Closet storage of blued handguns

[38snapcaps]

I have blued revolvers for home protection. They are kept in closets on the shelves for quick access. I have been laying them on soft cloths but am worried moisture could get trapped between the cloth and the finish and cause rust. They are always wiped down with a silicone cloth after handling.

I thought of laying them on a sheet of paper, would that be better?

What do you do/recommend?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I recommend placing it on your nightstand for even quicker access and paper is probably a better choice than cloth. (although I'm not sure cloth is all that bad really...)

 

[sgt127]

Depending on where you live, and, the relative humididty, cloth can cause problems.

I usually use wax paper as a loose wrap on guns to protect them, either in a gun case, gun rug etc.

 

[788Ham]

I would think using the silicon cloth to be very useful in the storage aspect : You wipe it down correct, to remove any and all fingerprints? Why would laying it on the same cloth be detrimental? Pick it up once in awhile and re-wipe it off, no harm done in my thinking. Don't try to confuse the issue, you're alright.

 

[dfariswheel]

You have to be extra careful with guns in a closet.
Closets seem to be normally damp, and when you also keep clothes in a closet you should know that freshly washed and dried clothes are never totally dry, which makes a closet very damp.
This is why you see a lot of guns stored in closets that are rusty.

Personally, I'd buy some drawer liner plastic and put a piece of that on the shelf and put the guns on that.
I have the soft type shelf liner plastic in my gun case and I've stored my pistols and magazines on it for years with no problem.

 

[Reloadron]

They are kept in closets on the shelves for quick access.

This will just about always revert to what the relative humidity is in your closets. I live in NE Ohio and our winter seasons are dry. During the summers when humidity does increase we have the air conditioning running. Inside the house, including closets, the RH remains around or below 40% so I never see rust on anything metal (steel) in my closets.

I have no clue what your ambient air conditions are. A blued steel gun, even a wiped down gun will eventually grow rust if it is not maintained. That assuming a damp or high humidity environment.

As to laying the gun on paper? Give this thread a read. I won't say laying a gun on the stuff is a solution but it can't hurt.

Ron

 

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

Be sure you don't throw any damp jock-straps in your closet.

 

[JohnFritz]

The RH in my gun safe is always between 50-65% and I've never seen a spot of rust on anything ever.

All of my guns are either standing or in racks. Nothing is laying down.

My suggestion if your gun needs to lay on something would be to use VCI paper as a barrier or protectant.

Or don't sweat it. No corrosion as of this point in time. You should be good to go in the future.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I wrap my blued handguns in oily flannel and stuff them in a pistol rug. Never had an issue. I can't see how laying one on a oily cloth would hurt it. Of course they are in a safe with a Dri-Rod. Humidity is always under 50%....I keep some frequently used long guns in softcases in a closet. I simply leave the light on. Humidity in there is never more than 50% either.

 

[medalguy]

Good suggestion. A single 60W incandescent light bulb will produce a surprising amount of heat in an enclosed space.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

60W was too much for my closet. It's about 40" square. 60 watt raised the temp over 10 degrees from the rest of the house and brought humidity down closer to 30%... Going too dry can crack stocks....I have a 40 watt in there now.

 

[herrwalther]

DampRid also makes hanging dehumidifying bags specially for closets. A bag or two of that would help to keep your firearms dry as long as they are replaced periodically and you don't get any of the innards on your firearms. They cannot be reactivated like other desiccants and I have read the chemicals can wreak havoc on firearms.

 

[Black Knight]

You may also want to try some sort of dessicant. Damp Rid is one brand that works. There are also some made for gun safes that can be recharged by baking them in an oven. I have 2 cheap ones (Damp Rid style) from the Dollar Tree and they work very well. When they fill up I get rid of them and put in 2 new ones.

 

[98Redline]

Cripes!.... Rather than trying to continually control the humidity in the closet, just use a good metal protectant and wipe the gun down periodically. Something like Eezox works exceptionally well for keeping rust off of blued guns.

