Long term gun storage

[Lar1911]

I have 15 handguns in a safe. I dont shoot them as much as I would like. So they stay in the safe next to each other.

What is the best way to make sure i dont grab one down the road with pitting?

I have cleaned them and left some oil but not much on them.

Reccomendations?

 

[Prion]

zcorrproducts.com Pretty roomy bags, you can fit two handguns per bag depending on size.

 

[BCRider]

More oil. Use enough to leave them shiney looking but not dripping. And during the final wipe with the oily rag that is used to put the oil on only hold the guns by the grips so you don't get finger oils on the metal. Better yet wear disposable gloves while doing this last "damp" wipedown with a small and fairly oily rag and you can handle them however you want.

Also the real key beyond oil is to keep the safe warmer than the air in the rest of the area around the safe. Drilling the side and installing a small low wattage light bulb down near the bottom of the safe is the best way to do this. Protect the bulb with a wire cage fixture. Something in the 20 to 25 watt fridge or oven light range is about right. 40 watts will make the safe feel overly like an oven when you open the door but would certainly do the job. You want to install the fixture down low so that the natural convection current of warm air rising and cold falling is promoted. Otherwise if you install it up high to double as a safe light for seeing things the warm air will just stay high and stuff down near the base of the safe won't benefit. So put the fixture down low. And for this you want the old "power wasting" incandescent bulbs. None of that new fangled compact flourescent that hardly has any heat. It's the heat you want.

If you're worried about the cost of this then don't be. A 25 watt bulb only uses up a kilowatt-hour of energy over the period of 40 hours of steady running. So for a month if you're paying 15 cents per Kw-Hr it'll cost you under $3 a month to keep your guns dry and rust free.

And if your safe is in the basement or you get a lot of humidity in the summer in your area then it's even MORE important to run the light bulb heater in the summer. In the winter with the houses being heated they are usually dryer than in the summer when night time condensation and not running the heating system can drive up the humidity. Or if the safe is in the basement where it's cooler then the humid summer air gets down there and the dew point falls due to the coolness.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I bought a 1965 Ruger MKI a while back. It looked like brand new. The owner had it wrapped in flannel and cased. He said he just oiled the flannel, wiped the gun and wrapped it. He said he had stored that gun like that for decades. Sounded good to me. I bought a couple of yards of flannel and now keep my blue handguns stored like that each in a pistol rug.....I also wax them with Johnson's paste wax. According to some, the wax is all you need. Personally, I don't trust wax alone and still oil them. FWIW, the wax really makes a blue gun shine.

BC is right, humidty control is the key. I have a dehumidifer rod. I use an indoor/outdoor thermometer with a humidity gauge to monitor the safes humidity. I put the "outdoor" sensor on the outside of the safe and the actual unit in the safe. That way, I can open the door compare the inside of the safe's temp to the room's temp and also see what the humidity level is in the safe.

 

[Drail]

Breakfree Collector. I've been using it on all of my safe queens for several years now and a thin coat brushed on keeps them looking like new. Eezox is also very good. Keeping rechargeable dessicant packs in the safe helps also.

 

[Tpr0811]

Ditto on the Breakfree Collector. It is very good for long term storage.

 

[Guillermo]

the two enemies are acid and humidity.

wiping all of the acid from your fingers off the gun is job one. After it is clean, touch in only with the cloth. The next thing is moisture.

Oil is a nice barrier and hydrophobic. It is also the goal to eliminate all moisture inthe safe. Desiccant bags are great, as is heat. As mentioned it doesn't take much. A 25 watt bulb is more than enough and not a fire hazard.

remember to oil the bore.

Also, be sure to not store a gun in a case with felt, fur or foam if you are not 100% positive that it is totally dry. I use silicone "socks".

 

[Occam's Razor]

Brownells did a corrosion prevention test a few years ago. Several products were tested. Boeshield T9, a wax based bicycle chain lube did extremely well.

 

[Guillermo]

Occam is right...wax makes a great barrier against humidity.

Old Fuff taught me that a good car wax is great to protect your carry gun. (thanks fluffy!!! )

 

[Ol` Joe]

Rig grease

 

[Occam's Razor]

Rig grease

If I remember correctly, that performed the best in the Brownell's test. I know it did extremely well.

 

[Guillermo]

here is the test that the Razor speaks of

it is an interesting read

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=12616/GunTechdetail/Gun_Cleaning_Clinic__Knowing_the_Limits_of

 

[Ruger Redhawk]

+2 on RIG. I've been using it for years. Great stuff.

 

[sweater914]

Moisture control is critical. I've had to store guns on the Gulf Coast of MS, in a non-climate controlled garage. Granted the guns were in a Fort Knox safe, but the salt air is all invasive. Before my dad arrived from St. Louis, every weekend I had to remove, oil, and replace all the guns (14+ rifles, and 12+ handguns). As a teenager I could have thought of better things to be doing and the anxiety of dinging up some of the ole man's more expensive rifles.

That was extreme, nowadays it keep a Golden Rod dehumidifing rod in my safe, a little more fancy than the light bulb technique. I also run a stand alone dehumidifer in the room. Oiling and at least handling the guns at least once a month for inspection. My safe sits on some 1x4's to keep it off the basement floor.

Desiccant containers/bag are good also, the dad had a caninster which could be re-used by baking the canister in the oven to dry out the crystals.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Silica crystal kitty litter (the really expensive stuff) is the same as what is in the 'reusable' desiccants boxes, you either put it in a coffee can or make your own bag, and for $10 you can have 3# of drying agent.

 

[oneounceload]

There's always Cosmoline..................

 

[Guillermo]

There's always Cosmoline

He is not going to store your guns...unless he gets to play with them

 

[murf]

fwiw, the worst place for rust formation is underneath the grip. most people don't even think about it. wood grips may be affected by oil, but ya gotta put something on the frame under the grip to prevent rust.

murf

 

[rajb123]

I don't like oil coating on guns. For one, oil eventually evaporates. For another oil dis-colors wood.

I have been using car wax for about 30 years. It is very good. The newer car waxes today don't leave any white residue and this is excellent. You can even handle the guns and they will not be impacted by what is on your hands.

I use several coats of wax.

 

[sourdough44]

RIG grease, a light coat.

 

[gunslinger387]

I believe in overkill. I did a test once with several oils and waxes and found Breakfree CLP worked the best by a good measue much more than their Collectors oil. I use rechargeable dessicant and a heating rod. I have never had a problem. Not even a speck of rust even if I took the guns out and let them sit between shootings. No moisture=no rust.