Cleaning and Storage Products

[rquack]

After many years of regular shooting [and cleaning], I lived through another time going long periods [several years] without firing a shot through my rifles and shotguns. Now, trying to get active again, I've cleaned them all thoroughly and am once again ready to shoot. But I find myself not shooting them all as much as I used to.

So,... for the rifle that gets stuck in the back of the vault and may go a long time without use and cleaning, what product works best to keep the externals protected during long periods of storage? [Yea, I know the real answer is to clean everything once or twice a year, but life has an unpredictable way of getting in the way as I get older.]

 

[Nimrod84]

It depends on what you are dealing with. Wood stocks need different care than a tupperware stock or a good synthetic stock; as some oils / preservatives can run into the wood and cause swelling or take the finish off.

VCI bags (mylar bags with desiccant / rust preventative vapor in them) are the best I know of, military used them for a long time; but I don't know how friendly the rust preventative vapors are to scopes, leather, etc. They are pretty common online, available on Amazon, MidwayUSA, etc.
EEZOX and Rust-Prevent (I don't know the brand) along with Bore-Stores get a lot of nods from others. However, EEZOX and Rust-Prevent in the testing I've seen seem to eat Styrofoam, so I've never used them. A couple of tests you might want to look at are: http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html - http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667 and http://www.accuratereloading.com/rustest.html

 

[Europe]

this is not exactly what you were looking for, but another remedy for firearms that are not heritage ( from your father/grandfather ) or collector types, which will only increase in value over time, put a for sale sign on them and get something that you, or even your wife, will use today. Something that fits the world you live in today, maybe it will not even be a firearm. For collector and heritage items the aforementioned post by nimrod covers it very nicely.

As some know I sold a lot of stuff that was doing nothing but collecting dust and bought a sail boat--one of the best decisions I ever made.

 

[hunternyny]

April, one of the things I hate about having females on the forum, is they are too logical. When it comes to rifles ownership, men throw logic out the window. you know I am teasing you April.

I dont have as many as others here, so keeping them all "fresh" is not a struggle and do it do sometimes as I watch a t.v. show, that I am really not interested in, with my wife.

 

[rquack]

Thanks for the tips. I'll check out the products and web sites recommended.

The rifles I own are both wood and plastic stocked. Most of my shotguns are O/U's with a couple of old autoloaders; all have wood stocks.

I've done a bit of purging over the past few years eliminating a few safe queens and getting items that I will actually use. But recent family events, and a [now concluded] stint in local government had eaten up lots of recreational time over the past 5 or 6 years. Now my grandkids are nearing shooting age and enjoy accompanying me to the range.

Of special preservation interest today is the Win 30-30 I inherited from my father-in-law last year. It's had exactly two shots fired down the barrel of this 1950's vintage lever gun. I just had the stock professionally restored to eliminate decades of wear marks from the time it spent in an old vinyl gun case with its original box of ammo. The gun shows beautifully today. And brings back lots of fond memories of my last months with him.

I see three options for the old Winchester. Take it to the woods, hunt it and recall the good and the tough times, build a case to display it in the house as-is [preserving its 2 shot legacy], or turning it into an heirloom rifle by engraving it with his name and life dates, my name and birth date, my daughter's name and birth date, and her eldest son's name and birth date. It can then be updated and passed down through successive generations as a family legacy arm. Any of the above will allow me to remember how close we became during the twilight of his life.

Although I agree with holding [mostly] useful arms in the vault, a few hold special memories and will be appreciated by my kids and grandkids as they get older. And I'm "only" 64, so I hope I've got a few more trips to the range and the field in me. As I get closer to the end of the trail, I know I'll get great joy from giving a gun to my son, daughter, or grandchildren and watching them use it to practice and hunt with. A couple have already been earmarked by my son and his wife, my daughter and her husband have expressed interest in a couple of others. I will make my wishes known to them with the caveat that they can each accept and trade among them until they get what they will appreciate. Helping the youngsters to learn to shoot and develop a affinity for a unique gun motivates me to spend a bit more time with them shooting as they grow up.

 

[Nimrod84]

Sounds like you have some very nice guns and memories! Personally, and I don't mean to butt in with the 30-30, I'm not a big fan of displaying guns due to the ease of theft. However, I've been tempted a few times to go the display route myself...

 

[Europe]

Thanks for the tips. I'll check out the products and web sites recommended.

The rifles I own are both wood and plastic stocked. Most of my shotguns are O/U's with a couple of old autoloaders; all have wood stocks.

I've done a bit of purging over the past few years eliminating a few safe queens and getting items that I will actually use. But recent family events, and a [now concluded] stint in local government had eaten up lots of recreational time over the past 5 or 6 years. Now my grandkids are nearing shooting age and enjoy accompanying me to the range.

Of special preservation interest today is the Win 30-30 I inherited from my father-in-law last year. It's had exactly two shots fired down the barrel of this 1950's vintage lever gun. I just had the stock professionally restored to eliminate decades of wear marks from the time it spent in an old vinyl gun case with its original box of ammo. The gun shows beautifully today. And brings back lots of fond memories of my last months with him.

I see three options for the old Winchester. Take it to the woods, hunt it and recall the good and the tough times, build a case to display it in the house as-is [preserving its 2 shot legacy], or turning it into an heirloom rifle by engraving it with his name and life dates, my name and birth date, my daughter's name and birth date, and her eldest son's name and birth date. It can then be updated and passed down through successive generations as a family legacy arm. Any of the above will allow me to remember how close we became during the twilight of his life.

