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Tip for gun owners


wingman68
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I have several firearms I rarely use due to there age, these are mainly old Lee Enfield 303s my oldest is 101 years old this year, to keep rust away I use lanolin oil, this is derived from sheeps wool and its totally natural and doest run off or wear away, great for leather, timber etc, I also use neatsfoot oil on my steel work , these products are far better then any others I have tried and rust is a problem with humidity in the gun safes.

Boiled linseed oil rubbed into your wooden stocks rountinely will keep them in good health for an eternity, this is what I use on all my Enfields, great stuff.

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101combatvet

lanolin? think.gif it's good for the skin also.

 

I have several firearms I rarely use due to there age, these are mainly old Lee Enfield 303s my oldest is 101 years old this year, to keep rust away I use lanolin oil, this is derived from sheeps wool and its totally natural and doest run off or wear away, great for leather, timber etc, I also use neatsfoot oil on my steel work , these products are far better then any others I have tried and rust is a problem with humidity in the gun safes.

Boiled linseed oil rubbed into your wooden stocks rountinely will keep them in good health for an eternity, this is what I use on all my Enfields, great stuff.

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Good advice above. I tend to stick to the more conventional methods of preserving my weaponry. That means gun lube & grease. For the woodwork I also use boiled linseed oil. One perticular thing I noticed about linseed oil is that it seems to 'seal' the woodgrain over time, wich makes it more pleasant to handle if the stock is impregnated with oil. I have one stock in use wich didnt get the linseed treatment, and on hot days this stock still oozes oil.

 

Another maybe well know tip; never store pistols or revolvers in their leather holsters for extended periods. The acids in the leather have a tendency to attack metal finishes.

There seems to be some sort of consensus about this topic with knives collectors too. Dont store blades in their sheath. The trapped air in the sheath contains moisture wich could cause corrosion on the blade.

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Great tips, yeah, I learned about the corrosive issue with holsters/scabbards recently so I made sure to keep them and the pistols/blades separate.

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WVUM1shooter

THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR GUNS IS TAKE THEM OUT AND USE THEM OR AT LEAST PLAY WITH THEM!!!! Shooting your guns is a good way to get you to clean off dust and dirt that has been building up for months. It also forces you to oil them. I like to coat my guns in Break Free. Hell I even run a patch down the barrels to protect them through the winter. Another good idea is to actually go out and shoot your guns, if you keep your m1 garand, carbine, 1903/a3 etc well lubed it usually wont hurt the finish. I wouldn't shoot things like an m1c or an m1d (if I had one it would be oiled everyday lol) but every now and then I like to shoot my all correct 42 dated m1. People say you can wear these barrels out but as long as you are using ball ammo your fine. Commercial ammo makes to much pressure and can damage your op rod and blanks are just a good way to make your barrel's bore nice and dark and ruined due to build up of garbage. It would be pretty hard and expensive to shoot out your barrel. I am talking thousands of rounds!!! But it is easy to ruin your finish so always lube every moving part like the op rod, spots on the bolt that touch the receiver, op rod track etc. That could make a big difference as well!!!! I wouldn't shoot that much with my deer rifle but then again its not as heavily made. A military barrel is designed to be shot all to hell and back. By going out and shooting your guns it forces you to remember to maintain. I have looked at many a browning A5 or Remington 700 that were ruined by people not shooting them and leaving them in safe to rot. We are only human lol we all forget to oil our guns and knives and that can be a devastating blow to our hobby. With out a preservative moist air pretty much can turn your brand new 700 into a pile of rust. If you shoot your guns it makes you fondle it and hopefully you will remember to clean and oil it for next time. I am not saying to go out and shoot your flintlocks or anything, I am just saying at least go to your guns safe and play with your guns just remember to oil them.

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Indeed maintenance is the best option, the Aussie army have a saying, Prior Preparation and Planning Prevent Piss Poor Performance, this is so true, I have guns I just dont use these are preserved for a time when I may recall them into use, a liberal dose of lanolin oil from one end to the other and inside will see too it they are are perfect when needed, I still hunt with a 303 Enfield with open sights, I pour maybe a thousand rounds a year through it both in the bush and at the range, barrel life always concerns me but they are still around new for an Enfield if you look.