I have a blued CCW that I pocket carry. That guns sees the hot sweaty inside of my pocket every day...all day, yet does not show even the slightest freckle of rust. Spray the gun down, allow the Eezox to dry then wipe it down lightly. If the gun is not being handled I really would be surprised if you needed to reapply more than once every 3 months or so.

Here are a couple of corrosion resistance tests from around the web.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_7/50...be_Protects_Best___Part_2___Pics_.html&page=1
http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

 

[jerrard]

Agree with Redline, I spent years trying to prevent rust to my " in the white"
SAA. Ezox proved to be the winner.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

While Eezox or some other lube/oil/protectant might work fantastic, I don't see not controlling humidity somewhere where it is easily controlled like a closet.

 

[Steve C]

Seems to be a lot of speculation and not much experience.

My old model Colt Trooper I lent my dad sat on his closet shelf between the folds of a old wool army blanket for years in humid Western Washington State. I wiped it down with a silicon gun rag before giving it to him. Never a bit of rust, wear or moisture issue. Handling the gun and leaving perspiration on it from your fingers will cause rust if you don't wipe them off but simple storage in cloth or a gun rug in my experience keeps them rust free.

As long as you do not store the pistol in a wrap that is "hydroscopic" (water attracting) you will not have any problems. The main purpose of cloth or gun rag is to prevent wear of the finish. Since you wipe your guns with a oily or silicon impregnated rag you should be good regardless of what cloth you have it stored in.

Here is a picture of that pistol as it is today.

 

[BCRider]

I actually store my handguns wrapped in cloth so they don't bump each other. I don't have the sort of drawers I need to hold them separate just yet. It hasn't been an issue simply because the humidity is controlled.

There are some great points made about closet humidity above in terms of freshly "dried" clothes not being as dry as one may wish. And for any sort of main entry area closets the fact that they are likely used to store wet coats or jackets. Or even just super cold jackets on snappy winter days that would lower the temperature inside the closet and thus raise the relative humidity for a while. Although in that situation I'd expect the warmth of the gun surface to resist any sort of condensation.

 

[230RN]

I would suspect ordinary paper. It turns brown over the years because of the acids in it, unless it's specifically acid free paper (which they use for important documents.)

Besides all the other chemicals in it from processing. Siliconed rag is best. I use red shop rags from the auto stores, but I wash and rinse them very thoroughly before use. They get enough silicone or whatever on them from the first wipe-down when I clean a gun and spritz it with (usually) Birchwood-Casey "Sheath." Yet there is not enough "oil" on them to cause spontaneous combustion... at least, not at this altitude.

Every single gun I have has its own Terry's Processed Red Shop Rag wrapped around it before it's put in its case. And the red of the shop rags distinguishes them from any other rags I use for other stuff.

One word of warning: when the time comes, don't wash the red shop cloths with your whitey-tighties, because your whitey-tighties will come out of the laundry as pinky-tinkies. Don't ask how I know.

Terry, 230RN

 

[Buzznrose]

Ballistol. Get the bottle, not the spray. Wipe the gun down well with it on a rag. Stuff works great!

 

[Remllez]

You may want to buy a pistol rack. It keeps them horizontal so air can circulate. Wipe them down good and check them a couple times a month for grins and giggles.

 

[oneounceload]

They are kept in closets on the shelves for quick access.

Not the best location for quick access; however a nightstand would be better. I have one gun out of the safe, it sits in the nightstand. Worried about blue, lay it on a silicone sock that you would store it in when not needed

 

[Queen_of_Thunder]

You can always do like I do and thats a wipe down,inspection and apply a light coat of oil on a monthly basis. Seems to work for me. Don't forget the wood on your rifles. A simple monthly regime of PM will avoid problems.

 

[rodinal220]

I have had excellent results with Zerust products. They make VCI bags and other products that you could slip your pistol into.

http://www.zerustproducts.com/firearms-weapons/?zenid=ed6fe7b895fd2137b824a9179c975b33

 

[SC Shooter]

I live in the South where humidity is always an issue, so a monthly PM routine for all my weapons, no matter what they are or where they are stored is standard procedure. A Little dab of Hoppes oil, a little love and your all set. It's like changing the oil in your car. You do it because it's the right thing to do and it will increase the life of it.