short / long term luger storage

[Jon]

good evening, here we go i am going out on a limb , what is the best short term / long term stogage of a blued luger ? i recently bought a luger and have noticed 3 small rust spects , so far i coat the ole girl with gun oil.is there something better as i live in the north east. please post a reply . thanks guys.

jon

[miner]

well, here's my method...


I use the MTM Case-Guard hardshell cases with convoluted foam inserts. I apply a liberal amount of Breakfree CLP to the gun (inside & out), using a soft toothbrush to swab all the nooks and crannies. I then wipe off the excess with a soft CLP 'oily' rag and wrap the gun with Brownell's GunWrap paper and store in the MTM case.


I'd love to hear how some of you other guys store...

[Kyrie]

Hi Jon,


I store all my Lugers (and all my firearms) in BoreStores. These are a kind of a treated gun sock, and are available from Brownells (http://brownells.com/). Decades of rust free firearms


Best regards,


Kyrie

[HÃ?Â¥kan Spuhr]

A friend stored his Unique targetpistol in a case with foam.

During a hot day this foam made the gun totally RED with rust.

I was told that the foam is consisting of some kind of acid and that this was released during the heat.

However his gun looks really terrible.


Years ago i had my Walther .22 targetrifle in a homemade case with foam in and then i got almost the same result.

So I will only use those foamed cases for transport and never when its hot.


Regards HÃ?Â¥kan



http://www.vapensmedjan.com

[Big Norm]

I also use 'Bore Store' cases for storage. Twelve inch for artilleries and ten inch for navies and militaries. I call the factory at (870) 449-5297. The case breaths well but is not sturdy enough for transportation type use. After getting the cases, I go to some curtain material place and buy some clear thick mylar. Then I cut that into 2.5 X 3.5 squares. Then I take the mylar squares and my new cases to a sewing place and have them sew the mylar to the sides of the cases. (Only sew three sides). Then I can put notes on the outside of the cases to tell me what Luger is inside. That way I know what Luger is inside the case without opening and closing the case all the time. As I said earlier, the case is good for storage but not sturdy enough for heavy use.


A question that I would like to present is "Is there a danger of the 'Bore Store' cases wicking the oil off of the gun"?

Big Norm

[Marvin]

jon,


I think you have gotten some really good answers so far. I agree 100% with Hakan about the foam, be very careful if you store in them. I recommend the "Borestores" socks.


After I clean a pistol, and it would be stored for a long period, I would apply a light coat of RIG grease to all the surfaces, wrap in VIP paper (available from Brownells) and never have to worry about them. For long term storage the RIG grease is the best IMO. It is available at most all gun stores.


Marvin

[Don]

When we talk about applying a coat of Rig, I assume we're only talking about the metal surfaces, not grips. What is the effect of longterm storage on grips? I haven't stored anything longterm yet, but I have applied some boiled linseed oil to a couple of pair of grips that looked like they needed it. Thanks.

[HÃ?Â¥kan Spuhr]

Always beware of mineral oils on wood as the wood will get destroyed.


Regards HÃ?Â¥kan

[Hugh]

They may not be "aestheticaly correct", but cotton athletic socks make good "gun socks"

[Marvin]

Don,


You are correct, don't apply the RIG to the grips. Normally, the grips don't require any treatment. On the metal, under the grips, I apply a VERY light coat of the RIG just to try and keep the metal protected. I have never seen any adverse problems with this on the backside of the grips.


Usually, there is oil on the backside of the grips anyway from the years of oil being applied by the German soldier and/or collectors.


marvin

[Joe]

Well, I guess I store my Luger's a lot differently from the rest of the responding membership to this question. All my Lugers are kept in a Browning safe that is equipped with a golden rod. The guns are lightly oiled, kept in their holsters, which are contained in carboard boxes. Never had any rust problems or detioration problems in the past 10 years. I visit them at least every month or so. All mine are military models.

[Kyrie]

Hi Big Norm,


I'm lazy - I just use a felt tipped pen to mark the outside of the BoreStore as to its contents


Best regards,


Kyrie

[Kyrie]

Hi (again) Big Norm,


Sorry, incomplete answer :-(


The BoreStores do indeed wick away any oil that makes contact with the material of the BoreStore. Thatâ??s as it should be, as t is the treated material of the BoreStore that acts to protect the firearm from rust. One of the many nice things about the BoreStores is they eliminate the need for a coat of oil or grease, thereby removing concerns about wood grip panels being damaged by exposure to oil or grease.


