Protecting Safe Queens

[duggaboy]

I still read good things about WD40, so with less than frequent cleaning, and wiping down the metal and irrigation of the bore, action and such, have never seen a problem on my more than 40 long and short fierarms. Duggaboy

[TDH]

I have a few 03/03A3s and M1 rifles that I haven't shot and don't plan to. What do you use to protect the bores and nonparked metal surfaces? How often do you remove them from your safe and freshen them up? If you keep them in cases or the DCM boxes, do you clean them more or less often? Does anybody do anything to the stocks? I want to keep them in as good a condition as what they were when I obtained them.
Thanks

Alas I know they are yours you paid for them and you can do what you want but it makes me cry to hear safe queens. They are battle rifles and they were built to be shot ,often. Would you dare put a young Liz Taylor in a glass case or chase her around the kitchen table.

Just my humble opinion


When injustice becomes law
Rebellion becomes duty
Thomas Paine

[Chuckindenver]

Liz Taylor???not me...Ann Marget is a bit more my style.. WD40 not needed..
Kano Labs makes the best, oil on the market hands down. love Kroil

[vp146b4]

[QUOTE=TDH;49237]Alas I know they are yours you paid for them and you can do what you want but it makes me cry to hear safe queens. They are battle rifles and they were built to be shot ,often. Would you dare put a young Liz Taylor in a glass case or chase her around the kitchen table.

TDH, I'm sorry I'm making you cry, but, I have so many 03/03A3s and M1s, that I can't possibly shoot all of them, so I was looking for advise on maintaining the ones that are in the best condition, so they stay in tip-top shape. Yes, I would probably put Liz Taylor in a glass case, because I'm all tuckered out chasing Ann Margret, Raquel Welsh, Sophia Loren and Halle Berry around the kitchen table. I had to pick the older stars, cuzz, I couldn't possibly keep up with the younger ones. I also take my old war horses out and give them a good exercise at the range.
Seriously, I'm seeking out advise for keeping the rifle in my safe fresh. I worry that the cal-rod may dry out the wood, though, and I use Break-Free CLP on the metal surfaces.
Thanks

[CapnJohn]

Subj: Penetrating Oils Compared


I'm not going to verify or endorse this. Draw your own conclusions.


Happy knuckle busting !

Machinist's Workshop magazine actually tested penetrants for break out torque on rusted nuts. Significant results! They are below, as forwarded by an ex-student and professional machinist, Bud Baker.

They arranged a subjective test of all the popular penetrants with the control being the torque required to remove the nut from a "scientifically rusted" environment.

*Penetrating oil ..... Average load*
None ..................... 516 pounds
WD-40 .................. 238 pounds
PB Blaster ............. 214 pounds
Liquid Wrench ..... 127 pounds
Kano Kroil ............ 106 pounds
ATF-Acetone mix....53 pounds

The ATF-Acetone mix was a "home brew" mix of 50 - 50 automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Note the "home brew" was better than any commercial product in this one particular test. Our local machinist group mixed up a batch
and we all now use it with equally good results. Note also that "Liquid Wrench" is about as good as "Kroil" for about 20% of the price.

[Dollar Bill]

I lived in Florida for years and used RIG to ward of corrosion from guns and reloading equipment. It's almost like a thinned cosmoline.
I'm currently using Aeroshell 22, a synthetic grease with corrosion/oxidation inhibitors in it. Seems to be working well and relatively easy to clean up, doesn't break down over time like mineral based lubes. Use it on exterior metal and bores. AeroKroil in actions. Clean and re-lube annually.
If there was an extra square inch in my safe, I'd install a dehumidifier rod. That's probably one of the best things you can do to protect your valuable firearms.
Mine end up being unused for a couple years just because of a busy life/muliple children/multiple jobs, so I started applying long-term storage techniques about 8 years ago.

[togor]

VCI bag

[Neal Myers]

The curators at the Springfield Armory Museum advise that wood does not require any oil, even for long term storage.

As for the metal, moisture is your enemy. Moisture in the air, as well as changes in the ambient temperature, will ruin any gun. I find that a can of silica keeps my safe interior dry, but some folks need a Goldenrod. Try to find a place where the temperature is relatively constant, as changes may cause moisture in the air to precipitate on the gun metal.

[CTMC(ret)]

I've been using DampRid hanging moisture absorber bags - seems to keep the humidity inside the safe around 50% (the safe is in the house, so the temp remains relatively constant). Is there a preferred/recommended humidity level to shoot for?

[John Beard]

Unless a safe is sealed air tight, dehumidifiers cease working after a very short period of time, perhaps just a few days. Moisture will penetrate the cracks and quickly saturate the dehumidifier at the outside ambient humidity level.

Dehumidifiers do help level-out fluctuations in humidity level, such as those caused by temperature cycling. But, something like an old towel inside the safe (or anything that absorbs moisture) will do that.

Long-term storage requires that the metal surface be sealed from both moisture and oxygen and that the sealant not be volatile.

J.B.