How do you store your shotgun, barrel up or barrel down?

[lucusloc]

I was not even aware this was an argument to be had, but then again I do not collect 10k hand engraved shotguns, so what do I know? But I am going to agree with others here anyway; if you have problems with oil seep into your stock the problem is not how you are storing the firearm, the problem is with how you are lubing it. You just do not need that much, and that much can cause other problems than a blemished stock. If you have a firearm that you care that much about learn to do it right regardless of how you choose to store it.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I was not even aware this was an argument to be had, but then again I do not collect 10k hand engraved shotguns, so what do I know? But I am going to agree with others here anyway; if you have problems with oil seep into your stock the problem is not how you are storing the firearm, the problem is with how you are lubing it. You just do not need that much, and that much can cause other problems than a blemished stock. If you have a firearm that you care that much about learn to do it right regardless of how you choose to store it.

Some people think the way to clean gun is periodically hose them down with wd-40. Ridiculous imo especially when we have quality gun lubes available.

 

[lucusloc]

Some people think the way to clean gun is periodically hose them down with wd-40. Ridiculous imo especially when we have quality gun lubes available.

I mean, I can't really judge the type of lube people use. I typically use whatever motor oil I have on hand. But then I live in the very wet pacific northwest, so a wet, water displacing lube is 100% appropriate for the environment. I do make sure that the amount of lube is appropriate, as in only a thin film applied to the bearing surfaces, with the rest wiped on and rubbed into the non-bearing surfaces to protect them. Motor oil is designed for basically the same types of stress a lubricant in a firearm needs to endure and it is way cheaper than bespoke firearms lubes.

The only bespoke lube I use is RemOil, and that only because it comes in convenient spraycans that I can use to (over) lube stuff when I am too lazy to do a full teardown (I know what I am doing and I accept the consequences. Sue me).

I am less familiar with dry environment lubricants, but I do hear that gear waxes and machining grease are good alternatives that do not attract dust. They are probably less effective at corrosion protection, but in a dry and dusty environment that is probably less of a concern that grit in the action leading to increased wear.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I mean, I can't really judge the type of lube people use. I typically use whatever motor oil I have on hand. But then I live in the very wet pacific northwest, so a wet, water displacing lube is 100% appropriate for the environment. I do make sure that the amount of lube is appropriate, as in only a thin film applied to the bearing surfaces, with the rest wiped on and rubbed into the non-bearing surfaces to protect them. Motor oil is designed for basically the same types of stress a lubricant in a firearm needs to endure and it is way cheaper than bespoke firearms lubes.

The only bespoke lube I use is RemOil, and that only because it comes in convenient spraycans that I can use to (over) lube stuff when I am too lazy to do a full teardown (I know what I am doing and I accept the consequences. Sue me).

I am less familiar with dry environment lubricants, but I do hear that gear waxes and machining grease are good alternatives that do not attract dust. They are probably less effective at corrosion protection, but in a dry and dusty environment that is probably less of a concern that grit in the action leading to increased wear.

Yea it's more how you use it. And old fashioned lubes such as ballistol (anise oil, which is an ester that adsorbs to metal) has worked excellent for over a century. I would encourage people to look into modern lubes both because of protection, resistance to corrosion, ability to repel contaminants, but also due to ease of cleaning. It's amazing how much easier they are to clean Fe if there is a protective coating of ceramic dry lube. But it's one of those things most people have to try before they believe, which is pretty normal. I've been fortunate to help develop products to remove carbon deposits on DI engines as well as developing oils to deal with fuel dilution in vehicle engines and it is incredible how far we've come with lube science.

 

[lucusloc]

I agree it is pretty amazing how far lube technology has come. I use fully synthetic in my cars, and as a consequence my guns get full synthetic too. There are all kinds of amazing additives that soak into the metal to protect it from all kinds of metal maladies. I will even soak parts in a tub of oil, then take them out and dry them for maximum protection. Come to think of it I have a safe-full that are due for a deep clean. I need to figure out when I am going to do that....

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I agree it is pretty amazing how far lube technology has come. I use fully synthetic in my cars, and as a consequence my guns get full synthetic too. There are all kinds of amazing additives that soak into the metal to protect it from all kinds of metal maladies. I will even soak parts in a tub of oil, then take them out and dry them for maximum protection. Come to think of it I have a safe-full that are due for a deep clean. I need to figure out when I am going to do that....

Without getting into the weeds, oils developed for car engines are not optimal for guns. They are designed for that specific operating environment. It's not like it's a bad choice but modern gun lubes that are developed for firearms can have big benefits over oils developed for engines. Instead of soaking one of those guns in engine oil, try a quality dry lube like Eezox or a ceramic lube and see if you see a difference in buildup of crud, lubricity, and cleaning. I think you may be surprised.

 

[lucusloc]

Without getting into the weeds, oils developed for car engines are not optimal for guns. They are designed for that specific operating environment. It's not like it's a bad choice but modern gun lubes that are developed for firearms can have big benefits over oils developed for engines. Instead of soaking one of those guns in engine oil, try a quality dry lube like Eezox or a ceramic lube and see if you see a difference in buildup of crud, lubricity, and cleaning. I think you may be surprised.

For me humidity is also a big concern, which is why I have always stuck with a wet, water displacing lube that covers the whole surface. The bearing surfaces need a film of it, the non-bearing surfaces only need a minimal coating. But everything needs something. How do the dry lubes stack up to that kind of requirement?

 

[ilikegunspdx]

For me humidity is also a big concern, which is why I have always stuck with a wet, water displacing lube that covers the whole surface. The bearing surfaces need a film of it, the non-bearing surfaces only need a minimal coating. But everything needs something. How do the dry lubes stack up to that kind of requirement?

They deal with rust better than anything else tbh. Check out some of the amateur rust studies. Some ceramic coatings last incredibly long. As a non firearm example I used ultra-lock plus on my car and two years worth of rain and tree gunk it still repels water and can quickly return to a shine after washing. Even the best waxes/polymer coatings of the past lasted at best 6 months (a few months is more normal). Modern ceramics are incredible.

 

[Juniper9mm]

I store mine diagonaly: one week barrlel up, then one week barrel down. I feel I get the best of both worlds following this method.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Maybe add a rotisserie to the safe then you can get even distribution of the extra oil that shouldn't be there in the first place.

 

[AshWilliams]

Without getting into the weeds, oils developed for car engines are not optimal for guns. They are designed for that specific operating environment. It's not like it's a bad choice but modern gun lubes that are developed for firearms can have big benefits over oils developed for engines. Instead of soaking one of those guns in engine oil, try a quality dry lube like Eezox or a ceramic lube and see if you see a difference in buildup of crud, lubricity, and cleaning. I think you may be surprised.

What lube would you recommend I try?

I use synthetic motor oil on my rifles internally.

 

[GeaRshOt]

I store barrel up. But I don't have expensive shotguns. However if I had something like a Krieghoff K-80 I would probably store it barrel down.

 

[CountryGent]

Barrels up in the safe. This isn't showing up on the radar scope of things I'm concerned about. I'm not sure it is in the same galaxy.