Attic storage?

[txinga]

OK... Here's what I've got...

An "assault" rifle, a 22 LR and a pistol grip 12 guage. I would like to store the first two as securely and cost effectively as possible. I don't have a lot of space in the house. I can't see purchasing a long gun safe as there's really nowhere to put the thing.

I was thinking...

Build a box in the attic. The ceiling rafters run 16" on center I think. Put a 2x4 on either end and place a sheet of plywood on top. I can use a piano hinge on the inside and a hinged hasp with a padlock (or 2) on the other. Then I would cover with insulation. I was thinking of putting the long guns in gun socks with desiccant packs in the box. There would be no ammo in this location.

The shotty I would keep close by. Would love to figure out where and how to store it when I'm / we're away.

I figure the average thief wouldn't bother with the attic.

My ammo is in military cans. Pistols in a small safe.

I know it's not the ideal situation but I can't avoid it. Most thiefs wouldn't bother with the attic in a standard ranch style house I don't think. If the gub'mint came for everything they would still have a time finding my stash. As long as they didn't use metal detectors.

I do have a security system and am looking at video surveillance.

What do y'all think of my plan?

Thanks,

T

 

[deadin]

Depending where you are, attics can get pretty hot and humid. Not an ideal place to store guns.

 

[txinga]

Just a little north of Atlanta, GA.

 

[f4t9r]

sounds like a real pain to get to your guns. How about a fake wall in a closet or someplace that would have a more constant temp.

 

[SteelyNirvana]

Some responses I got when I asked this same question awhile ago:

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=281838&highlight=in+attic

 

[Sunray]

My safe fits nicely into one end of a closet in a one bed room Apt. Mind you, there's just me and the cat.
"...the long guns in gun socks..." Forget the socks. If Atlanta is as humid as I suspect, they'll draw moisture out of the air. Not in a case either.
"...where and how to store it..." Trigger locked and under the bed or in a closet.

 

[Owen Sparks]

My parents moved a couple of years back. As I was moving their stuff in I found two .22 rifles stashed in the attic. They were both rusted pretty badly. After cleaning them up they both shot though accuracy was poor due to muzzel damage caused by rust. Attics are like garages, not protected from humidity. Metal sweats just like an ice tea glass when the temperature changes. Keep your firearms in a climate controled enviroment or they will rust.

 

[Animal Mother]

My dad stored his long guns for years in the attic, everything from a MAK-90 to an M1 Carbine. He lives on a coastal marsh in SE Georgia-very hot, very humid, salt air. The guns were stored uncovered and with a bit of gun oil that was probably last applied about 5+ years ago. Last year I talked him into taking them down and putting them in a cabinet in a closet instead of the attic and figured I'd help him clean them up. There was a small amount of surface rust, but I'm talking minimal (<2%). I cleaned it all up with some gun oil and superfine steel wool. I would have no hesitation in storing them up there again so long as I gave them a good coating in quality gun oil (not W/D 40) and didn't wrap so that they could breathe.

I myself think the high attic temperatures prevented any accumulation of moisture on the guns, I would have never expected them to do so well.

At one point needed to store my own firearms in the attic for a couple of months, with no difficulties. I kept it oiled and uncovered.

Of course your mileage may vary.

 

[DeadCalm]

I've seen two attic storage caches after long periods. I can't swear to how well they were prepped, but it was not good. One in Santa Monica , S. Cal, coastal and hot. The other in the Central Valley of CA, cold and hot. Both collections had been lightly oiled and ignored. Attics can be moisture traps, especially when over rooms where cooking and laundry are done, depending on how well-sealed your house is, based on new and old insulation and paints.

If your hide is not defended with more than a padlock and blind hinges, a pry bar and bolt cutters can quickly ruin your plan. And, for defeating the creative criminal mind don't count on that location. My father-in-law had his house burgled in Santa Monica. They got the guns, which were . . . in the attic.

Get a safe, or go for one of the commercial gun rack products that can be bolted vertically into the studs in your closet walls, with hardened steel bars threaded through the trigger guards.

 

[CRITGIT]

As previously state here, attics are not good places for guns due to the moisture. Even if the roof had a ridge vent system with lower vents too provide for ventilation I'd be reluctant.
However, I know of long term storage/ rust tests that show how Eezox and or CorrosionX can protect guns/metal for up to a year even when subjected to salt water soo.....Ya pays yur money and takes yur chances.

CRITGIT

 

[txinga]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to go pull them down...

 

[ultradoc]

Do you have a basement? What about putting them in the celing joists? If you have fiberglass insulation pull it out and take the front [paper side] off and reapply it to the underside or just take out enough insulation to fit the weapons into.

 

[moooose102]

i have seen somewhere gun safes that fit inbetween the studs in your wall. bury it someplace like in the back or side of a closet, and hang one of your wifes long dresses in front of it. it would be hardly noticable. as for the attic. while it may be secure, i shure wouldnt want my guns up there. the enviroment of 50 degrees to 170 degrees on hot days. humidity, rodents, bugs etc. not for my guns. heck, put them between the matress and box spring if nothing else. if you put them down by your feet, you would never even notice them. there has to be a better place if you just stop, think about it, and get creative. as for the govt. if they outlaw guns, there will probably be a new civil war.

 

[22-rimfire]

If you own your house, I think you could modify a portion of one interior wall in a bedroom by widening it out and storing guns with a locked door to the space. This would eliminate access by young children, but not thieves. You'd need to modify the entire wall to make it the same look to camoflage the storage area for thieves. Gun safe is much easier solution. With the number of guns involved, I personally wouldn't worry about it.