Why Muzzle Down?

TFoley said:

Sir, you live in the USA, where, as far as I know, you can hang a cannon on your wall and nobody gives a hoot.

For those of us who live in a more constrained society, ALL our live-firing guns must be locked away securely - not even our significant others are permitted access to them. Wall hangers are non-firing antiques only.

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What horrible place do you live? Muzzleloaders aren't even considered firearms under the law here in the US and, God Willing, they never will be.

For those of you who have very long ML as I do. A non working tall freezer can be gutted easily and they are basically air tight. A small hole in the back for a dehumidifier or a Golden Rod a hasp lock would help. It can be used for guns, powder, ammo, etc,
Doc,

I store all of mine pointed down so they fit in the safe easier.
I don't worry too much about oil seeing downwards.
If that happens, I've put them away too wet.

TDM said:

Well if you have to keep them in a safe, might as well store them muzzle down. I actually do have a couple of safes, but I enjoy looking at my MLs. And since I don't move as fast as I used to there's always a few modern ones placed within easy reach too!

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I have a four gun rack. I love to display my guns. The only thing I miss, is I have no fireplace. I have two Rifles I store butt down. I've never had a problem with oil. Clean the gun until the patches come out clean. Then, use as many patches it takes them to come out dry. Use a slightly damp, not wet oiled patch to finish.

Yep, that works good!

I store all of my cap and flint locks in a rack, barrels up. Been doing that for years. Never had misfires with the flinters (except for dull flints) and all the cap locks get several caps fired on an empty barrel before loading. Don't swab the bore before loading neither.
It's whatever floats your boat when it comes time to put your gear away.

Disheartening to discover oil's migrated into wood. Haven't found a satisfactory method of undoing it, no matter what type of firearm. Too many stored away for too long without paying attention to them. Seldom happens with clunkers, mostly nice ones. Oh well ..knew better, my bad.

I once read that during the late 19th and early 20th century that the safari/shikari servants would slather their client's rifles with Rangoon oil after a day in the field. As mentioned previously, this would seep down into the woodwork, ultimately compromising the stock's integrity over time. It became customary to store the rifles muzzle-down to minimize this occurrence.

Big concern I have heard about is the damage to environment from muzzle up stored guns, though I haven’t confirmed these concerns from the scientific community. Told there is out gassing that damages the the ozone layer or something else in the atmosphere if the guns are not stored muzzle down. This has been confirmed by a niece of mine determined to ban a lot of things harmful to the environment.

I have always stored muzzle down.
In 2016 I was Whitetail hunting with idaholewis. My 45 was cleaned and he ran a oil patch down the barrel and leaned it against the wall barrel up, I think it was down stairs. The next morning he fired a couple caps in his basement. I load it up, up stairs and Lewis took a shot at at buck and it missfired. That rifle never misfires.

Normally when I fire a cap i put a jag down with a patch on it. Then I fire caps against the patch so the patch catches the oil on a clean barrel, or wet fouling when cleaning between shots.

SantiamSam said:

While reading in some of the cleaning threads, I noticed some store their muzzleloaders muzzle down in the their safe. Why? To prevent dust from getting down the bore? My firearms rarely get dusty inside my safe so, curious if there is another reason for storing muzzle down after cleaning?

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My dad taught me to do that with any long gun after cleaning and oiling it. If you put the muzzle on a piece of paper there is usually a ring of oil on the paper the next morning.

I have heard of this but never thought it to be a real threat. I understand the issue but I have never liked in excess. Some I store bore down just to fit better in a safe.
I’m not going to argue the point one way of the other. So what you think you should do.

dylan84 said:

Nobody keeps them loaded and ready? How can you expect to defend the cabin?

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I have other shooters for that!

