Let's talk about trunk guns and rust

[Felonious Monk]

Most of the tools and "stuff" I put in the trunk of a vehicle that are there for any length of time wind up caked with rust and unuseable.

The thought of putting a gun in the trunk to be able to pull it out on short notice and have it work seems a study in futility. That is, unless I make the time to regularly pull the thing out, clean and function test it, and put it back.

Not that I MIND a trip to the range, mind you, but it's going to be a Hi-Point or Makarov or some other cheap, reliable option that I hate to have to spend any time on regular maintenance, what with my otherwise busy life.

Would a glove box be better? Wrapped in paper towels and sealed inside a gallon ZipLoc bag? Vacuum-sealed?

How would you/do you address these issues?

Thanks,
FM

 

[dakotasin]

use a bolt gun. piece of tape over the end of the barrel, keep the action closed - no troubles. an $80 mauser is ideal for this.

maybe an ar-15 w/ a chromed bore? doubt rust would be much of a problem...

 

[mole]

I had a similiar thought. I though about putting a hi point 9mm pistol in both of my cars' trunks, but was afraid of rust. I thought about a ziploc bag, but some say that it will trap the moisture in. It wouldn't be safe to use if it is covered in oil. I have never had a problem with rust inside the passenger area, but don't want to store it there. I'm pretty sure I have decided to get an ammo can (.30?) with the rubber gasket. It won't be as easy to hide in the trunk, but it may be what we're looking for. Plus it will hold a box of ammo and cleaning supplies if you want. Maybe I'll throw in a few flares too---never have thought to check to see if they have become useless because of the moisture.

 

[Amish_Bill]

Remmy Marine Magnum shotgun, glock, walther 99, a polymer/stainless rifle/pistol of some description...

 

[Old Fuff]

Guys ...

The answer to this is easy.

Go to Brownells at: www.brownells.com

They have gun storage bags with a vapor inhibitor paper inside of it. The wrap gives off a vapor that prevents rust. You put the gun in the bag, and then close it. Now it's air tight and sealed against water. Put the bag into a conventional gun case to prevent physical damage and put that inside your trunk

No rust, and the gun can be got to very quickly. Just open the case and then unwrap the end of the plastic bag.

Also works for tools and other things that might need protection.

 

[walking arsenal]

I store a mossberg 500 in my trunk, it's been there for almost a year.

At the end of every month i do gun maintainance.

I pull my shotty out, break it down, clean and oil it, reassemble and then put it back.

The only problem i had was when i used it a while back then put it in the trunk without cleaning. A month later it had rust where i had touched it. Rubbed it off with a rag and some rem oil.

I function test it with a set of snap caps.

The key here is regular maintainance, i clean my carry gun every friday, and rotate the mags and clean my shotgun at the end of every month.

do it for a while and you never forget.

 

[Standing Wolf]

It depends where you live. If you're in Florida, it's going to rust. If you're in Utah, you probably couldn't get it to rust if you tried.

 

[walking arsenal]

Northern Minnesota, we get all the weather.

 

[Felonious Monk]

Fuff,

They have gun storage bags with a vapor inhibitor paper inside of it. The wrap gives off a vapor that prevents rust. You put the gun in the bag, and then close it. Now it's air tight and sealed against water. Put the bag into a conventional gun case to prevent physical damage and put that inside your trunk

This sounds like an ideal solution. I'm going to check into this and go for it.

Thanks!
FM

 

[Standing Wolf]

Northern Minnesota, we get all the weather.

Having made it through eleven Minnesnowta winters, I can truthfully state you don't get all the weather. You get the excess weather Canadians don't want.

 

[Old Fuff]

Monk:

Brownells' have a new, and I believe free, "sub-catalog" aimed at military, police, and civilian "tactical" users that contains most of their storage products.

Incidentally, the method I described is the one commonly used by the military services for long-term storage. A sealed bag is often good for five years under any conditions so long as the bag isn't opened. As the vapor is given off over time, you can remove and then return the gun so long as you roll up the bag while the gun isn't in it. But if you frequently remove the firearm I would replace the bag, and/or VIP wrap, on a yearly basis.

 

[Too Many Choices!?]

My Car Gun(s) usually depend on my mood/planetary alignment...

My AR15's exteriors don't rust(M4 and PDW ARpistol), the only exception being the inside of the mag-well which I found I had not oiled in a while, and left with a loaded mag which would not drop free after I left it for a 2 week period in my car(as an experiment). One of my mags would not drop free on my Bushmaster M4. The Aluminum mag, had decided to beigin the signs of some light,"gritting", which I quickly cleaned up with a nicely oiled rag to the mag body and mag-well....My AR's remind me of my old black Labradore, they both were black and don't mind water at all.

My WASR gets treated like an AK, and even moreso, it gets treated like the cheap AK that it is, I don't worry about the finish(it's good enough for photos), but rust isn't a major concern. Don't get me wrong I do wipe off any spots that begin to rust but the exterior isn't really my concern as long as the internals keep a light coat of oil...The only spot that I have noticed rust begin on my WASR, was the,"dust cover", front of the receiver near the barrel, and the sight. Again, oiled rag got rid of the begining signs of any rust. Now I just bring the car guns in at night and make sure to wipe down the exterior and prone to rust parts of the receiver....

 

[ScottsGT]

Think Tupperwear and desiccant packs...

 

[roo_ster]

I've been chewing over this problem for a while, with a little help from 'Fuff & Co.

Gunwrap VIP will play an integral part.

I originally thought that a cheap plastic gun case would finish out my problem, but I am thinking of other options.

A length of PVC pipe of the appropriate diameter, one end with a glued cap, the other end with a screw on/off cap (& o-ring) seems to be more my way of thinking, these days. I get an airtight & watertight seal to hold the water & water vapor out and keep the VIP happy.

Also, considering that my only realistic storage place is a deadbolted closet next to the water heater & AC unit...I would like to have something other than rusted metal and waterlogged stocks in case of a water heater mishap.

I figure that if the weapon is too clanky inside the pipe, I can wrap a couple strips of closed-cell foam rubber around the offending areas & stuff some in the top of the pipe right ahead of the threaded cap.

Just be sure to label the pipes, as PVC looks awfully similar.

 

[walking arsenal]

Or you could just pull it out once a month and wipe it down with break free and save yourself some trouble.

 

[Derby FALs]

http://www.polygunbag.com/