Long-term Gun Storage/Protection

I've been thinking about the way I store my guns recently after finding a spot of rust on one of my stainless steel revolvers (on a Ruger, thankfully not one of my Smiths!). I usually store them in gun bags with a Napier VP90 anti-corrosion sachet inside the bag for good measure. However, the recent rust find has made me question my general approach to long-term storage! I've taken to applying a coating of Rennaisance wax on the outer surfaces and leaving the VP90 to tackle the internal areas.

I've read that placing silica gel 'desiccant' sachets with a gun is possibly not a good idea as they can dry out wood stocks and even make them crack. They might also counter the benefits of the VP90?

Any suggestions on how you approach protecting your guns from rusting?

Others can chime-in. I use a gun safe in my closet and my closet gets cold. You can use one of those dehumidifier heater elements for gun safes for buy a safe with one. I do use desiccants but I don't know if they are good for long term. For long term storage I coat the bore and other areas with Hoppes Gun Grease. I did use one of those anti-rust plastic bags for my Walther PPK but on some pivot points I saw some "browning" which I took off with a lead removal cloth. There's also a Sentry Tough Cloth which coats the finish with a light coating of anti-rust material, if it's still available. Trial and Error I guess.

Here in South Carolina, the air conditioning is on all the time, and I throw some silica gel in the safe also.

I use Remington oil on blued and stainless guns. Kel brand Silicone spray for nickel guns.Everything is then place in Zero Halliburton aluminum cases,then into the safe.My guns had been locked up for five years once with no problem.

Gun safes with Golden Rods. Guns are stored in Bore Stores (silicone impregnated gun socks, work great...). For my long-term stored guns, I coat them with Rig Universal grease. For guns that I use more often, I just wipe them down with a good gun oil, or Frog Lube. I have had no issues with rust using this procedure. I really like the Bore Stores, no rust, and the guns never get any safe dings, or scratches. And aside from cosmoline, I don't think you can do any better than Rig for long term storage.

I like the idea of Renaissance wax, and the guns look great after waxing, but I have had blued guns develop some light surface rust (brown residue when wiping them down) after long term storage. Surprised me because I always read about how great it is using the stuff. Any of my waxed guns get a periodic re-waxing... YMMV.

dmar said:

but I have had blued guns develop some light surface rust (brown residue when wiping them down) after long term storage. Surprised me because I always read about how great it is using the stuff. Any of my waxed guns get a periodic re-waxing... YMMV.

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Likely what you saw was not really rust as such, it was probably oxidized bluing.
If you coat a gun, especially a newly blued gun with something like CLP Breakfree and let stand for a couple of weeks, then wipe it down with a clean patch with CLP on it, you'll see brown stains on the patch.
That's bluing that oxidized and got lifted off by the CLP.
You may notice that after the gentle wipe down the bluing may look shinier.

Some custom gunsmiths who want the absolute maximum gloss blue job will blue the metal then put it in a tank of warm oil for a week.
Every day they'll take the parts out and gently wipe with a soaked patch to remove the lifted oxidized bluing.
A fresh blue job is referred to as a "green" finish since it's not hardened fully and some oxidization will still be going on.
The oil bath and gentle rub down will remove that and leave the metal with an even brighter shine.

Even an old gun with a good blue finish will show some brown stains on a patch after CLP is left to soak on the surface.
I'd bet that what you had wasn't actual rust but oxidized bluing, which is a form of rust.

I'm in the process of doing this right now. Louisiana heat and humidity is a way of life. Battling rust never ends.
The method I have found best is to treat the guns with Birch Casey Sheath ( now called Barricade) it displaces moisture and leaves a thin , non greasy , protective film that prevents rust. Follow the directions and let the film dry then store in Bore Store silicone impregnated fabric case...more like a slip on cloth sack than a "case".
I had some guns treated this way and stored in a closet, on an outside wall , for 15 years , I took them out last week and there was not a speck of rust on the 5 shotguns and 3 rifles that had stood in that closet.
So I gave them another coat of Sheath / Barricade and put them back in their sacks.

Gary

Safe heater with treated gunsacks works for me.

The question of long-term storage gets asked frequently. Many months ago I reviewed about 3 museums websites, other than the NRA museum, about the topic of long term storage of metal items and there seemed to be universal agreement about keeping the environment humidity and temperature controlled and avoid touching the metal with your fingers. My recollection is that at least one of the museums mentioned waxing.

Below is a link to the NRA (National Rifle Association) document from the NFM (National Firearm Museum) titled Caring For Your Collectible Firearms. Here's a brief synopsis:
1. Humidity - 50% relative humidity.
2. Avoid touching the metal. Use cotton gloves when handling.
3. Protect with a quality wax at regular intervals.
4. Dust intermittently with a clean cloth.
http://www.nramuseum.com/media/940963/conservationinfo.pdf

A relative had damage to the bluing on a shotgun that accidentally came in contact with a desiccant for an unknown period of time, probably many months. The blue finish was bad enough he had it re-blued so be careful with desiccants.