Muzzle down at least overnight on a paper towel or newspaper. There is always a stain on the paper. Then into the safe up or down.

david w said:

I have a four gun rack. I love to display my guns. The only thing I miss, is I have no fireplace. I have two Rifles I store butt down. I've never had a problem with oil. Clean the gun until the patches come out clean. Then, use as many patches it takes them to come out dry. Use a slightly damp, not wet oiled patch to finish.

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You "could" make yourself a fake fireplace with some upright moldings and a mantel piece. Or even get one of those flue-less gas or electric logs. I agree with you, though - guns displayed over a fireplace look cool. And the mantel could hold a few flint or C & B pistols held upright with a wooden "holder".

When I clean, I dry-dry-dry to get all the oil out. I store muzzle down on a paper towel. Within 3 days I will see a ring on the paper towel. No matter how dry I think it is, and how clean and dry the patches come out, there's inevitably a ring or slight discoloration on the paper towel. That's enough for me to just store muzzle down.

After shooting I will clean, lube, wipe down, re-assemble then stand it on the muzzle over a folded up paper towel. After a couple of days I will put it in a sock or case til the next time it goes out.

DuncNZ said:

In my 23 years in the gun trade I have seen all sorts of firearms which have been over oiled and stored on their sides or muzzle up , where the oil has run into the wood where it was slowly rotted or darkened or softened by the action of the oil . I have seen guns stored on a wall rack and the oil has run to the bottom of the bore and the top of the bore has rusted . Also oil has run into lock or actions and gummed things up.
These things happen more often to guns in large collections or are on display and not used . The easy way around this is to lightly oil your firearms and check them on a regular basis .
It is possible to buy spray cans of preservative wax or grease which will not flow under most situations and use these if long term storage is contemplated . the only problem is getting the stuff out when needed .
Guns stored in bags or cases often rot under humid conditions , and need regular checking .

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If you're rotting out your stock (highly doubtful) then you're using way way too much oil in your bore. A lightly damp patch run up and down a couple times, enough to coat the metal, is perfectly adequate.

SantiamSam said:

While reading in some of the cleaning threads, I noticed some store their muzzleloaders muzzle down in the their safe. Why? To prevent dust from getting down the bore? My firearms rarely get dusty inside my safe so, curious if there is another reason for storing muzzle down after cleaning?

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I was 14 when I got my CVA Kentucky rifle, long before the internet. I knew almost no one who owned one.
I cleaned my rifle and stored it muzzle up like every other gun in the house.

Being a kid, when I wanted to shoot , I'd simply grab it, load it up and... Nothing! Popped caps abound. Most times ended up pulling the nipple and trickling powder in the drum. No one told me to swab the bore BEFORE shooting, just after.

This went on for years. Actually became very frustrating and I set the muzzleloader aside.

Fast forward 20 years and I befriended a gentleman who shot trap at Brady and Friendship. He said he NEVER stored a muzzleloader muzzle up, because any oil left in the barrel migrated to the breech.

I took his advice, tried muzzle down. And my misfires almost completely went away.

Now most times before loading I run a dry patch down to collect any oil.

I can see why muzzleloaders were often pictured laying horizontal in a house, cabin, etc. That kept oil in the breech to a minimum.

Sidney Smith said:

If you're rotting out your stock (highly doubtful) then you're using way way too much oil in your bore. A lightly damp patch run up and down a couple times, enough to coat the metal, is perfectly adequate.

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I dont use too much oil but I have seen / handled /sold hundreds of guns which have been stored for a centaury or two , even WW2 firearms , which have been over oiled to the detriment of the wood . People with collections of hundreds of guns often don't get around every gun every few months and tend to over oil .
My safe is full of firearms all stored muzzle down , one thing I find is that , as others have said , that they are easier to get out of the safe and I find they are less likely to dent or mark the stock wood . All my firearms live in either silicone gun sleeves or in blanket bags , this is to help protect against earthquake damage when the safe can get a severe shaking .
I clean the bore with 100% isopropyl alcohol then wipe it dry before using any of my firearms .