proper gun storage in a safe

[gutterman]

I just purchased a gun safe for storing my handguns and longuns, and I want to make sure I'm storing them in the best possible way. I have cleaned all guns and have put a thin layer of Hoppes gun oil over the metal surfaces of my stainless and blued guns. I have always had my handguns in gun rugs as well. Should they not be in a gun rug if oiled and in a safe? I also have the dehumidifier in the safe as well. I want to be sure I'm not defeating the purpose by leaving the guns in rugs. The safe is in the garage, and I live in Texas where it gets pretty humid in the summer. Any thoughts or suggestions on this is appreciated.

 

[AWorthyOpponent]

if you leave it in the gun rug, I always heard that it is more likely to form rust than not. I would think that this is especially true in a humid environment, regardless of dehumidifiers in the safe, that will only truly work if your safe is airtight...

 

[Shadow 7D]

the silicone gun socks are used because the repel water, the idea of the gun rug or foam in a gun case is that it traps moisture in contact with the firearms, most people state the trick of proper storage is maintain a good ambient environment (not to humid, not to dry) proper cleaning and oiling and regular maintenance. BTW clothes trap and hold moisture, it's one of the reason you are warned not to store a gun in the closet.

You can get VOC rust inhibitor emitters or even the VOC wrapping paper if you are really concerned.

 

[bigfatdave]

The rug is a waste of space and a rust liability

Racks with good air circulation work well for handguns, most "gun cabinets" have rifle slots, try to mimic them for handguns.

I use these:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=870529

... and a dessiccant pack I recharge every few weeks

 

[Gromky]

It might be a good idea to invest a little money in something to measure humidity as well. You can get the all over, but for something like $15 you can get a temp and humidity gauge at a pet store.

In many areas of Texas, the dehumidifier may not be necessary at all, and may be just doing bad things to wood and leather. If your humidity is between 30 and 50, I wouldn't try to change it. A dry rifle will not rust under those conditions. If it's 30 naturally, and you're actively drying down to 10...that isn't ideal for wood and leather.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I did not use rugs, until my shelf started to sag from the weight of handguns. I braced it up in the center, but still could not get away from the thoughts of my shelf full of hand guns collapsing and crashing down on my long guns. At that point, I started using rugs and eventually needed to because I bought even more guns and needed to stack them. I liberally oil my blued guns and wrap them in a piece of flannel before putting them in the rug. The safe has a dehumidifier and a digital gauge that monitors humidity and temperature.

I got the flannel idea after buying a 1965 Ruger MK I off off a guy. The gun's finish was beautiful. I noticed he had it wrapped in a fairly oily piece of flannel in the case. He said he had been storing it that what for decades.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Have you considered handgun hooks or the Velcro keeper for the back of the safe door?

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I ruled out the Velcro, because there's always there's always the chance of the Velcro letting go. I rule out hooks because most anything fastened to the door is basically fastend to a piece of sheetrock, which isn't the strongest mount....Until last week, I never considered the issue of the weight on the door. My buddy has a safe with the storage system on the door. He had it loaded to the hilt. He could not get his door to unlock. He could hear the solenoid tripping for the lock, but the door would not open. He finally figured out the door was sagging a bit and had to use a pry bar to lift it up to open the door.

 

[bluetopper]

I find it uses lass space to store them in the gun rugs and stack them on their sides too. If I didn't, I would have to find another place to keep the gun rugs. That's what my safe is for is to store my gun stuff in. Now I can just grab the handgun rugs and go when it's shooting time. Mine are in between a lightly oiled shop towel in the rug too.

I thought about putting a small wattage light bulb in there for dehumidifying in the summer.