So lets say I'm buying a new pistol and decide to keep it as a collection item without ever firing it. Assuming that it is first cleaned and lubricated prior to proper storage, how often should I get it out to field strip and clean it over the years? Every year? Every 5 year?
How often should I be cleaning stored and unfired pistols
- Thread starter Bonin
- Start date
if properly cleaned and oiled in the first place, and properly stored they shouldn't really ever need to be stripped and cleaned if you're not shooting them.
make sure you clean off the finger prints after you're done looking/handling/showing off your safe queen, and it should last forever.
be sure to control humidity while in storage.
make sure you clean off the finger prints after you're done looking/handling/showing off your safe queen, and it should last forever.
be sure to control humidity while in storage.
I personally love taking down my guns and giving them a good cleaning every once in a while even if they don't need it. A thin layer of oil should keep any gun looking fantastic for a long time though, safe queens shouldn't need to be cleaned if they aren't being used.
Yes.
ghostntheshell
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- GTA ONTARIO
yeah don't be brushing any barrels and such.
break them down as minimally as possible and then wipe em down, and wipe em with an extremely light coat of oil. And wipe off ALL excess oil. If you aren't using it - it's just going to sit there.
break them down as minimally as possible and then wipe em down, and wipe em with an extremely light coat of oil. And wipe off ALL excess oil. If you aren't using it - it's just going to sit there.
Ar180shooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Ottawa, ON
I'd inspect it yearly to make sure no rust is forming anywhere. This would be a good time to give it 1 or 2 small shots of oil into the trigger mechanism to make sure a thin coat of oil stays on the internals. Wipe it down with an oily rag whenever it is handled. If it is clean when you put it away, there should be no reason to clean it again. Just keep it oiled and it will last a long time.
- Location
- Behind You
And do not OVER OIL. I see alot of people just bathing there guns in oil, this is a bad thing as over oiling leads to build up of dust and other bad things.
1300_stainless
Regular
- Location
- Nova Scotia, Canada
After handling I have a rag that is coated in a quality oil and I wipe the firearm down. This leaves a light film on the gun. If you live in a place that tends to get humid (like my place)give them a check every once and a while. I'm very anal with my guns and I pulled my SKS out the other day to find the channel in the bolt had some serious rust! I almost cried. That's an area that my wipedown wouldnt have covered I guess. Had I found it sooner it would have been less of an issue.
If you don't ever shoot it then there's no need to actually clean it as if it had been shot. Just a once over with an oily rag and an oiled patch down the bore will be enough to wipe away the old oil. Oil actually does very well at cleaning away itself.
Dust will not be a problem unless you have the gun on display. For handguns "on display" likely means that it's locked to some sort of display rack to immobilize it and trigger lock it at the same time so it can be seen. And there would be locking glass doors to allow the guns to be viewed yet still comply with the need to be locked in some form of cabinet. As such they won't see a lot of dust either so again just an occasional wipe down with an oiled rag and an oiled patch down the barrel would do the job. If they aren't handled regularly I'd say once every 6 months to a year would be fine.
If I were actually long term storing them and would not be viewing them I'd remove any wood grips first. Then bathe the gun in a known good quality long term antirust oil. It would then go into a heavy duty zip lock freezer bag along with a packet of freshly "dried" silica gel and the bag closed and as much of the air sucked or squeezed out as practical just before the last bit was closed. And one of those vacuum heat sealer bagging machines would be even better. The wood parts get separated so they are not subjected to soaking from the preservative oil. They go dry into their own bag that would sit alongside the oiled metal bag.
Dust will not be a problem unless you have the gun on display. For handguns "on display" likely means that it's locked to some sort of display rack to immobilize it and trigger lock it at the same time so it can be seen. And there would be locking glass doors to allow the guns to be viewed yet still comply with the need to be locked in some form of cabinet. As such they won't see a lot of dust either so again just an occasional wipe down with an oiled rag and an oiled patch down the barrel would do the job. If they aren't handled regularly I'd say once every 6 months to a year would be fine.
If I were actually long term storing them and would not be viewing them I'd remove any wood grips first. Then bathe the gun in a known good quality long term antirust oil. It would then go into a heavy duty zip lock freezer bag along with a packet of freshly "dried" silica gel and the bag closed and as much of the air sucked or squeezed out as practical just before the last bit was closed. And one of those vacuum heat sealer bagging machines would be even better. The wood parts get separated so they are not subjected to soaking from the preservative oil. They go dry into their own bag that would sit alongside the oiled metal bag.
