I currently have two BCM BCGs in each of my AR15s. I’m looking into buying a couple more BCM BCGs or just bolts for backups.
What would be the best method for long term storage for the BCGs and/or bolts ?
I was thinking of coating the BCG or Bolt with BreakFree CLP or LP and seal it up in a ziploc storage bag , any thoughts on that idea ?
Or should I just keep the BCG in the packaging they come in ?
Thanks for your time.
I also have a couple new “spare” BCG’s. I took them apart and rubbed them with CLP and then lightly oiled a strip of T-shirt material with FP-10 and rolled the BCG’s seperatley in its own T-shirt/oil rag and put both into a zip-lock bag. They sleep in one of my spare hard rifle cases with a bunch of other spare magazines and other AR junk. I don’t see them ever rusting in a hundred years like this. Just do something reasonable to keep them oiled and sealed and they should reat for eternity in new condition. The one thing I thought of doing but didn;t was remove the ejector springs and the gas rings… I had a fleeting thought that the tension may yield over time. I think I drank another beer and just wrapped them up and put them away as is.
Is there a problem with spontaneous combustion involved with oily rags? Also, I have noticed things I have wrapped up in a CLP doused rag end up bone dry after a few years. Cosmoline might be a better option; however, one should investigate whether the removal of cosmoline (you have to rub it in gasoline, usually to get it off) in any way injures the finish on the parts. I don’t imagine that it would, but sometimes things react in a way you might not expect.
It depends on the type of oil. Spontaneous combustion can occur with certain oils, including linseed and many enamels, during the drying process. Once completely dry, there is no danger.
As for rustproofing, the basic concept is to deny oxygen – the corrosive element – from contact with the iron or steel with which it wants to combine. Any system that denies access to oxygen will inhibit rust. A coating with C/L/P, oil, cosmoline, parafin, you name it, will achieve this. Storing it in a vacuum will achieve the same. For long term, you need any coating that will not evaporate easily. Cosmoline will not evaporate readily, and that is its real use.
I’d just leave them sealed in the clear plastic bag they came in (unless you want to test them). I have used my spare BCM BCG, so I cleaned and oiled it and put it in a ziploc bag.
I use the heavy 30 weight Slip 2000 EWL and put it in a ziplock in my tool bag. If I check it in a few months and it’s dried I’ll try the Slip 2000 grease.
Speaking of Linseed oil, this can also be used a a preserver 
I would imagine any type of corrosion inhibitor would work. like it was posted above as long as oxygen and moistior are kept off the metal it will be fine.
you could go nuts and simply place them in a container completly submerged in an oild of some sort. LOL
Honestly, I think as long as they are well oiled and away from access to O2 or contained in a way that will prevent the oil from drying out or evaporating you should be fine.
Same here. I just leave them sealed in the bags they came with.
How long term? A few years oil will work. Just check on them every couple months.
Really long term? Coat them in cosmoline, and keep moisture/oxygen away.
Cosmoline is what is used my armories for really long term storage. Those old Yugo Mausers and such you can get on the cheap come soaked in the stuff, and it takes hours to get it out. However the metal finish for being over 50 years old without regular care is very good.
I remember reading somewhere, perhaps a WEB Griffin novel, that after Pearl Harbor a lot of firearms had to come out of storage in a hurry. This (supposedly) was achieved by boiling them in kerosene – definitely not a job for the faint of heart.
A 2" ID length of PVC pipe with caps, and zip-lock plastic bag with your preferred lube/preservative should hold up for a while.
For just storing it as a spare which has to be readily available I just leave it in the bag it came in. Give it a glance from time to time to make sure all is well.
If for some reason I wanted to store one away for the end of times, I’d melt up a bunch of parafin wax and dip that rascal like a candle till it had a good thick coating. When it’s needed it won’t take much to melt the wax so that it dripps out of all the nooks and crannies for use. Think lighter, heat gun, torch, etc, not enough heat to mess anything up, just melt the wax.
I just use the plastic bag method also, but wipe the bolt down with Break Free CLP Collector preserver. Made for people with gun collections for long term storage. Long term being 10 years if I recall correctly
I just spray CorrosionX on mine, and seal in a zip-lock bag. The lube stays moist and doesn’t go anywhere.
Ive kept mind in soaking in a jar of fully synthetic oil in the past.
A friend stores his in a jar of ATF.
A bit extreme, I know, but if you have a place for it, it’s a guaranteed way to deny oxygen.
Well hidden from thieves too!
Buckaroo
Thank you all for the replies, very interesting ideas here.
I think I may try to just keep them in the bags they come in from BCM for the time being, and keep an eye on them.
Brownell’s dosen’t have Cosmoline anymore they now carry “Rust Veto”.
This stuff forced in like packing bearings by hand then sealed in a vacuum sealer bag and kept out of direct sunlight should last a couple lifetimes.
If you want cosmoline in a spray can go to a motorcycle shop and buy a can of Chain Wax.
Spray on a thin coat, let it thicken up some and then recoat.
Works great as a metal preservative but sucks as chain lube.