Gun & Rifle Storage

[GrayHawk]

First, if this has already been asked and answered, please direct me to the thread. The only thread I could find dealt with ammo storage. I hear alot of folks mention their "safe" queens here on this forum and others. How do you actually store your guns in your safe. Do you keep them in pistol/rifle socks, keep pistols and revolvers in their original boxes (whether cardboard or plastic), lightly or heavily oil them down, etc. How often do you take them out for inspection to make sure they are not rusting, will they rust in a safe? Not all safes have the dehumidifier, do you need to do something with the safe if not so equipped? Do you take your guns out of their boxes and jusy lay them on the carpeted shelves? I don't shoot all my guns, so what is the best way to store them and have them remain in "like new" condition?

[AEA]

I have a medium sized Liberty safe with about 10 handguns and 2 rifles and one shotgun.

I have the pistols in a rack (NEVER store pistols in holsters).

I use crystal kitty litter in small cloth bags as a dehumidifier. You can also buy Silica Gel from gun shops (which is the same as the kitty litter but cost a lot more for less).

All of my guns are lightly oiled in their mechanisms and wiped down with silicone cloths. I regularly (Monthly) re-apply the silicone wipe down. Most of my guns are stainless, but I also have a couple of blue ones. I have never had any problem with rust at all.

I believe that the rusting problems people have are more problematic closer to the ocean than me (North Texas).

[GrayHawk]

Thanks Alan for the reply. Is there a particular brand of crystal kitty litter you use and where do you get it? I checked the local Walmart and didn't find much other than "green" litter products on their shelves today....

[AEA]

I dont recall what I used. Just look at the contents description and make sure it is silica gel and you will be ok.

[AEA]

I had a look at an open bag I still had. It was "Fresh Step Crystal Litter".
It comes in 4.5lb bags and was designed for the ScoopFree Automatic Litter Box.
It is blue and white crystals. I always bought it online, but I don't remember where.
http://www.freshstep.com/prodcrystals.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The picture of my bag looks different from the retail single bag because I bought a bunch in bulk awhile back and got about 15 clear bags like the picture attached for a good price. Since then they have all been used in the automatic litter box which has now been retired and I am back to the regular scoop type litter box and litter.

I used a couple of medium sized cloth bags that some bathroom faucets came wrapped in and even had a drawstring on them. You can just use some old socks if you want. Tie 'em up good and place them at several levels of your safe.

Every 6 Months or so, bake them in your oven at around 200-240 deg for a couple of hours and they will dry out and be just like new again, ready to suck up all that excess moisture around your guns.

[ntexaschl]

I have a medium size SentrySafe. Got it from Academy before that model became unavailable. It's bolted to the wall. In it I store 6 pistols, 2 revolvers, 1 rifle, about 13K rds of ammo, and all my leather. Still have lots of unused room. I pretty much do the same maintenance as AEA. I use the silica gel packets, though...mainly because, I get them for free.

[HankB]

Every once in a while I take my guns out and oil them up. They're normally stored in a gun safe, and I have a couple of quart-sized cans of silica gel (from MidwayUSA) that I keep in there . . . have to take them out every couple of months to dry them out in the oven.

So far, no problems.

[03Lightningrocks]

I have a Golden Rod dehumidifier in my safe. It is basically a small heater. It keeps everything in the safe nice and dry. Most better made safes come with a small hole already drilled in them for an electrical cord. Really easy to install....and it seems to work better than the silica stuff used to.

[dicion]

FYI, you CAN Microwave the silica gel crystals to remove the moisture from them, instead of baking.
Used to do it all the time back in the military on the silica we used in the waveguide dehydrators :)

Just make sure you have a decent amount of it. We just poured it out on a paper plate and put em in for a few minutes. Normally about a pound of it :)

I'd recommend buying it in semi-bulk, & combining a bunch of it in an old sock...
Something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/1-lbs-bag-of-Indica ... 56322c3ff4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Remember... DO NOT EAT!!!

[AEA]

That's a good price for it in the eBay ad........but they are killing you on shipping.....

Anyway, I only used the Kitty Litter Silica Gel because I already had it and the automatic litter box bit the dust, so I had to figure something to do with the Silica Gel Litter..........

Just look for Silica Gel anywhere you can find it for the best price.
I kinda like the taste of it, but it seems to dry me out too much to eat much of it.....
(Not really.....just kidding....DO NOT EAT!)

[ClarkLZeuss]

I have the pistols in a rack (NEVER store pistols in holsters).

Whoops. That's what I always do. Care to explain why this is bad? I really have no idea.

[AEA]

The dyes and tanning processes of leather holsters are usually corrosive to some degree.
Even if that was not the case, leather (and also cloth/nylon/kydex/whatever.......) can hold moisture against the weapon and cause it to start to rust.

[A-R]

AEA, thanks for the great tip on the kitty litter desicant bags. I use a pair of the Remington plug-in desicant contraptions. I was using only one, and found myself plugging it in and reheating the desicant about once a week. Now with two, I get a bit more use. But still having to reheat at least one unit every 10 days or so.

Austin is more humid than DFW, but not by that much. I'm wondering if there is just not enough desicant in these contraptions. Might try the kitty litter idea next.

[AEA]

If you can find the litter cheap enough, you could try it. I am not sure what Midway charges for silica gel but you could always check that out as well.

[stevie_d_64]

I have a Golden Rod dehumidifier in my safe. It is basically a small heater. It keeps everything in the safe nice and dry. Most better made safes come with a small hole already drilled in them for an electrical cord. Really easy to install....and it seems to work better than the silica stuff used to.

+1

I seal the hole up with "duct seal" you can buy at many "real" hardware stores...ACE sells it in small bricks for a buck or so...Lasts forever...