Gun Storage

[huthuthike]

So growing up my dad had guns and I used those but when I moved out I never bought my own until last week when I bought my first rifle (Mosin-Nagant). I haven't even bought ammunition or found a gun safe yet. So far, I have locked the bolt in my regular firesafe but was wondering if I should wrap it in a gun sock or something to prevent rust.

Thanks in advance for any help.

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[Phather]

Congrats on the purchse! The best rust preventative IMO is to keep it oiled. I wouldn't recommend storing the rifle wrapped it in fabric because fabric can retain moisture. Make sure you keep it in a dry or well ventilated area of the house and periodically wipe it down with something like clr or rem-oil to keep a thin layer of it on the metal. This has worked well for me.

They do sell plastic gun storage sleeves, you could try that with a dessicant pack thrown in for good measure if you don't go shooting often, but I haven't ever tried those sleeves and cannot vouch for their effectiveness.

 

[Working 4 U]

I agree keep it well oiled, I stored a BAR-22 in a normal cloth coverd zip up gun case and the next season I pulled it out and the barrell had rusted some. That took a 700.00 rifle down to about 400.00 ouch. So well oiled in a safe maybe throw in a large desicant package to boot.

 

[huthuthike]

I was under the impression that the <broken link removed> was specially treated to prevent rust. I was thinking that a pistol-sized one would fit the bolt easily and a rifle-sized one would prevent rust while the gun is in my closet.

 

[pinecenega]

Bad idea to store a gun in a soft case. They will always rust, no matter how much oil you pit on them. I like the old fashioned oak wood gun cabinets. If need be, put a dead bolt on the door to the gun room.

 

[Siglvr]

The joys of living in Oregon LOL!

Think of a strategy that might need to vary depending where you live. Water is heavier than air, so a basement is a bad place to keep metal that has carbon in it. Yet the concrete of the basement might be the best spot for a gun safe.

If that's where you site it, get a Browning Goldenrod and leave it plugged in.


Using Eezox when you clean the weapon instead of oil will add an additional layer or protection. As you can tell from this extreme salt spray test, it outperfoms many well known gun care products.



Then there is granular desiccants for RV's and cordless dehumidifiers and which you can recharge to drop the moisture level down. The larger Evos do better than the small Remington and are worth the money. Last longer as well.



Finally, consider a larger home dehumidifier. Some have drains which go directly into a floor drain and need no daily emptying in the wet seasons. They have controls where you can chose how dry you want to make the air.


Stay dry my friends.

 

[dolooper]

Bad idea to store a gun in a soft case. They will always rust, no matter how much oil you pit on them.

Yup. I had a Mossberg 500 that taught me that lesson in Prince William Sound one summer. Decided I didn't need it out and put it in a soft case. 8 weeks later when I opened it I could barely budge the action and certainly not move it all the way. May as well have been dunking it in the sound each night.

Fortunately, I think it was about 150 dollars to replace in those days.