Gun storage in attic?

[nody]

Dumb question:

will it hurt the gun? the wood? synthetic? ammo?

The area is about 150 F in the summer and 40 in the winter, and dry year round.


In case you are wondering why, wife doesn't want guns around toddlers, and yes I brought up the subject of a gun safe...toddlers these days must know how to crack safes, or mommy's brain. .

 

[INMY01TA]

Pretty sure you won't want the ammo in there. I've seen ammo rust in hot humid conditions. I wouldn't want my guns in there personally either.

 

[Horsemany]

Probably the worst place to store a gun. Huge temp. and humidity swings daily will promote rust and isn't nice to wood. I don't recommend it at all.

Can you put a keyed deadbolt on a spare closet somewhere?

 

[Ghost Walker]

In such a hostile environmental setting I'll absolutely guarantee that your guns and ammo are going to rust. That spiel about, 'children and gun safes' is absolute nonsense. Keep the gun safe locked and the combination to yourself, and you'll be fine. If you are unwilling (or unable) to store your firearms properly then my suggestion would be to get rid of them while they're still worth something.

(Yes, I'm aware that some children have stolen guns out of their elders' gun safes and done some terrible things with them; however, in every case that I've examined, the gun safe was either unlocked, left open, or the child had been given the combination.)

 

[INMY01TA]

I agree. If the guns are stored in a combination lock safe and you are the only one who knowes the combo #, there's no way anyone will get in there and nothing to worry about.

 

[rbernie]

North Texas humidity isn't all that bad, and I've heard that folk have had decent success storing firearms in the attic. I also know several folk who walled off a section of the attic near a existing duct and ran a duct into the chamber, to make a hidden climate-controlled area.

 

[19-3Ben]

If you're going to put them in the attic, I might suggest slathering them in cosmoline. Sure it will make them unusable until you clean it off, but it will protect them. Once the kids are grown up you can take the guns down, remove the cosmo, and blast away. Just remember to drink vodka and sing old soviet union songs while applying the cosmo.

Then again, I still wouldn't do it.

 

[mgkdrgn]

In case you are wondering why, wife doesn't want guns around toddlers, and yes I brought up the subject of a gun safe...toddlers these days must know how to crack safes, or mommy's brain. .

So, she figures they can crack a safe, but can't find their way into the attic?

 

[rondog]

Sorry dude, but I have to say you just need to man up and tell the wife how it's going to be. Get a good safe and store them properly, don't let her tell YOU how it's going to be! I'm no macho man, I get plenty of BS from the wife, but with some things ya just gotta tell 'em to back off and ****. If you let them push around, they will. Stand your ground on this one.

Being forced to store them in the attic WILL ruin them! Not to mention what it will do to your self-esteem.

 

[DFW1911]

Remember that fire burns up, toward the attic and roof line, so if you do consider putting them in some kind of fireproof container and / or have a plan to move them...pronto.

 

[hso]

Attic bad for storage unless it is tied into the HVAC to maintain humidity and temp.

An unloaded gun that is stored in a locked case in the closet is no threat to a toddler or a fearful adult.

Don't make it a fight, but do impress upon her the danger inherent in destroying the value of an investment like firearms. A simple gun rack in the closet with a coated security cable through the guns will do.

 

[doubleh]

I can say with confidence that it works great in my neck of the woods because I did it for about 30 years with no adverse effects at all. The humidity is low here most of the time. It gets very hot here in the summer but my attic is well ventilated to keep the heat buildup down. I took no special precautions either. Each gun received a polishing with wax, usually Johnson's paste wax, before being put up after each use which I still do. I finally went to a safe just for convenience. It became a real chore getting guns out of the attic and putting them back. If I lived in a very humid area I wouldn't have done it.

There is no danger of ammo rusting in the attic unless it is steel cased and most of that is coated to prevent rust. Brass, lead and bullet jacket alloys do not rust.

 

[FROGO207]

When I built my residence I built it with out of the way gun storage in mind. Attic is part of the climate controlled area of the house. there are closets with false paneled walls with fireproof safes (yes safes) behind them. Also the attic has an area that is fireproof with a steel security door for my lesser firearms and several hundred cans of ammo(extra trusses in the walls below as well as steel I beams for the fire proof floor). It would take days and metal detectors to find them all. Hopefully they are secure enough

 

[doc2rn]

I would probably think Gunsafe in the basement with lag-bolts and at least a couple inches off the ground, if not in your closet. Or you could try that new bed safe.