storing pistols

wcwireman

i would like to store some pistols. would zip locks be alright?

Herschel

I would not recommend zip locks as any moisture in the bag could condense on the metal and cause rust. I would suggest putting a light coat of oil on the metal parts and storing them in a fabric pistol rug or case.

ruger41

silicone impregnated gun socks--you can get 'em at Cabelas and they keep moisture out. A light coat of oil helps too. Don't just leave them out in a garage unless it is inside a gunsafe with some form of dehumidifyer.

navc130

I used boot grease on my antique longarms stored hanging in the basement. Eight years later the grease was still on them. There is one brand of boot grease that is wax based, which is preferable. After greasing, I think storing in a plastic bag would be OK. The Army used to store greased rifles in plastic sleeves. Paste wax is another alternative. I understand that is what museums use to protect their arms displays. You cannot go wrong with a heavy coating of grease for long-term storage.

beantownshootah

quote:Originally posted by wcwireman
i would like to store some pistols. would zip locks be alright?

If the temperature changed, a non-permeable plastic wrapper like a ziploc bag might hold condensed moisture against the gun, promoting rust.

Unless the guns were previously immersed in some other preservative to seal out moisture (ie well oiled, dipped in cosmoline, etc), I'd say avoid that method of storage.

In general, there are basically only a few things you need to do to properly store guns for the long term:

-Make sure they're unloaded.
-Prevent unauthorized persons from accessing them.
-Keep them dry, specifically:

---Use a light coat of gun oil on all metal surfaces to prevent rust.
---Try to avoid rapid temperature swings that could promote condensation of moisture
---If possible, keep them in a dehumidified atmosphere (either use a dehumidifier, or any heat source).

Laredo Lefty

Zip locks..... bad idea. As mentioned, any moisture trapped inside cannot escape and will cause corrosion.

All my handguns are stored in their original boxes or breathable fabric, foam lined, zippered gun rugs. My safes all have desicant bags in them which remove humidity.

511pe

Place on non-hygroscopic surfaces (like plastic) in a stable temperature dehumidified. The gun must be totally free of figure oils & metal soaked in a penetrate cleaner like CLP to wash the micro pores of the metal then coat with a good grease lube rubbed in like wax. Apply with gloves. Lubricants eventually oxidize leaving behind some bad stuff like solidified black or brown tar/gum so periodically wipe with CLP & function test every so often. You might want to wrap in corrosion inhibitor paper after the greasing. Foam holds moisture so get it off of it as well as wood.

kylew

I'm being a little dumb but move to the desert south west like Las Vegas or Phoenix there the humidity remains about 10%-15% all year. The humid air is one of the biggest killers. The Cabala's socks work well as they have a coating that acts as a absorbent/desiccant. Those of you that live east of the Mississippi and in the south I really feel for It's really tough. We have had the same problems with machine tool beds and ways. They rust like crazy.

robert574

I keep a de-humidifier running (or at least set to come on) at anything above 50% in my storage room. I keep the door closed most of the time so it doesn't experience the same of amount of de-humidifying that the rest of the house does from the AC running.
A lot of people think that the air from their AC ducts is de-humidified, but this is not the case. Air coming out of the ducts is cool and mostly saturated (high humidity) (remember that it just came off of a wet evaporator coil that is constantly draining outside). It is not until this same air comes up to room temp that humidity falls.

The point to this is that you want your storage areas to be pointed away of the air ducts or divert them. This will also reduce the large temp swings that were mentioned earlier. I live in FL and the AC runs here nearly year round.

Also, I read that approx half of the population lives within 50 miles of the coast. This causes large humidity swings for most of us year round. In central Florida, I have seen cold temps 36 degrees F outside with humidity at 30% one day and also at 36 degrees and 97% the next only 1 degree away from dew point. If you live near any coast, this is the same for you too.

Unless you live in the desert, you really need some humidity / heater control on your storage area or safes.

cbxjeff

As like 41, I use the sox although mine come from Midway. They also have a big rifle size that will handle an AR that is so tall (bottom of pistol grip to top of front site) that the regular rifle size is too small.