Hi Igor,
You will probably get many different answers to your question but here's something we can all agree on, CUT HANDLING TO A BARE MINIMUM. I've been a serious Luger collector for over 50 years and my routine is as follows:
1/ Each new addition to my collection is stripped down, inspected, cleaned and lubricated.
2/ During this process I take lots of detail photos, like those below.
3/ I reassemble the gun and wipe it down carefully with a silicon cloth and then place it in safe storage.
4/ If in future I need to re-examine the gun, for example if someone asks me if 1908 Navies have numbered hold-opens, I simple refer to my photo file.
5/ I re-inspect occasionally and wipe down with the silicon cloth.
This routine has served me well and I can honestly say that all my collectible guns are in as good shape as the day I bought them.
Norm
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