One of the great pains inthis country was when they banned Semi Auto rifles, I had a bueatiful little GM made M1 Carbine and I miss it every day that rifle with a jungle clip was heaven, I can say the same for my Mini14 and Chinese SKS all were good fun, you guys are so lucky, enjoy them while you can own them because you never know with the powers that be (party poopers) what can happen

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For bare metal parts, such as knife blades, apply a coat of waxy stuff, to seal out ambient moisture and resist body oils from fingerprints and even saliva from your freinds' slobbering all over a goodie. Some of the metal polishes -- like Maas, already declared The Winner here in earlier thread(s) -- contain a waxy substance to do this. Otherwise, if you can find it, "British Museum" metal polish/preservative is better still. Anybody know where to get it thesedays. I bought some at a Max show about 20 years ago and it is long gone.

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WVUM1shooter

Well that is a little extreme but then again we always over exaggerate the amount of rounds we shoot. ( it seems like we shoot alot more than we really do) lol no offense, hell I bought a Remington 700 in 6mm for 450 and the guy thought he'd put at least 2000 rounds through it but the barrel looked new, I think we all take for granted that these guns are meant to be shot. American gun collectors including myself need to quit being like comic book collectors and keeping a gun ,and never touching it and keeping it in a little plastic bag with all the air out of it lol, THIS IS NO JOKE I HAVE SEEN A FEW GUN IN SPACE BAGS AND NEVER EVER MOVED OR TOUCHED. What is the point of having one if you can't enjoy it. We need to enjoy it as much as we can because one day we may become like the rest of Europe and lose the right to own these old military firearms. I hope not, but who knows anymore, but we need to be more like the machine gun owners, do you see them flipping out about a little dirt on their gun JC the ones a knob creek put more rounds through their guns in one day then any of us do in a life time. Take what I say for what its worth. But thats my two cents worth.

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WVUM1shooter

"For bare metal parts, such as knife blades, apply a coat of waxy stuff, to seal out ambient moisture and resist body oils from fingerprints and even saliva from your freinds' slobbering all over a goodie. Some of the metal polishes -- like Maas, already declared The Winner here in earlier thread(s) -- contain a waxy substance to do this. Otherwise, if you can find it, "British Museum" metal polish/preservative is better still. Anybody know where to get it thesedays. I bought some at a Max show about 20 years ago and it is long gone."

 

No offense but why not just use gun oil such as break free or rem oil, it does the same thing and you don't have to peel it off

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I use renaissance wax on my knives and other metal objects. The can easily be removed and it prevents corrosion. It preserves without having oil dripping all over the place which can get on other artifacts that you might not want it on.

 

It also happens to be what many museums use to protect their metal artifacts like knives and armour.

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I understand completely, why own a gun if your not going to shoot it, but some ammo now is scarce so some are just for looking at, 303 thank jesus is still common and reloadable, you have to use them to keep the cobwebs out and because its just great fun to be able to shoot an antique and something you know played a part in history 60 years ago or longer

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Many of us buy firearms for collecting and as an investment. I can't see running to the range every weekend to fire a $35,000 MG34 just so I can say I shot it same goes for my Thompsons and MP44s. I have a number of NFA firearms that were bought strictly for collecting purposes and have no intention of shooting them. I grew out of that stage about 20 years ago. Every time you take a collector grade firearm out to the range you stand a good chance of doing some damage that will greatly lessen the value of the firearm. When an individual starts buying guns that cost in excess of $10,000 they tend to look at how they use them a bit differently than a $79 Mosin Nagant.

 

Some people buy guns to shoot and some buy guns to collect, nothing wrong with either plan, how we enjoy our firearms is unique to each individual.

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What are your alls' thoughts on those silicon impregnated gun socks? Do they have any long term adverse effects on wood, leather, or metal?

