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That depends on the finish. I wouldn't really the Glock to rust as it has a salt nitrided finish. I would expect the stainless Kahr to be okay as it is stainless. I have seen rust on a stainless pistol though. If it bumps into ferrous metal & some of the ferrous metal particles imbed in the stainless it can rust. It also depends on the grade of stainless used. As for the RIA I don't know as you did not specify what type of finish it has. I would think storing them in a safe with a dehumidifier would be a better option.
In the past when I carried a pistol that had a blued finish I would coat it with Johnson's Paste Wax as it would create a barrier to keep my sweat off the gun. A little trick I learned from a member that used to post here rcmodel.
In the past when I carried a pistol that had a blued finish I would coat it with Johnson's Paste Wax as it would create a barrier to keep my sweat off the gun. A little trick I learned from a member that used to post here rcmodel.
nettlle
Contributing Member
If they haven't developed rust in the last 10 years I doubt you have any worries.
Good question. However the bigger question is how they are left in a case and not shot, carried, and lubed and least 2 times a year?
wiscoaster
Member
You're talking new guns? The chances are pretty close to zero. The likelyhood of a gun developing corrosion goes up when its finish, whether blued, stainless, parkerized, whatever, gets worn or worse yet gets scratched on nicked. Then, yes, you might get some corrosion in that Southern California environment. But new guns just put away and stored? No worries.
But my question is: why would you buy a non-collectible firearm just to put it away and never use it?
But my question is: why would you buy a non-collectible firearm just to put it away and never use it?
bdickens
Member
Its enough to make a grown man cry
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Good Ol' Boy
Member
I have to go over all of my guns every couple of months and give them a once over so I feel your pain.
Better to keep on top of it then let it go. It's a royal pain cleaning up a gun that's gotten overly rusty.
Between living in super humid VA and having propane heat the struggle is real.
Better to keep on top of it then let it go. It's a royal pain cleaning up a gun that's gotten overly rusty.
Between living in super humid VA and having propane heat the struggle is real.
First question are you saying you have stored them in he case for 10 years or you just bought them and plan to store them in the box for 10 years?
second even if you don’t shoot them I would still take them out and clean and oil them once and a while.
Thicker oils and grease tends to last better in long term storage but tends to gum up the works faster on a gun you shoot regularly so it’s good for safe queens.
that being said I like to shoot so safe queens don’t exist in my home.
second even if you don’t shoot them I would still take them out and clean and oil them once and a while.
Thicker oils and grease tends to last better in long term storage but tends to gum up the works faster on a gun you shoot regularly so it’s good for safe queens.
that being said I like to shoot so safe queens don’t exist in my home.
I have seen one case where a gun was left in a case for a long time. It was a stainless Taurus model 66 which was shot, cleaned and oiled, and put away in one of those gun cases with soft foam.
It was packed away with a cleaning brush also.
A few years later I opened the case and found the gun was in good condition overall except for one area on the end of the extractor rod and locking bolt. It was badly rusted and the brass cleaning brush was near to this area when I opened the case.
I don't know if that is significant or not.
I don't know if the rust started with the locking bolt spring or the bolt itself. All I know is, I could not clean that area back to new and it was "stained" light brown.
It was packed away with a cleaning brush also.
A few years later I opened the case and found the gun was in good condition overall except for one area on the end of the extractor rod and locking bolt. It was badly rusted and the brass cleaning brush was near to this area when I opened the case.
I don't know if that is significant or not.
I don't know if the rust started with the locking bolt spring or the bolt itself. All I know is, I could not clean that area back to new and it was "stained" light brown.
Thanks for all the great responses. Lol, I see many surprised that I don't shoot many of my guns. I do have a few to shoot, but mostly I purchase them for collection purposes. I know they're not really collectibles, but I still enjoy collecting them.
If you buy something to store and not to shoot, best not to clean or mess with it, as it will have VPN and factory preservatives in place. The first thing I do is dismantle, clean and lube so that does not work for me. Just as internal combustion engines do better when used frequently, guns work better when exercised periodically. I don't clean fastidiously but will clean and oil the bore periodically and wipe or wax exterior after every use.
