Storing Long Guns Upside Down

[BlK Lantern]

ALCON:

Not too long ago while speaking with my local Gun Store owner he suggested that long guns should be stored upside down. The suggestion is based on oil sliding into the action and forming gunk. I did some online research but found very little information on this subject matter. On one forum it was suggested by storing long guns with the barrel pointing up, oil could slide pass the action and cause damage to a wooden stock.

Does storing long guns upside cause damage (kinking) to the barrel in the long term?

I would like the advice from Calugn's subject matter experts

Thank you

[toby]

Old skool thinking and if one was to saturate with that much oil deserves to get gunked anyway. I am an old skool type guy but that one is one I have not heard since 1970 and even then I thought

[highpower790]

Doesnt matter either way.If storing a rifle muzzle up was bad then my M1s would have a streak down the stock and thats not the case,and my AR is muzzle down.

[TacticalThug]

For storage space I put one down one up

[bigbully]

If anything gets gunked you are not shooting it enough!

[NapalmCheese]

Oil can, and will, destroy the stock. I've seen too many old guns that are oil soaked and stained (and often cracked as a result) just behind the action to say this is untrue. You shouldn't be using that much oil, but if you do, storing it muzzle down won't hurt it.

[Phouty]

Basically it doesn't matter as long as one pays attention to do NO mechanical damage to the crown of the muzzle while storing the gun upside down. Good padding is a must, but the problem is, that most pliable materials absorb moisture!!!
If someone lives in a humid climate, storing the long gun with its muzzle down might prevent the gun from "breathing" thus accumulating excessive moisture inside the gun barrel. (Moisture quite easly "gets in", but it's quite difficult for it to "get out").
Also agree with the notion that too much oil can, and will destroy the wooden stock if permitted a prolonged contact.

[russ69]

Basically it doesn't matter as long as one pays attention to do NO mechanical damage the crown of the muzzle while storing the gun upside down. Good padding is a must, but the problem is, that most pliable materials absorb moisture!!!
If someone lives in a humid climate, storing the long gun with its muzzle down might prevent the gun from "breathing" thus accumulating excessive moisture inside the gun barrel. (Moisture quite easly "gets in", but it's quite difficult for it to "get out").
Also agree with the notion that too much oil can, and will destroy the wooden stock if permitted a prolonged contact.

A very good answer.

[mike.h]

I've stored my long guns, muzzle down for over 40 years, still works for me

[Citadelgrad87]

Every armory I've ever seen stores muzzle up. The citadel has stored M14s muzzle up for over fifty years.

I don't use enough of anything to drip anywhere, and I don't use stuff that gets gummy.

I don't think it will hurt anything if the muzzle is protected.

[diverwcw]

Having the option, I would store them muzzle down. I saw a gun that had been stored muzzle up and over the years, it ended up crushing the rubber recoil pad. The pad was all distorted and completely unusable.

[w55]

Was told this as a kid in 70's. It wont hurt anything storing muzzle down.

[NorCalAthlete]

Doesn't matter either way unless it's stored that way for literally years if not decades untouched. I don't think anyone on here plans on doing that aside from those burying caches in the woods, and even then I highly doubt it'll make much difference. By the time you actually NEED to dig it up I think a slightly smushed recoil pad will be the least of your concerns.

[DVSmith]

For storage space I put one down one up

I do the same thing. It is random, so whenever I go through them looking for something they get reshuffled. Not intentionally, but just through handling. They are all in borestores though for padding.

[Phouty]

I've stored my long guns, muzzle down for over 40 years, still works for me

I also store some of my guns that way due to limited storage space.
As a young kid I was able to damage a muzzle of a fine shooting Remington, when throwing it carelessly muzzle down into a metal locker. Lesson learnt!

My remarks about excessive moisture accumulation come from the time when I was residing in Galveston, TX and had to "fight" corrosion almost on daily basis.
No such problems in CA...(except maybe in some coastal areas)...and now have means to clean my guns on regular basis...by shooting 'em often...even more than often, which is the best anti-corrosion method ever invented by humankind!

Like I said in my previous post, it really doesn't matter which way the guns are stored.