handgun/ammo left in vehicle

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ryanrichmond

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I recently found a rather spacious hidden compartment (~ 16"x6"x6") within the cabin of my truck. I would like to store a small Bug Out Kit in there but am unsure as to the effects on a small handgun with ammo left in the truck during the Virginia climate changes (anywhere from 10 degrees on up to 120+ degrees within the vehicle).
I know ammo has a very high resistance to hot temperatures but...
1. What about the gun itself?
2. What about cold temperatures?
3. What effects to equipment should I consider when packing my kit?
4. Is there a special way I should pack the items before putting them in the compartment?

This won't be a kit I would need to get to in a matter of seconds so wrapping the items in some sort of cloth/bag would be fine. It's just in case of emergencies where I am stranded and need a little something to get me home/safe zone.
The compartment is up against the outter skin of the vehicle. That is to say it won't have much barrier from the outside of the vehicle -- just a thin layer of metal.

Thanks for any info you can offer. I would like to utilize this space but I would like to know how to go about doing so.
 
I doubt it gets as hot in Virginia as it does in Iraq.
SO, no, it won't hurt the gun, or the ammo.

You might want to swap out the ammo and use it for range practice yearly or so though, just for peace of mind.

On the otherhand, I have .22LR, .40 S&W & .45 Colt ammo in my Kansas truck under rear-seat bag for going on six or seven years that still works just fine when I shoot some of it.

I'd almost bet it gets hotter & colder here then there!
But still not as hot as a HumVee in Iraq.

rc
 
First of all, as RC said the temperature changes aren't drastic enough to really have much effect on the gun or the ammo.

However - if it were me I'd load a few magazines, then pack them in a vacuum-type bag along with the gun. Seal it all up, and that part's good to go. My reasoning for this is less to protect it from the elements, than it is any random fluids, oil, road grit or other what-have-you from getting into the gun or mags and screwing things up. I don't know exactly where this compartment is, but I've seen dirt & grime in some odd places in my vehicles, so to me it's worth taking a shot at protecting. And since this isnt an immediate-need kit, a sharp knife is all you need to access the pistol.

As for the rest - A blanket or two (if they'll fit) maybe a de-activated cell phone, and some good high-calorie snack type food like nuts, powerbars, etc. These would have to be changed out every so often of course, but that'll just give you an excuse to pull out the rest of the gear and give it a checking over.
 
16"x6"x6". Not a lot of room so chose carefully. A good knife, the compass, ammo according to what gun you keep close. Maybe a bit of cash. I don't know how easy it is to access this compartment, so take time planning your items for concealment. You don't want to need to get into it too often...it may start to show "wear" and tip off the B.G. if your vehicle is stolen.

Mark
 
I keep my ammo in the garage, where it's 20-30 every winter. I think my truck got to 120+ in Iraq, and I never had problems with ammo after either.
 
Accessing this area multiple times will not show wear marks. It's a hidden compartment underneath of a storage compartment that resides behind my seat (much like a jack storage compartment)

It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. My excitement about this storage compartment is that it won't take up space in the truck that I use for other things; not the fact that it can't be found because anyone that takes longer than 5 minutes to loot my truck could *probably* find this area although it wouldn't be apparent to everyone to look there.
 
I live in the Phoenix,Arizona area and I routinely keep at least one extra box of play ammo along with a box of SD rounds in the console between the seats of my truck. Granted it is not Iraq hot, but it can get pretty darn close down here. I try and make sure that I cycle through it once a year but it kills me when it is a $30 box of Gold Dots. I have never had a FTF out of 800-900 rounds of various manufacturers and a truck cab can hit 180 degrees with the windows shut in June. Hope it helps.
NRA Life Member
Oderint Dum Metuant
 
I have heard that leaving ammo in hot areas will tend to cause problems with the realiability of the powder. Though again, that is what I've heard.

kingpin008 said:
As for the rest - A blanket or two (if they'll fit) maybe a de-activated cell phone, and some good high-calorie snack type food like nuts, powerbars, etc. These would have to be changed out every so often of course, but that'll just give you an excuse to pull out the rest of the gear and give it a checking over.
Click to expand...

If you can't fit a regular blanket in said space, you could always buy a couple of those survival blankets (the tinfoil looking ones) that come smaller than the size of a box of matches.
On the food end of things, remember it's going to decompose a lot quicker and be affected by the heat. I'd try leaving some food in a center console and see how many days it lasts in there and gauge what you should put in the secret area.
 
