How do you store? Up? Down?

[Legionnaire]

A couple of the guys at the club insists that rifles should be stored muzzle down to prevent solvents and lubricants from draining down the barrel into the action. Just about every safe or cabinet I've ever seen (with the exception of those designed to hold a long gun horizontally) seem to be designed for muzzle-up storage.

How do you store your long guns, and why? Ever seen any ill effects from your chosen method?

 

[Jack19]

Muzzle up. I've never had drainage of any kind, just don't leave that much liquid in the barrel.

 

[Newt]

I said muzzle down, mostly because I keep my smoke pole stored muzzle down after cleaning every year. I store my rifles horizontal, vertical up-side-down and however else it fits where I need it to fit.

Newt

 

[Mal H]

What Jack19 said.

I just tried standing a rifle against a wall with muzzle down (that's where some of mine are stored at the ready). It sure doesn't balance very well.

 

[Steve Smith]

I voted "other" because I wanted to be different and because I think concern about this is a little overboard. Anyone who leaves solvents in their rifle that can "drain into the action" deserves the just desserts.

Important to note: glass bedded guns should be cleaned upside down when possible.

 

[Legionnaire]

Steve, that was my initial thought. I can't imagine leaving so much of anything in the barrel that it would run.

 

[mete]

The drippng oil is especially bad for side lock double barrel shotguns, where there are four thin fingers of wood supporting the action. It will destroy the wood . More oil is not better. I usually use RIG grease.

 

[stevelyn]

Muzzle down just because they're leaning against walls and in corners. When I get my safe they will of course be stored muzzle up due to rack design.

 

[Mike Irwin]

And even if the lube/solvent does drain into the action...


So what?

 

[PJR]

Muzzle up for the rifles. Muzzle down for the break action shotguns.

 

[Art Eatman]

Ever notice how shotgun shells are packed in the box? Well, that's how my gunsafe is...

, Art

 

[Sleeping Dog]

Mine are muzzle-up. No reason, it's just how I've always stored them.

But going back to one of the first responses, I'd store them muzzle up to prevent excess lubricants from dripping into the barrel from the action. There's never enough lube in the barrel to drip, after I run the dry patch through it. With some guns, like an AR, there might be enough CLP in the action to ooze down.

Regards.

 

[BDM]

I store them horizontal because I have a foot locker type case 32"long 16"wide and 16"deep and they go"both carbines"horizonal and its lockable wich is not a problem becaus my gun room is like a walkin closet that has a steel door and frame so there is no need for a safe because the room acts as one,that way I can grab it and go if need be.

 

[gun-fucious]

if you store rifles with the muzzle up,
then dust moa-ites can fall
into the barrel
become lodged in the grooves,
and ruin your sub moa accuracy

if you store the rifle muzzle down,
then the moa-ites accumulate
on the safe floor and creep up the bore

the only solution is to purchase an anti moa-ite shield
from gun-fucious enterprises

only $49.95 and guaranteed to stop dust moa-ites

(dust moa-ites are the sub-atomic residue
left over from the volcanic destruction
of the Krakatoan moa population)

 

[Steve Smith]

What if I put a little safety rail around my muzzles so the dust moa-ites won't fall in?

 

[gun-fucious]

as long as it does not act as a Flash hider you should be OK

 

[T.Stahl]

I store my longguns muzzle up. WHEN, for cleaning purposes, I've put much oil in the barrel, then I take a single or half sheet of toilet paper, roll it up, stuff it in an empty cartridge and then put it in the chamber. That will soak up any oil that gravitates toards the bolt head and the action.

 

[Tom Held]

I don't see any reason to have any liquid lubricant in either a rifle or shotgun barrel. The problem with storing a rifle barrel down is the real potential for irreversible damage to the crown. Much cheaper to run a dry patch through the barrels than to rebarrel the action.

 

[gun-fucious]

welcome aboard Tom!

If any CLP makes it into the action it ends up being L or P

 

[Schuey2002]

All of my rifles are stored muzzle up..

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Muzzle up, except for my No.5 Mk.I Jungle Carbine. That's muzzle down, so that no weight is on the original recoil pad.

 

[TIMC]

Muzzle up for me as well.
The exceptions are my handguns. springfield 03 and M1 Garand which are stored horizontaly on the wall inside my vault.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

T.Stahl,

If you have that much oil in the barrel, stuffing a brass with t.p. won't work. The oil will just go outside the brass.

You'd be better off chambering a tampon. The string can act as an "empty chamber safety flag", too. Just don't wander around deer camp like that

Be sure to clean excess oil (and moa-ites) from the barrel before shooting.

A rubber at the muzzle end will keep those moa-ites out of the barrel. The army beats moa-ites by making every fifth round a tracer. Moa-ites hate tracer fire.

Regards.

 

[T.Stahl]

Sleeping Dog,

From my experience it works just as intended. I'm using Ballistol which doesn't run that fast anyway. And the only time my rifles' barrels see that much oil is before I clean them or between consecutive cleaning days. After shooting the Enfield I usually clean it two or three days in a row.
When they are clean (or don't need to be cleaned), I keep the barrels dry (and ready to go).

 

[Northwest Cajun]

(other)I use a mix of up and down. I can fit more in my overloaded gunsafe that way If I could all get them in muzzle up, I would.


Cajun