Gun storage

**wolffdad1050** · April 25th, 2007, 02:59 AM

Is it good pratice to keep a rifle in a treated sock in side a safe

**Warners Surplus** · April 25th, 2007, 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by wolffdad1050

Is it good pratice to keep a rifle in a treated sock in side a safe

IF you have a moisture problem then yes. The biggest thing to remember is KEEP YOUR GUNS OILED.

I have seen ALOT of collector grade firearms ruined because the owner figured that because it was a SAFE QUEEN that it didn't require the occasional dusting and fresh coat of oil.

The other thing is if your safe is FULL then make sure the firearms in the back ARE NOT resting aqainst the carpet lining of the safe. Carpet gives off formaldahide and other nasties as it breaks down overtime. I had a sweet unfired early 70's Match grade M1 Garand come in the shop that when you looked at the right side of the rifle, it was pristeen but the left side was nasty. The wood had a white haze to it and it had rust on the receiver and butt plate because it sat for 20 years against the carpet in the back corner of the safe.

One more, If you have older or mil. surplus rifles with steel but plates Keep the butt plate oiled or if collector grade set the rifle on a silicone cloth. I have an original 1884 Springfield that was in 1 family for 100yrs. When i bought it I couldn't believe it was in 92 to 95% original condition but the butt plate had heavy rust on the top edge. It turns out that the rifle hadn't been fired since the 1920's do to a broken firing pin and was sitting in a closet on the carpet in the same spot since the 1960's. The carpet had ruined the butt plate on an otherwise near perfect rifle

Rich W.

**mauser** · April 25th, 2007, 10:34 AM

Do any of you have any experience with VCI paper? (Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor paper).
How effective is it?
Does it have a "life expectancy", or is the protection infinite?
Is it a good choice for firearm storage?
Would it be an effective barrier between the metal and the carpet lining in the safe?
Could guns be safely stored in a gun case if protected by VCI paper? (Gun completely covered).
It seems like an inexpensive safeguard, but I wouldn't want to use it with blind faith.
Any input would be greatly appreciated.

**PA Dave** · May 2nd, 2007, 05:07 PM

The gun socks work well for storage in the back of the safe as they help prevent dings and dents. I would NEVER let the guns become dry or rely on the sock. The safes I have, have both rechargeable dessicant packs in them(cheap) and goldenrod dehumidifiers. I do these things as extra precaution against corrosion. The oil is the best that can be done shy of grease(long storage only). I ONLY use hoppes gun oil to keep the metal surfaces protected. Some of the clps and fancy lubes with racing stripes will dry out after a long time in the box. I still will get everything out say once a year to carress them and love them and coat them with oil. The reason I keep oiling them frequently is that even the hoppes oil will become varnishy after long enough and these deposits can wreak havoc with the delicate innards of triggers and such. As for the cases? I keep all my handguns in cloth gun rugs in the safe. Now some would say the cloth will suck up the oil and that is true but after only a short time the case will sorta oil the gun for me. Not that I'm gonna rely on that because you don't really want the oil on wood grips or eventually it will make them spongy/ruined so I don't soak them just coated well. My rule of thumb is I put just enough oil on them that it would barely ruin your mamas good lace table cloth. The gun cases I get are usually from morton enterprizes at the gun show 3 for $12 if I recall correctly. I have been building my collection for more than 20yrs now and have about 90 or so and have never once gotten anything out of the safe and responded with "Holy C*** what happened". I don't do these things for any other reason than it has been working for me for years and it will keep working. The down side is once in a while I gotta clean my shooting glasses, Oh well.

**wolffdad1050** · May 2nd, 2007, 08:44 PM

Thanks PA Dave for those great tips this is agreat forum it gives megreat advice thankyou for spending the time to give me this very useful infomation
Thankyou

**RandomTask** · May 2nd, 2007, 09:06 PM

I keep my pistols (except for my carry piece) continually wrapped in a microfiber cloth saturated in Drummond American's Repell. I unwrap them, inspect and wipe at least once every 2 weeks.
The rifles and shotguns are sprayed with a coating of Repell. That is really good stuff, but you have to buy directly from them by the case. I have yet to buy some as a friend gave me two cans as a gift. One can goes a long way.