Best regards,


Kyrie

[John Sabato]

even if you have not experienced a problem yet. Holsters are designed as a mode of transportation, not long term storage.


The chemicals used to tan the leather can have a reaction with the metal after prolonged contact. I recommend that holsters be stored separately from you firearms. I inherited what was once a beautiful 1st generation colt single action that had been stored in it's leather in a very dry climate in a cedar chest for decades, and its collector value has received a devastating blow. It's only real value today is the sentiment that it was presented to me.


-John

[Jon]

hi guys , as a recent first time luger buyer, like most of us, its a gi war trophy. interesting on how so many lugers have stayed in great shape sitting in these old holsters. my own luger had a 1/2 inch of dust in the bottom of the holster that my luger sat in for who knows how many years, it is amazing that the blueing remained in such fine condition. the point i am attempting to make here is perhaps the perservative we are currently using on the holster may be the reason that the finish suffers. what do you think ..please post a reply, jon

[BILL]

jon, since you asked me to please post a reply (why do you ask that, anyway?) I will. I also have some Lugers and other pistols that were in their holsters for many years. Actually, one was put up on a closet shelf in a shoebox inside of its holster in 1947 and this last year it saw daylight for the first time since then. It has no rust, no pitting, solid bluing all around. The science of tanning leather indicates that there are some chemical agents used that are not friendly to the bluing process. Also, leather does not 'breathe' and can trap moisture if present. There are better ways to store handguns than in the holsters but many have survived unscathed by this practice. Why take chances with something that is believed not to be a sound practice?

[Kyrie]

Hi Jon,


This is a case of the good, the bad, and the truly ugly....


The good:


Many old holsters have had well-oiled pistols stored in them for so many decades that the leather of the holster itself is oil soaked. Storing a pistol in such a holster is like storing the pistol in an oily rag.


The bad:


Leather attracts and holds moisture. If the holster is not oil soaked, it can absorb moisture out of the air and storing a pistol in it is like storing the pistol in a damp rag.


The ugly:


Leather is frequently tanned using a mild acid (tannin, urine, etc.). If this acid was not entirely neutralized (which it usually is not), storing the pistol in the holster is like storing the pistol in a mild acid bath.


Hope this helps!


Best regards,


Kyrie

One reason (probably the main reason) a lugerwill not show extensive harm from long-term storage in an acidic holster is that the points of contact of the luger to the holster are actually few. At the points of contact, you have zero bluing left. What is called holster wear may often be the result of acidic leather removing the blue finish of the steel (that is how you remove bluing, use phosphoric acid). The rust bluing is remarkably resistant to wear but is not able to resist acid.


If current preservatives are what you suspect, I first must ask what kind of preservatives you are using. No preservative technique I use would employ any oils, greases, soaps or chemicals and would not harm the luger surface. Steer clear of preservatives of any kind as they are useful ONLY when you can not use proper care techniques for antique leather (not my statement--the statement of a leather treatment company on their website). Do not use chemical treatments or your holsters and possibly your lugers will be at serious risk of damage.


Some of this infor can be reviewed at the prototype web site:


http://web.uccs.edu/dmclain/Conservation/


This is in the pre-release stage so has many holes and is in a form intended for testing but the page on leather care is nearly complete.


dm

[Big Norm]

Using a marking pen on the outside of a 'Bore Stores' is OK. Using an old atheletic sock is good too. I used to do it myself. But then I started accumulating a lot of lugers. Now, whenever there is a boring program on TV, I grab one of my lugers and wipe a little RIG grease on it and run an oily swab down the barrel. Maybe I will strip the Luger down further and wipe some oil on the areas that are seldom cleaned. That is why I put a mylar tag on the outside. So I don't just grab, at random, the same gun over and over.


The second Luger that I ever bought was an Erfurt artillery. The dealer bought it from a little old lady who found it in her attic after fourty years stored there in its original holster. The gun had a light freckling rust all over the outside. I removed that rust and found no deep pitting but I had zero bluing on the outside. Maybe it was the humidity in the attic. Maybe it was the holster. I don't really know. I believe though that it was a combination of both.


As for leather breathing. When I was a lot younger, I used to dance a lot. My feet could tell the difference between artificial leather and real leather at the end of the evening. Man, you did not want to be around me when I took my shoes off after wearing artificial leather.

Big Norm

[Don]

So should I wash mine, or are they best when they've been used for a few weeks in the gym?