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How Much & Often to Clean a NIB Collector's Item?

Big Daddy DonBig Daddy Don Member Posts: 54 ✭✭
edited November 2007 in Ask the Experts
I recently bought three Colt SAAs that have never been fired or their cylinders turned. Since I can't be sure what kind of internal care they received before, I feel like they should be thoroughly cleaned and oiled, whether by me or a gunsmith. What's the best way to give them the TLC they periodically need? Even here in Arizona, guns need to be maintained. What are the dos and don'ts? Is it okay to remove the cylinder for cleaning and oiling? I'd think you would have to in order to do a proper job, but I've talked to few people who say the cylinder should not be taken out, and I can see how you'd have to be careful so as to not put marks on it ...

Thanks!
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Comments

  • HerschelHerschel Member Posts: 2,035 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would not remove the cyl. If they have never been fired why do they need cleaning? Wiping with a lightly oiled rag to remove any dust and prevent rust forming would be my recommendation.
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  • Spider7115Spider7115 Member Posts: 29,704 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I just give mine a light spray with Break Free and wipe off the excess.
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  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,105 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hello you did not say if in a display case and what kind of stock / grips I like Ballistol can be used on all metals wood and leather . nontoxic Bio-Degradable. best stuff I ever used. Rig is also good but is a grease. .
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  • Big Daddy DonBig Daddy Don Member Posts: 54 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    So there's no need to be concerned about rust on the internal parts, then?

    The guns are kept in a large hard case. One has ivory grips; the other two have the hard rubber Colt grips ...
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  • COLTCOLT Member Posts: 12,637 ******
    edited November -1
    ...I would not strip it. A lot of good products mentioned.

    ...Break Free makes Lubricant/Preservitive that is good stuff for both internals and the outside.

    ...FlITZ polish is hard to beat for keeping the rust bug away for the outside, and you might pick up a Silicon (sp/ck) impregnated rag for wiping them down now and then.

    ...If the grips are true ivory, they will yellow and age with time; but they CAN also develop cracks without ever feeling recoil. There is an oil that can be applied about every 6 months to retard/stop this age cracking.

    ...I'm sorry, I do not recall the name of the oil as I recieved it from the grip maker. You might try em'ng Charles Spresser at Spresser Knifeworks for more info on the oil; I'm not sure if he sells it or not, but he knows what it is...a fine man and excellent grip maker...[;)]

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  • nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,892 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    A hard case or zippered case is not safe for storing guns. The metal attracts moisture in the air, & the case holds the moisture inside the case --- the result is rust. You want to keep them in a gun sock or protective cardboard box inside your safe, where you have dessicant or Goldenrod to remove moisture.

    For quite a few years, Colts have been shipped inside a plastic envelope with a piece of VPI paper; that's a safe way to store them, too.

    Over the years, the oil inside the gun will break down, leaving gum. Not to worry, as the solvents listed above will remove the gum when you want to.

    Neal
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  • Wolf.Wolf. Member Posts: 2,223 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    --
    -Do not even try to remove any screws. Not even the grip screw. Do not turn or remove the cylinders. And, don't let anyone else do it, either. In fact, keep your paws off those guns!![;)]

    The idea of storing the guns in plastic bags with vapor paper is an excellent one. You can get both the long-term plastic storage bags and the vpi paper online at (where else?) Brownells.com and maybe MidwayUSA.com, too. Storing the guns in zip-up padded cases is not a good idea, as previously noted. However, before you order, call Brownells, ask for one of their older tech guys and tell him what you are doing and quiz them regarding whether the vapor paper can damage any gun finishes.

    If you insist on wiping them down with something, I agree with Perry Shooter quote:I like Ballistol can be used on all metals wood and leather . nontoxic Bio-Degradable. best stuff I ever used.Invented in 1880 or so, the Germans used Ballistol (ballistic oil) in two world wars for everything Perry Shooter said and as a topical antiseptic for the troops! Its major components are isobutyl alcohol and high grade mineral oil.

    I think it might a good idea to search around on the web and contact one or two of these large gun museums, including the NRA museum, the Gene Autry Cowboy Museum in LA and there's another one I can't think of right off hand. Find out who handles their preservation duties and ask for their advice regarding what to do and what to use, both for their display guns and the guns that are in storage and not being displayed.
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  • XracerXracer Member Posts: 1,990 ✭
    edited November -1
    You might also want to contact the Curator of the Colt Firearms Collection at the Museum of Connecticut History and ask how they preserve their firearms. They have a toll-free telephone #.

    Connecticut State Library
    231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106
    860-757-6500 * Toll-free 866-886-4478

    http://www.cslib.org/coltarms.htm
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