From the bottom of the pile....

[Der Gebirgsjager]

So let's say that you have a whole bunch of long guns and they are to be stored in Doskocil plastic Gun Guard hard cases on a cement slab floor. To keep them from contact with the cement and possible dampness issues you put down a couple of 2"x4's to provide some air space and circulation and then stack them 8 deep.

Nine years later you remove them for cleaning and relocation. Here are some photos of the case that was on the bottom of the pile, and the only one to be damaged, caused by weight and summer heat. But the good news is that the shotgun inside is fine! Even the case may be salvageable with
the application of a few bricks in the right locations.





Attachment 154791Attachment 154793Attachment 154794Attachment 154792

In retrospect, a piece of plywood across the 2"x4"s would have been a good idea. FYI

[leeggen]

Do my eyes deceeve me or is that really a brownig auto??? Dad had a Sweet 16 when I was growing up. It killed a lot of rabbit and quail and even a few phesants.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

No sir, actually it is a Remington Mod. 11, but they look just about identical. This one may have accounted for game at one time, but I bought it from an old gunsmith who was retiring back around 1985. When I got it the short barrel was mounted on it and the stocks were cracked. I bought the wood from Sile Dist. and a replacement long barrel from Corson's Barrels. The fellow I bought it from lived in a house next door to his shop and had an intercom box in each room of the shop so his wife could call him home for lunch. At night he sat next to the master control intercom box in his living room and while watching TV would occasionally flip the switches and listen to see if anything was going on in the shop. One night in the late 1950s he heard a sawing noise and took this shotgun with the shortened barrel and went to investigate. He found two burglars sawing through the shiplap wood siding on the back wall of the building. One of them threatened him with a crowbar, so he shot the guy in the arm with the shotgun. The Sheriff gave him a new box of shells and a carton of cigarettes. Times were different then......

[SSGOldfart]

Holy cow this is the first time you've clean or used these in 9years,wow your a lucky man better run out and buy a lottery ticket now!!!!!!
What would you take for that model 11 Rem

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Lucky by design. They were stored with a nice coating of oil, put into thick plastic bags with no-rust paper, and like I said I kept them off the floor and dry. I don't live in the humid south, so a little prevention goes a long way in preservation. As for selling the Mod. 11, the time may come, but not yet. I no longer have an FFL but am thinking about getting another, as without one I'll lose too much money in shipping charges.

[TenTea]

Stacking them up like cord wood eh?

Fantastic!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

"The Rest of the Story": This past summer, on a hot day, I took the foam liners out of the case and laid it flat like a butterfly on my flat concrete driveway in the sun. I put concrete paving blocks on the dents, and the heat straightened it back out to about 95% of original. It is now useful as a case again.


Looking closely one can still see the 2"x4" marks on the top, left side of second photo.

Attachment 185463 Attachment 185464

[Scharfschuetze]

Nice Model 11 GJ. They are surely a fine field gun.

When I used to deploy for lengthy periods of time, I would use RIG (Rust Inhibiting Grease) on my firearms before I left. Like your Model 11, firearms so treated were rust free on return. I often use the Birchwood Casey "Sheath" for shorter term storage on firearms getting used routinely.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

RIG is great stuff. I guess I always worried that it would somehow soak into the wood, and that cleaning it off was harder than I wanted to work. In my early gun career I used G-96 Gun Treatment by the case. Still have several cans of it, and it's great stuff for certain applications, but in 2005 I made the mistake of hosing down about 20 revolvers with the stuff, wrapping them in plastic, and storing them away before I moved to my present location. In 2010 another old retired L.E.O. came to visit and the subject turned to the revolvers we used "back in the day." I decided to show him my collection of S&Ws and opened up the footlocker I had them stored in. Without exception none of them would cycle, and a few I couldn't even get the cylinders open. I ended up detail disassembling them and scrubbing each part with a toothbrush and kerosene. That project occupied several days. Not a speck of rust, though. Now I use Rem-Oil, Brownell's rust free paper, and their silver colored storage bags. I guess I'll have to wait another 5 years to see how that works out.....

[Scharfschuetze]

I guess I'll have to wait another 5 years to see how that works out.....

I hope that we're both still around for that!

While on the topic of Model 11 shotguns, I have a Browning Featherweight 20 gauge with a modified choke and as you know the Model 11 is the same shotgun. One of my best pheasant hunting buddies uses a Model 11 in 20 gauge and I can't begin to count the number of pheasants that we'll brought home using them.

Didn't know you were an ex LEO. That was one of my two careers so I'm sure that when I get down to Oregon the next time, we'll have lots to talk about.

[skeettx]

LEOs have fine stories
Enjoy your chat
Mike