Long-Term Storage For Your Guns

Guns Magazine, Annual, 2001 by Carolee Boyles

Shooters should wipe down the outside of muzzleloaders with a good lubricant and then store the gun exposed to the air. "Putting it in a case is one of the worst things you can do," he said. "If there's any moisture in the case, it will migrate to the metal parts of the gun."

With modem firearms, Fuller said, the process is pretty simple. "Primarily, you just clean the gun and put a thin film of lubricant inside the bore. Break the gun down as far as your aptitude lets you. I'm reluctant to tell people to take their guns completely apart. Clean all the powder and other fouling material off and then put it back together. Then wipe on a thin film of gun oil. We have a product call Metal Seal which works really well for long-term storage."

With that kind of treatment, guns are fine when exposed to the air, except during the most humid months of the year.

"Depending on where you live, during the, humid time, we recommend checking your guns once a month and applying a fresh film of oil," Fuller said.

Storing Firearms

Guiliano represents the always-put-it-in-a-case school of thought. He emphasizes that the first step is to be certain the firearm is clean.

"I would never recommend storing an unclean firearm," Guiliano said. "That's especially true for black powder guns. They need to be spotless or they'll rust: Even the slightest bit of residue will cause problems." He said that before storage, muzzleloaders must be disassembled and cleaned all the way back to the firing pin.

In the case of bolt-action rifles and other modem firearms, Guiliano recommends soaking them in Remington Nitro CLP or similar product that cleans the residue off and leaves a protective film.

"In the case of modern guns, we recommend that you wipe the gun down with Rem Oil to be sure it's lubricated," he said. "Rem Oil has a little bit of Teflon in it and we believe that's good for the wood."

Once the gun is clean, be sure you leave the hammer down. "That way you're not putting stress on the spring," Guiliano said.

Put the firearm in a gun sock to help protect the firearm against corrosion and rust. The gun sock is made of a silicone-based nylon fabric that's designed to hold in oils and keep out moisture. "Then put the firearm into a safe with a dehumidifier," he said. "That's the best bet. You can leave it there for 10 years, never touch it and it will be fine."

Of course, a lot of us either can't afford, or don't have a place for, a safe. In that case, the best alternative is to put the gun, encased in a gun sock, into a locked gun case. And in the absence of a gun sock, Guiliano said, wrap the gun in a towel before placing it in a gun case.

Three To Five Years, Or Longer

If you have a large number of guns, or a collection, you may go several years between handling some of the firearms. In that case, we're talking about extended storage of guns. A little more pre-storage preparation is in order.

"How you prepare them depends on how often you want to check them," Fuller said. "If you can check them frequently, you don't have to do anything different than you do when storing them for a year. When you get to the high humidity months, take them out and check them regularly and re-apply oil."