 

R,

Paul

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Bill in VA
What are your alls' thoughts on those silicon impregnated gun socks? Do they have any long term adverse effects on wood, leather, or metal?

 

R,

Paul

I use 'em and IMHO they work fine. They're especially useful when you have too small of a gun safe and need to keep the rifles from banging against each other.

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What are your alls' thoughts on those silicon impregnated gun socks? Do they have any long term adverse effects on wood, leather, or metal?

 

R,

Paul

 

I have used the sleeves for years to store handguns with no adverse effects. I also keep the guns in a safe that has humidity control.

 

One thing I might suggest is having a supply of cotton museum gloves on hand. The gloves will save you the trouble of wipping a gun down each time it is handled.

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"Gun socks"? I cannot count how many SOX, as manufactured for wear on a person's feet, I used as gun protectors in the old days. Sprayed with lube on the inside. Army boot sox or long basketball sox were good for rifles, one on from the front, one from the butt, overlapping (two layers of padding) around the action...

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I fully agree on all counts, you can pay huge dollars for some firearms these days, its up to the individual how they care for them and what they do with them but bear this in mind, you Americans can buy and own and shoot just about anything, your range of fire arms is huge and impressive we Aussies can only sit back and drool, we are governed with an iron fist with our firearms, we cant have semi autos or full autos or pump shot guns, we cant hunt anywhere we need permission and a hunters licence, collectors firearms licence exist they differe from state to state but the firearm must be permanently deactivated, actions welded and drilled, barrels drilled and in some cases the rifling reamed out, owning a handgun is just a dream that a lucky few can enjoy and under very strict guidelines, the exmilitary clubs here at the ranges are gaining popularity rapidly but we can only use military bolt actions and military ammo, the average shoot at a range ina club enviroment is 115 rounds, now trying to find exmil 303 is getting real hard, this is all getting away from the original intent of the thread which was preserving metal, funny how things wander off track, I value all opinions and always willing to learn something new even from another country.

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I fully agree on all counts, you can pay huge dollars for some firearms these days, its up to the individual how they care for them and what they do with them but bear this in mind, you Americans can buy and own and shoot just about anything, your range of fire arms is huge and impressive we Aussies can only sit back and drool, we are governed with an iron fist with our firearms, we cant have semi autos or full autos or pump shot guns, we cant hunt anywhere we need permission and a hunters licence, collectors firearms licence exist they differe from state to state but the firearm must be permanently deactivated, actions welded and drilled, barrels drilled and in some cases the rifling reamed out, owning a handgun is just a dream that a lucky few can enjoy and under very strict guidelines, the exmilitary clubs here at the ranges are gaining popularity rapidly but we can only use military bolt actions and military ammo, the average shoot at a range ina club enviroment is 115 rounds, now trying to find exmil 303 is getting real hard, this is all getting away from the original intent of the thread which was preserving metal, funny how things wander off track, I value all opinions and always willing to learn something new even from another country.

 

Wingman

 

Here in Vic our legislation isn't so bad. Esp with collectors licenses. I have one of those. With it you can own anything.

Semi Autos and Autos have to be deactivated though.

 

In SA the legislation is even better deacts dont need to be registered.

 

I have added to the collection since the pics were taken.

 

X

 

MyStuff005.jpg

MyStuff006.jpg

MyStuff002.jpg

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Very Impressive collection you got there MrX, I think all states differ in the legislation, Port Arthur massacre really did us all alot of harm here,

I just looked into our ACT legislation with collectors licences, the firearms have to be rendered safe here and thats fair enough, the thread has wandered of track, I can understand all aspects of the replys I am not having a poke at anyone the laws differ everywhere, peoples own preferences for what they do with the firearms is all good I respect all that, some firearms are shooters others look fine in a display or however the owner chooses to do things, theres no problem.

I guess I am trying to make the point that the Americans have it pretty good and I am jealous of that fact, I had to hand in my garand and my lovely M1 carbine my SKS and my Mini14 when the semi autos were banned with the doings of a certian individual who stuffed it up for us. Maybe I might get a greencard and go to America, always wanted a Mustang!

