Barrel condition when next range trip is unknown?

[Swampcrawler65]

Couldn’t figure out a better way to word the title.

I work for an oilfield service company and I’m on call 24/7. Thanks to this my next range trip may be tomorrow or it may be 3 months from now. How would you guys maintain your barrels in this sittuation?

As of right now, after a range trip (50-100 rds), I run a patch with shooters choice or hoppes, run a brush in and out twice, wet patch, dry patch, 97% alcohol patch, oiled patch, two dry patches and store.

My thinking is that this way I’m cleaning out carbon and maybe some copper and leaving enough oil to prevent rust, but not enough to drip into the action or cause issues if I forget to dry patch again before shooting.

Thoughts?

 

[Alexander Cain]

Use an oil impregnated gun sock. If you live in a humid environment you may want to use a light grease in the barrel and swab it before you shoot again. I live in a humid enviroment and this is how I kept my M1A bore from rusting. I swear that shit would rust if you looked at it wrong. If you have a safe then various dehumidifiers may be a good choice as well.

 

[McCrazy]

If I know I won't be shooting for a while I run a wet patch of oil (damp, not dripping) down the barrel. This way there is a little coat of oil to help keep the barrel from corroding. Then when I get a chance to shoot I run a couple dry patches through to remove the oil.

How much oil do you think you have left in your barrel to protect it after you run two dry patches through it before you store it?

On the good side: if you are using stainless or chrome-lined barrels or you live in a dry climate and/or use dehumidifiers most of this isn't a huge problem anyways.

 

[Swampcrawler65]

If I know I won't be shooting for a while I run a wet patch of oil (damp, not dripping) down the barrel. This way there is a little coat of oil to help keep the barrel from corroding. Then when I get a chance to shoot I run a couple dry patches through to remove the oil.

How much oil do you think you have left in your barrel to protect it after you run two dry patches through it before you store it?

On the good side: if you are using stainless or chrome-lined barrels or you live in a dry climate and/or use dehumidifiers most of this isn't a huge problem anyways.

Thanks. I’m in south Louisiana. So yea. A little humid.

I use a mobile 1 synthetic motor oil (I’ve never had an issue with it. Seems to work). The stuff is thick. In my experience it doesn’t take much oil to keep rust off of things.... I work with steel tools in salt environments which I know isn’t exactly the same, but wipe on/wipe off with oil keeps my stuff in good shape, but I honestly don’t know exactly how much of it is being removed by dry patches.

 

[McCrazy]

I use a thin oil (Hoppe's gun oil usually) and recommend just applying a thin coat and leaving it. A thicker coat would lead to more chance of it dripping. Patching it out removes most of the benefit though.

 

[Ledzep]

Depends on where you are. If it's a stainless barrel I'd leave it alone and run a dry patch before you shoot it next if it's a long time unless you're in a humid area and/or near an ocean.

In Nevada I shot corrosive ammo one time and left a Mosin Nagant for a year (shot it on leave then didn't make it back home for a year, forgot to clean it) with no ill effects. In Virginia in the summer it would have specks of rust forming in about 7 hours after shooting...

 

[flyright]

Mccrazy is pretty much spot on. It's what I do in the Deep South and never a spec of rust - blued or stainless. I do use Mobile 1 inside and out. I've seen a bunch of old rifles through the shop that just got shot and stored for a year or more with the residue still in the barrel. Thay didn't get any rust either - bore scope verified - so much of this may be overkill. Things change if they get wet or ice cold and stored in a warm/humid environment.

 

[Supersubes]

Im in Southern California, so much drier. I do nothing at all, nor do I patch them when I shoot again.

While Mobil one is a great engine oil, clings well, and would work for corrosion protection, I can’t wrap my head around putting it in a rifle bore.

 

[Dirty D]

I used to spend part of my summers in Iberia Parish and with the heat and humidity down there I would oil the shit out of your bore and store it muzzle down so oil doesn’t run into the action. Just don’t forget to run a dry patch or three before shooting.

 

[BurnOut]

I live in the Dallas area (not as humid as south Louisiana, not as dry as Phoenix) and store my guns in a safe (inside my house, not in a garage, etc...) with humidity control measures in place. In regard to prepping my guns for storage, the bores get cleaned (I won't open that can of worms), and as a final step, an oiled patch (KG4 gun oil) is run down the bore and pulled back. All exterior steel is wiped down with a Rem Oil wipe, and it is handled only by non-steel surfaces while the gun is inserted into a silicone-impregnated gun sock. At that point, it goes into the safe.

It may be overkill, but it's the way I was taught to do it by my father and grandfather (who handed down to me a couple of rifles anywhere between 50-100 years old that have no rust on them); if it worked for them, I figure it'll work for me.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

When I'm putting my rifles up for an indefinite period, I clean them, saturate the bore with Hoppe's #9 powder solvent, and place the rifle(s) muzzle down, heel against the wall, a folded shop cloth under the muzzles overnight to catch excess solvent runoff. The rifle can then be put away in it's customary storage position.

The Hoppe's label actually recommends the solvent for use as a bore coating during storage.

Hoppe's #9 is enough of an oil to serve as a longer term bore preservative, and when used in this manner will also serve as a deep cleaner, softening bore deposits over an extended storage time. As time wears on, patch out the residues, run a few wet Hope's Patches through to reinvigorate the solvent, and do the same process intended to catch any excess solvent runoff. Do this around once each couple of weeks during extended storage.

I usually do this before and during the Winter shooting layoff, and the bores end up with those stubborn bore fouling deposits substantially reduced or even gone.

I live in SE Cochise County, AZ; about 15mi. South of I-10 just off Route 191, pretty close to 50 miles from the Mexican Border.

It's a high desert, and makes Phoenix feel like a steam bath. There's also about 3000 more feet of altitude where I am as well, which can extend the ballistic curve by about 10-15% over Phoenix.

Greg

PS, if the gun socks/cloths or cases are impregnated with silicone, that can infiltrate through the wooden stock's finish and have negative effects on its integrity. This is especially pernicious with a new and substantially more permeable finish.