Packed in cosmoline like the Russians do. lol. I would clean it well an put a generous amount of your prefered oil on all metal parts and then place it in a container that your oil will not degrade. (Some plastics break down when exposed to petrolium products.) An air tight container would be preferred so as not to allow humidity to get to your gun. Then lock it up.

Thanks.

What should you do after the gun has been sitting for a while and you wanto to use it?

What type of gun are we talking about, or is this just hypothetical. If it is a modern gun, I would just strip it and inspect it. Make sure there are no broken parts or excess wear. Clean off excess oil and reassemble it. Cycle it a few time/dry fire it. If everthing works properly without ammo then it should be fine to shoot.

I'm new also, not only to the forum but to the world of handguns. Scarry isn't it? Anyway, can someone define "excess" wear? I've inherited a couple of old handguns that are obviously wornout and dangerous. Everything is loose! But how do you know when a little movement of a revolver's cylinder is too much or what the other wear indicators are? Looking forward to comments.

Originally Posted by JasBrit

I'm new also, not only to the forum but to the world of handguns. Scarry isn't it? Anyway, can someone define "excess" wear? I've inherited a couple of old handguns that are obviously wornout and dangerous. Everything is loose! But how do you know when a little movement of a revolver's cylinder is too much or what the other wear indicators are? Looking forward to comments.

When I buy a new/used revolver I always make sure that cylinder has no play/movement when the gun is cocked. If you really think about it, there is a space between the cylinder hole and the barrel. If the cylinder is not aligned with the barrel, well, I do not even want to think on what can happen.

Best thing is to get it to a gunsmith and have him/her check it out.

Originally Posted by I'mStrapped

What type of gun are we talking about, or is this just hypothetical. If it is a modern gun, I would just strip it and inspect it. Make sure there are no broken parts or excess wear. Clean off excess oil and reassemble it. Cycle it a few time/dry fire it. If everthing works properly without ammo then it should be fine to shoot.

Mine are Colt 1911's.

Break Free makes a product called Collector that is specifically designed for protecting guns stored up to 5 years.