Preserving Carbines

[garrettbragg12]

I searched the forums and came up empty handed, so if there's already a topic, just link me to it. My question is this: what's the best way to preserve our beloved carbines? How do you keep them rust free and the wood looking beautiful?

Mind you, my guns are rarely shot, maybe once every 3 months.


M1/M3 Carbine: late '44 Inland
M1 Garand: late '44 Springfield

Information

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[mercman]

I just use Pure Tung Oil (PTO) or Boiled linseed oil (BLO) on the wood and a quality lubricant like CLP on the metal. Avoid WD40 (Water Displacing formula 40) unless the gun is wet and the goal is to displace any water. When I store my carbines I thoroughly clean them and lightly oil the bore and metal surfaces. A light grease can be used on the slide channel in the rx.

[Neal Myers]

It depends upon where you live. You want to keep a dessicant pack or Goldenrod in your safe to keep the humidity in the 30-50% range, & you want the temperature to stay relatively stable. Wide fluctuations in temperature will cause the moisture in the air to condense on the metal of your guns, rusting them. Extremely low relative humidity (forced hot air furnace without a humidifier, or ambient conditions in the desert regions) will suck the moisture out the wood, eventually causing it to crack/crumble.

I would just lightly wipe all metal surfaces with gun oil, then handle with cotton gloves to prevent leaving fingerprints. According to the conservators at the Springfield Armory National Museum, wood does not need any preservative (many of their firearms are 200-300 years old).

[garrettbragg12]

It depends upon where you live. You want to keep a dessicant pack or Goldenrod in your safe to keep the humidity in the 30-50% range, & you want the temperature to stay relatively stable. Wide fluctuations in temperature will cause the moisture in the air to condense on the metal of your guns, rusting them. Extremely low relative humidity (forced hot air furnace without a humidifier, or ambient conditions in the desert regions) will suck the moisture out the wood, eventually causing it to crack/crumble.

I would just lightly wipe all metal surfaces with gun oil, then handle with cotton gloves to prevent leaving fingerprints. According to the conservators at the Springfield Armory National Museum, wood does not need any preservative (many of their firearms are 200-300 years old).

I live in south Texas were humidity can be pretty high, so I'll definitely need to keep an eye out for that.


M1/M3 Carbine: late '44 Inland
M1 Garand: late '44 Springfield

[Thaine]

Some folks use a product called Renaissance Wax. it comes highly recommended by some serious collectors and custom smiths. When I lived in Corpus Christi in the 60's-70's I used Johnson's Paste Wax on wood and metal. Never a rust problem and was easy to touch up (cheap too).

Thaine

[imarangemaster]

I generally clean my guns and lube them with Breakfree CLP (Cleaner, Lubricant, Protector). That includes the stocks. Then I keep them in the safe in a knit silicone "gun sock." If they are really dirty, I'll clean them first with Ballistol, then lube well with Breakfree. I keep a small chamois saturated in Breakfree CLP in a baggie to wipe down my weapons after handling them. Last better than silicone cloths.