"Store guns in holsters?"

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HHank

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Hey class, I have a really "dumb" question that needs to be resolved for once and for all. "Is it adviseable to store your handguns away in a gun safe in their holsters?" If not, why not. How long can this be done without harm to the weapon? What is the proper treatment for firearms that will not be fired regularly? Also, does anyone recommend a specific leather conditioner for holsters? Thanks

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Nylon and plastic holsters are obviously fine. Leather holsters may retain moisture and hold it against the gun. Modern concealment holsters are sealed with acrylic so I think the danger is fairly minimal but I'd keep an eye on it and still maintain the gun regularly. Don't put leather conditioners on your holster unless you want to ruin it. Holsters are supposed to hard, not soft. Wipe it clean with a damp cloth.
 
Do not store handguns in LEATHER holsters because they WILL rust/discolor. I've seen enough rusty guns to believe that warning, trust me! I might leave a gun in a leather holster for a couple of days, but that would be about it.

I wipe my guns down with Eezox before storing them. My choice is based on the results of two rust tests done on different forums by different people. Both established that Eezox is far superior to anything else commonly available for rust prevention. Installing a Golden-Rod dehumidifier in your gun safe is another very prudent step to protect your guns from rust.
 
It also depends on the humidity in your area. If you're in the South where it's humid, California, Oregon or Washington state coastal regions, forget it. Rust. Guarenteed. If you're in Nevada or the desert regions of California, Oregon or Washington, no problem.
 
I can answer part of your questions - it's not a good idea to store blued or Parkerized guns in leather holsters. Holsters can and do retain moisture. Think about old mildewed leather slings, etc, that you see in storage for years. I think stainless guns are a lot more immune, but I still wouldn't store them in leather.

Guns that I store away for years have a light coat of LSA or even white lithium grease on the outside and in the bore. They need to be taken out and inspected at 5 year intervals or so. No matter how well I clean a bore before I put it away, I can still usually find some green slime in old military rifles after years in storage. They get cleaned with hot soapy water, GI bore cleaner, etc, and still the LSA or oil in the bore loosens traces of old fouling during years of storage. Sometimes I find the oily green crud in recent commercial rifles that have never seen corrosive ammo.

The main thing is humidity control in the storage area and periodic inspections and cleanings. There's no substitute for this other than coating your stored guns in Cosmoline goo. :D

I don't know how to preserve or restore leather, haven't pursued the subject. All my gun leather that's up to 40 years old is still in good shape, but some of my old military rifle slings are questionable. I don't know if I would trust them not to break if I used them to carry a heavy rifle around. I have my dad's old Arisaka bayonet from Guadalcanal and the leather frog is so brittle I'm afraid to handle it much. I don't think that can be rejuvenated even if soaked in some kind of miracle goop for a year. :D
 
And to add further chance of damage are the salts that remain in the leather from the tanning process.
Some of these are slightly hygroscopic and tend to attract and hold moisture.

Salt and moisture are a bad combination for any gun material, even stainless.
 
I`ve had a .22 auto in a leather holster for over 40 years with no ill affects. None.
Course I shoot it offen and clean it after every useage. Wipe it down with a rig/cloth (outside) The internal cleaning is done by good old #9 and back
it goes into that old leather holster. Just my experience on the issue.
 
Not here. Texas gulf coast humidity is not good. They sit in the safe with room to "breathe" and a dehumidifier in the safe.

Besides, what's the point? I've never understood why you *would* do this, but I may be just missing something.

Springmom
 
As others have pointed out, steel that you want to keep looking good, should not be stored within leather sheaths/holsters, etc. You can of course, it just isn't conducive to long term quality care of the steel in question, be it knife or firearm.

How long you ask? A friend of mine who lived in Las Vegas moved to So CA. (Huntington Beach to be exact). Blued Python went with him. Always kept in holster here in the desert... no real problem, tho' he knew better. Down in sunny California (did I say he was living near the ocean?), he left his wonderful little 4" Colt (with that deep Royal Blue) snake like that for 4 weeks before he went to look at it. I'm sure I heard the scream from here. Freckles. Nice little freckles. Some acne. Pizza face Python. 4 weeks.

So obviously, LV isn't Miami or L.A. or K.C. and blued carbon steel isn't stainless steel (which will still oxidize, just a bit more slowly).

Care? Oil (or wax) and allow it to breath but take out as much moisture from that air as you possibly can. If you live someplace where wood swells up due to the humidity, check under the grip/stock once in awhile as well.
 
I wish someone had told me this 30 years ago. That's how long my S&W 10 has been it's leather holster, in four different states. No damage.

But this is a case of do like I say, not as I do... not a good idea.

Does anyone use desiccant packs in their storage area?
 
And to add further chance of damage are the salts that remain in the leather from the tanning process.
Some of these are slightly hygroscopic and tend to attract and hold moisture.
Click to expand...

Not if it's the right kind of leather it doesn't. Vegetable tanned leather shouldn't have any remaining "salts," and shouldn't hurt the gun, especially if it's been finished with an acrylic such as Fiebing's Resolene.

I've kept a blued S&W model 10, and half a dozen other guns (blued, parkerized, etc.) in their holsters for years. Not a spot of rust, and I don't oil them down as frequently as I probably should. Haven't pulled some of them out of the holsters for months, except to look for rust - nope, so I put them back.

I recall someone recently with a stainless SIG who used a kydex holster, and it showed rust after sitting in the holster for seven hours.

