Pistol box question

[yz9890]

A question for those of you that keep HD guns in a small safe.... Do you set your gun on bare metal, rubber mat, wool/poly/cotton rag, something else? Just wondering if some materials slow corrosion better than others.

 

[Indigowolf]

A good suggestion that I have heard is to use one of the silicone gun cloths in the safe. Wipe the gun down each night before putting it to bed, then rest it on top of the soft cloth.

 

[rayzer007]

My little safe has an inside sponge lining, and I keep the guns in their Remora holsters to prevent banging them on any metal when putting in or taking out. I also place several desiccants in the safe. Works for me.

Ray

 

[bigdogdaddy]

I think what is more important is the moisture content in the safe. Desiccants are a good idea but one of the actual safe dehumidifiers is better. My handguns are all stored hanging under the top shelf with the little "hangers" that they sell at Cabela's and other places. They are rubber coated and the rubber covered rod slides into the barrel, so when you open the safe the guns are all lined up with the grip facing you.

 

[mukwah]

I use the hangers also, plus a good wipe down about once a week. On the smaller safes I think any cloth liner is fine and a good wipe down every day or two.

 

[bigdogdaddy]

Until recently I had always used the very fancy cardboard boxes that Ruger sent their guns in. Then I got the SR9c and it had a tightly sealed plastic box. According to the Internet, where everything is true, you shouldn't use plastic boxes for storage of guns so now I have the hangers! :-\

 

[yz9890]

I have drawer size boxes so there's not room for hangars. right now they law on silicone treated wool wipe in one box and straight cloth in another. both have silica packs in them and I'm sure what're silicone the wool was treated with is long gone. the boxes came with foam padding but I was told that stuff was pretty for bad long-term storage. these guns are not carry guns and sit loaded in the boxes for several months without being fired or cleaned. my carry gun sits on a shelf in my stand up safe and the others on hangars in the safe.

i'm thinking about adding another quick access pistol box and gun to the house and this gun will likely be standard blued carbon steel.

 

[yz9890]

According to the Internet, where everything is true....

the Internet doesn't lie.

 

[SkipD]

If you were REALLY concerned about rust and other corrosion caused by airborne stuff, you could always package your stored firearm(s) in vacuum bags. The systems (machines and bags) by Foodsaver which we use for foods we are going to freeze would be perfect for most handguns, rifles, and shotguns. The bag material is available in long rolls and has enough cross-sectional area to go around most long guns.

Quite frankly, if I used one of the little "safes" for handguns, I wouldn't worry at all about moisture. For one thing, the whole thing would be in our air-conditioned home. For another, I haven't seen any of those things made in a way that makes them airtight.

One thing that can be used to prevent corrosion is the treated paper that I use for my woodworking chisels, planes, and other precision tools. If anybody's interested, I can try to find out where I got the huge box of treated paper (it was from a web site).

 

[3Coyotes]

You can also throw a dessicant pack into the box to absorb moisture. you can buy them at your LGS or find them packed in almost any hardlines product packaging... Sorry BDD... I didn't catch that you aleady visited this option.

 

[yz9890]

I was mostly asking if there's any material that would be better or worse over a period of time for your handgun to be in contact with. (vinyl, cotton, wool, wood, foam, polyester, paper etc). I keep desiccants in the boxes already.

 

[SkipD]

I was mostly asking if there's any material that would be better or worse over a period of time for your handgun to be in contact with. (vinyl, cotton, wool, wood, foam, polyester, paper etc). I keep desiccants in the boxes already.

Anything that can absorb moisture (ordinary cloth, paper, etc.) could potentially be a bad thing for wrapping around or using as a pad for storing things which can rust on.

Y'all need to realize that a desiccant (such as silica gel, dry rice, etc.) cannot do what you hope for it to do unless it and the thing(s) it's supposed to protect are in a totally air-tight container. If there are any openings in the container at all, moisture from outside the container will find its way inside as the moisture inside is adsorbed by the dessicant.

Also, no desiccant lasts forever. Some types of silica gel have a colored indicator (usually blue for "dry" and pink for "damp") and can be dried out to "reactivate" them. Typically, one reactivates silica gel in a heated oven.

 

[yz9890]

my packs need to go in the oven about every 3-4 months.

 

[bigdogdaddy]

In regards to the silca, dessicant, etc. I have an endless supply. I know the pharmacist at the local state prison and virtually every shipment she gets contains some type of desiccant. I have Miracle Whip jars full of the packets and the little tubes of it. So if you know any pharmacist they would probably rather give it to you than pitch it in the dumpster.

Don't bother checking with the street drug dealers. Apparently they do not keep theirs long enough to worry about moisture.