Proper way to store your collectible guns??

[wraco]

My rifles, shotguns and handguns are kept in a walk in vault with my handguns layed down flat on shelves with thick green felt folded double under them all. They all have a coat or two of minwax to protect them and the bores a thin wipe of oil followed by a dry patch. I live about 500 to 600 yards from the Pacific Ocean and this method has served me well.

Rod

 

[kennyb]

Leave the stocks on, or remove and store seperately?

mike i have removed the stocks on several of my seldom shooters and applied renaissance wx...then put the stocks back on...on guns i have waxed i use the breakfree collectors in the bore and chambers

 

[Nygma]

For seldom shot guns, I like Renaissance Wax.

I'm with gunlovingirl.

I'm surrounded by water.
I wax them, put them in a good pistol rug, then I put the rug in the safe. The box gets wrapped, then tucked away up high somewhere.

So far so good.

 

[texagun]

I'm surprised so many people are storing their guns in gun rugs. I used to do that, but not anymore. If you have moist air in the rug when you zip it up, it is trapped in there and your gun will rust if it's not heavily coated with oil or grease. I wipe them down with Breakfree CLP or Eezox and wrap them in VCI (Volitile Corrosion Inhibitor) paper and put them in a lightweight cardboard box. It's the same stuff the military and most gun manufacturers use. S&W ships their guns in a similar protective paper. It has chemicals impregnated in the paper that resists corrosion or rust. Lately I've been using Bore Stores for some guns. It is a heavy material that is impregnated with anti-corrosive chemicals and the material it is made out of breathes so moisture can't be trapped inside. I also use Golden Rods and dessicant packs in my gun safe. I once kept a shotgun in my trunk in a gun rug. I took it out one day for cleaning and it was COVERED with light rust. I won't use gun rugs for gun storage anymore. Those that use them for storage without any problems are very lucky.

 

[smith17]

Old Damkaer article

I found out about the SWCA thru corresponding with David Damkaer who was probably one of the founding members or, at the very least, an early one. He wrote many wonderfully informative articles during the first few years of the Journal's existence including some in-depth reviews of K frame and I frame stocks. He also wrote one in the Winter of '86 about how he preserved his guns, including how he cleaned them, oiled and then double bagged them. Very informative and recommended to all. You can get back issues of the Journal if you join.
Ed

 

[au2183]

Your question is akin to asking what kind of motor oil everyone prefers. You will get as many different replies as there are people to answer the question. That said, I may as well add my .02. I have a golden rod in my safe, and I use either Howard's Feed N Wax or Johnson's paste wax. The Howard's has citrus oil, bee's wax, and carnauba wax in it, and works wonders on wood stocks, especially if they are in need of a little extra moisture. The wax in it works just as well on metal I find. Of course the bore and internals are cleaned and lightly oiled. I also like to use silicone impregnated gun socks on at least half of my guns, if only to keep them from safe dings. My safe is way over capacity I'm afraid, so that's become a necessity.
My safe is in my office, which is 1/2 below grade in the lower level of the raised ranch we live in. In addition, I live in southern Maine, with very changeable weather, and high humidity at times in the summer. So far, I have had no issues at all with rust on any gun. Some I have owned for about 40 years, so something I'm doing works for me.
As I said, you will get a different answer from everyone who replies. Hopefully you can gather enough advice from all these replies to suit your needs, and protect those all important firearms.
Take care, and let us know what you decide.

 

[tigersfan802]

WOW, so many different options. I appreciate everyone's response and realize there's no one right answer. Thanks to all those that have shared and will continue to share their responses. Being new to the hobby, I'm very appreciative for this forum. There are so many things to read about and it's great to learn from all the different responses to the posts.

 

[Aglifter]

+1 on the Si impregnated gun socks -- worth it just to minimize the chance of safe dings -- they're also fairly cheap if you get them in bulk.

 

[gwalchmai]

Anyone ever tried Foodsavers for long-term storage?

 

[Grayfox]

Bore-Stores.
Just clean the gun normally and put it in. I've used them for years and never had a problem of any kind.