Hey everyone,
I have an old gun that needs to be cleaned. Its a family peice, supposedly from the Civil War. It will continue to be handed down through the generations and wont be fired, but previous familly member didnt appreciate what they had.
Can I just use CLP, or should I let a professinal look at it?


Thanks for all your help,

Travis

P.S. Not really worried about value, just wanted to make it look better.  I am sure the conditon it has been kept in makes it worthless.

Thanks

Oil on metal parts,linseed oil on wood parts.Depending on how old and what type of gun this is it might have some collector/historical value . Keep in mind that an old firearm should look old.Takeing an old antique and putting the steel wool and sandpaper to it might make it look "newer" or "cleaner" but will almost certainly kill most any value it has as a collector item or true antique . If you think it might have some value you might want to have it looked at by someone who knows antiques. If you just want to preserve a piece of family history some oil on the metal parts will stop any rusting,light steel wool with oil will remove some old rust (gently!) . Lightly use the same fine steel wool with Boiled Linseed Oil  (BLO) on the stock or grips to clean dirt and add a little life to the wood. (again gently) . Any time this gun is handeled you should wipe fingerprints and such with oil or silicone gun rag. Enjoy!
Oh Yeah-----This post is worthless without pictures!    J/K but we would like some pictures anyway,how about before you clean up this gun and after?

Ok thanks for the advice, And I'll get some pics up by monday.




Travis

I've used "CLP" on old guns.......and it took the finish off!  Don't use it for really old stuff.  Just use plain old gun oil, and don't wipe it down hard.  Even just gun oil can take off some of the old fragile finish.  Inside the bore could be a different deal, but even gun oil will pull out a lot of crud on a patch.  Be careful not to get oil on the wood stock and in some areas that you can't get to, you can sometimes use a tiny paintbrush to put oil on.

A LOT of patina is dirt!

There's a big difference between cleaning a "collector" piece and trying to get some old rifle ready to take to the range without it getting you dirty.

You need to stop and think about what you are trying to accomplish.

Dennis Jenkins

Quoted: I've used "CLP" on old guns.......and it took the finish off!  Don't use it for really old stuff.  Just use plain old gun oil, and don't wipe it down hard.  Even just gun oil can take off some of the old fragile finish.  Inside the bore could be a different deal, but even gun oil will pull out a lot of crud on a patch.  Be careful not to get oil on the wood stock and in some areas that you can't get to, you can sometimes use a tiny paintbrush to put oil on.