A number of S&W Forum members have commented they use Bore Stores, a soft case "treated with silicone and a specially-formulated rust inhibitor", including me and I have good luck with them although my experience is not beyond 3 years. Some of my guns are wiped down lightly with gun oil and some are waxed and then placed in a Bore Stores. The below image in not from me.


All of this may be overkill. For storage, up until 3 years ago I mostly used old socks, no waxing, and no mechanism for dehumidification and no ill effects were noted. The gun I have had the longest, a Browning Medalist shown below, for roughly 45 years, sat in in its original case wrap in only a thin silicone cloth and left untouched for about 30 years before coming back out just a few years ago. It's had thousands of rounds through it and looks no worse for the wear.


Another example that suggests some of our efforts may be overkill is a recent visit to my father-in-law. He showed me an old Winchester model 12 that has been unprotected for 40 years and a High Standard .22 semi-auto stored in an old Royal Crown blue bag for about 30 years. Both are in very nice condition and show no signs of rust. Sometimes you get lucky.

Do any members have experience with long-term gun storage in a vacuum sealed bag?

I've found that vacuum bags lose their vacuum over time. Air molecules migrate across the barrier because the low pressure in the bag allows it until equilibrium is achieved.

They work on food because they block the majority of the air by simply being in contact with the food. Set your vacuum packed steak out and notice that the vacuum is no longer there when it finally thaws.

I don't have a lot of blued guns but I have a safe with a golden rod and some "Damp Rid" cups that I refresh when needed and I've had no rust in 20+ years in Florida with the safe bolted to the floor of my garage.

The original post was about LONG TERM STORAGE so that is what I will address here.

I have only used ONE method over the past 40+ years and it is as follows......

For long term storage - after I have cleaned a firearm, I use RIG UNIVERSAL GREASE (RIG) inside and out of the gun. YES, I do take it all apart and smear the RIG all over with an old shaving brush then reassemble. I then wrap it up in a few layers of waxed paper, then some heavy duty aluminum foil. After that the gun is good to go for a loooooooong time! How long you say? Well I have had two in storage for many many years and decided one day to shoot them. They were my Dad's and when he sort of stopped shooting on a regular basis he RIGed them up. I can only guess at least 20 some odd years. When I cleaned them up they were as good as the day he stored them away. By the way - do NOT put the grips or stock back on - store them separately.

The reason I have used ONLY this method is because it works so well - never had to seek out an alternate method or product. Again - this is for serious long term storage or extremely harsh environments.

Thank you all for your great suggestions so far. They have given me some valuable information on how to tackle future rust problems. I neglected to mention that I live by the coast, so the air is always generally damp, hence the need to find a long-term solution!

My stainless and blued Smiths have faired much better with my current setup, but I feel it could be improved. The Ruger was showing signs of spotting despite following the same storage procedure! Maybe Rugers don't use the same grade of stainless steel as Smith and Wesson? However, since applying a coating of Rennaisance wax to it, I've seen no more rust. I have a small, but growing collection of naval percussion and flintlock pistols too. They don't have the benefit of modern metallurgy or protective coatings! Back in their day, a liberal coating of grease was applied to them till they saw action.

I did purchase some desiccant sachets recently, but haven't had the confidence to use them. Could they do more harm than good I wonder? I also recently acquired a roll of VCI paper that I had intended to wrap up each gun in, but still leave the guns within their individual bags - a workable method perhaps? I have also considered placing the individual gun bags within an air-tight Peli case. Your suggestions prove there are many ways to tackle this problem! I'm very grateful for all your informative words on the subject!


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This test might be helpful.

Gun Cleaning Clinic: Knowing the Limits of Rust Preventatives | World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools - BROWNELLS

bigwheelzip said:

This test might be helpful.



Gun Cleaning Clinic: Knowing the Limits of Rust Preventatives | World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools - BROWNELLS

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This article appears to substantiate the use of RIG Gun Grease for long-term storage in my humble opinion. I guess I have two uses to cater for. There are those guns that I just want to store away for the foreseeable future, and those I want to keep to hand. Maybe the better option for the latter is Renaissance wax? These would be those guns I keep a regular eye on and thus more frequently check/clean.

On the subject of RIG, how does this grease age? Does it harden on the surface over time?

An excellent piece of visual evidence to show to people who are considering a range of such substances.

brainflood said:

On the subject of RIG, how does this grease age? Does it harden on the surface over time?

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On Chief38's post, he wrapped it up in wax paper and aluminum foil, and it maintained stability.

The RIG UNIVERSAL GREASE does not harden up like the old Cosmoline from the USGI storage days; that's why I like it better than Cosmoline which is also top notch for long term storage - just a pain to clean up.

I also use the RIG Grease outdoors over the winter on any metal that will come in contact with snow, rain etc. around the pool, patio, garage, etc. My (steel) pool control and breaker box does not have one speck of rust on it although it's over 20 years old! Tools I keep out in the shed over the winter also get a coat of the Rig and so far so good!

By the way, I have a new product from Birchwood Casey that comes in a spray can that's called "Hopper Spit" but have yet to try it. The Company says it works as well as Cosmoline or Rig but I won't believe that until I see for my self. It might be a good shorter term method as it is much easier to apply. One day I will get to it.