Storing Guns in Hard cases

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italyguy01

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Right now I don't have a gun safe, so I have been storing all my rifles in hard cases with internal foam.

I have read that the foam can absorb moisture and rust the guns.. Aghhh!


Don't really have room for a safe, but I am thinking of putting the guns in a silcone gun sleeve, then in the case, and also putting a silcone Gel container inside the case with the gun.

Anyone else have good luck with doing this?


I also was looking at this safe, and wanted to know if anyone owns it, and is it good quality, worth getting once I figure out where to put it:

Gun Safe
 
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Get a safe. A good one or at least the best one you can afford. Cannon Etc. its a great investment. I wouldnt store anything for a long period of time in those plano carriers. They will hold moister. Wipe your guns down real well includeing trigger housings. ie 870/1100 rem shotguns make sure the barrels are lubed etc. But get a safe.
 
italyguy01 said:
Right now I don't have a gun safe, so I have been storing all my rifles in hard cases with internal foam.

I have read that the foam can absorb moisture and rust the guns.. Aghhh!


Don't really have room for a safe, but I am thinking of putting the guns in a silcone gun sleeve, then in the case, and also putting a silcone Gel container inside the case with the gun.

Anyone else have good luck with doing this?


I also was looking at this safe, and wanted to know if anyone owns it, and is it good quality, worth getting once I figure out where to put it:

Gun Safe
Click to expand...

NO FOAM!! Use the silicone treated gun socks. I have one gun in a gun sock in a foam lined case for a few years now. No damage. You should buy a safe eventually.;)
 
I stored my guns in hard cases for years, because that's how Dad does it. It has cause some mild rust, so I don't do it any more. I got much worse rust from storing in soft cases and storing in a garden shed though.

I think the biggest thing you can do when storing any gun long term is bring it up to room temperature before sealing it away. If it sweats, you will find a rust pile when you next open it up.
 
I think you could get by with the silicone rugs and a foam lined hard case as long as it was a dry storage area. Wipe the guns with RIG then put in the sleeve and then store in a dry foam case and see that it doesn't get damp. A safe is best but if you've got to do it this way just be sure nothing ever gets damp. Foam will hold water but it's not a rainmaker.
 
I use alot of hard cases with the foam interior, but always place the gun in a silicone sock or a clean rag absolutely soaked with silicone spray, both sides, and allowed to dry before using it as an envelope for the gun inside the case. I've also used Crown Royal bags similarly sprayed down and used for this.
Never had any issues with this and we're talking some very high humidity levels where I live.
 
If the plastic case is all you have, then do this: Wrap said rifles in a regular towel after lightly oiling and doing an oil rub on them. Put the rifle in the case, but do not close the case up tight; leave it cracked open. Put the case under the bed or whatever.
If you have kids, and the rifles need to be closed up? Then a towel, or soft gun sleeve in the case is better than nothing. Pick a dry, dry closet. Make sure the foam is aired out in the house, with a heater on so the case is DRY.
Your rifles will be fine stored this way. I had to do this for a couple of years, and some of the rifles and shotguns were old, with no bluing left on them, so rust was a real concern.
Check on them every couple months..... when you take them out shooting!!! Enjoy yourself.
 
I got a Woodsman Match Target very cheap because someone wrapped it in a towel. The silicone socks might work, but I don't know and I wouldn't risk it. What I DO know is that when I had to store a few longarms (and some handguns) for a couple of years in hot & humid/cold & wet Norfolk, I used RIG, and then put the gun in a plastic bag to protect the steel from the foam and the foam from the RIG (which will rot foam after a while). A couple of years, no damage to guns or foam. Before you RIG the gun, you should be sure that internal parts and bore are also properly lubed or protected.
 
S&W ships their guns in a foam storage container! My M&P was on a shelf in the back of the gun shop for two years before I bought it. If it was bad for the guns, why would the manufactures use them?
 
fwiw I read that the foam can break down from oils causing issues that I didn't want to deal with before I bought a safe. So i stored my toys (handguns only) in silicone socks and then in gun rugs/soft range bags. Did that for a couple years while we lived down in SC and had no issues, actually any plastic cases i got with my guns were tossed in a tote and not used anyhow.

