Long Gun Storage

[ftrovato]

Anyone store their long-guns bore down?

Years ago, an avid gun collector told me he did this with all of his long-guns.

He felt that first it keeps bore cleaning products and oil out of the action.
Second it saves the recoil pad from compressing.

For me, I only do it on my heavier in weight guns to protect the recoil pad.
Good or Bad idea?

 

[krish]

I store all my long guns muzzle down.
Krish

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I store my shotguns muzzle down to keep oil from receiver migrating into end grain of buttstock. Rifles are butt down. Pachmayer pads are firm enough. They don't collapse. Soft recoil pads defeat their purpose.

 

[mark-hunter]

Good or Bad idea?

I cannot find a flaw in this.
But I dont do it. I looks funny in gun locker.

 

[Red Leg]

First of all, this is a much bigger potential issue with doubles (rifles or shotguns) or other firearms with two-piece stocks. The head of the buttstock is often left unsealed when built, and can act as a sponge. However. one typically sees such damage on firearms pushing a century in age. It takes a while. I store all of mine butt down. They are in a humidity controlled environment so they are not left with much in the way of lubricant on them. I have never had one of my firearms develop the hardened flattened recoil pad one sometimes finds on the same old guns with oil soaked stock heads.

 

[DPHunter4570]

I have always heard that this is a good practice to keep any oil from running down. But I don't do it. I'm in dire need of a bigger gun safe, most of my rifles are in their soft cases.

 

[BeeMaa]

The only alternative to putting them barrel down would be to store them horizontally in a rack. Although this would almost certainly require a vault room instead of just a safe.

I store mine butt down with my break action firearms disassembled.

 

[JimP]

There was a pretty good thread about just this in the past year.

If you are worried about oils and cleaning fluids running from the barrels into the actions you don't know how to clean a firearm and are using way too much cleaning product along with leaving it in the barrel.

I have had a few rifles with recoil pads stored upright for over 20 years that were just fine when removed from the safe to take out to shoot. All of my rifles once cleaned are placed into a rifle sock for storage until they are needed. and stored upright, shotguns as well.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Good post and informative responses. I try not to over-lubricate while in storage, but understand the concern about soaking into the end-grain of the stock.

I don't worry about the recoil pad getting flattened because my double rifle and shotguns don't have them; just metal or hard plastic butt-plates.

 

[Safari Dave]

I store all of mine muzzle up. I just make sure I don't over oil or lubricate. A little goes a long way.

 

[cajunchefray]

There was a pretty good thread about just this in the past year.

If you are worried about oils and cleaning fluids running from the barrels into the actions you don't know how to clean a firearm and are using way too much cleaning product along with leaving it in the barrel.

I have had a few rifles with recoil pads stored upright for over 20 years that were just fine when removed from the safe to take out to shoot. All of my rifles once cleaned are placed into a rifle sock for storage until they are needed. and stored upright, shotguns as well.

Agree, I don't over lubricate my long guns, as they are in a humidity controlled safe.
I do alternate muzzle up, and muzzle down, to keep efficient storage space in the safe, and consider placement of bolt guns, vs. break action, for space efficiency, and to avoid marring the wood.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Given how safe manufacturers rate the capacity of a safe (12, 20, 40, etc) and what you can actually fit into a safe, I believe they think everyone alternates the long guns, one up, the next one down.