Industrial machine grease for lubrication/protection of buried guns

[Nickelless]

I was talking to one of the guys at work a few days ago and in the course of conversation he mentioned that he had a number of guns that he'd buried in PVC pipes to protect them until the crash. I asked him what he used to keep them from rusting in the meantime, and he said he'd bought a number of large containers of industrial machine grease and had packed it into every crevice of the gun parts in the PVC tubes. I know we've had threads before about burying guns, but I didn't recall any mention of using industrial machine grease. Have any of you used that kind of grease in your gun caches?

[argentos]

I was talking to one of the guys at work a few days ago and in the course of conversation he mentioned that he had a number of guns that he'd buried in PVC pipes to protect them until the crash. I asked him what he used to keep them from rusting in the meantime, and he said he'd bought a number of large containers of industrial machine grease and had packed it into every crevice of the gun parts in the PVC tubes. I know we've had threads before about burying guns, but I didn't recall any mention of using industrial machine grease. Have any of you used that kind of grease in your gun caches?

I know little about guns, but the traditional long-term storage of steel items involves tying the clean dry parts on bits of wire and dipping into a hot wax or resin bath so they are completely encased when they come out
or
putting the parts in a container and filling it with hot wax or resin.

That way there are no air or moisture pockets.

[Meetzos]

Your buddy is going to need a barrel of solvent to clean those parts when he needs them. We used to use this product at the machine shops I worked in,

http://www.dipseal.com/

The stuff peels off leaving a slightly oily part to clean.

[argentos]

Your buddy is going to need a barrel of solvent to clean those parts when he needs them. We used to use this product at the machine shops I worked in,

http://www.dipseal.com/

The stuff peels off leaving a slightly oily part to clean.

That's great.

I don't think they'd invented that plastic version when I last dipped summat in about 1968.

[horseman1]

Cosmoline might be a good choice. But then again, it took my friend a while to get it all out of an old Mosin he got for 100 bucks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmoline

[hoarder]

I've buried guns in airtight PVC tubes for a couple years without grease or preservative without problems. Just make sure the air is dry when you close them. You could also use dessicant packets. Use Vaseline on the threads and nothing can get in.

[Zed]

Try marine grease, the kind they put in boat trailer bearings, it can get as wet as you like and it will not take up the moisture. Might be a little gluggy but for storage it may be worth a look.

[goldie40]

LPS-3 is the best stuff

[Unca Walt]

Solvents and crap to get rid of cosmoline (*spit*) will not necessarily be around to use.

If you just oil your gun like you were gonna put it back in the safe, then drop it in your PVC pipe with a half-dozen dessicant packs, you are good to go for decades.

K.I.S.S. it, pilgrims.

hoarder has it straight. Lissen to him.

[Unca Walt]

A note about cosmoline:

One of my rifles is a Mauser that some pore Kraut weenie dropped at Stalingrad. The Rooshians ground off the swastika and re-issued it to their own dudes.

THEN it got put away in cosmoline (*spit*).

THEN it got sold to some creaky ole Amerkin. (Me)

Took forever to get that crapola outa every stinkin' crevice and hole. And when I take the sucker out to shoot it, as soon as the barrel gets hot...

...the fargin STOCK begins to drip stinky liquid cosmoline!

You NEVER get rid of cosmoline once it is in the wood. YUK.

[TnAndy]

I've always thought the notion of hiding a gun until it "was needed" missed the whole point of gun ownership......and probably simply left an archeological find for some future generation, since most likely the hider won't be the one digging it up.

If one is too scared to use it in the here and now, why would that courage manifest itself later ?

[Nickelless]

I've always thought the notion of hiding a gun until it "was needed" missed the whole point of gun ownership......and probably simply left an archeological find for some future generation, since most likely the hider won't be the one digging it up.

If one is too scared to use it in the here and now, why would that courage manifest itself later ?

Agreed, but maybe I should've added a little more detail in my original post. The gun in question that the guy from work had buried is a .50-cal machine gun that he smuggled back from Vietnam piece-by-piece, so I can see why he'd want to bury it until TSHTF. Having said that, though, some people might want to bury a cache of weapons at a place other than where they are currently residing, e.g., their post-crash retreat, so it would make sense in that situation to bury guns, IMO. Of course the key is to have weapons handy at all times and only bury backup guns.

[smooth]

www.cheaperthandirt.com actually sells corrosion proof, water tight, burial tube vaults meant for storing firearms under ground. they do recommend adding desiccant and or rust proof bags. Oiled up well, I think it would be fine.

[DodgebyDave]

I've always thought the notion of hiding a gun until it "was needed" missed the whole point of gun ownership......and probably simply left an archeological find for some future generation, since most likely the hider won't be the one digging it up.

If one is too scared to use it in the here and now, why would that courage manifest itself later ?

It's like the time my cousin and I found the forgotten case of jack daniels. You don't hide it in your room, sure way to get caught. The tree house is out, that is the second place to be snooped.

It isn't being afraid to use it, it's called maintaining possession until you can use it with impunity. We were able to accomplish both.

[Argentium]

A note about cosmoline:

One of my rifles is a Mauser that some pore Kraut weenie dropped at Stalingrad. The Rooshians ground off the swastika and re-issued it to their own dudes.

THEN it got put away in cosmoline (*spit*).

THEN it got sold to some creaky ole Amerkin. (Me)

Took forever to get that crapola outa every stinkin' crevice and hole. And when I take the sucker out to shoot it, as soon as the barrel gets hot...

...the fargin STOCK begins to drip stinky liquid cosmoline!

You NEVER get rid of cosmoline once it is in the wood. YUK.

YUK is right, Unc! Whoever invented the idea of using cosmoline on firearms should have had his yarbles removed with a plastic spork.