Is it safe to store guns in their original box and wax paper?

pssman308

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I'm cleaning the safe and wanted to know if I can keep the safe queen in the box.
 
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Paper attracts moisture. It probably depends on how humid your area is. Do you have a dehumidifier in the safe etc...

I keep all of my guns in bore stores. The boxes are stored separate. The extra padding of the bore store also keeps dings away.
 
By "wax" paper, I assume you mean the original factory rust inhibitor paper. I hesitate to give advice to anyone as to the storage of their valuables,....but , in the past, when demand did not overrun supply, many of the nations finest firearms would often set in the warehouses of "master distributors", in their original boxes for years, with no apparent problems.

As far as I know, a generous coating of oil is still the best way to avoid rust, and of late, here on this forum, there is often a strong group of advocates for a coat of wax.

I think one of the worst causes of firearm rust is the human touch, but, to be used, is exactly why most were purchased .
 
If the box and contents are in a climate controlled safe and not stacked such that the boxes may be damaged, I'd guess it would be fine. If not, separate padded storage as Klyde suggests would be better.
 
ALL my handguns are in the safe in their original boxes with the Factory VOC paper. I just wipe them down with a light coat of oil (Rig #2 Oil) before putting them away and I have NEVER had any rust or damage. I've been doing this for 35+ years so I guess it's perfectly OK.
 
ALL my handguns are in the safe in their original boxes with the Factory VOC paper. I just wipe them down with a light coat of oil (Rig #2 Oil) before putting them away and I have NEVER had any rust or damage. I've been doing this for 35+ years so I guess it's perfectly OK.

Lol....when I read the title of this thread, all I could think of was buddy (chief38) who stores all his guns in their original boxes wrapped in the original VOC wax paper. And, as I'm reading, look what I found....a post from him confirming that! It's real, I've seen it!

G
 
I don't think it's necessarily "unsafe" to store your guns in the original boxes. I prefer to keep my guns in Bore-Store sox and keep my boxes safely stored separately in a cool, dry shelf system. My guns are in humidity controlled gun safes.

I think a lot depends on the money you've got invested in your guns. When I acquired a Reg Mag and other prime stuff I got really serious about preservation and storage.

On the other hand, if you have shooters or stainless steel guns I would keep them in their boxes, i.e. Glocks.
 
I have one safe queen stored in a locked, semi-climate controlled building in my backyard (for at least ten years; could be more - window AC in summer and oil heater inside in cold weather; building is insulated somewhat) in a gun cabinet and it is in its original box with the VOC paper (what does VOC mean, anyway?) and it's in perfect condition.

***GRJ***
 
Shooters, Registered Mag's, inherited guns, prized possessions or whatever......... none of us like rust! Every gun distributor, gun store and wholesaler stores the guns in their original boxes until they are sold.

What is MORE IMPORTANT is the surrounding environment. If you have a damp basement, garage, or room in which your safe is, I don't think storing a gun in its original box, gun sock, gun rug or just on a shelf is going to make a big difference. The MOST IMPORTANT thing here is to make sure that the surrounding environment is not humid or damp. If your gun storage room is clean, dry, heated in the winter and a/c cooled in the summer you should be just fine regardless of the storage method and assuming a light coat of oil is applied prior to storage. If you have your safe in a damp basement or garage - weather the guns are in the VOC paper in their original boxes or in a gun rug, sock etc. isn't really going to determine rust or no rust, it's the surrounding environment!

If your safe MUST be kept in a non heated or air conditioned environment, than I would suggest getting and using a Golden Rod or some sort of dehumidification system in the safe. If you live in a very humid & damp climate you might want to consider RIG UNIVERSAL GREASE being applied to the gun and wrapped up in wax paper. Rig Universal is (as far as I am concerned) the absolute BEST in preventing rust long term for infrequently used guns. The best solution is just to keep the safe in a steady cool & dry location - then exactly how you store the guns and in what container, box, rug etc. is really a moot point IMHO.
 

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