Nylon holsters are just as capable of retaining water as raw leather, and far more capable of retaining water than properly finished holster leather. I've seen more guns ruined by being put in nylon holsters or gun cases after the lightest sprinkling of rain...


As to why keep them in the holster? Simple - all my handguns are loaded, and the safe way to store a loaded handgun is in a holster. I never have to worry about whether a gun is loaded or unloaded - I don't have to administratively handle (load/unload) my weapons before carrying or when I get home. I do a quick chamber check before heading out, and that's it.
 
I have worried about this some, but have been keeping my carry guns in the leather holsters forever and a half. The rule in our house is if it is in a holster, it is loaded! These are usually kept in the safe when not carried, and we no longer have kids around. I have considered this a better option than constantly loading and unloading firearms in the house. I do run a rag with CLP over them every week or two.

These carry guns are both blued and stainless. I have never had a rust problem with any of them, ever. I do live in a humid environment (Missouri), but the safe has a 'Goldenrod" dehumidifier in it.

My non carry guns are on a rack in the safe and not loaded.
 
I saw a one beautiful S & W Highway Patrolman rust over a period of years stored in a leather holster. I gently reminded him to store it somewhere else, but he loved this Mexican holster that he got. I saw this guy and his gun every few years, and each time the gun looked worse and worse.

Do not keep a gun in a leather holster for an extended period of time. It will rust.
 
I inherited my Dad's Hi Standard HDM that he bought in the late 1940's. It was in a leather holster and it has been stored in that holster to this day with no rust. Of course the average humidity around here is about 12%. I don't store any others in leather holsters.
 
I store my pistols in those gun rugs you can buy with the zipper.
Click to expand...
To me the gun rugs are usually riskier for holding moisture than a sealed holster because of the foam in them. Ymmv. :)
 
I've been around guns that survived being stored for years in holsters. That's not a sure predictor of what will happen to your guns or mine next week.

When I learned, here or at TFL, about the potential for damage to good steel, all of my guns and knives came out of leather for storage.

I store them out of holsters and sheaths because the leather might cause a problem. It has happened to others, the way it happens is simple, and it's an easy problem to prevent. Good enough for me.
 
It depends alot on what part of the country you are in. I live in Colorado Springs and used to live in Denver. For years I stored guns in holsters with no ill effect. Same thing with gun rugs. I keep them oiled or waxed with auto wax though.
 
Hey class, I have a really "dumb" question that needs to be resolved for once and for all. "Is it adviseable to store your handguns away in a gun safe in their holsters?" If not, why not. How long can this be done without harm to the weapon? What is the proper treatment for firearms that will not be fired regularly? Also, does anyone recommend a specific leather conditioner for holsters? Thanks
Click to expand...
I would advicse against doing so with leather holsters. I have seen what long term storage does to guns and ammo stored in leather holsters. OTOH, I have seen guns that were stored in leather for many years show no ill effects.
 
brickeyee

And to add further chance of damage are the salts that remain in the leather from the tanning process.
Some of these are slightly hygroscopic and tend to attract and hold moisture.
Click to expand...

Right. The trouble is, you can't tell how that leather was tanned, and I'd rather not take a chance. If you've ever seen the results of long-term storage of cartridges in a leather cartridge belt, you'll know what I mean.

I do keep one stainless .357 Ruger Single-Six in a full-flap leather holster, but that's it. I was taught long ago not to keep guns in holsters, and I figure if it was good advice then, it's good advice now.

I also follow some old advice about storing long arms muzzle down. And if it was good advice then...

I don't even trust the foam in regular gun cases for direct contact with the gun. I wrap them in laundered and well-rinsed red shop rags from car parts stores and then put them in the regular gun cases for storage with dessicant and when I can find them, VPI tabs. (Don't wash the red shop rags with your underwear. You will not be able to go on dates until you buy new underwear because your old shorts will be such a pwetty pink.)

I make temporary gun cases out of canvas (just to eliminate the bulk of the regular cases) for carrying to and from the range.
 
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Kydex? Fine.

Leather or nylon? Not if you have high humidity, for reasons mentioned above.

Now, if it's your carry gun, and you give it a quick wipe down daily, keeping it in a holster should be fine.
 
I'll bet the original poster is really confused by now. What a bunch of contratictory advice! Those that swear guns will rust if left in holsters and those that have done so for years with no problems. Go figure! I have yet to hear a poster say they have had guns rust in holsters if otherwise well cared for. Yep, don't oil a gun and let the holster get wet over the years and it will rust quicker than one kept in the open. Treating a gun that way is called neglect.
 
Yep, it happened to me. A friend wanted to borrow a pistol. He lived alone a short distance out of town and thought he had seen figures skulking in his back yard. He was a Nam vet and not ignorant of firearms care and usage. I offered him a shotgun but he wanted a revolver. I let him have a pristine S&W .38 Combat Masterpiece and a holster from a large, well known maker. After several weeks with no more skulkers in the yard, he called me to come by and pick up my pistol. He had stored it in the holster and placed it under a seat cushion on his sofa. When he handed me the gun, I removed it from the holster and the cylinder and part of the frame was covered with rust and pitting was fairly advanced. I won't blame the holster. There might have been moisture in the cushion. For all I know the cat peed on it, but the gun was rusted, So I wouldn't recommend storing guns in leather or foam. And I wouldn't recommend lending them to friends either.
 
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