Notes on Oil Barrel SAM

Firearms Freedom Foundation

Preparation of Firearms for Long Term Storage (LTS)

1. Use gun oil or a viscous non-petroleum base oil, and a synthetic automotive or similar non-petroleum base grease.

2. Ensure firearms are thoroughly clean and dry.

3. Remove stock. Place in carousel. Ensure all screws are securely threaded into the receiver or appropriate hole so they are not lost.

4. (Optional) Easing springs where possible will ensure long life. Remove the magazine spring. Grease. Liberally oil sections not accessible to grease. Place in a small sealed jar.

5. Wrap rifle scope in plastic cling wrap. Fasten with rubber bands and/or attach scope covers.

6. Using a hose clamp, attach a short 2 inch section of garden hose or similar hose to a grease gun. Slip over muzzle. Fill barrel and chamber with grease.

7. Coat remainder of firearm with grease inside and out. Work grease into trigger mechanism, safety, and recesses. Apply oil to recesses and mechanisms which cannot easily be greased or which you do not wish to grease.

8. Close action. Ease firing pin spring. Wrap the gun in cling wrap. Place barrel muzzle-down in the carousel in the SAM container, resting on a small patch of cloth to prevent abrasion.

9. Once all firearms are prepared, place parts jar on the carousel.

10. Ensure desiccant (eg. calcium chloride)/conditioner container is charged no more than half full and placed in the SAM. Take care not to spill the desiccant, as some substances may be corrosive in direct contact with gunmetal.

11. Apply a bead of non-silicone weather sealant (ie. the kind that does not produce acetic acid vapours) to the inside rim of the oil barrel. Avoid excessive sealant. Or use a suitable gasket.

12. Replace the SAM cover. As an alternative or supplement to 11 (for shorter or longer term storage), you can apply a bead of sealant around the outer edge of the cover.

13. Replace the wooden support ring and rain cover. Your SAM site is ready to be concealed.

Installation

14. Dig a pit 26 in. x 48 in. approximately 50 in. deep. In rocky or mountainous terrain, you can use a remote cave or hollow and cover with brush or moss.

15. Locate your SAM off your own property.

16. Locate away from roads, tracks, trails.

17. Locate where digging-in and digging-up activity cannot be observed or heard.

18. Locate away from obvious landmarks, but consider the likelihood and effects of logging and forest fires, etc. You want to conceal your SAM site from others, but find it yourself.

19. Make and keep a local diagram that won't give away the general location. Paces and compass bearings work well.

20. Since you know the location, use a metal detector if you forget the exact spot. Otherwise a metal prod works well.

21. Everyone dies. Lost guns are no good to anyone. Its a good idea that you should never be the only one to know the location of your sites. You should let one other trusted individual know.

22. Bury the SAM container with the top approximately 1 ft. under the surface, so that it can be located with a prod. Exact depth is a matter of choice and depends on:

-how frequently you want access
-occurrence of frost heave
-how remote the area
-likelihood of fire damage
-type of soil and surface debris

23. Place spoil on tarps. Remove excess spoil, at least throw and spread it out away from the site. Keep turf or surface debris intact, and replace to give the site a natural, undisturbed appearance.

Choice of SAM Design

24. Your Oil Barrel SAM is an optimum design for Long Term Storage that provides for the separation of wood components from greased metal surfaces.

25. If you need frequent or daily access to your firearms, a SAM design of greater length but lesser diameter is recommended:
-to enable one or two firearms to be stored complete in one piece ready for use
-to better enable firearms to hold an accurate zero during storage
-to support Long Term or Short Term storage as you choose
-to facilitate quicker and easier digging-up and digging-in
-to present a reduced signature by minimizing the radius of ground disturbance

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Scott Ostrander: scotto@cica.indiana.edu