate itself. Obviously leaving your guns in a lock box in the Central African rainforest is far from ideal. But even in s climate controlled space, you’re not looking for any extremes, and their studies have shown that 65-70 degrees and 65-70 % humidity to be ideal.

Makes sense in general, but why such a high humidity?



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[Odin Bravo One]

The “ideal” is closer to 50% relative humidity. However, during the discussion, he emphasized consistency more than just low humidity. The changes in temperature and humidity have more effect on the wood items than just the humidity percentage alone (in this context), and the more extreme the changes, the worse it is for your firearms. By keeping them constant, you get a level of predictability.

Everyone will have to assess their own storage situation themselves, and in my particular case, when I weighed out the costs of construction, temperature control (HVAC) installation, dehumidifier, and ultimately, costs associated with running the systems in the vault at those “perfect” storage conditions, they quickly added up.

As of now, it costs me about $150 a month to maintain the set up I have here in SW VA. In the winter that drops to about $40 a month. But on average, my bill for just the vault pushes $800 a year. To maintain 50% would be about double that, for a 10-15% decrease in humidity. Just a shot in the dark, but I would guess that most of our members aren’t really in a spot where that $1600 recurring price tag for maintaining perfect conditions outweighs performing a little more hands on interventions.

My HVAC unit also serves as a dehumidifier, but not enough to maintain a constant 65-70% without sending my electricity bill through the roof, which led me to an additional stand alone dehumidifier that costs less to run, but requires being emptied regularly. In a perfect world, it would go to a drain outside, but the terrain outside of the vault doesn’t slope down enough to draw the water away from the foundation. Right now I empty it in the AM and in the PM before I go to bed (1.5-2 gallons each time). When I had initially set it to 55% humidity, I was emptying it several times a day. When it fills, it no longer functions, which during the summer months would quickly cause the humidity to rise as high as 65% in a matter of a few hours without it running. If I were to not empty it for a day or more at that setting, it jumped to 80+%, and would easily reach ambient outside humidity in a couple of days. So much for a vacation.

So again, we go back to a temp and humidity that I can maintain consistently, that I can afford/justify, and equipment that is easily enough maintained.

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