In my experience with pawn shop finds, the biggest threats to a firearm are failure to keep the bore cleaned and anointed (remove oil before use) and continuing contact with leather, wood or case surfaces that seem to attract/accumulate moisture and start the rusting process. The cases and rugs we buy to protect them for range trips and hunting expeditions increase the risk of rusting by wicking protectants away while attracting moisture if they remain cased back at headquarters.
In my experience with pawn shop finds, the biggest threats to a firearm are failure to keep the bore cleaned and anointed (remove oil before use) and continuing contact with leather, wood or case surfaces that seem to attract/accumulate moisture and start the rusting process. The cases and rugs we buy to protect them for range trips and hunting expeditions increase the risk of rusting by wicking protectants away while attracting moisture if they remain cased back at headquarters.
CapnMac
Member
The issue will likely not be with the "outsides" so much as the "insides." Springs and internal surfaces could be an issue.
The packaging inside the packed boxes (I'm thinking plastic bags here) could be an issue, too.
Maybe.
Perhaps.
YMMV.
The packaging inside the packed boxes (I'm thinking plastic bags here) could be an issue, too.
Maybe.
Perhaps.
YMMV.
Mizar
Member
It's a 50/50 chance - either they will develop rust, or they don't...
beag_nut
Member
If "it" can rust, it will.
"Nuff" said.
"Nuff" said.
Storing them in the factory plastic case MIGHT help cause rust. Especially if you lived in an area with high humidity. The moisture can get trapped inside the case. It is usually better for them to be in a climate controlled area where humidity can be controlled.
That may never be an issue in Southern California. But here in GA I don't even like to keep them locked in my safe for long periods of time. Some guys use varying methods of reducing the humidity. My guns are in a climate-controlled room, and I make it a point to just leave the safe doors open for a few hours at a time several days a month to help with circulation.
That may never be an issue in Southern California. But here in GA I don't even like to keep them locked in my safe for long periods of time. Some guys use varying methods of reducing the humidity. My guns are in a climate-controlled room, and I make it a point to just leave the safe doors open for a few hours at a time several days a month to help with circulation.
cjwils
Member
If you ever touch the gun, you need to wipe off the finger prints. I have seen my own finger prints cause rust.
nettlle
Contributing Member
I don't have a gun safe but rather a locked closet where I keep my guns. The long guns are stored butt down on the floor and the barrels leaning against the wall. The revolvers and pistols are on plastic coated wire shelves. No desiccant or dehumidifier. Low tech. And on my bed stand I always have two cocked and locked 1911's laying on a cloth towel. I have never had rust issues storing these guns this way. I wipe them down every year or so. I think the two guns laying on a towel on the bed stand are at the biggest risk for rust because no air can get underneath them. But since these are my preferred home defense guns they get shot and cleaned frequently. Trapping a gun in any kind of holster, wrap, or case where air can't circulate to me is the biggest risk of rust.
These aren't cheap but are truly handy. Only a few seconds to wipe a gun down.
https://www.hoppes.com/accessories-3/silicone-gun-and-reel-cloth/HO-1218.html
These aren't cheap but are truly handy. Only a few seconds to wipe a gun down.
https://www.hoppes.com/accessories-3/silicone-gun-and-reel-cloth/HO-1218.html
Here along the Gulf Coast I'd expect any gun stored in a case with foam lining (as my Glock case has) to rust to some degree during that interval, as the foam will eventually wick away most of the oil on the outside of the gun, I've seen this happen. The only way it might be avoided is if case and gun were stored in a safe with a dehumidifier. I really dislike these cases for storage for that reason, they're fine for transporting a gun but not for long term storage, at least with the conditions encountered here.
Reloadron
Contributing Member
With the guns you mention the odds of rust are slim. That said it does not hurt to look in on them every now and then. Decades ago I lived in San Diego right on the beach. High humidity and salt air. Things exposed to the outside environment would rust and develop corrosion. The house, however, had climate control so things in the house were fine. So it really depends on the environment the guns are in. Today all my guns here in NE Ohio enjoy a nice climate controlled environment and maybe once a year they just get a wipe down with a Rem Oil wipe. Humidity around 50% or a little less depending on the gun and my average temperature is about 70 F. Too dry and wood stocks can crack and even composite guns have some steel guts. So it's all about environment and periodic maintenance. 
