Rifle Barrel anti corrison tubes

:D
A long time back I purchased a package of the tubes that are placed in the barrels of M-1 Rifles, for long term storage. Similar to the ones that came with an M-1 purchase from the original CMP. The tubes appeared to be made out of pressed paper material. They do not appear to have any preservative applied. Should I apply some "BreakFree" on the tubes and then insert them in the barrels. Any of you guys who work, or worked in the Depots, know what was originally used on the tubes, prior to insertion in the barrels? Thanks for the help guys.

I'm a gun collector and a metallurgical engineer (1974). I specialize in other kind of engineering today, corrosion and chemical cleaning. Reading you question, you sound much more expert in firearms that I can pretend to be, but I will suggest this: the pressed paper material you are describing, may have been impregnated with "vapor phase corrosion inhibitor". Search these words verbatim in Google and you will get a trolley of articles.

But I would not rush out and spend money on fancy exotic chemicals, given that a simple thin layer of oil will do the job. I have a 1899 Mauser Oberndorf (6,5x55mm): no rust inside the barrel. I have kept another Mauser in the gun safe for 20 years : no corrosion. The house has been humid at times and I must confess I may have been neglecting my puppies for long periods of time over the years. The gun safes are now in the basement (no improvement there).

I shoot, clean with G96 gun treatment, patch till clean, and lube with one last patch slightly soaked in motor oil, any kind. Motor oils have a strong anti-oxidation additive and are very sticky on metal surfaces. Iron need oxygen (air) and water (humidity) to rust. The thin oil film isolates the iron from the two later: hence no corrosion possible. Simple, cheap, effective. Why do you thinks cosmoline is so popular for gun preservation? But that product is much more adherent and will require a solvent (varsol) for proper removal.

Back at the range, I run a tight patch through the bore again before firing, in case dust stuck to the oil. And bang she goes. (I any case I have discipline my self to always look through the bore before shooting any firearm.)

The kiss principle, "keep it simple stupid".

Thanks for the post, it never dawned on me that they would be vapor inhibitors in their own right.