Guns in cabinets - muzzle up or muzzle down?

Eyefor

Well-Known Member
I have always stored my guns (with the exception of air rifles which I never clean) muzzle down.

My reasoning for this is that once cleaned I give my shotguns and firearms a final patch and light wipe over with some protective gun oil (even the stainless ones :confused: ) and I don't want that running towards the action. When taking guns out of the cabinet to go shooting I give each a quick wipe clean and bore snaking to clear the oil.

I was recently told (by a gunsmith) that this is wrong and it is better to store muzzle up because there is better air circulation through the barrel?

Right or wrong (or doesn't matter) please?
 
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I have always stored my guns (with the exception of air rifles which I never clean) muzzle down on.

My reasoning for this is that once cleaned I give my shotguns and firearms a final patch and light wipe over with some protective gun oil (even the stainless ones :confused: ) and I don't want that running towards the action. When taking guns out of the cabinet to go shooting I give each a quick wipe clean and bore snaking to clear the oil.

I was recently told (by a gunsmith) that this is wrong and it is better to store muzzle up because there is better air circulation through the barrel?

Right or wrong (or doesn't matter) please?

Always muzzle up otherwise you may damage your rifle....
 
I've always kept shotguns muzzle down and rifles muzzle up.

My reasoning (rightly or wrongly!!) is: There shouldn't be enough oil in the barrel of rifle for it to creep down into the action with just one patch through after cleaning, however with the substantially greater surface area in the *2* SG barrels, i use more than one oil patch though so there is more oil and there may be a risk of the oil creeping. I know it does creep from the SG barrels as there is often oil rings on the foam in the bottom of the cabinet.

HTH
 
whatever makes them all fit in there! up, down, across, taken apart, etc. as long as I don't need to spend time and money on another one!
 
I've always kept shotguns muzzle down and rifles muzzle up.

My reasoning (rightly or wrongly!!) is: There shouldn't be enough oil in the barrel of rifle for it to creep down into the action with just one patch through after cleaning, however with the substantially greater surface area in the *2* SG barrels, i use more than one oil patch though so there is more oil and there may be a risk of the oil creeping. I know it does creep from the SG barrels as there is often oil rings on the foam in the bottom of the cabinet.

HTH
I agree, rifles up, shotguns down. No problem with oil getting into the action of the Blaser R8 as all of the mechanism is easily detached. atb Tim
 
I follow the logic that says if a gun has been heavily lubricated then butt down poses the risk of the oils running down into the woodwork. Indeed Ive seen guns damaged like this with discoloured wood where it joins metal.

I tend not to spray my guns in WD40 and then put them away though. A pull through and a wipe down with a lightly oiled rag to remove finger marks is often enough.

I really cannot see how storing a gun muzzle down in a cupboard can put its aim off?

The reality is though Im with PLK, whatever it takes to fit them in!
 
Eyefor,

I think the idea of storing shotguns barrel down is a historic thing. Back in the day it was common practice to use a lot of gun oil (Youngs and similar) all over shotguns and, I guess, rifles too. The oil is quite thin and if too much is applied it will run back through the action and into the stock. Oil has a bad effect on walnut. It can make it swell and then split. In some case it will even rot the wood. Unfortunately, the stock on an old English side by side is at its thinest and weakest just after the point where the action fits to the stock. A lot of old guns developed terminal cracks due to over oiling and had to be restocked or chucked away. All of this could be avoided if the gun was stored barrel down so that any excess oil all ran the opposite way. This became the norm and was common advice.

However, lubrication has moved on since then. A lot of people now use different products on different parts of the gun. I use grease on the hinge pins and lugs, silicon cloths on the outside to prevent rusting and only a very little bit of oil round the ejectors.

In addition, the barrels on most modern shotguns are chrome lined to prevent pitting. Most people now live in warm, dry, centrally heated houses. Nowadays there's no need to lash a load of oil all over a gun in order to stop it rusting like there was fifty years ago.

If you don't over do it with the lubricants you can store your shotgun on its heel plate, thereby avoiding any potential risk to the ends of the barrels.

Rifles are another matter. I can't imagine why anyone would choose to risk damaging the crown of their rifle by storing it barrel down.

Cheers,

Bob
 
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I always thought the WD in WD40 was from War Department as it was originally a military spec product.

David.
 
I would never let WD40 anywhere near my guns.

I was told it is not a lubricant - it's only a water dispersant (hence WD)?

Neither would I. Great for getting rusty nuts undone on landrovers though. In my example I couldnt think how someone would otherwise just soak a gun in oil and leave it to run down.

Myth: WD-40 Multi-Use Product is not really a lubricant.
Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal.



History of WD40 in case anyone was interested? http://www.wd40.com/about-us/history/

You can also add your own to the 2000 official uses of the product!
 
I can also tell you that WD40 degrades certain bedding material..and I don't mean straw..
First hand experience after using WD as a release agent..
 
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