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Care of High Condition rifles
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June 7, 2016 - 8:14 am
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Thanks to you folks being a terrrribly good influence on me, I have a rifle in the safe that I’ll not shoot.  Never thought that would happen.

I’ll be able to keep the rifle from becoming scratched and dinged, but I don’t know the proper methods and materials for ensuring the rifle will not rust.  None of my shooters have rusted during storage, but this new one is nearly pristine–I’m sure I’d drop dead and my soul would hit Hell three seconds later if rust found this rifle.  Also, I don’t know whether to leave the wood alone, or is it necessary to pamper it also?

Here in the Willamette Valley we name our first-born children after colors of mold–A tad damp around here all year ’round.

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June 7, 2016 - 2:18 pm
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Does your safe have a dehumidifier?  If not, that’s the first thing I would get.  I also use Old West Snake Oil on all my old Winchesters.  It’s formulated to apply to the metal and the wood and you don’t have to worry about oil seepage/stains on the wood like conventional gun oils.  It’s safe for blued and case-colored parts as well.  Also, whenever I handle my rifles I wear a pair of cotton gloves.  You can skip the cotton gloves if you plan on giving them a good wipe down after handling them every time.  Here’s a link to Old West Snake Oil:

http://www.oldwestsnakeoil.com/

Don

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June 7, 2016 - 2:24 pm
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From the Woods,

  Let me add a reply here.  I am sure others will eventually add their’s.  Remember, this is an opinion, and everyone has one!  First order of care, in my humble opinion, is to control the environment of the room or the safe as much as possible with dehumidification.  I try to maintain a constant humidity level of 40% after a presentation years ago by David Kennedy, then curator of the firearms museum at the Center of the West.  Used to be I tried to maintain at 35%, which is too dry and may cause wood to shrink/crack (none evident for the years I did so).  Also try to maintain a near constant temperature of 68 degrees.  Amount of temp isn’t as important, I think, as the constant level.

  Next, I use a product by Birchwood Casey called Barricade (previously known as Sheath).  It is available in either liquid or aerosol form.  I apply it to both the exterior of metals and the interior of the bore, once the bore is CLEAN!  This stuff has a wax component that stays put and does not evaporate over time.  It will also creep under finger prints (supposedly) and will fill back in should you handle a piece and forget to wipe it back down (it DOES do this, but don’t chance it.  Wipe it down after handling).  It will not harm wood surfaces nor their various finishes that I have been able to detect over many years.  There are other products out there, and I am sure various folks have their own favorites.  Also I try to clean the bores and re apply at least yearly.  I get surprised occasionally how this product will lift something out of the crevices of the bores that I thought were totally clean.  For all that, true paste wax can be very good for wood surfaces, depending on how much time you wish to employ.

  Lastly, if you have case colored components, day light is the enemy!  I am sure full spectrum lighting will do the same over time.  Darkness is the friend for case colors.  Also I was once told that WD-40 is harmful to case colors.  I firmly believe WD-40 has no application on a firearm anyway, but for sure not on case colors “just in case”!

  One comment about Sheath or Barricade, please.  I use it a lot on my duck hunting guns, too.  It stays put in rainy conditions the best of anything I have found.  Oil soon rinses off in a rain.  Barricade will eventually, but lasts longer than anything else I have found to date.  Thus if you hunt/shoot in your area and are plagued by wet, drippy forests, try some.  I think it will gladden your heart on your shooting pieces as well.

Tim Tomlinson

  

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June 7, 2016 - 11:03 pm
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I have to agree with just about everything Tim said about Barricade. I swear it has actually improved the look of bluing on some Winchester 22s from the thirties. I now use it and Simonize Paste Wax on my collection ,exclusively. Good old no.9 on shooters bore and actions, then Barricade and Simon. Cotton gloves are a must as my body chemistry is acidic, I can not wear a watch even stainless stop working.

Vince
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 “There is but one answer to be made to the dynamite bomb and that can best be made by the Winchester rifle.”

Teddy Roosevelt 

4029-1.jpg

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June 8, 2016 - 12:54 am
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Hmmm.. I was gonna invite you over to hold my guns and pet our dog. The dog I can do without…

 

44

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June 8, 2016 - 3:15 am
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I use Renaissance Mirco-crystalline wax-polish. Was designed in England for long term protection for the Historical Museum exhibits. Good on wood, metal, paper, leather, etc. I used it a lot on my Colt/Winchester collection plus if it is good enough for the Crown Jewels and those old exhibits, it is good enough for me.  Very easy to use. Wipe on, wipe off.   

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June 8, 2016 - 7:52 am
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Thank you All for the advice.

Is there a “Best” dehumidifier for this use, or do those made for the task work similarly well?

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June 8, 2016 - 2:13 pm
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Folks,

  I wish I REALLY knew an answer to the question about the “best” dehumidifiers!  I have purchased the name brands, and have purchased the knock offs.  Some last fairly well, others don’t make it out of warranty periods before failure.  Anymore, it seems the room dehumidifiers are made in China, but don’t think that is the real issue although it goes against my grain.  The tubing is copper, and they are held in place by dissimilar metals (generally galvanized steel) which soon cause corrosion, perforation and thus leakage of the compressed gas.  Best I can pass on for advice is to buy what is able to be replaced under warranty locally, and be prepared to purchase a new one every year to two years at most.  IF my memory serves, years ago when I first began dehumidifying a room for my Winchesters, the compressed gas was R-12, and worked quite well with cheap dehumidifiers lasting several years.  No idea which iteration is used now, but while the instructions say they will dehumidify to relatively cool temps, during winter I end up with an auxiliary heat source to maintain heat at 68 degrees and usually then do not need much dehumidification during winter.  If so, the dehumidifier works relatively efficiently.  Much below about 65 degrees they don’t seem to really do very well.  

  If you are dehumidifying a safe only, then I suppose the electric “golden rod” type would suffice.  I’ve no experience there.

Tim Tomlinson

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