Whats that little .45 you got there? I want a S&W Victory for my display

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WVUM1shooter

" Many of us buy firearms for collecting and as an investment. I can't see running to the range every weekend to fire a $35,000 MG34 just so I can say I shot it same goes for my Thompsons and MP44s. I have a number of NFA firearms that were bought strictly for collecting purposes and have no intention of shooting them. I grew out of that stage about 20 years ago. Every time you take a collector grade firearm out to the range you stand a good chance of doing some damage that will greatly lessen the value of the firearm. When an individual starts buying guns that cost in excess of $10,000 they tend to look at how they use them a bit differently than a $79 Mosin Nagant.

 

Some people buy guns to shoot and some buy guns to collect, nothing wrong with either plan, how we enjoy our firearms is unique to each individual"

 

To those of us who shoot high power or any other shooting sport competitively. It is something you probably would not understand because many of these competitive firearms can cost anywhere from 800 and up many of the people who buy these may feel a little different about having a "phase" but i do agree about shooting every weekend can put a lot of wear and tear on a firearm, but I could not spend all that money just to stare and drool at a modern firearm, an old flintlock I would never shoot but a modern one hell yeah I would. To each his own.

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To those of us who shoot high power or any other shooting sport competitively. It is something you probably would not understand because many of these competitive firearms can cost anywhere from 800 and up many of the people who buy these may feel a little different about having a "phase" but i do agree about shooting every weekend can put a lot of wear and tear on a firearm, but I could not spend all that money just to stare and drool at a modern firearm, an old flintlock I would never shoot but a modern one hell yeah I would. To each his own.

 

I was shooting M1 Garands and M1As in high power matches before you were born. So, yes, I fully understand the price of those. Few if any of the firearms used in competition have any historic or collector value do to the modifications done to them to make them competitive so shooting them will have no ill effects in that regard.

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I agree with 101CH47. What a collector values is different than what a shooter values but both types rifles can sometimes be worth the same amount of money, but just in different ways.

 

If I wanted a shooter Garand I'd want new wood, new commercial barrel, and late parts but I wouldn't care if they were matching manufacturers or not. But in a collector the story is the exact opposite.

 

To each his own, all kinds are accepted.

 

R,

Paul

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I read somewhere a company here in Australia is making new actions for Garands that are being shipped to the USA, could have been ADI

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Hillbilly1918

"Few if any of the firearms used in competition have any historic or collector value do to the modifications done to them to make them competitive so shooting them will have no ill effects in that regard."

 

No offense but not the best thought in the world I have seen many doctors and lawyers that I shoot with, use LC smith shotguns when shooting trap and they can resell for over a couple thousand. But to get back on topic, I really like to keep my firearms hunting/shooting/collecting in a safe with a dehumidifier. I really like the Remington rechargeable one. It does pretty good I thing 2 years and still going.

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  • 1 year later...
Indeed maintenance is the best option, the Aussie army have a saying, Prior Preparation and Planning Prevent Piss Poor Performance, this is so true, I have guns I just dont use these are preserved for a time when I may recall them into use, a liberal dose of lanolin oil from one end to the other and inside will see too it they are are perfect when needed, I still hunt with a 303 Enfield with open sights, I pour maybe a thousand rounds a year through it both in the bush and at the range, barrel life always concerns me but they are still around new for an Enfield if you look.

One of the great pains inthis country was when they banned Semi Auto rifles, I had a bueatiful little GM made M1 Carbine and I miss it every day that rifle with a jungle clip was heaven, I can say the same for my Mini14 and Chinese SKS all were good fun, you guys are so lucky, enjoy them while you can own them because you never know with the powers that be (party poopers) what can happen

 

I was in Australia 20 years ago. I watched on TV a bulldozer push a piles of rifles/parts of rifles into a heap where they were buried or destoyed in some manner. Made me sick. Other than that, I had a great time. Hope to visit again.

Jeff

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