Long-Term Storage For Your Guns

Carolee Boyles

Protecting you firearms from damage only takes a bit of time and the right products.

The calendar has turned and you're planning for a great hunting season. You've been using your .243 for a couple of years now, but this year you're going after an elk and you want something a little heavier. You pull out the .30-'06 you haven't hunted with for a few years and discover the barrel has rust spots inside and out. There's also a crack in the stock.

What happened? You cleaned the gun before putting it away. Chances are moisture was trapped in the storage container or case. Potential moisture problems for guns during long-term storage include rust on metal parts; cracking, chipping and swelling in wooden stocks; and cracking in synthetic stocks.

The good news is guns can be stored for extended periods with few problems. A little planning can help reduce the possibility of damage and in some cases eliminate them.

Jerry Guiliano, marketing manager of accessories for Remington Arms, said firearms come from the factory prepared for long-term storage.

"Some guns are in the distribution channels for longer than three years," he said. "When we build a gun, it may sit in our inventory for a period of time. Then it goes to a wholesaler and sits in his warehouse for a while. Then it goes to a retailer and may sit there for six months."

Although it's tempting to think the manufacturer's preparation for extended storage would be enough to guard against problems, it isn't always. Just ask the U.S. Army.

Arguably the masters of gun storage and handling, the Army's experience shows that even the best prepared and stored firearms can suffer deterioration. Jim Glenn is with the U.S. Army's Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. He said the Army plans for a 10- to 20year storage.

"We know that a lot of our weapons are going to sit in depot storage for at least 10 years," Glenn said. "If we get into a conflict and have to expand our armed forces, we can't wait for a manufacturer to crank up an assembly line. We need to have our assets in what we call our 'war reserve.

Most Army weapons are coated with an oil-type preservative, placed in airtight vapor barrier bags or wrapped in corrosion-inhibiting paper and then packed in boxes. In some cases, they are also shrink-wrapped.

In the late '80s and early '90s, the Army bought 2,500 sniper rifles.

"We fielded about 2,100 of them and put the remaining units in depot storage in 1992 or '93," Glenn said. "In 1996, we sent some to a National Guard unit, who called and said, 'These are all rusty and moldy.' Another unit called and said the same thing.

"They'd only been in storage a short time. But we found that a significant number had rust, mold, mildew and water damage. The commercial packaging methods used were ineffective in protecting the weapons during long-term storage," Glenn said.

The damage wasn't confined strictly to steel parts. The rifles had aluminum bedding, which had corroded or exfoliated, meaning it had bubbled, flaked and ultimately expanded, causing the molded synthetic stocks to crack.

The Right Technique

The long-term storage of firearms is a complex subject, with two main schools of thought and a lot of gray area in between. At one extreme are experts who say "never put guns in cases or safes except for safety reasons." At the other end of the spectrum are those who say guns should always be stored encased or in a safe.

The point is, there's no "right" answer. Each gunowner must take some general principles and apply them to his or her situation. Find the right combination of cleaning, care and storage techniques that work best for you. The first question that comes up, of course, is "What is long-term storage?" Even that is open to interpretation, depending on whom you're talking to.

Jim Fuller is product manager for Outers and the accessory lines of Blount. He belongs in the leave-it-exposed-except-for-safety group.

"We recommend gun safes only for their safety aspect," he said. "But if you have a dehumidifier or a desiccant in them, they work very well at drawing the moisture out."

How you define "long-term" varies with the individual and the situation. "We find that most people regard longterm storage as from one hunting season to the next, maybe fall to fall," Fuller said.

Guiliano agrees. "Most people, when they finish with their firearms for a season, will put them away for a year," he said. "Extended long-term storage would be three to five years." Storage techniques differ for the two periods, so it's worth examining both.

One Year, Give Or Take A Little

For the most part, Fuller said, one-year storage is basically the same for all types of firearms, with a few exceptions.

"Some of the stainless-steel guns are a little easier to maintain, although they still have to be maintained properly," he said. "But typically, they don't rust as easily as a blued gun."

While Fuller has no experience with the new titanium guns, his educated guess is they're similar to stainless steel.

Black powder guns require special cleaning. "A lot of people clean black powder guns with hot soapy water and that's fine," Fuller said. "Once the gun is clean, you need to season it with Bore Butter or a similar product that creates a film to prevent corrosion."

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."

If you don't check them regularly, then you need to put them in a Cosmo-line-type product. "It's kind of a gun wax or grease," Fuller said. "The military and gun manufacturers use products like it, because they don't know how long a gun will sit in the supply chain."

New guns will have to be cleaned thoroughly to get this grease off. "If the gun shop hasn't cleaned it off for you, the gun will be sticky when you take it out of the box," Fuller said. "Especially if it was built overseas, you'll have to clean the gun thoroughly before you can use it. But, generally, gun shops will clean it for you."

Even when coated with these heavier greases, Fuller still warns against placing guns in cases. "I strongly recommend against putting a gun in a gun case," he said. "Any moisture that's in there will immediately migrate to the metal surfaces."

For this kind of extended storage, wooden stocks also need special attention. "We sell a product called Stock Finish," Fuller said. "It's a good idea to put it, or a polish or wax similar to it, on the stock. It seals the wood and prevents any moisture from causing the stock to swell. The only concern about waxes is keeping them out of the checkering. They tend to build up and turn white after a while."

Guiliano recommends preparing a gun for long-term storage with a thorough cleaning. "You should disassemble the gun just so you can clean every aspect of it. Make sure that you get all the residue and all the fouling out of the firearm. Then make sure everything is well lubricated with oil."

For the most part, Guiliano recommends reassembling the gun and putting it in a gun sock before placing it into a gun safe with a dehumidifier. The exception to that is over-and-unders, side-by-sides and firearms such as H&Rs that are designed to come apart for storage. Store the separate pieces in one or more gun sock in a safe or gun case.

In the case of semi-autos, if you know they're going to be in storage for a long time, you may consider removing gaskets and seals before you put them away. "It's inevitable that they will start to break down," Guiliano said. "I would just remove them and then buy new ones when you're ready to use the gun again."

Protecting Your Investment

If you take your firearms afield, they work hard for you. In order to keep them in good condition, it only takes a little time to clean and store them properly. This will protect the firearm, even when they're stored for years. Given the amount of investment you've made in a firearm, it makes sense to provide the best possible protection and storage.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group