Only owning guns for 4 years or so i have no real long term experience to go off of, just what works for me now....
 
ricklee4570 said:
S&W ships their guns in a foam storage container! My M&P was on a shelf in the back of the gun shop for two years before I bought it. If it was bad for the guns, why would the manufactures use them?
Click to expand...

good point, though seems the couple I've picked up were heavily 'greased' up and packed in plastic bags before being placed in the case (plastic or cardboard) so not in direct contact with said foam.
 
I do have a safe. However, no matter the storage process, it's good to leave the bolts open to allow air circulation in the rifle barrel.
 
italyguy01 said:
Right now I don't have a gun safe, so I have been storing all my rifles in hard cases with internal foam.
Click to expand...

I came to the realization last week that I have at least one gun that's more valuable than the safe I want -- a Liberty. If that single gun were stolen, rusted, or burned in a fire... I'd probably wish I'd gotten the safe. My other guns would also be lost to the same consequence so potentially for the price of my next gun I could have a safe to protect them all. Going back to the thread about Mom 'n' Pop shops... I guy 150 miles from here has my safe and is holding it for me (before year's end it'll be mine).

Just my two bits,

Bob
 
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A company called ZCORR makes reusable firearm storage bags that are sealed with velcro and chemically treated to inhibit rust. You could put your guns in these and then in the hard cases. "Vacuum sealed," they say. (Not really, but you get the idea.)

I use these successfully for long-term storage in Hawaii. Brownells and Amazon sell them, as well as similar products by different makers.
 
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If you get a safe, purchase one with a mechanical lock and a good warranty.

I have heard of too many people buying stack on, cannon, etc and the electronic pick failing after the warranty period (which is only a year). Now not only would you have to ruin your safe, but you will potentially ruin the contents trying to get into the safe.

Liberty offers a lifetime warranty (assuming they stay in business) and will pay someone to open your safe and/or replace it if need be. If there is ever a fire or attempted break-in, Liberty will replace the safe for free.

I bought a Liberty "timber ridge 25" gun safe on sale at Gander Mountain for $799 and they had a 9 month 0% financing promotion at that time. I wanted the 48 but it wouldn't fit in my basement
 
This issue(storage in foam-lined cases) has been discussed a good bit here over the years, and most members warn strongly against it. But I have stored all my guns in them over the 13yrs or so that I've owned guns, and have never had rust form on any of them. However, a precaution or three needs to be observed:

1. Do not leave the case open; remove the gun and close it, then of course close it when you put the gun back. This is especially important at an outdoor range, when I've found it tempting to let the gun lie in an open case while I'm setting up or taking down rests, chronograph, etc., or get a second gun out to shoot. Other posters/members have given the reason for this: the foam will absorb moisture from the open air. Not as rapidly as a sponge or paper towel contacting water by any means, but it will. This of course invites rusting later on.

2. As another member already indicated, if you have the gun outdoors on a cold day(don't know if you have those in your location, but if you do), then when you bring it inside, let it warm up to room temperature and any condensation dry before putting it back in the case. The idea of course is to keep all moisture out of the case. If the case has been outside also and you've already put the gun back in it, I believe I've just brought it in and left it locked, allowing both case and gun to warm up to room temperature without opening the case. I'm struggling a bit here to recall how I've done this, since it has been awhile -maybe others can help.

3. Finally, as others have suggested, get a really good protectant and wipe the gun thoroughly with it before putting the gun in the case. You've already received a suggestion or two; I'll just tell you what I use. It's a product called Corrosion X, and its rust-preventive capability is quite impressive. And if you miss the small, hard-to-reach spots on the gun with the rag you're using to apply it, it will creep into those areas on its own. Just another possible product to consider.

Best wishes,
Andy
 
The pistols I have that came in a case stay in them in my safe (with Goldenrod) but I was concerned that foam could absorb oil off them. I noticed some from S&W were wrapped in what appears to be waxed paper which I assume is to prevent direct contact with the cardboard box which would absorb oil. So I now just wrap wax paper around my pistols before putting them in their box.
 
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