Just My Take
Ron
Just My Take
Ron
wiscoaster
Member
Ditto that. Forgot to mention it in my first post. Human skin oils and perspiration cause rust. Firearm must be wiped clean with a lightly-oiled rag before storage. Wrap in a clean cotton rag, not polyester, like the usual soft gun case.
It's not much a problem here in west Texas when it comes to weather, but the issue lies in swamp (or evaporative ) coolers. I've found that silica gel packets work really well when it comes to helping prevent rust in a closed space like that.
Riomouse911
Member
To keep guns pristine, it really depends on:
Where you live. Santa Barbara or Anaheim or Big Bear or Palm Springs are all in So Cal, yet they all have wildly divergent climates. Humidity, daily temperature extremes and salt air all can cause issues with metals, there is no guarantee that even DLC coated slides can’t possibly rust without some level of assistance from the owner.
How often you maintain them. If you buy the gun then store it immediately, your gun may have sufficient corrosion protection applied from the factory to last quite a while. If you handle and put it away without wiping down with an oily cloth or other protective action, as the guys said your skin will leave acids on the steel that will rust over time.
How you store them. If they were my guns being relegated to safe queen status, the last place I would store them is in egg crate foam containers or plain cardboard boxes. Every time my guns are carried in egg crate lined hard cases I can see the discoloration on the bluing as the foam touches some areas more than others. Humidity or other moisture that gets inside will certainly be held firmly in place against the steel of your guns by the foam. Plus, over extended periods egg crate can decay and become either dry and dusty or oily and mushy. Cardboard absorbs moisture and has acids and chemicals used to make it, soft gun rugs and long gun cases are magnets for moisture. Leather holsters are the worst, keep a gun in one of those for too long and you're sure to see the finish get damaged (My 2.5” Model 19 is living proof of that.)
For a safe queen, I would get a real safe with a dehumidifier and store them in as climate-stable area of my house as possible using polymer coated metal racks or or polymer coated metal rods in the bore to support them. Very few of my guns aren’t shot at least once in a while, and those that aren’t are still handled and wiped down on occasion.
You have a few nice ones, good luck finding the solution you need.
Stay safe.
Where you live. Santa Barbara or Anaheim or Big Bear or Palm Springs are all in So Cal, yet they all have wildly divergent climates. Humidity, daily temperature extremes and salt air all can cause issues with metals, there is no guarantee that even DLC coated slides can’t possibly rust without some level of assistance from the owner.
How often you maintain them. If you buy the gun then store it immediately, your gun may have sufficient corrosion protection applied from the factory to last quite a while. If you handle and put it away without wiping down with an oily cloth or other protective action, as the guys said your skin will leave acids on the steel that will rust over time.
How you store them. If they were my guns being relegated to safe queen status, the last place I would store them is in egg crate foam containers or plain cardboard boxes. Every time my guns are carried in egg crate lined hard cases I can see the discoloration on the bluing as the foam touches some areas more than others. Humidity or other moisture that gets inside will certainly be held firmly in place against the steel of your guns by the foam. Plus, over extended periods egg crate can decay and become either dry and dusty or oily and mushy. Cardboard absorbs moisture and has acids and chemicals used to make it, soft gun rugs and long gun cases are magnets for moisture. Leather holsters are the worst, keep a gun in one of those for too long and you're sure to see the finish get damaged (My 2.5” Model 19 is living proof of that.
)For a safe queen, I would get a real safe with a dehumidifier and store them in as climate-stable area of my house as possible using polymer coated metal racks or or polymer coated metal rods in the bore to support them. Very few of my guns aren’t shot at least once in a while, and those that aren’t are still handled and wiped down on occasion.
You have a few nice ones, good luck finding the solution you need.
Stay safe.
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