I'd look into vacuum packing a sleeping bag and throw a space blanket in there (or if you know what I'm talking about look for a space blanket type sleeping bag body condom). If vacuum packing the bag can get it small enough you can afford yourself a lot of extra warmth vs space blanket or regular blanket alone.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. They've helped a lot

I was thinking this would be more of a 2 day kit using as few perishables as possible. Power bars would probably be enough to sustain myself and a passenger if I happened to have one for a couple of days.
It's really a bare minimum kit including such things as:

Pistol/ammo
Knife (or 2)
Blanket(s)
Power Bars
Compass
Flashlight
Lighter(s)
Standard first Aid kit
$100 cash
Spare change of basic clothes (underwear/2 shirts/socks)

I'm sure I can fit all of these things into a small enough sealed bag to fit into the compartment.
 
Here's an idea in case of theft: If this isn't a kit that you would need to access rapidly, why not remove the firing pin or another vital part and store it separately in the vehicle so that on the off chance some punk does break into your car and finds it, he wont have a functional firearm and will be more likely to dump it so you can at least get it back or even better maybe save someones life.
 
ryanrichmond said:
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. They've helped a lot

I was thinking this would be more of a 2 day kit using as few perishables as possible. Power bars would probably be enough to sustain myself and a passenger if I happened to have one for a couple of days.
It's really a bare minimum kit including such things as:

Pistol/ammo
Knife (or 2)
Blanket(s)
Power Bars
Compass
Flashlight
Lighter(s)
Standard first Aid kit
$100 cash
Spare change of basic clothes (underwear/2 shirts/socks)

I'm sure I can fit all of these things into a small enough sealed bag to fit into the compartment.
Click to expand...

DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY, don't put lighters in there. 100+ degree weather will cause them to combust. Use matches instead, strike anywhere matches.
 
I've left my Glock and a couple of spare mags in the truck during 100 degree Georgia heat, and below freezing overnight in the Tennessee mountains. No problems with gun or ammo.

However, flashlight batteries go dead quickly when exposed to extremes like this over time. I kept putting new batteries in my flashlight, left it in the truck... next time I needed it the batteries were dead again. Finally switched to a SureFire flashlight that takes 123A lithium batteries. They have a 10 year shelf life (but only about 20 minutes run time). In short, it will be bright when I need it. But won't last very long.
 
DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY, don't put lighters in there. 100+ degree weather will cause them to combust.
Click to expand...

I may know a lot but I do know I live in Central Texas and I keep a lighters in my truck all year long due to I keep forgetting mine some where. and I have never had one go up on me. and yes it get over 100% here in the summer.

This is just me I am not saying every one should I just know it work for me where I live.
 
jrpbullrider said:
I may know a lot but I do know I live in Central Texas and I keep a lighters in my truck all year long due to I keep forgetting mine some where. and I have never had one go up on me. and yes it get over 100% here in the summer.

This is just me I am not saying every one should I just know it work for me where I live.
Click to expand...

I've had a friend who left a Bic in the center console of his car and he opened it one day to find the inside melted a bit, some lost CDs, and burnt papers.

Also have a neighbor that left a Bic on her wicker chair under a shaded patio and it lit the table and chairs on fire and proceeded to move to the porch.

I live in Arizona.
 
Ryan - nice idea, but what happens if your vehicle is hit on that side causing the gun to fall out onto the pavement? Is that something you want to happen? Before you use that location, you should try to find someplace inside the passenger compartment first.
 
I'm not a proponent of hiding guns in vehicles except maybe for a very short while. If you tuck one away into a "hidden" compartment you may find it missing months or years later. You'll never know when it left. Was it at the car wash, oil change, etc?

Storing an important piece of the gun in a separate place may not be an answer either. I would easily recognize a 1911 firing pin, for instance, in my glovebox. The wife might need something to get chewing gum off of the bottom of her shoe some day and the firing pin would wind up in a trash can somewhere.
 
You are all forgetting the most basic survival need: water. It sucks to store, but a few cans of water can literally save your life. I carry a gallon in my truck here in El Paso.

I'd recommend a case or 2 in the back, plus some canned survival water and rations, space blanket, and knife. Putting a gun in your kit is not smart...theft and cleanliness, interstate travel, etc. Ammo is ok, but I would take the gun with you.
 
I have about 250 rounds in my car right now (necessity, I live in university housing), and it can be hard to logically know it's okay when it got to -20 or so the other night.

^+1 to water. I keep two or three bottles by the spare tire all the time.
 
rhodco said:
I've left my Glock and a couple of spare mags in the truck during 100 degree Georgia heat, and below freezing overnight in the Tennessee mountains. No problems with gun or ammo.

However, flashlight batteries go dead quickly when exposed to extremes like this over time. I kept putting new batteries in my flashlight, left it in the truck... next time I needed it the batteries were dead again. Finally switched to a SureFire flashlight that takes 123A lithium batteries. They have a 10 year shelf life (but only about 20 minutes run time). In short, it will be bright when I need it. But won't last very long.
Click to expand...
Get an l.e.d. light. Welcome to the 21st century! :)
 
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