Firearm gun socks/dehumidifiers in gun safe

[kmk1012]

I have two 36 gun safes next to each other. I just keep them so full that there isn't any room for moisture. Just playin, I have the large goldenrod in each as well as two rechargeable dehumidifiers in each. I recently bought a Stack On cabinet to free up some space and it lives in the house, have a couple dollar store desiccants in it. Still need another safe but running out of room for safes with the fire cabinets for all the reloading components.

 

[Skully]

So if it's inside in a house with ac and I'm using desiccants, should I still get a rod, gun socks and or dehumidifier? It seems like yes excluding gun sock?

 

[Bullzi]

Instead of a full-length rifle sock, I use a pistol sock to cover and protect the butt portion of my rifle stocks. Also use a golden rod and a rechargeable dehumidifier.

 

[gmerkt]

I have a friend that claims gun socks can hold moisture and cause corrosion. I have no personal experience, just reporting what I was told.
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I have no science to this. But I've been a little suspicious of the one gun sock that I own. Because of what happens with old, oil-soaked leather holsters. Which will allow rust to accrue on handguns that are stored in them. I suspect that gun socks can become imbued with gun oil over time. Which could allow moisture to settle between the sock and the gun. Or perhaps with a completely oil free sock, moisture absorbed into the fabric sitting up against blued gun metal could cause rust.

The single sock that I have, I believe I bought it about 30 years ago. Just now, I went down and took a look at it. At present I have an old (first year) Ruger 77/22 in it, a very nice rifle. The sock is branded, "Sock Ups." 100% cotton, I've no idea if it contains any silicone. But over the years it has absorbed some oil. No reason it couldn't be laundered. I checked the 77/22, perfect condition. As I say, my apprehensions about gun socks may be exaggerated. One thing for sure, they are definitely good protection against bumps in the safe, as previously mentioned above.

They are not air/moisture tight.

Yes, I think this is true based on the various gun safes that I've seen over the years. The gap around the door edge is going to allow more passage of air than extraneous holes in the bottom for cords, etc. Here is another topic for reflection. Maybe gun safes should not be absolutely air tight, because there might be conditions that seal moisture inside the safe and maybe a little air circulation against this is a good thing. But not so much as to defeat efforts to heat / dehumidify the safe.

The old style gun cases, fabric lined with nylon or fabric outer casing, never store guns in those. They are only for brief episodes of transportation. I had a minor horror story related to those. I used to have a 1940 Ford, it had old timey fabric interior that absorbed and held ambient moisture like crazy. It also had a back seat area that was huge, ergo, room for storage. I put three long guns in there for a few weeks in old type fabric cases, the guns suffered some rust in that time.

 

[Koda]

So if it's inside in a house with ac and I'm using desiccants, should I still get a rod, gun socks and or dehumidifier? It seems like yes excluding gun sock?

if its inside the house then no.

 

[Skully]

if its inside the house then no.

Ok, thanks. After messing up my poor 1897 in a soft case I would rather look stupid asking a dumb question than ruin some of my collectables. Especially my parts kit builds and military surplus guns.

 

[Koda]

Ok, thanks. After messing up my poor 1897 in a soft case I would rather look stupid asking a dumb question than ruin some of my collectables. Especially my parts kit builds and military surplus guns.

Yeah, dont store them in a soft case. If you use them in wet weather let them dry before storing inside a container like a safe or your Stack On cabinet.

 

[Sxsnuf]

The (very few) guns in my very small safe are kept in silicone treated gun socks. Not so much because I'm worried about rust, though. It's a pet peave of mine to see an otherwise pristine firearm that's "like new, except for a few dings and scratches from the gun safe".

 

[Tony617]

I have a PEET air dryer for my safe. I mounted the PEET dryer the outstide left corner and store my gun in the supplied gun racks with in the safe. There a some holes in the PEET unit so used very short screws to secure to the front floor so it does not move.

 

[Spitpatch]

With the safe(s) Inside the house (not the garage, not an unfinished basement), Silica Gel packets (collected from various packaged merchandise and sized from thumbnail to fist) have kept my guns rust free for decades. Once a year they are gathered and "recharged" by simply drying them in an open-door 150 degree oven.

More recently, I have begun adding a silicone treated gunsock around each gun (additional cheap insurance against rust and more importantly "safe dings" : creating more wear on firearms than trips to the field). I add a six-pack of socks to every order from Midway, Midsouth, Natchez and the like.

You don't need a gadget.

 

[amc82]

I have 2 gun socks don't use them in case I need to access any of my guns in the safe I have plenty of defensive pistol in my house so I hope I never need the ones in my safe in the garage. Yes I do have a rod in that safe have had it in there for 8 years and have never spotted any rust or corrosion on any of the guns in my safe.

LOCKDOWN GunSaver Dehumidifier with Slim, Low Profile Design, Easy Installation and Simple Operation for Vault Humidity Control and Rust Prevention https://a.co/d/4swwdt9

 

[orygun]

So if it's inside in a house with ac and I'm using desiccants, should I still get a rod, gun socks and or dehumidifier? It seems like yes excluding gun sock?

My gun safe is in the center of my home. Even though the outdoor humidity is high, in the house it's not. With the exception of my painted AR every gun is wiped down with an oily rag before being placed in the safe. It's been that was for nearly 20 years with zero issues.
I do have a silicone impregnated gun sock that Dad had on Mom's Henry 22 when I got it back 8 years ago. My pristine Remington 600 is in it these days, mostly to prevent any damage to it.
I've been "meaning" to buy a Golden Rod for years, but since I've had zero issues I haven't purchased one. If my safe was in the garage, I would have bought two!

A cheap way out would be to string power into the safe (most have an access hole in the back for items like the Golden Rod) and hang a 25 watt incandescent light bulb. It will keep everything warm and dry. The key is to have the bulb hanging and not touching anything. Otherwise you'll start a fire where you least want it.

 

[Juniper9mm]

I have a golden rod in each of my gun cabinets, with each firearm stored in a silicone impregnated Bore Store. Each firearm also has a light covering of CLP. I have never had a problem with any rust forming and think at times, myself included, we can get a little carried away with the academics, or 'what ifs', in this hobby of ours. Anecdotally, 15 years ago I cleaned and put my nephews Model 60 .22 rifle I bought him in one of those gun socks I got from Sportsman's Warehouse. I then placed the rifle in a plastic gun case which I placed in the rafters of my parents garage. My nephew had asked about it last year, so I pulled it down from the rafters so I could give it to him. In my mind I thought this thing was going to be covered in rust, as there was a 1/4" of dust on the plastic gun case that was only disturbed by dried cat pee. Opening the case, and removing the rifle from the gun sock, the rifle was like brand new still, as we had only shot it once putting a box of mini mags through it.