Protecting FIREARMS From DETERIORATION
PART 5 (OF 5 PARTS)

RALPH VAN BUREN (45B40-95B40)











NOTE: Go to Storage of Lee Enfields / Milsurps if you’re interested in my four (4) previous posts ( PARTS 1 THROUGH 4 ) on Protecting FIREARMS From DETERIORATION (the very last posts in the Storage of Lee Enfields / Milsurps thread of 09/15/10)

Over the past forty-five (45) to fifty (50) years, I’ve accumulated a wide variety of tools – measuring, woodworking, machinist’s, automotive – along with a wide variety of firearms – six (6) semiautomatic pistols, two (2) shotguns, five (5) commercial rifles, and more than twenty-five (25) military rifles. In the early 1980’s, when my wife and I had two small children, when I was the sole wage earner for our family of four, and when I had very little time to spend with any of my firearms, I decided to put all of my tools and all of my firearms into long term storage.

First, I disassembled each tool/firearm and thoroughly cleaned it. Then, I lightly coated each tool/firearm with 3-In-1 Oil ® before I put it inside of a new (or part of a new) 1966 U. S. Military marvellum No. 30 VPI ® (Vapor Phase Inhibitor) lined plastic and cloth firearms storage bag. Next, I completely covered that bag or part of a bag with a new (or part of a new) 1944 U. S. Military VISKING ® COVER, WATERPROOF, RIFLE – CARBINE polyethylene plastic bag, expelled all of the air that I could, and then sealed each double-bag protected firearm/tool with new rubber bands. Finally, I placed all of the protected tools in a variety of corrugated cardboard boxes, and I placed each protected firearm in an almost brand new 1951 U. S. Military M1950 CASE INDIVIDUAL WEAPON PARACHUTIST padded canvas case. All of those boxes of tools and all of those weapons cases were stored under waterproof plastic tarps in our unheated (but insulated) attic, and – honestly – I never did anything at all with any of those boxes or with any of those cases for the next twenty plus years!!

I finally started taking my tools and my firearms out of storage a few years ago. Having been trained by the United Statesicon Army as a Small Arms Repairman at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1970, I’d learned very well how to properly prepare firearms for long term storage, so I was not all surprised – but many people would have been very surprised – to find that all of my tools and all of my firearms had survived their more than twenty years of unintentional – but necessary – “neglect” without any ill effects at all. Each cardboard box and each weapon case was covered with a layer of dust, all of the rubber bands and all of the polyethylene plastic bags were rather hard and stiff, some of the marvellum VPI ® powder had flaked off onto the surfaces of the tools and the surfaces of the firearms, and all of the 3-In-1 Oil ® on all of the surfaces of the tools and all of the surfaces of the firearms had “gummed-up” as a very desirable result of its aging.

Over the past several years, I’ve sold off some of my accumulation of tools and my entire accumulation of firearms. Naturally, I’ve accumulated some more tools and several more firearms – a new semiautomatic pistol [which I don’t intend to shoot], a new commercial rifle [which I don’t intend to shoot], and three (3) new LEE-ENFIELD 1955 FAZAKERLEY No 4 MK 2 rifles [one (1) of which I intend to shoot]. Of course, I wanted to put all of those tools and all of those firearms into long term storage also, but, to the best of my knowledge, U. S. Military marvellum No. 30 VPI ® lined plastic and cloth firearms storage bags are no longer generally available commercially. Fortunately, I’ve found equally excellent or perhaps even better firearms storage bags: Zerust ® VCI (Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor) Weapons Protection Bags (Rust Protection, Corrosion Prevention & Rust Control Products - Zerust). (see http://www.zerustproducts.com/PDF/Fi...onBrochure.pdf)

PLEASE NOTE : I HAVE NO FINANCIAL NOR ANY OTHER INTERESTS IN ANY COMPANY/COMPANIES NOR ANY PERSON/PERSONS WHO ARE IN ANY WAY ASSOCIATED WITH ANY ZERUST ® PRODUCT/PRODUCTS .

I have been using Zerust ® VCI Weapons Protection Bags to store all of my recently accumulated firearms, bayonets, firearms parts, firearms accessories, and tools for a little over a year now, and I’m 100% satisfied with their effectiveness, their quality, and their ease of use. Zerust ® also manufactures VCI Capsules (see http://www.zerustproducts.com/PDF/Ze...UserManual.pdf) for use in confined areas (such as firearms safes).

Photographs of a LEE-ENFIELD 1955 FAZAKERLEY COCOONED NO. 4 MK 2 RIFLE that I’m currently storing in a Zerust ® VCI Weapons Protection Bag can be seen in my “WEBSHOTS” photograph album (CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK).
LEE-ENFIELD COCOONED NO. 4 MK 2 RIFLE pictures from hobbies & interests photos on webshots

Photographs of a box of LEE-ENFIELD CHARGERS (MANUFACTURED IN 1945 BY GIOLLO & MARTINELLI) that I’m also currently storing in a part of a Zerust ® VCI Weapons Protection Bag can be seen in my “WEBSHOTS” photograph album (CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK).
LEE-ENFIELD CHARGERS GIOLLO & MARTINELLI 1945 pictures from hobbies & interests photos on webshots

Not surprisingly, there are many other companies who manufacture a variety of similar VCI products that can be used to protect firearms from deterioration. One of those companies, Heritage Packaging, manufactures a variety of ZCORR ® products (see Vapor Barrier Anti-Corrosion Firearm Storage & Preservation Bags - ZCORR Products). Please note that I’ve never used any ZCORR ® products of any kind, and I know nothing about them or their manufacturer (Heritage Packaging), even though I live only about ninety (90) miles from where their manufacturer is located.
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