Everybody wants to know how to get cosmoline OFF.....

.22LRGUY

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...but how do you put it back on? :) OK, click-bait thread title...but..let's say you actually WANTED to take a clean rifle, and store it indoors long term, with zero degradation? New rifle/surplus rifle/shotgun...whatever. I was asked this question recently but since I've never had the need/desire..I had no answer. And here I thought I knew everything. :rolleyes: =lol

So, clearly not cosmoline...and a spritz of oil+silicone-impregnated gun sock ain't enough. Any thoughts? Are there any gun "socks" that are superior, or even made for this kind of application? However it's done/whatever it's in~would still need to be under lock & key of course, so, a "sock" of sorts would allot it to fit into the safe.
 
Prolly how I will moth-ball this Russian Strela Olympic match 22lr. After I find the rest of the buttplate that is.

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For preservation grease is grease. A cheap tube of axle grease will work, thick oil will work just as well.
 
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+2 on the Fluid Film. Its basically pure, organic, ph neutral lanolin (with propane as a propellant), it doesn't stain stocks, its water proof, does not attract moisture and doesn't evaporate. It is thin enough that it will wick into crevices, but it still has enough body to stay in place vertically. Cleans up with your choice of gun solvent, only downside is the smell but it goes away eventually. In my former life as a museum Conservation Manager, I used it on firearms that were in long term storage and had no corrosion issues. It works wonders on re-hydrating leather and rubber also and is an awesome water-proofing alternative to silicone based sprays for footwear as well.
 
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what about something as simple as sealing the normally oiled gun in a bag or wrapping it in poly with something like this this corrosion inhibiting foam and some silica beads to absorb any stray moisture?

You want to avoid any kind of foam enclosure - foam inherently captures and holds moisture through capillary action. The best option is open storage, as in a gun safe, with a light coating of the appropriate film to prevent corrosion. In addition to that, keep the moisture levels as low as possible, the temperature constant and avoid direct sunlight. The silica beads are a good idea, but the down side is that they need to be checked and replaced regularly.
 
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Sorry, I may not have laid out my suggestion well enough to make sense. Put the gun in a bag with the special corrosion inhibiting foam (there are other version that are not foam) to prevent corrosion and as a back up, add some silica. the silica will absorb whatever moisture is present in the bag and the humidity shouldn't go up in a sealed bag plus the corrosion inhibiting vapor for the foam will protect any metal from corrosion, in addition to he silica.

No oil or grease to clean up later. just take your fun out, run a patch through it, oil as usual and shoot!
 
Sorry, I may not have laid out my suggestion well enough to make sense. Put the gun in a bag with the special corrosion inhibiting foam (there are other version that are not foam) to prevent corrosion and as a back up, add some silica. the silica will absorb whatever moisture is present in the bag and the humidity shouldn't go up in a sealed bag plus the corrosion inhibiting vapor for the foam will protect any metal from corrosion, in addition to he silica.

No oil or grease to clean up later. just take your fun out, run a patch through it, oil as usual and shoot!

Are you intending on burying it?
 
Are you intending on burying it?

not specifically, but things happen. Basements get flooded, tornado occur, sewers back up, fascists come to power... ;) Joking aside my intent was just to suggest an alternate method of longer term storage that didn't involve removing the barrel and action form the stock and coating in something messy that would just have to be removed later on.
 
not specifically, but things happen. Basements get flooded, tornado occur, sewers back up, fascists come to power... ;) Joking aside my intent was just to suggest an alternate method of longer term storage that didn't involve removing the barrel and action form the stock and coating in something messy that would just have to be removed later on.

The original thread left with AmmoSupply.ca but my testing showed that Kleen-Flo Engine Stor was the most effective corrosion preventer tested in round one.
Round two of another 20 pieces buried in my compost pile include almost everything mentioned in this thread so far. The results from those will be posted sometime next spring after approximately 18 months of burial.
 
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