Silicone gun socks in heated safe questions

[OleBuckshot]

Howdy folks!

I’m curious about silicone infused gun socks and have a few questions if I may.

If I store a firearm with wood furniture in a gun sock inside my heated safe:

1) Will it eventually damage the wood?

2) Will it eventually damage any rubber recoil pads on the butts of my ‘heavy kickers’?

3) Anything to worry about with synthetic stocks?

4) Will anything inside the sock sweat because of the heat given off from the heating rod?

I’ve looked across the ‘Net, but my google Kung Fu has failed me in getting good answers to these specific questions.

My firearm collection is modest and I certainly couldn’t afford to replace them should they become seriously damaged. Additionally I have some old shootin’ irons that aren’t worth much but to me are priceless because I’ve had them so long.

Any help or advice much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[herrwalther]

Answers to a lot of these are, it depends. I'll go one at a time.

1) Will it eventually damage the wood?

Will the silicone gun stock damage the wood? No. But you mentioned a heated safe. The NRA recommends humidity levels inside the safe to be around 50% with a temperature of about 70 degrees, while keeping both as stable as possible. If you don't have one already, get yourself a temperature and humidity monitor for inside your safe. Spring for one that shows min and max levels of both so you have an idea of what range your safe is during different parts of the year. I have had wood stock rifles in silicone socks for about a year at a time with no wood issues.

2) Will it eventually damage any rubber recoil pads on the butts of my ‘heavy kickers’?

The silicone socks will have little effect on firearms. Their whole bit and selling point is protecting the weapon from rust. Some slip on recoil pads can change the color of the wood where it overlaps over a long course of time. But stock pads or butt plates installed at the factory or by a pro are much more resilient.

3) Anything to worry about with synthetic stocks?

Nope. Synthetic stocks are much more resilient to change than wood. Putting them in a silicone stock just adds to the protection.

4) Will anything inside the sock sweat because of the heat given off from the heating rod?

This will depend on the temperature variation inside the safe. See answer for 1). If the temp inside your safe swings from 40 degrees up to 80, then yes you will have some condensation build up which can lead to rust. If it stays stable, then you won't have sweating problems. A gun sock will not cause sweating but won't do much to protect from it either.

I reset my safe monitor about once a year. Temperature inside varies about 10 degrees between min and max (60-72) year round. Humidity stays within a 5% range year round. (48-53%)

 

[OleBuckshot]

Answers to a lot of these are, it depends. I'll go one at a time.



Will the silicone gun stock damage the wood? No. But you mentioned a heated safe. The NRA recommends humidity levels inside the safe to be around 50% with a temperature of about 70 degrees, while keeping both as stable as possible. If you don't have one already, get yourself a temperature and humidity monitor for inside your safe. Spring for one that shows min and max levels of both so you have an idea of what range your safe is during different parts of the year. I have had wood stock rifles in silicone socks for about a year at a time with no wood issues.



The silicone socks will have little effect on firearms. Their whole bit and selling point is protecting the weapon from rust. Some slip on recoil pads can change the color of the wood where it overlaps over a long course of time. But stock pads or butt plates installed at the factory or by a pro are much more resilient.



Nope. Synthetic stocks are much more resilient to change than wood. Putting them in a silicone stock just adds to the protection.



This will depend on the temperature variation inside the safe. See answer for 1). If the temp inside your safe swings from 40 degrees up to 80, then yes you will have some condensation build up which can lead to rust. If it stays stable, then you won't have sweating problems. A gun sock will not cause sweating but won't do much to protect from it either.

I reset my safe monitor about once a year. Temperature inside varies about 10 degrees between min and max (60-72) year round. Humidity stays within a 5% range year round. (48-53%)

Thank you sir! (I know, you work for a living? lol My FIL used to yell at me for calling him sir back when I was dating his daughter (now wife). He was an FO in ‘Nam).

But seriously, my sincere thanks for your detailed answers. I’m now confident that I have the info I need to sock up. Additionally I’ll go hunt up a fancy temp & humidity device to put in my safe. Given you answers, I cannot see how such a device is not worth the expenditure.

 

[herrwalther]

But seriously, my sincere thanks for your detailed answers. I’m now confident that I have the info I need to sock up. Additionally I’ll go hunt up a fancy temp & humidity device to put in my safe. Given you answers, I cannot see how such a device is not worth the expenditure.

You are welcome. I use this monitor in one of my bathrooms to keep an eye on humidity that might cause mold. You can even get "smart" versions that relay data to your phone if you don't open your safe much. But I don't have experience with those.
https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-TP...d=1&keywords=hygrometer&qid=1629840873&sr=8-2

 

[CapnMac]

If the temp inside your safe swings from 40 degrees up to 80, then yes you will have some condensation

Pint of Order, Sir--that's true is the Dew Point falls between those temperatures. If the Dew point were either 38º or 82º then that swing will not condense water out of the air (out of water-entrained items within the safe being a different kettle of fish).
Now, if the DP is 55º, then yes, the swing will bring the sweat out.

Now, returning to OP's question, the average GoldenRod seldom gets to more than 5-10º--it's main purpose in life is to try and keep the ambient air in the safe above DP.
This chart can be illustrative (without getting to ASHRAE complicated)
https://www.kosterusa.com/files/us_en/dew-point-chart.pdf
This one is more interactive:
http://www.dpcalc.org/

And, I generally do not "sock" my arms in a safe. I keep some socks around for range trips when it's damp out (hot or cold). Ok, so, the pistols are in unzipped rugs so they'll pack together better, and my Sword is in a sock to keep it from being scratched up--so, I'm "impure" on this [])

 

[OleBuckshot]

Oh, $11? That’s a slam-dunk. Hate to give ‘Zon any business, but sometimes it is what it is. That’s the exact one I’ll get

Again, thank you much!

 

[herrwalther]

Pint of Order, Sir--that's true is the Dew Point falls between those temperatures. If the Dew point were either 38º or 82º then that swing will not condense water out of the air (out of water-entrained items within the safe being a different kettle of fish).
Now, if the DP is 55º, then yes, the swing will bring the sweat out.

I was using ballpark, wild figures to make the point. It has been a long time since I did dew point math. Using both NRA and my own numbers in the calculator is a good illustration for firearm preservation.

 

[Gone Hiking]

Valid questions. Their point, after all, is to protect firearms, but one should always question if such things are snake oil. The good news is they've been around for a couple of decades and seem to have a decent track record. I've used those socks and have certainly seen no damage, but I also wonder their actual benefit beyond protecting from nicks and dings and stopped using them since I began using a safe since I no longer lean them together in a closet. Socks aside, I live in an area where the winter - summer swings can range from 0 to 100* with high humidity. My safe is in my un-heated / un-A/C'd garage, with an electric heating element and a rechargeable desiccant. My wife also likes to leave the garage door open during the day. I've never had a drop of condensation or a hint of rust on my firearms over the years, including a high-end flintlock with a bare steel lock and barrel (aka; "in the white"). I have a needle hygrometer in there as well, and while it kisses uncomfortable territory at the worst points of the year, the heating strip does its job.