Although I agree with holding [mostly] useful arms in the vault, a few hold special memories and will be appreciated by my kids and grandkids as they get older. And I'm "only" 64, so I hope I've got a few more trips to the range and the field in me. As I get closer to the end of the trail, I know I'll get great joy from giving a gun to my son, daughter, or grandchildren and watching them use it to practice and hunt with. A couple have already been earmarked by my son and his wife, my daughter and her husband have expressed interest in a couple of others. I will make my wishes known to them with the caveat that they can each accept and trade among them until they get what they will appreciate. Helping the youngsters to learn to shoot and develop a affinity for a unique gun motivates me to spend a bit more time with them shooting as they grow up.

this is really an interesting post--thanks for sharing and I for one like your ideas.

Also can not argue with nimrods post about theft as sad as it is, it is true. My husband and I in the 50's and 60's use to have a 30-30 in the rear window of his pickup--but I am afraid those days are over forever. Sad. we have a set of really old dueling pistols that we put into a sort of display case. My daughter has them and lives in the country, but I still worry about them being stolen. She does have a couple of German Shepard's that tend to keep people in their cars until she is ready for them to get out lol

 

[rquack]

I've never been a 30-30 fan myself either. But after living and guiding my wife's dad through his last months, his rifle now provides a special significance to me and my wife. He also gave me an old Remington shotgun and an old broom handled Japanese pistol that he picked up when returning from the Pacific theater in WWII.

Although I agree with the risks associated with a gun in display case and have never done anything like this before, I'll probably be assembling one for the old Winchester. Instead of engraving the rifle, I think I'll purchase an engraved brass plate to explain the history of the rifle: his wife of 66 years bought it for them during the first year or so of their marriage. Although he took the old lever gun to Michigan's Upper Penninsula for deer hunting in the days before the Mackinaw Bridge [back when you had to sometimes wait for a day or more to ride the ferry across the Straits of Mackinaw] many times, he was generally happy to be the camp cook instead of hunting. Hence, the gun's two shot legacy after about 6 decades. It will hang on the wall to testify to a 60+ year marriage, a legacy of family times, and life, and death. And about all of the good times enjoyed during his last months. My dad didn't teach me so many good lessons about family, so I learned a lot from my wife's dad. I hope that my kids have learned the good lessons of life and that this rifle will be around for a long time to remind many successive generations about faith, life lessons, values, and their family history.

It is a sad commentary on our society that we need to be concerned about the theft of a family heirloom rifle. I've had an old muzzle loader on the wall for many years that my wife allowed me to hang a deer mount near; that was generally considered little to no risk. But having a modern centerfire rifle displayed is another story. And a lot more tempting to today's societal bottom feeders.

Can Winchester assist with determining the manufacturing date of the rifle via the serial number?? Do they have a customer service are that has access to that kind of old historical data?? Or do they charge a fee for researching an old serial number?? I'd gladly pay a modest sum to begin developing the history of the old Winchester.

 

[Elkman]

As many here know, I have been doing exactly as April suggested, Several rifles and pistols have been sold, traded or gifted. I cannot stand to see unused items of any kind. I know that there are several people using some of my excess, and enjoying them frequently. That makes me a lot happier, than opening up the safe and seeing them in the back.

 

[Elkman]

rquack, I have been able to track some of my toys by going on line by manufacture and do a serial number search.

 

[Nimrod84]

rqauack,

If you want a letter stating the date of manufacture / shipping I would recommend https://centerofthewest.org/explore/fir ... s-records/. They charge for the letter and only have certain serial numbers available. But for "presentation grade" information they would be my first stop just to see if they even have info on the rifle...

The following two links are free and should provide the same info as the Cody Museum, just without the 100% authenticity or letter. So these are great if you just want a date or as a backup if Cody Firearm Museum doesn't work-out: https://winchestercollector.org/dates/ or http://www.winchesterguns.com/content/d ... uments.pdf.

I wish you the best of luck in your noble endeavor.

 

[rquack]

Thanks for the tips on aging the Winchester 94. It was born in 1952. My father-in-law received it as a gift from his wife. She also got him a Remington Model 42 autoloader shotgun with a manufacturing date of July 1951 [according to the production codes] a year earlier.

Things have been a bit nostalgic lately. Amy's mom died on Dec 29, 2016, and her dad followed eight months later on Aug 20, 2017. My dad followed them down the trail the day after my father-in-law's funeral. So August has been a nostalgic month for us. And it was just pure coincidence that I picked up the Winchester after the stock restoration last week to start all of the reminiscing.

We've remembered them all through the past year as we were working out the details of unwinding their estates, but putting my hands on that restored lever gun really brought it home for me and my wife.

They all live on in our memories and prayers. Yet in the midst of all of the loss, my son and his wife welcomed their first child, a little 2 month premature boy into the world. He is doing amazingly well today. My God has blessed me beyond measure, even in the midst of our losses. No matter what we have in the vault, in the end it comes down to only two things that really matter: Faith and family.

 

[Nimrod84]

in the end it comes down to only two things that really matter: Faith and family.

Amen, cherish your memories and your new grandson!

 

[Wyo7200]

Visit a furniture store and ask them for some silica packets- they are pretty good sized packets, maybe 1/2-3/4 of a pound each.

You can heat them in the oven to dry them out to reuse them periodically.

I Clp the metal and store the rifle In a silicone infused rifle sock. I keep my handplanes in a modified riflesocks to keep them from rusting and it’s worked pretty well.


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