Rifle Storage Alignment

[huesmann]

When I took my hunters safety class, I was told that rifles/shotguns should be stored with the barrel in a horizontal position, like on a truck gun rack. How many of you actually do this, as opposed to storing them vertically (butt down)?

 

[Sticky]

Mine live vertically bbl down most of the time..

 

[Ganegrei]

Mine live vertically because that is the shape of most safes. They are stock down in order to protect the crowns.

 

[lx1x]

When I took my hunters safety class, I was told that rifles/shotguns should be stored with the barrel in a horizontal position, like on a truck gun rack. How many of you actually do this, as opposed to storing them vertically (butt down)?

bs factor involved..

actually one of the dnr head instructor mentioned it on one of our classes and mentioned the same thing but added its a bs.

its just personal preference in the end. nothing to do with "bending/warping" the barrel. it also depends where its stored.. ie. high extreme temperature, humidity etc.

but would like to hear from the experts though.. Paging Eshell!!

 

[cww]

how old was your teacher? hardly anybody uses the old style wall mounted gun rack that stores your gun horizontal.
mine are stock down and vertical. I think the old wifes tale saying no to this was more of the gun being leaned at an angle with the stock down and the end of the barrel leaning against something for a long period of time. it being said that the result is a slight bending of the barrel.
if they are truely vertical there should be no problem.

 

[hvymax]

how old was your teacher? hardly anybody uses the old style wall mounted gun rack that stores your gun horizontal.
mine are stock down and vertical. I think the old wifes tale saying no to this was more of the gun being leaned at an angle with the stock down and the end of the barrel leaning against something for a long period of time. it being said that the result is a slight bending of the barrel.
if they are truely vertical there should be no problem.

Well crap if stored horizontally the entire weight of the gun is loading on the barrel instead of a slight lean.

 

[Mooseman]

My safe is set up for vertical. I have several long guns stored outside of the safe. They are in gun socks, inside of hard cases with the foam removed, under beds horizontally.

 

[E.Shell]

Storage is a compromise, but as long as there is not an excessive amount of lube or solvent present, it's not critical.

In one context, the absolute best way is to store muzzle down to prevent any oil, grease or solvents from migrating back into the stock bedding areas. Storing firearms with the barrel level or butt down directs any migrating fluids into the trigger and/or bedding area.

Muzzle down does prevent fluid migration, but, as pointed out above, the crown can be at risk from handling. The crown on most rifles is recessed and thus out of reach of normal wear, but it is more easily damaged if the guns are handled in this position.

Given my druthers, I'd rather have all of mine muzzle down and many are, but I too am forced to contend with prevailing safe design and space constraints, so most of mine end up being butt down.

Most people over-oil their firearms and I see some with a lifetime supply of oil on the bolt that mostly occupies areas that don't even touch anything. "Light film" is all that is necessary to prevent corrosion. I don't leave solvents (like CLP) in guns at all, plus I try to avoid any extra lube that might liquify over time and run down into my epoxy bedding or foul my trigger.

 

[K31]

Use Eezox to prevent rust. You won't have migrating rust preventatives.

 

[jrumann59]

Most of the migration issues is for wood stock/furniture guns.

 

[Sticky]

Mine are muzzle down as E.Shell mentions. I don't overlube my weapons, but often they are cleaned and lubed before storing or even when I have them resting during a cleaning soak, etc., I do it to prevent migration into the action or stock bedding. I have carpet on the floor to prevent any damage to the crown, short of perhaps wearing off some bluing on a couple after doing it this way for 30years.. lol

 

[E.Shell]

Most of the migration issues is for wood stock/furniture guns.

Not really.

While wood will ultimately soften with overexposure to oil and solvents, and epoxy bedded wood stocks are also vulnerable, the problem extends to aftermarket stocks as well.

Every McMillan and Lone Wolf, and almost every Manners stock requires epoxy bedding. All of these are modern, high end non-wood stocks. Every serious benchrest rifle will have been epoxy bedded, and many people also apply a thin layer of bedding compound over an aluminum block such as that found in HS precision stocks and some Manners units.

"Tupperware" stocks, inexpensive injection molded thermoplastic, like Choate, some Hogues and many of the OEM stocks appearing on budget rifles these days can be attacked directly by solvents.

 

[wilcam47]

Well crap if stored horizontally the entire weight of the gun is loading on the barrel instead of a slight lean.

...also if your barrel is bending because of the slight lean/horizontal you got other problems and shouldn't be shooting the firearm anyhow...lol

 

[cww]

Well crap if stored horizontally the entire weight of the gun is loading on the barrel instead of a slight lean.

not the entire weight, some is on the stock. and the load/moment is different if stored with point of contact mid way down the barrel as opposed to a point load at the end of the barrel. I don't thimk it really matters as most guns are not that heavy and the steel isn't that poor.

 

[E.Shell]

As someone who has "regulated" M1 Carbine and single barrel shotgun barrels by bending them to align with the sights, I'd suggest bending a barrel during storage is NOT going to happen.

 

[Sirex]

Best place to store a gun is just inside the main door to you house, like a living room wall or something where your daughter's new boyfriend can see it as soon as they walk in.

 

[frdfandc]

All of mine are stored stock down, including an old JC Penny's branded 12 gauge, a 20 year old Mossy 500, a 50 year old Mossy 640KA Chuckster .22 WMR, with a light coating of oil.

All 3 still shoot like they are new.

 

[huesmann]

how old was your teacher?

Not a question of the teacher or age. I did the online+field day class, and the "horizontal storage" business was in the online portion of the class.

FWIW, most of my long arms get stored in hard cases and just lay on the floor. The HD shotgun does get leaned up against the wall, but I hardly think any misalignment is going to be noticed on that.

 

[K31]

FWIW, most of my long arms get stored in hard cases and just lay on the floor.

That's a terrible way to store them from a corrosion stand point.