Storing guns barrel down

[MosinRob 1]

Is there any negative repercussions from storing guns barrel down?

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

No, just be careful not to damage the crown of the barrel.

 

Some guns SHOULD be stored muzzle down, such as all muzzle-loaders to prevent oil migration in the breech plug. Also, it is reccomended to store 1919s muzzle down due to the weight on the pistol grip potentially cracking the buffer tube.

[Grapeshot 301]

"Some guns SHOULD be stored muzzle down, such as all muzzle-loaders to prevent oil migration in the breech plug."

 

Really? I've been shooting muzzle-loaders for 20 years and have never heard of this. Not saying it's wrong, and I'm always willing to learn. Anyone else hear of this?

 

BTW - if you look at amories at places like Williamsburg, muskets are stored muzzle up.

[lunker 274]

It is also a good thing for long guns with nice wood. The oil can migrate from the receiver into the stock and discolor it and make it soft, etc.

[kman 56]

Maybe horizontal is best of all, if we are splitting hairs here.

 

And if we are going to get really technical, horizontal and upside down, to keep oil out of the stock if it seeps due to gravity.

 

Since i cant help myself, i would point out that best of all is storage in a zero gravity environment!

 

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[MosinRob 1]

"Some guns SHOULD be stored muzzle down, such as all muzzle-loaders to prevent oil migration in the breech plug."

 

Really? I've been shooting muzzle-loaders for 20 years and have never heard of this. Not saying it's wrong, and I'm always willing to learn. Anyone else hear of this?

 

BTW - if you look at amories at places like Williamsburg, muskets are stored muzzle up.

After I clean my muzzleloaders I store them barrel down on a towel so excess drains out, but only for 2-3 days. Then I turn back up.

[Cemeterys Gun Blob 165]

I don't know, sounds like you'd be using the wrong kind of oil, or too much of it if your concerned about it running into the stock or breech plugs.

[RUTGERS95 890]

I don't know, sounds like you'd be using the wrong kind of oil, or too much of it if your concerned about it running into the stock or breech plugs.

 

agree

[mipafox 438]

Police had problems during the 80s with shotguns racked in the muzzle-down position in their cars. With all the bouncing around, it cause powder to migrate past the cup/wadding into the shot over time. And there were incidents of misfires at inopportune times.

 

From what I read back in the day. Don't know or care if it was true or still is, but there it is for your consideration.

[skruft 1]

I have not heard of that being a problem - but maybe because so few people do it.

[Parker 213]

I don't know, sounds like you'd be using the wrong kind of oil, or too much of it if your concerned about it running into the stock or breech plugs.

 

There was some truth to this. Mostly seen with older guns (you may be religious and use oil sparingly but you didn't know how the previous owner/owners cared for it and lubed it.) Guns with two-piece stocks where inletting was tight in the tang area and where wrist areas were thin were the most prone to damage. Too much oil softened the wood, or if it was untreated swelled when moisture came in contact with the wood. One-piece stocks for rifles fared a lot better.

[pasu0115 200]

I would be hesitant to do it with any gun that doesn't have a thick/heavy barrel. I wonder if a thin barreled gun stored with the weight on the barrel could warp the barrel over time?

[usnmars 136]

I was taught by a friend that is a gunsmith and he said after cleaning and oiling put a rag on the ground and store the gun upside down for 3 days prior to putting in the safe. Although you dont put much oil on you will be amazed when you see what ends up on the rag. After cleaning if you store muzzle up, any excess oil on the gun drips down the reveiver and migrates toward the tang. Over time this oil will impregnate the wood around the tang and bedding and cause what is commonly called "oil rot." Walk around a gunshow and look at the old used guns and you will easily identify it, it looks like the wood around the receiver is darker than the rest of the stock. That is the oil that soaked into the wood. I set them muzzle down for a few days before putting them in the safe, it might be a little overboard but who cares, it doesn't hurt anything.