Need advice on cleaning/oiling/preserving inherited guns
 

I recently inherited these and would like to clean them up, eventually and hopefully shoot the luger but right now my main concern is preserving them for lack of better words. I own a few modern firearms and use stuff like rem oil wipes, hoppes, clp, etc. but I don't want to do anything to mess them up. Also the wood grips and leather holster, anything I should do to them? Thanks in advance!

I use an old style shaving soap brush to oil my pistols (for about 60 years now lol) with a light oil for the exterior, then they go in a silicone impregnated gun sock and then the safe when they have been cleaned.... never store a pistol in a leather holster.
Any good leather oil (Leather Honey is pretty nice but any will do) and store in a cool dry place like your closet where the air moves. Inspect it now and again as they can mold and that is hard to get rid of.

Less is better - use just normal gun oil, try to keep it off the grips, and off the leather.
Don't use any leather 'conditioner' like neats foot, it is made to break down leather. I use Connolys hide food, be advised, anything to condition will darken the leather, which is ok if its been banged and you want to slightly darken it.

For non-shooting, storing and fondling/handling, the best option is to use a microcrystalline museum wax called Renaissance Wax. It can be applied to leather, wood, metal and will form a non-invasive invisible barrier against moisture and sweat.

The best treatment for leather is still nothing at all. Just wipe clean and leave it. Do not store the guns in the holsters.

If you want to shoot them, just a light coat of your favorite gun oil will suffice. Frame rails especially, but don't overdo it.

For holsters any lanolin product is ok. Do not overdo. Best if you warm the holster in the sun/heat until the leather is warm. Then apply a thin coat of lanolin and let it sit awhile. Buff with soft cloth. Bill

Thank You Ed ... "Less IS better"
I recently sold a 1938 Luger to a friend of a friend.
Nothing but trouble, I was assured by my friend that his friend knew all about firearms so the gun was going to a good home. He brought it back 2 weeks later complaining that it wouldn't load, wouldn't fire and that both the gun and ME were POS. :roflmao:

I knew right away that the guy had dissembled the gun and didn't assemble it correctly ... he left the coupling link dangling free from the mainspring saddle DUHHH. But even worse he had enough gun oil all over the entire inside and outside of the gun ... I was 'flabbergasted' - I have never seen anything like it !!! I told him it's NOT a car engine - nothing is spinning @ 5k rpm. I asked to buy the gun back because it was definitely in the WRONG hands. no go :grr:
So ya Less is more ... myself I use a light coating of jewelers porpoise jaw oil on my guns KEY points and a general purpose gun oil for the main body and bore.

Porpoise jaw oil is used by jewelers on gear posts etc - anywhere a movement is. It is used because unlike normal oil it stays put and doesn't readily spread out .... wonderful stuff but pricey.
:thumbup:

used to have a Honda CB motorcycle
CB describes me accurately ...Cheap B.....d
I am a shooter, not a collector, competitive shooter for a lot of years but eyesight now means I shoot in competitions but not terribly competitive

If I were a collector I would definitely go with the Renaissance Wax suggested by Vlim

As a CB shooter I use 3 in 1 sewing machine oil and it has worked for over 40 years
After cleaning and oiling the bore I always run a dry patch down the bore to remove excess oil
as too much oil can bulge the barrel.

I normally dampen a cloth patch with oil to wipe down all exterior parts

proper Luger lube!
 

I'm 100% behind Kiwi on the 3 in 1 oil, I've used it for as long as I can remember! I put a drop on every part that moves or pivots or slips off of one another, and then set the luger on it's back for overnight. Next day, all the excess oil has settled to the top (yes, I know, top is bottom until I make it the top again! :eek:) and just wipe away the extra oil tha has migrated down. Works great, no muss, no fuss... range ready..
The only areas that need special attention, as to actual cleaning is/are the extractor, and the firing pin! Good luck to all, til..... lat'r.....GT...:cheers:

I have had great success with Connolys Hide Food for many decades. It is not cheap, but excellent products rarely are.