Do you run a oil patch down the tube when storing?

[Djstorm100]

My Dad and I were talking the other night and cleaning came up. As we all know there are 1,000,000 different ways to clean. What I did find interesting is when storing a rifle in the safe or in the house. When do you run a oily patch down the barrel or if ever if storage is longer than say 1 week, 1 month, 1 years, insert length of time, etc?

I go shoot my rifle (semi or bolt) and when I get home throw it in the safe until I'm ready to go shoot. Could be 2 weeks before I do or 1 month. He on the other hand always put a oily patch down the barrel regardless the length of time.

 

[roggom]

An oil patch is part of my normal cleaning regiment. I hit it with some Hoppes 9 patches, brush, patches until clean, then oil and final clean dry patch. I know that I must foul my barrel as my first couple will be high.

If I were to store I would just oil patch and forgo the dry patch.

Then again I live in CO so my storage area is dry and cool.

 

[Djstorm100]

I'm asking running a oil patch down the barrel before storing and if so. Is there a time frame where you will run a oil latch or won't. Say if you are going to go shoot next week you won't run a oil patch but if it 2 months you will.

 

[shoot4fun]

I'm asking running a oil patch down the barrel before storing and if so. Is there a time frame where you will run a oil latch or won't. Say if you are going to go shoot next week you won't run a oil patch but if it 2 months you will.

I only run an oil patch thru after cleaning, not before it goes in the safe every time. At times (really carboned up barrel) I will run some oil patches thru and let the barrel sit over night. Then I scrub hell out of it the next day. That softens the fouling and makes the job a little easier.
BTW, I clean about every 300 rounds or so and that depends on what the rifle wants in order to keep consistent and accurate.

EDIT
BTW, if you oil a barrel too much and put it back in the safe, the oil will run down into the action/trigger and can cause lots of trouble.

 

[GLB]

I usually run a oil patch followed by two dry when I am done with the range for a week or so.

 

[Darkside-Six]

if it is getting stored for the winter and i know it won't be shot for a few months then i will run an oil patch down it. other then that just shoot it.

 

[tnichols]

Knew I was going to be gone on business for several weeks awhile back. Knocked the carbon out of the bore, then an oiled patch or two, just to leave a light film in the bore. Iowa is very humid during the summer, so I felt better about letting them sit idle in that condition.

When home and shooting them weekly, I don't do anything with them other than a cleaning every 250-300 rounds or so. Just what I do. I'm wrong a lot.

 

[BurnOut]

Just what I do. I'm wrong a lot.

LMAO

Gotta give props to an honest man!

 

[pmclaine]

EDIT
BTW, if you oil a barrel too much and put it back in the safe, the oil will run down into the action/trigger and can cause lots of trouble.

Thats what lead me to store mine muzzle down. Plays hell on my safe capacity but Im hoping it keeps my actions cleaner.

See any problems with muzzle down storage? My only concern I can think of woulf be corrosion from sitting on the safe carpet but most of my guns have some sort of muzzle protector and a CLP coating.

My weekly shot guns only get a light coat of oil after cleaning than go back in the safe fouled and stay fouled for months at a time. My infrequently shot guns get light oil after cleaning and between shooting sessions.

 

[Bill Larson]

Hoppe`s #9

 

[Das Capitolin]

I have a stainless steel barrel, so extra oil isn't going to do much for rust prevention. Typically the barrel gets one pass with Kroil after it's cleaned, and call it done.

 

[shoot4fun]

Maybe I am wrong but I don't think of oil in a barrel as a rust preventative as much as to neutralize any amount of cleaning solvent that may have been left behind in grooves or fire cracking. I now use KG1 (really cuts the carbon) and I don't think it is supposed to be harmful to steel in long term.
The bigger question is do you run a dry patch thru the barrel to clear any oil before you start shooting? Anything in the barrel can spike pressures I would think. As many of the guys on here that like to "push the envelope" It would seem like one should not fire into a "wet" barrel.

 

[hessian]

no

 

[S12A]

yep, oil patch every time after cleaning then i run a dry through when removing from the safe, a bore snake would work too. (to remove the oil)

 

[ZombieMonkey]

Only if they are not going to be shot for months at a time and only after a full cleaning. I clean rifle barrels every couple hundred rounds when accuracy starts to fall off. Then again, rust isn't really an issue here in AZ.

 

[tnichols]

The bigger question is do you run a dry patch thru the barrel to clear any oil before you start shooting? Anything in the barrel can spike pressures I would think. As many of the guys on here that like to "push the envelope" It would seem like one should not fire into a "wet" barrel.

Yep.

 

[vh20]

Thats what lead me to store mine muzzle down. Plays hell on my safe capacity but Im hoping it keeps my actions cleaner.

See any problems with muzzle down storage? My only concern I can think of woulf be corrosion from sitting on the safe carpet but most of my guns have some sort of muzzle protector and a CLP coating.

If you own any fine double guns, that's the ONLY way to store them. Otherwise, oil runs down from the action into the wood and softens it. Next thing you know you have a cracked (possibly ruined) butt stock. Having a few fine doubles, I just go ahead and store every thing I own muzzle-down. Other than reducing safe capacity as you mentioned, I can see no other real downside, but lots of advantages. This of course assumes one takes reasonable precautions to make sure crowns are not damaged, etc.